Built for the pressure, soil, water, and time.
A bulkhead holds back more than water. Backfill weight, soil saturation, root systems, and storm-driven pressure all push on the back face. Shore Tech engineers around the load — not just the look.
From the drawing board to the shoreline.
Shoretech's established bulkhead process starts with detailed CAD planning for penetration and routing before construction begins. Tieback systems use hot-dip galvanized steel rods selected for retaining-wall service, with material and embedment chosen for the site.
The completed Milburn project shown here is a 170-foot timber shoreline bulkhead, one example of the company's timber, steel, composite, fiberglass and vinyl waterfront work.
Steel sheet pile for the highest loads.
Where backfill height, exposure, or storm fetch demand the most capacity, hot-dip galvanized steel sheet pile carries the load — driven to embedment, tied back behind the wall, and coated for fresh-water service. Curved and straight runs are set to the shoreline the site actually has.
- Hot-dip galvanized
- Driven sheet pile
- Tieback & deadman anchored
- Coal-tar epoxy coated
The right material for the water, soil, and exposure.
There is no single best bulkhead material. Fresh versus salt water, soil chemistry, exposure, budget, and intended lifespan all drive the choice.
Galvanized steel
Highest load capacity. Hot-dip galv with coal-tar epoxy for fresh-water service.
Vinyl
Corrosion-immune, light, ideal for fresh-water residential where loads allow.
FRP composite
Fiberglass-resin sheet pile — strong, salt-tolerant, dimensionally stable.
Heavy timber
Traditional, repairable, when properly treated and properly tied.
What actually keeps the wall standing.
Tiebacks & deadmen
Steel rods anchored to buried concrete or timber deadmen behind the wall — typically every 3 to 6 feet.
Backfill specification
Free-draining material behind the wall. Clay backfill builds hydrostatic pressure during rain events.
Drainage path
Water trapped behind a wall is what eventually pushes it over. Drainage is part of the wall.
Exposure
Mudline to top-of-wall, water depth, and wave fetch shape the cross-section and embedment depth.
Relief valves
Useful in some soils — but in certain Texas clays they can introduce more problems than they solve.
Long-term erosion
Wall design must respect what the upland will do over the next 20+ years, not just at install.
Specified for longevity, not a temporary patch.
Shoretech's legacy warranty guidance describes typical marine-construction guarantees of two to five years on large Texas and Louisiana lakes, reservoirs, and Gulf Coast work, with private-pond and small-lake projects extending up to ten years depending on conditions and scope.
Walk the shoreline with Dave.
Photos help. Soil notes help more. The fastest way to scope a bulkhead is a conversation about the property.