Docks

weighting down my dock — Joe Hahnl, Fri May 2 20:41

I built a floatig 3x24 --2 sections 12 each-- I put cement in 5 galllon buckets with a post. I put 1 section in the water and it is not stable enough--- what can I do to make my dock stable, I am planning to tie the two docks together so I can tie my boatas to them.. It is very unstable---do I need more weight?? I... more

tippy dock — Hugh, Tue May 6 04:10

building with barrels — Bill, Fri Apr 18 09:03

I was wondering if anyone has built this using small barrels (15-20 gal.)i think they are that size.i have about 20 at my property and wanted to use them.do I need to secure them wiyh straps?

Barrels — Hugh, Sat Apr 19 04:35
- more about barrels — Hugh, Sun Apr 20 10:49
- - Barrels — Jdd, Tue Apr 29 16:17

Critters chewing the foam — Hugh, Thu Mar 27 08:43

Brad, we have never had trouble with critters chewing into the foam. We have lots of muskrats but they seem to leave this foam alone. As to water logging, the type of foam that's specified on the website does not water log. We have had one dock in the water 15 years and we checked the foam's condition when we... more

Wood splitting in cold? — Hugh, Thu Mar 27 08:41

Wayne, you don't have to worry about the wood splitting. I have built several docks on the ice and never noticed any splitting. Remember to use spiral nails. Smooth nails won't hold properly. Spiral nails by the way have less tendency to cause splitting at any time..... Wayne Jones wrote: > Hi > I am going to make... more

Winter storage — Hugh, Thu Mar 27 08:40

We leave ours in the water. Just pull the pipes and tie it to a tree. We move ours to a spot where the wind isn't likely to push the ice hard against the shore, i.e. we tie it on the west side of the lake or some similar place that's usually out of the wind. Never had one damaged yet....... Bostrom wrote: > Hi all... more

Weight of the dock — Hugh, Thu Mar 27 08:39

I have never computed the weight of our dock but you should be able to estimate it since you have the materials list. The plan tells you how many billets it would take to fill the entire space with foam. We have only one such dock, the one that we used to tie an airplane to. It has tremendous buoyancy. To make the 32 ... more

Long narrow dock — Hugh, Thu Mar 27 08:38

Richard, I don't have any plans for the kind of dock that you describe but you might find the plan useful to design one for your particular need. The surface of this dock is higher than you wish. The size could be achieved by joining two of our docks together. If you anchor the dock on the shore side only with two... more

Pipe size — Hugh, Thu Mar 27 08:35

Steve, I think the larger pipes are better but you can try it since your water is not deep. But if you don't have the corners made yet I'd definitely go for the size specified. The four pipe will hold the dock in place without any other anchoring provision..... Dumouchel, Steve wrote: > Hi, > Thank you for sharing... more

Using 2 X 6 instead of 2 X 8 — Hugh, Thu Mar 27 08:34

Lorne, yes, 2 X 6s should work. We don't secure the billets because we don't lift the dock when we put it into the water. At least not more than about an inch..... L Mcleod wrote: > thanks for the great info. Could a person build a dock using 2 x 8's instead of 2 x 10's . Would have to then use 2 x 6's for floor ... more

Dock completed — Hugh, Thu Mar 27 08:32

Hi, I just wanted to write you and thank you for your dock design on the web site. I built the 16x16 version this past weekend. My buddy and I did it in about 10 hours total. (including getting the lumber on site, finishing the trim, corners, and attaching it to the current dock) Yes only the 2 of us. I have a water ... more

Composite decking — Hugh, Thu Mar 27 08:30

Marco, your dock looks great. The girls sure seem to enjoy it...... Marco Carnello wrote: > We built it this summer. We used composite decking and also covered the old dock with it which is now the walkway and matches so nicely. It looks and works great and such easy and good instructions to follow - beer breaks... more

Treated or untreated wood — Hugh, Thu Mar 27 08:29

Brian, I have used both, treated and untreated. Can's say that I see any difference between the two. Our oldest dock is about 16 years old and was built with untreated lumber. It is still in good shape. Regards..... Hugh Brian Klump wrote: > Hello, > Thanks for posting your dock directions, I found it to be a... more

Holding in the billets — Hugh, Thu Mar 27 08:28

Cliff, I would run a couple of straps round each billet and nail the ends of the straps to the frame somewhere above the billet. That way the billet can't drop down and out of your dock when you take the dock out. You might consider old fire hose for the straps. Just make sure you use the modern fire hose made out of... more

Motor on the dock — Hugh, Thu Mar 27 08:26

No, a car would be too heavy for the dock. You could put an outboard motor on the dock but you would find that even a large motor will move one of these docks only very slowly. If you use barrels or bottles you will soon encounter leaks and have to change the flotation ......

Will the dock move ? — Hugh, Thu Mar 27 08:25

Yes Steve, these docks stay absolutely in place and never move when boats go past......

Draft and fastening method — Hugh, Thu Mar 27 08:25

Brent, the docks that we built on this plan draw only 2 and a half inches of water. The only other fastening method for floating docks that I ever saw was with chains to the shore or to weights in the water. Such docks always move and twist and need attention when the water goes up or down. Our method is the best... more

Using smaller billets — Hugh, Thu Mar 27 08:24

John, yes, the 9 inch billets are available in Canada from the HOME HARDWARE chain of hardware stores but seem to be hard to find in the USA. I think several people in the USA have built the dock with seven inch billets and found them sufficient. But the billets should not be narrower. The extra two inches of... more