Dock building question

[metriccrescentwrench]

I live on a small private lake, seven years ago I built a floating dock that was held in place with large ropes as well as steel pipe pounded into the lake bottom. It's worked perfectly until some kids had a good laugh at my expense a couple of weeks ago and sent my dock floating across the lake.

Instead of replacing it exactly as before I'm thinking of turning it into a stationary dock. What I believe I'll do is cut a point on the end of 6 2x4's, pound them as far as I can into the mud bottom, and nail them to the dock along with some cross bracing. It would be difficult to do much of anything else, I believe, because of how steep the bottom is where my dock is located - in the space of about 10 feet the bottom drops from 3 feet deep to 15 feet deep (which is why I went with a floating dock in the first place).

Anyone care to talk me out of that plan?

 

[rbh]

Re: Dock building question

Well, lets see.
Your dock floats and the lake goes up and down, it ain't going to float very good if you pound in enough stakes.

How about at the beach end you drive in some 2-4 inch steel pipe and get some eye bolts that will slip over the pipe and can be bolted through the dock.

 

[MTboatguy]

Re: Dock building question

I would drive half a dozen metal pilings around the dock and then used large eye bolts slipped over the pipes, so the dock will still float up and down, then drive anchors in the beach end and secure.

 

[chimmike]

Re: Dock building question

Maybe run a small current thru it too while you're not using it so the neighborhood kids get a "shock" when they try to have fun at your expense again, hahahaha.

 

[southkogs]

Re: Dock building question

Dunno' where you are Metric: do you pull your dock in the winter? We have some "H" type sections for ours that we place out and then install the dock over. Ours comes out every winter though (that one is in Michigan), here TN ... everything is floating and anchored (plus tethered to shore).

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: Dock building question

Well, lets see.
Your dock floats and the lake goes up and down, it ain't going to float very good if you pound in enough stakes.

How about at the beach end you drive in some 2-4 inch steel pipe and get some eye bolts that will slip over the pipe and can be bolted through the dock.

Yes the dock floats, no the lake level doesn't change (much). It's a very small private lake. The only reason I built a floating dock in the first place was that because of the very steep bottom I really didn't have any good way to get in and set permanent pilings.

I would drive half a dozen metal pilings around the dock and then used large eye bolts slipped over the pipes, so the dock will still float up and down, then drive anchors in the beach end and secure.

That's essentially the way it was.

The thing is I'd have rather had a fixed dock in the first place, but really didn't see a way to do it given the extremely steep bottom. What I'm thinking is now that I have the dock to stand on I can drive 2x4's into the mud bottom without too much trouble and essentially turn it into a fixed dock.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Dock building question

Pictures!

 

[Fishing Dude too]

Re: Dock building question

If you wait will show you how our floating dock is set in marina on lake erie set 10ft spread at shore then goes to a 30 inch dock. Bolted on 4 inch pipes to keep set.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Dock building question

Okay, your initial post freaked me out and made me think my dead father-in-law was typing from the grave. He built his dock, seven years ago, the exact same way. Freaky.

My FIL used steel cable instead of rope. If you could attach a ring of some sort to your anchor poles on shore, you could loop the cable, so it would take tools to let it loose?

 

[Bondo]

Re: Dock building question

Yes the dock floats, no the lake level doesn't change (much). It's a very small private lake. The only reason I built a floating dock in the first place was that because of the very steep bottom I really didn't have any good way to get in and set permanent pilings.




That's essentially the way it was.

The thing is I'd have rather had a fixed dock in the first place, but really didn't see a way to do it given the extremely steep bottom. What I'm thinking is now that I have the dock to stand on I can drive 2x4's into the mud bottom without too much trouble and essentially turn it into a fixed dock.

Ayuh,... I see Pipes,... 1, 1/2" or 2", driven deep, 'n bolted in place,...

Pipes drive easier than 2x4s,...

Mine floats, 'n tethered to shore with cables,... sinkin' cables,...
'course, my water level varies considerably durin' the year,..

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Dock building question

I missed the part about 2x4s! No way Jose!

 

[rbh]

Re: Dock building question

I never did ask, how many sections? and if one section what length?

Doing the piling thing is a ton of work bud, when all you may need is a floating, pivoting, cantilever.