How did you build your floating dock?

[jymbee]

Will need to take a look at the options for upgrading or replacing our current floating dock and would like to know what others might be doing that works for them. What we have currently are some large, floating billets under a PT frame.

 

[Zippo1]

Will need to take a look at the options for upgrading or replacing our current floating dock and would like to know what others might be doing that works for them. What we have currently are some large, floating billets under a PT frame.

We used 50 gallon plastic barrels under a PT frame. Inexpensive and works great. Something similar to these:

building floating dock with plastic barrels - YouTube

 

[check]

If the floaters are high density, closed cell foam, use them again. I gather the superstructure is rotten? And is the hardware OK? (Corner brackets, connectors.)

So just get some new PT and rebuild the exact same dock.

 

[goeduck]

Will need to take a look at the options for upgrading or replacing our current floating dock and would like to know what others might be doing that works for them. What we have currently are some large, floating billets under a PT frame.

I have a float section on my dock, I am on salt water with a 16 foot tide difference from King Tide to Extreme Low. I go dry at 2 feet so my float is worked over 11 feet. I have not tackled it yet but I lost a set of foam filled tires so one corner is down a few inches. I get decent winds, not too strong but my current is significant during flood and ebb tide. I would like to completely rebuild my float with something other than wood to lighten it up. The wood in the float water logs all winter making it hard on my pilings during the winter. In my avatar the ramp to the float is what you see sloped. It goes completely flat at high tide.

 

[oosik]

The original dock was three of our ancient gigantic Ponderosa pines. Each felled and cut to a 40 foot length. Drug out and rolled off the cliffs, into the lake. The logs were notched about every five feet down their run and twelve foot railroad ties laid into the notches. The decking was rough cut 4 x 8 lumber.

It was a great dock and lasted about 40 years. Only unfortunate thing - the rough cut decking meant - shoes or flip-flops only.

Current dock is all aluminum with that decking made out of recycled cigarette filters and plastic pop bottles. It's a commercial made dock.

Amazing thing - my little lake will get 12" to 14" of ice cover every year. The ice has never damaged the aluminum floats under the dock.

 

[kc5dlo]

Interesting topic that I will follow. I am in the planning stages of a new floating dock for my 1/2 acre pond. Have collected several plastic barrels and wanting to use an old mobile home frame's I beams for the major framing. Maybe 6" CEE-Purlins for cross bracing and 2x6 PT lumber for the deck. Planning on 10x10 or 12x12 overall size.

 

[EddieWalker]

I'm also curious to what everyone does. I've looking into building one on closed cell floats and priced them out, but never committed to the actual project yet. I've also thought about sinking piers into the ground and having something more solid, and cheaper.

 

[oosik]

If you are going to be using any type of open/closed cell materials - be certain that you don't have muskrat or beaver. Several years ago a "log" of some type of foam float material blew loose from a duck hunter blind - over on my big lake. It blew out onto my little lake. It must have been a joyous day for the muskrat. They converted that 2'x 3' x8' log of styrofoam into as sea of "snow". This great patch of white blew around my little lake for a couple months before it dissipated.

 

[Fuddy1952]

What's crazy to me is my neighbor friend has a nice pond. The dock rotted away years ago.
Someone gave him an aluminum 16ft pontoon boat. All that's left is the pontoons and a flat aluminum deck. For years I've been telling him he has the perfect dock!
Instead it sits there gathering dust in an old barn.

 

[oosik]

kc5dlo - If/when you use those plastic barrels ( 55 gallon drums ?? ) be certain that you have found a 100% method of sealing any bungs or other holes in the barrels. I used one 55 gallon plastic drum under the walkway going out to my aluminum dock. I noticed, with time, the walkway kept sagging down further and further out in the middle - where the drum was.

Bottom line - I had not COMPLETELY sealed everything - it was slowly filling with water and sinking. A PITA - unstrap it - pull it out - reseal it and jam it back in place. That was about twelve year ago. It still is working fine - now.

Initially I used Teflon tape. Final solution - some type of plumbing sealing compound followed by a liberal application of super glue. If they had still leaked - I kind of cooked my goose - I will never be able to unscrew the two bung plugs now.