Brazilian Decking Board Length

I recently had a customer note that our decking boards were about 2 inch longer than the stated length. For example, an 8' board is really 8' 2" long. These boards are longer as they are finish boards. Once they are installed the installer simply takes a circular saw and cuts a nice finished edge across all the boards. The saw blade must be carbide tipped as the wood is so hard it would dull a common blade. The customer further asked "my dock is only 8 feet wide. This seems like extra work when I could just install an 8' board." The problem is that many docks or decks that are planned at 8 feet turn out 8 feet and a 1/4 inch or some other slightly longer width. The extra length of decking boards allow the installer to insure a beautiful finish on a deck with variations. Even if the dock/deck was a perfect 8' across the entire length the installer would have to spend extra time insuring every board lines up with the others. Another advantage of the extra few inches on the decking boards occurs during shipping. If the end is dinged or even gouged, the customer still is insured the full length they ordered. In closing, there are many advantages of the extra length of decking boards in shipping, installation and finishing.