How rigid is a 1" x 4" flat bar ?

[bdog]

i guess i'm having a hard time understanding why you would put a floating dock
in a pond that you own, that has minimal fluctuation in water level, and does not
need to be removed for winter like us up north.. i would just as soon build a
2 story deck on the edge of the pond with a bit of cantilever if i couldn't
support straight down into the water.
but with your floating dock, is the stiff arm system tied to the upper level as well
as the lower level?

I actually looked into a cantilevered design and paid an engineering firm to do a design but it was going to be cost prohibitive as I want the front edge of the dock 45 feeet out in the water so it is deep enough to jump off the top level.

My dock is rated to hold fifty people. Imagine the structure needed to support fifty people 45’ out on a cantilever?

The stiff arms only connect on the bottom level. The dock itself is engineered including the stiff arms.

 

[Rustyiron]

I know those shapes are surely structurally stronger no doubt, but with only 12" sticking out I am wondering if the 1" x 4" is going to be so strong it won't matter. I surely don't want it to fail but I am going for the cleanest look.

Yes, and probably 1/2 x 4 would still be fine. Both would be less apt to fail before the ground in witch it's anchored (in concrete) in will give. (some)

 

[Dutch445]

sound like a big dock! what are the dimensions of this dock? and i'm assuming it will
be perpendicular to the shore and extend out into the water for the depth?

my little place up here gets deep fairly quick, at the end of our 28' dock we are
over 8', but i can't imagine jumping off a 2nd story! (well i guess they sort of used to
with these rope swings that used to be near my shoreline)

 

[bdog]

sound like a big dock! what are the dimensions of this dock? and i'm assuming it will
be perpendicular to the shore and extend out into the water for the depth?

my little place up here gets deep fairly quick, at the end of our 28' dock we are
over 8', but i can't imagine jumping off a 2nd story! (well i guess they sort of used to
with these rope swings that used to be near my shoreline)

The dock is 15 x30, and the upper deck is 12x15. Yes it will extend out perpendicular from the shore. The gangway is 30' long.

Attached is a picture that is similar to what it will look like when finished.

 

[dragoneggs]

That’s very nice! If it were mine I would over kill the connection at the shore. No flat bar. Get some rectangular or square tube that looks like it belongs with the structure of the gangway.

 

[Rustyiron]

That will be sweet!
So the flat bars in question are only (part of) an "anchor" to mainly control L/R movement or wind forces?

 

[yomax4]

Or up size to 2x4. Nothing could tweak that.

 

[Joe Malovich]

My family has riverfront property and I have a bunch of experience with the dock and how it's mounted. First off you want a dock and a mounting method that isn't damaged if the water is drained completely just in case. Our dock is 8'x16' single story wood frame floating on 8 barrels. The river level fluctuates and the flow and winds can blow up to 40 mph side load with a pontoon boat tied up, current isn't that strong but the boat wakes can be atrocious. It's secured to shore with one 16' wood ramp and 4x aluminum service entrance wires criss-crossed with saddle clamps securing the wire around a 1" stake run in the ground at ground level. We have never had an issue with it wandering off. The wires are snug but not tight allowing everything to flex and move with the water. https://i.imgur.com/yay4JQH.png

 

[bdog]

That will be sweet!
So the flat bars in question are only (part of) an "anchor" to mainly control L/R movement or wind forces?

Yes. See the attachment in the circle in this picture.

Instead of bolting it to the side of a concrete pillar or setting a heavy pipe or square tube and welding the mounting tab on to it I was thinking of having the concrete underground and having a 1" x 4" flat strap extending up vertically 12" from he ground and drilling a 1" hole in it for the mount. Basically imagine this picture without the concrete and the mounting tab just sticking up out of the ground.

 

[bdog]

Or up size to 2x4. Nothing could tweak that.

I thought of that. They actually said I could go up to 3" wide on the tab but the annular cutters I have only got to 1" depth of cut hence the 1" thick I had in mind. I guess I could go thicker but I would need to buy another annular cutter.

I was thinking of setting the straps in the concrete and leaving them tall. Once set I was going to use a rotary laser and mark a level spot on them and then drill the 1" holes for the bolts with my mag drill and then cut off the tops and round the corners.