Dock Slides: Inflatable, Floating and Permanent Slides

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Late afternoon at the lake house. The sun is low over the far shore, towels are drying on the dock rail, and there’s a steady rhythm to the evening: footsteps on the boards, a whoop, a splash, and a wet head bobbing up laughing. Then a cousin climbs out by the ladder and runs back for another turn. A dock slide keeps that going all summer, without anyone having to start a boat. This page is everything about dock slides: the three types, how high your dock is and how deep your water needs to be, how slides attach, what they’re made of, the sizes you can get, the fun side, the safety side, and the slides and gear you can buy now.

In short: a dock slide is either an inflatable slide you strap or tie to the dock, a floating slide you anchor in the lake, or a permanent fiberglass slide on a platform. Match it to your dock height, then check the water at the landing: makers ask for 6 to 8 ft for most slides, and more for the tall ones. Inflatable dock slides start around $275 (a floating two-lane slide) and run to about $750; anchored water-park slides cost thousands.

Three types of dock slide

Type	How it works	Examples	Good for
Inflatable dock slide	Straps or ties to cleats, posts or rails; comes off when you’re done	Airhead Spillway (sold as a dock slide), Lakesurf Slide Island, Paddle North Slide	Most family docks; slides that also go on the boat
Floating slide	Anchored or tethered out in the water, away from the dock	WOW Slide N Smile, Aquaglide Freefall 6, trampoline slide attachments	Keeping riders clear of dock posts; several kids at once
Permanent or rigid slide	Fiberglass slide bolted to a raised platform or dock	Goldco Fiberglass (8 to 22 ft), ShoreMaster water slide, EZ Dock-mounted slide (Waterside Dock Systems)	Lake homes that want a slide ready every day

There’s a fourth, specialist option for boathouses with a sundeck on top: FunAir’s Inflatable Boat Dock Slide, a yacht-grade slide in three sizes for two-story docks (more below). For a decision guide by lake and dock, read dock slide for your lake.

Inflatable dock slides

Airhead calls its Spillway an “inflatable dock slide” and also sells it for pontoons: 10.5 ft long with an 8 ft sliding surface, rated for one rider up to 200 lb, and Airhead says it inflates and attaches in five minutes or less. Lakesurf’s Slide Island is a drop-stitch slide that ties off at nine points, rated to 300 lb in slide mode, and lies flat as a floating mat when you unclip its straps. The Paddle North Slide is a 24 lb drop-stitch slide with seven D-rings that can be tethered to a dock or a boat or float free. Our inflatable dock slide guide compares how they’re built and set up.

One familiar name is gone: RAVE’s 9 ft Dock Slide, made for docks 12 to 30 in above the water, is no longer in RAVE’s lineup, and The Pond Guy lists it as discontinued. Leftover listings we saw were priced well above its old price.

Floating and freestanding slides

A floating slide sits out in the lake, so riders land in open water instead of next to the dock posts. WOW’s Slide N Smile is a two-lane floating slide, 108 x 84 x 50 in, with side grommets to tie it to a dock and zippers to join WOW’s walkways and mats. Aquaglide’s Freefall 6 is a water-park piece: a 13 ft 4 in x 8 ft x 6 ft zero-entry slide for 3 adults and 3 children (600 lb), which Aquaglide says needs at least 6 ft of water, 10 ft from shore and anchors totaling at least 1,100 lb. Bigger still, Aquaglide’s Velocity Slide 10.0 has a 10-foot-high launch point and a climbing wall, at $5,039.99 on Aquaglide’s site.

If you already own a water trampoline, a slide attachment may be the easiest add-on: RAVE’s Aqua Slide straps onto its Aqua Jump and Bongo trampolines and needs 10 ft of water, and Aquaglide’s Plunge fits trampolines with 35 to 40 in tubes and needs 8 ft. Everything about these is in floating water slides.

Permanent and rigid dock slides

A fiberglass dock water slide doesn’t need pumping, and it’s ready every morning. Goldco Fiberglass in Utah sizes its slides by deck height, slide only (ladder, water spout and shipping extra):

Slide length	Deck or platform height	Price (Goldco)
8 ft	4 ft	$625
12 ft	6 ft	$675 to $725
14 ft	7 ft	$825
18 ft	9 ft	$2,005
22 ft	11 ft	$2,305

Dock makers sell slides too. ShoreMaster lists an 8 ft-tall water slide on a 2 ft platform through its dealers, and Waterside Dock Systems in Canada sells a slide mounted on two EZ Dock sections, with a pump and hose. A permanent slide needs a platform that can carry it and the riders, so plan it with your dock builder.

