Boaters consistently report that the most stressful part of their day is docking. What if it could be as easy as driving your boat in a straight line? That’s all it takes if you have a pontoon boat with the new Docked system.
You’ve heard the phrase, “Necessity is the mother of invention?” Well, the Docked system was developed by a couple of boaters for their family and friends – including those with mobility challenges – who wanted to use the pontoon boat independently while visiting their lake property in Maine.
The product was never intended to be brought to the open marketplace, but after discovering how useful it was in easing docking woes as well as loading and unloading the boat singlehanded, even for someone with physical challenges, they decided to develop and test the system for the rest of us. Look at how easy it is to dock a pontoon boat with Docked.
Docked is essentially a frame that attaches to your dock. Drive your pontoon boat over it, and the pair of winglike entry bars grab the pontoon hulls, centers and guides them, and locks the boat in place. For long-term storage, the boat can be tied with regular mooring lines to prevent any side-to-side motion. The basic Docked is designed for standard pontoons, but there’s also a tri-toon version. Judges at the International Boatbuilders Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) were so impressed with the simplicity and ease of the Docked system, it earned an Innovation Award in the Deck Equipment and Hardware category.
Docked and Docked Tritoon are designed for pontoon boats with an 8-foot, 6-inch beam and 18 to 30 feet long, with standard diameter pontoons from 25 to 32 inches. The system is shipped unassembled, but assembly of the preformed, fitted, and predrilled marine-grade, UV-stabilized tubes is estimated to take just 10 minutes. The frame then attaches to the dock with a pair of metal brackets. It is lightweight and easily taken off for use on reservoirs, which require winter removal. Designed for use on lakes, it can also be used in tidal areas when attached to a floating (not fixed) dock.
$1,799 (original version); $1,999 (tri-toon version) | urdocked.com
Published: January 2026
Contributing Editor, BoatUS Magazine
Our top electronics writer and an accomplished sports fisherman, Lenny has written seven books, won 52 awards from Boating Writers International – many for his first-rate marine electronics articles – and two for excellence from the Outdoor Writers Association of America. Angler in Chief at his own FishTalk publication, this passionate angler brings expertise in fishing trends, small boat handling, and DIY projects. His encouraging style is featured in many of BoatU.S.’s popular how-to videos.