Capitalizing on knowledge gained from years of developing products for very harsh marine environments, Wahoo Docks – the largest manufacturer of aluminum docks in North America has launched a sister company in the third quarter of 2008, Wahoo Decks offer a suite of low maintenance deck products that focus on accountable waterproof solutions and backed by a 100% leak proof guarantee.

Wahoo Decks took over several product lines including:  AridDek Waterproof aluminum decking, Wahoo Rail and Ipe Decking imports.  In addition, the formation of Wahoo Decks coincided with the launch of ‘DryJoist’ – the industry’s first and only structural deck drainage system that was promptly named one of the “50 Most Innovative Products of 2008” by Professional Remodeler Magazine.

The premise of Wahoo Decks is to provide outdoor deck products that are ideally designed to maintain their structural integrity and appearance, which are targeted to both the refurbishment of existing outdoor structures and new builds. The most popular product lines: AridDek and DryJoist are products to create a dry area below an outdoor deck, making the area suitable for even an enclosed living area.  Each of the products have unique benefits but both share a common feature that have fueled their popularity – they are both simple, one-step processes that can be quickly installed by a contractor or homeowner with standard tools and are 100% effective.

AridDek has been marketed for several years and has grown substantially as aluminum decking that has become almost mainstream and distribution has grown.  Three years ago, AridDek was sold almost exclusively direct from their factory… today, much of their sales come through lumber yards and other distributors.  Indeed, AridDek has great feature and benefits: It lasts much longer than wood or plastic based decking materials, it maintains a consistent appearance for many years with little or no fading. It is one of, if not the cheapest solution to waterproof a deck, it is impervious to insects, it will not rot and it is great for areas in high fire risk zones.  Moreover, AridDek in the Aluminum Decking world is the finest because its design allows it to be cut longitudinally and it can therefore be used on almost any deck shape.

Alas, AridDek sounds perfect, right?  Well, for those not satisfied with the look or feel of aluminum decking, DryJoist offers a great solution and is one of the most resourceful deck drainage system.  One of the main premises during the development of Dryjoist was to make installation easy enough that it could be used by anyone. Creating a dry space below a deck is typically done in one of two ways and is usually provided by a specialized, third party contractor.  One way is to fit a system underneath the wooden structure of a deck which has two drawbacks – it must successfully navigate around support columns and it traps the wood structural members of the deck in a very moist environment. The other way is to substantially create a deck over the roof structure that does not pierce a multi-layered membrane, which is fraught with issues including a relatively modest life expectancy.

DryJoist takes a different approach.  DryJoist is a product that replaces the traditional wood joists of a deck, creates a 100% waterproof barrier and provides a platform to which any type of decking can be secured.  In short – DryJoist allows deck owners to achieve whatever look they desire with the utility of having useable space beneath their deck. As DryJoist insulates any wooden structural members from the elements, it enhances the longevity of the deck far beyond that of alternative means.  The other major feature of DryJoist is that it supports the decking every 4” which means that deck patterns, such as diagonal or herringbone patterns, can be created almost as easily as traditional parallel patterns.

So, it is clear that Wahoo Decks has established their position as a leader in the low maintenance, waterproof deck products sector.  With the housing market continuing to move sideways and homeowners looking to make improvements rather than relocate, one would expect to see innovative products such as these make their way into more and more back yards for a long time to come.