Dock height, water depth and clearance

Start with your dock height: measure from the deck boards to the water, and do it when the lake is at its usual summer level. A strap-on slide needs a dock low enough for its ladder end to sit on the deck; a fiberglass slide is chosen by deck height (the Goldco table above); and a two-story boathouse calls for something like FunAir’s Boat Dock Slide, which comes in 4 m for 13 to 15 ft, 5 m for 16 to 18 ft and 6 m for 19 to 21 ft, measured from the top of the upper railing to the waterline. Our Fit & Sizing section covers the measurements.

Then check the water where riders land. Published numbers:

• Slide Island: not in water less than 8 ft (Lakesurf manual).
• Aquaglide Freefall 6: at least 6 ft, 10 ft from shore.
• Aquaglide Plunge and RAVE Aqua Slide: 8 ft and 10 ft.
• FunAir Boat Dock Slide: at least 6 ft deep and clear for 20 ft past the exit.
• Airhead Spillway: Airhead doesn’t state a depth, so use the deepest figure of comparable slides.

Lake levels change through the season, so recheck the depth after a dry spell, and walk or sound the landing for rocks, stumps and old cribs. More in water depth and clearance.

How to attach a slide to a dock

• Tie to solid points. Run straps or rope from the slide’s D-rings or tie-off loops to cleats, posts or rails that are part of the dock’s structure. Paddle North suggests a mooring bungee, utility link or rope.
• Use only the maker’s hardware. Lakesurf says not to add hardware or attachments it didn’t supply.
• Keep the exit clear. Make sure the bottom of the slide can’t swing into a post or another boat.
• Take it in at night. Lakesurf says not to leave Slide Island attached to a dock overnight where wave action can rub it.
• Anchor floating slides properly. The Freefall 6 needs at least 1,100 lb of anchors in total; anchors and lines are sold separately.

Materials and sizes

Strap-on dock slides use the same builds as boat slides: tube slides in heavy PVC (the Spillway is 1,000-denier, UV-treated, polyester-reinforced PVC with hot-air welded seams) and drop-stitch boards (Slide Island and Paddle North) inflated to 5 to 10 psi. Floating park pieces use heavier coated fabric: the Freefall 6 is 28 oz Duratex. FunAir’s Boat Dock Slide is yacht-slide material: 1,000-denier PVC, 316 stainless hardware and no-rot netting. Rigid slides are fiberglass. Sizes run from about 9 ft (WOW Slide N Smile) and 10 to 10.5 ft (Spillway, Slide Island, Paddle North) to 22 ft fiberglass and FunAir’s 27 ft 3 in two-story slide, which weighs about 301 lb.

Advantages of each type

	Inflatable	Floating	Permanent fiberglass
Setup	Minutes (Spillway: 5 or less)	Anchoring once, then left out	Installed once
Riders	One at a time (200 to 300 lb)	Several (Freefall 6: 6 people, 600 lb)	One at a time (Goldco)
Moves with you	Yes, dock or boat	No	No
Cost	About $275 to $750	About $275 to $5,040	$625 to $2,305, slide only
Watch out	Pumps, straps, UV	Anchors, depth, distance from shore	Needs a strong platform

The fun part

A dock slide is the easiest kind of water fun there is. No trailer, no fuel, no one stuck driving: the kids run down the lawn after breakfast and the slide is just there. It becomes the meeting place for the whole shoreline, the spot where neighbors’ kids turn up “just to say hi,” and the backdrop for the summer photo everyone keeps. Two-lane floating slides turn it into a race; a drop-stitch slide that converts to a mat gives the grown-ups somewhere to float once the kids are worn out. Add a floating dock or a mat beside the landing and you’ve built a little water park at the end of your lawn. Keep a bucket by the ladder so whoever is next can splash the surface wet before their turn.

