Boat Ramp Construction: We’re MN Shoreline Builders Who Build Perfect Boat Ramps

Boat ramp, staircase, and riprap on shoreline (Knife Lake)

In logistics, the last mile is the difference between getting your package on-time and getting furious at the seller, the shipping company, and the delivery guy and his mother.

In football, the last few yards of a drive are the difference between the Lombardi Trophy and a participation trophy.

On your shoreline, the last few feet of land are the difference between feeling inner peace on a sunrise boat ride and feeling the dread of Fredo Corleone as he stepped onto the fishing boat.

Of course, we’re talking about your boat ramp – or lack of one. A dilapidated boat ramp or no boat ramp can make your shoreline less safe or less convenient or both. It can also make your shoreline feel incomplete, whether or not you also have a dock that may or may not cover your needs.

Before-and-after: boat ramp installation in Lino Lakes

When might you need a boat ramp?

The rest of your shoreline may be perfect, or you plan for it to be perfect soon. But without a smooth way to push off into the water, you can only enjoy your lakeside property and not the lake. You’re tired of tiptoeing, stumbling, and checking to make sure you don’t step on a Portuguese man-o-war.

A boat ramp not only helps you launch your boat, but it also makes installing and removing your dock a breeze. No more pestering family and friends to help you wrestle the dock in or out in the spring or fall.

You want a boat ramp that maintains itself, that you can use by yourself, and that you can enjoy with everyone.

Who builds boat ramps in Minnesota?

You want or need a boat ramp, but who are you going to call? The Ghostbusters are in New York. Most driveway guys pave driveways. Most concrete guys build patios. Most landscapers can barely build a sand castle – and we’ve seen the kinds of boat ramps they build.

Contact Lakeshore Guys®. We build a mean boat ramp, and we’re just north of the Twin Cities. Also, because we specialize in building the toughest and most beautiful shorelines made by human hands, we’ll engineer your boat ramp to do its part to resist erosion, and we’ll make sure it fits in with your vision and goals for the rest of your shoreline.

Completed boat ramp as seen from the water

Completed boat ramp with attached dock on shoreline (Bald Eagle Lake)

All-gravel boat ramp, dock, driveway, and camp area

We work on shorelines throughout Minnesota, often on Lake Minnetonka, Prior Lake, and in White Bear and Forest Lake. Of course, we do jobs throughout the state, from the Brainerd / Whitefish Chain of Lakes / Pelican Lake area, to the Detroit Lakes area, and beyond. If you’re in Minnesota and you only need a boat ramp, we can help. If you’re outside of Minnesota – anywhere in the Midwest – and want a boat ramp and the shoreline you’ve always wanted, we can help.

How do you build a boat ramp?

Most of the time we build boat ramps out of prefabbed concrete segments. We bolt the segments together and secure them onto a bed of perfectly graded and compacted gravel. The small gaps between each segment are filled compacted gravel, which acts as a series of weeps that allow water to drain out. Often the concrete-and-gravel combination is what we suggest, but we’ve also built boat ramps out of just gravel, and we can explore other materials or designs you may have in mind.

Typically we build boat ramps as part of a larger shoreline restoration project, but it’s also possible we could build your boat ramp as a one-off project, if that’s the only thing you need for now. Of course, should you choose to go whole-hog on your shoreline, we can erosion-resistant riprap and build you a staircase or walkway that brings you to your shoreline, dock, or boat in style.

Either way, you’ll love your boat ramp so much that you might forget about your boat.