Steve Steiner

Review of Speeler Enterprises

If you are contemplating a new seawall and/or dock...

If you are contemplating a new seawall and/or dock with a lift please read this.

In October of 2018 I decided it was time to redo my old wood seawall and replace a small dock with a much bigger dock and a 4 point lift.

I spent several days calling around speaking to seawall companies, dock and lift companies, and those that do both. I ended up using
Gibson Marine for my seawall and it came out great. I have a review on google for them as well, but this review is about Speeler
and the dock/lift they built for me.

First off, beware that all the companies that build seawalls, docks and lifts in the Tampa area are way backed up. At the time of writing this review (June of 2019) most of these company have a 5-6 month waiting list, so you are going to have to be patient. I spoke to 5 companies that could build a dock/lift and got quotes from 3 of them. I was amazed that the price quoted was almost identical from all three companies.

I ended up picking Speeler because I heard good things about them from other people in my immediate area that had used them. I also liked the well written and detailed quote they presented, clearly showing a base price with an individual price for each potential upgrade. Note, had I not chosen Speeler, I would have picked Priority Marine as they were impressive also.

My main contact at Speeler was Mitchell. I found him to be professional, polite and accommodating. He and his staff worked diligently to get the necessary city permits (Largo) and answer any questions I had. Originally, I was told they would begin on my dock between April 24th and May 1st, but the actual start date was closer to May 24th which is 3-4 weeks behind schedule. I was not very happy about this delay, but Mitchell explained they repeatedly had tried to get a barge into my area and were limited by a low bridge and the tide. After a while they gave up on that barge and brought a different barge up from St. Pete that had a lower clearance.

Once the barge was in my backyard things happened very fast. The crews they had were exceptional (David P and Scott H). After watching both a seawall and dock/lift being built, I can say much more thought, skill and hard work is required than I would have ever guessed. After going though this process, you will understand why these things aren't cheap!

Speeler breaks the building of the dock/lift into two crews. David P and his crew used the barge to set the pilings and then framed the outer part of the dock. David also installed the lift. Shortly afterwards (same day) Scott H and his crew finished all the rafters (or joist?) and attached the final top decking material. There were a few times where I asked for minor changes to the dock and as long as it did not require a change to a permit or take an exceptional amount of time, I found Mitchell and David were very accommodating. Another plus is that Speeler only uses the best materials such as stainless steel screws, bolts and extra wide 10 inch rafters.

Do note that Speeler does not do any electrical work, nor do most other dock/lift builders. You will have to hire an electrician to hook up your lift motors, so be prepared for another shock, sticker shock that is.

See attached picture of the dock and lift, you can see the quality of Speeler's work. I am very happy I chose Speeler and gladly recommend them to anyone who needs a new dock and or lift.

Sincerely,

Steve Steiner
Largo, Fl