I am considering using this for a swimm platform that will be placed about 100 ft off shore. I live on a lake that is 15 km long by 3 km wide. This is in Saskatchewan and we get a lot of wind at times (40 to 60 km)which generates strong waves. Will the pole anchors hold the dock in place in these kind of winds and... more

Hi, Like the dock idea. Looking to build this spring. Just wondering how deep in the water the dock sinks. I have very shallow water - 1 to 2 feet deep that stays that way for about 30-40 feet out from shore. Would this thing sink down too much once I get a bunch of people on it?? Any ideas on dealing w/shallow water ... more

Just wondering if it would be better to use cedar as it is very resistant to rot/decay? How long does pressure treated lumber last in water? and is it bad for the environment (leaching into the water and affecting the ecosystem and fish)? Should you be treating the wood with a water repellant stain?

Nice dock I built the same size 9 years ago and I regret putting styrofoam floaters I now haft to change them because they are water log.This will be quite a challenge. I am now looking into plastic Floats filled with foam more expensive but worth it.

The plans look fantastic. I can't wait to get started. How important is the connection to shore for this dock. Does it require some sort of a concrete block on shore to reinforce it? Or do the 4 pipes provide enough anchoring so that there is not too much torque on the shore connection? Thanks for the help! Patrick ... more

Could someone recommend a USA distributor for Dow (or equivalent) foam billets? Even better - a distributor in the New England area? I’m striking out with the local hardware stores.

A short note about your docks.. Will they with stand heavy winds ? maybe 1 to two foot seas. would it be better to place the dock with one corner pointed into the wind vs square to it ? as well, have you built one any bigger say 24 x 16. thanks for your time, Bill Bill, I don't know how theses docks would behave in ... more

I built a floating dock using barrels that I have in the river where I live, the problem is when ever the river overflows the banks the dock get beat up and the posts get pulled from the bottom which makes the dock very looses and unstable. How can I secure the dock so when the river overflows the dock will remain in... more

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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