Plain or "Black" steel refers to a steel seawall in which the steel sheetpiling is non-coated. The sheeting will form surface rust in a relatively short period of time, which will turn the seawall into a natural earthy brown color. 
Plain steel walls are an ideal option where heavy ice pressure is present, and a heavy duty wall is required. Life expectancy of a plain steel wall using 8 gauge material is 25+ years.

Galvanized seawalls are constructed using pre-galvanized coated sheetpiling, and Hot Dipped Galvanized angle iron capping & hardware.  Galvanized walls, like plain steel seawalls are the best option for heavier duty applications. Galvanized seawalls provide an even longer expected life span due to the galvanized coating. Galvanized Seawalls will eventually turn a dull gray color.  Both Galvanized and/or  Plain Steel seawalls are an excellent choice in almost every condition. Their strength is unparalled, they provide maximum protection against erosion, and they are virtually maintenance free!

A professionally built vinyl seawall can be a good choice for light ice pressure areas such as smaller lakes and ponds, or protected bays that are sheilded from ice pressure and ice movement. Vinyl sheeting manufacturers offer "lifetime" warranties for their sheeting to not rust, rot or crack. Please be aware that their are many more components to a vinyl seawall than just the "plastic" sheeting.  Vinyl seawalls require a lumber frame system not only to aid in the driveability of the sheeting but also to add strength to the wall.  A vinyl seawall is quite "flimsy" without a properly built frame system. Most vinyl seawalls are capped with lumber components as well. The wood that is used in the construction of the wall must be treated lumber, and staining or painting of the exposed wood materials is highly recommended. The wood capping will most certainly twist, cup, warp, and split if not regularly maintained in a harsh marine environment, susceptible to all the elements.

Boulder seawalls create a beautiful and natural look, while protecting the shore.  Installation of a geo-textile filter fabric behind the boulders is imparative in the construction of boulder seawalls.  Boulder seawalls require an artistic approach by skilled craftsman to carefully select the proper stone and placement of them to "lock-in" with the other stones creating a natural yet balanced and strong wall. Boulder seawalls are a great investment, however expect heavy machinery and extensive excavation to the property to construct this type of wall properly. Large Boulders are required for seawalls applications to prevent movement from ice.  Manufacturers warranty ...a billion years!

Wood walls can be an attractive enhancement to your shoreline property, providing a "nautical" look with relatively low material costs.  There are some variations of which type of wood wall you could choose.  A Post & Plank wall consists of vertical posts installed with tongue & groove lumber positioned behind the posts horizontally. A post & plank wall will give you adequete erosion potection for years with relatively low maintenance. The major draw back on a post & plank syle wall is that the horizontal boards are only typically installed a few courses under the lake bottom, and loss of fill can occur from undertow washout and pesky muskrats burrowing uder the wall. A properly built wood wall will have a geo-textile fabric installed behind the wall to prevent washout of soil beneath the wall.   Another approach would be the Vertical Tongue & Groove wall. Typically 2x6 to 2x10 T&G lumber is driven into the lakebottom and attached to a (2) rail fence frame system much like a vinyl wall is constructed. The advantages to this style of wall over a post & plank wall is that every board is driven vertically beneath the lakebottom for several feet, which does not allow the wash out at the toe of the wall, but expect a  slightly higher cost of a Vertical T&G wall, due to more materials used and a more labor intensive installation.

Rip Rap is a term used to describe smaller stone that is piled onto a shoreline to protect the shore from erosion.  A Riprap wall requires preperation to the grade of the shore, and should have a geotextile lining to prevent wash out and erosion to occur between the stones.  Rip rap armorment can be made up of any type of rock. We like to use a 6"-8"+ angular type stone that locks together due to the jagged and irregular edges. The angular rock will help the rocks stay put, not rolling off and moving from wave action and ice as you may encounter with rounded edges such as plain field stone.