Permanent Docks
Custom-engineered piling and crib docks built to withstand Lake Michigan conditions year-round.
Learn More →Serving St. Joseph, MI lakefront homeowners with permanent and seasonal docks, steel and vinyl seawalls, boat lifts, certified commercial diving, premium decking, and full-service general contracting since 2015. Family-owned. Licensed and insured. We're the team behind the Library Historic Hotel restoration on Main Street.
Whether you need a seasonal dock installed before Memorial Day in St. Joseph, a permanent pile-driven dock for your Bridgman lakefront, a steel seawall to hold back Lake Michigan, or a custom barndominium in Berrien County — Captain's Choice handles it all in-house. One team. One contract. One point of accountability across SW Michigan and NW Indiana.
Custom-engineered piling and crib docks built to withstand Lake Michigan conditions year-round.
Learn More →Aluminum and vinyl seasonal systems — installed in spring, removed in fall. We handle storage too.
Learn More →Standard, pontoon, tritoon, and PWC lifts. Sales, installation, and seasonal service.
Learn More →Steel, vinyl, and stone revetment seawalls engineered for shoreline protection on Lake Michigan.
Learn More →Certified commercial divers for underwater inspections, repairs, and recovery work.
Learn More →Beyond the water — we also build, restore, and renovate homes and commercial spaces.
Learn More →
Captain's Choice is providing general contracting on the restoration of St. Joseph's 1903 Andrew Carnegie library — a 120-year-old red brick neoclassical landmark now being reborn as a boutique hotel with curated suites and the Archive Lounge speakeasy.
It's the same precision we bring to every dock, seawall, and lakefront home — whether the canvas is a private shoreline or a piece of Michigan history.
View The Library Project →Based in Bridgman, we travel throughout Berrien, Cass, and St. Joseph counties — plus Northwest Indiana.
No high-pressure sales. No surprise change orders. Just straightforward Lake Michigan craftsmanship.
We meet you at the water, walk the property, and take exact measurements. No charge, no obligation.
You get a transparent, line-item proposal within 5 business days — including materials, timeline, and permit notes.
Our crew handles permits, install, and cleanup. We communicate weekly so you always know where things stand.
For seasonal docks and lifts, we handle install, removal, and storage every year. Set it and forget it.
Nick is on every project — not behind a desk. You get the owner's eye on every detail.
Most contractors farm diving out. We do it in-house — faster turnarounds, lower costs.
We're the rare team that can build your dock and remodel your lake house. One crew, one point of contact.
We know what wind, ice, and 6-foot waves do to a shoreline. We build for it — not against it.
St. Joseph is the heart of our service area — home of Silver Beach, the iconic St. Joseph North Pier Lighthouse, and dozens of Lake Michigan bluff-front properties we've worked on. From our work as general contractor on The Library Historic Hotel restoration on Main Street to the cable-rail composite decks lining the lakefront homes above the bluff, we know every block of the city.
Real reviews from lakefront homeowners across Berrien, Cass, and LaPorte counties.
"Nick and his team replaced our seawall after the 2024 storm season took out 40 feet of shoreline. Crew was on-time, on-budget, and the wall looks better than the original."
"We've used Captain's Choice for our seasonal dock for four years running. They show up when they say they will, no chasing them down. Rare these days."
"They installed a permanent dock and a tritoon lift for us last spring. Quality of the work is genuinely impressive — and Nick stayed personally involved start to finish."
Tell us a bit about your property and what you'd like to build. We'll set up a free on-site visit and have a detailed quote in your inbox within five business days.