Dock slide safety

• No diving, feet first. RAVE’s slide manual says never go head first and never jump from the top; stay seated. Keep anyone from diving off the dock beside the slide.
• Check the depth at the landing before the first ride of the day, and whenever the lake level drops.
• Supervision. Lakesurf: children only under strict adult supervision. Paddle North: under 18s supervised, and don’t use the slide if you can’t swim.
• Life jackets. Lakesurf and Paddle North call for a USCG-approved Type III life jacket.
• One at a time on strap-on slides, and nobody swimming at the bottom.
• Keep boats away from the landing while people are sliding, and keep the slide wet (a dry slide can burn skin, RAVE and Lakesurf warn).

No dock slide maker publishes a wind or age limit. Our boat slide safety page has the full checklist, and kids and boat slides covers life jacket sizes.

Dock slides you can buy

These were on Amazon and in stock when checked on October 9, 2026 (the trampoline attachments and the Freefall 6 showed limited stock). Ranked picks are in the best dock slides.

We saw them at about $605 (Spillway), $749 (Slide Island), $275 (Slide N Smile), $2,786 (Freefall 6), $950 (Aqua Slide) and $980 (Plunge). Gear worth having on the dock: a pump that matches the valve, a sturdy boarding ladder so riders don’t climb back up the slide, and life jackets for the kids.

From our catalog, the dock and freestanding slides we track, each with its source:

For a two-story dock slide or a permanent installation, FunAir and dock makers quote each job; ask through Request more information. Building a whole lake setup? Our sister site covers floating docks for ponds and lakes.

Slides for lake docks: pick yours in four steps

1. Measure the dock from deck to water at normal summer level. Low dock: strap-on inflatable or a floating slide. Raised platform: fiberglass by deck height. Upper deck on a boathouse: a two-story slide by quote.
2. Sound the landing. If you can’t find the depth your slide’s maker asks for within reach of the dock, a floating slide anchored further out may be the answer.
3. Count the riders. One at a time on strap-on slides; several at once only on floating slides rated for it.
4. Decide how it lives. Taken in each evening, anchored for the season, or installed for years. That choice narrows the list quickly.

Caring for a dock slide

Inflatable dock slides last longest with the routine their makers describe. Rinse with fresh water after use and wash with mild soap; RAVE warns never to use petroleum products, solvents or a power washer on its slides. Dry the slide completely before rolling it, and store it shaded, cool and dry, off concrete and away from rodents. Lakesurf suggests treating Slide Island with 303 Aerospace Protectant a couple of times a year, and its warranty excludes sun damage, mold and mildew. On hot days, let a little air out, since pressure rises as the slide warms. At the end of the season, Paddle North says to store its slide unrolled in freezing temperatures so the seams aren’t stressed. For floating slides, check anchors, lines and connection points often through the summer. Leaks and patches are covered in boat slide repair.

Latest guides

Dock slide questions

What is the best dock slide for a lake?

It depends on your dock height and water. A strap-on inflatable like the Spillway or Slide Island suits most low family docks; a floating slide keeps riders away from posts; fiberglass suits a raised platform you’ll use for years.

How deep should the water be under a dock water slide?

Follow your slide’s number: 8 ft for Slide Island, 6 ft for the Freefall 6, 10 ft for the RAVE Aqua Slide. Check it at the landing, not at the end of the dock.

Can I use a pontoon slide on my dock?

Some are sold for both: Airhead markets the Spillway as a dock slide and a pontoon slide, and Lakesurf says Slide Island works with docks. RAVE’s Pontoon Slide is for pontoon boats only.

Can I leave an inflatable dock slide out all summer?

Strap-on slides are best taken in: Lakesurf says not to leave Slide Island attached overnight where waves can rub it. Floating park slides like the Freefall 6 are made to stay anchored; check anchors and lines often.

Is there a slide for a two-story dock?

Yes. FunAir’s Inflatable Boat Dock Slide comes in 4, 5 and 6 m for upper railings 13 to 21 ft above the water. FunAir says it takes about 90 minutes and at least four strong adults to set up, needs 50 in of railing width, and quotes lead times of up to 45 days.

Is there an age limit on dock slides?

No maker publishes a minimum age. Lakesurf and Paddle North ask for adult supervision instead, plus a life jacket.

Back to all boat slide types, or see pontoon boat slides, inflatable boat slides and our buying guides.