New Lake - Need a Dock

twabscs · Oct 15, 2003

Hi All,

We just closed on a new 120-acre homestead today and my first order of business is to build a nice dock for the 5-acre lake. See attached. We've been looking for a nice place with a lake for some time and we finally found one. We've had quite a drought here in NW Missouri and the lake is down about 4 ft. in this picture.

After doing some research, I've decided on a floating dock with a couple of 4x8 sections and a larger 12x12 section at the end. The goal here is to have a place to fish, launch a canoe/kayak, etc.

This old thread from TBN ( TBN Dock Thread ) describes building a floating dock by using treated lumber and the pink sheet insulation material for floatation. This sounds like a great idea but I'm worried about the "treatment" in the lumber leaching into the lake. Also, I'd be interested in any other DIY dock ideas, plans that you guys might have.

Thanks,

BXMMCC · Oct 16, 2003

Do a google search on Dow Floatation - you'll get lots of data.

I used the Dow floatation billets to build a floating dock. Used treated lumber for the walking surface and framing. Built it in 4 by 12 foot modules. The floatation keeps the wood out of the water. I attached the floats to the wood using plastic plumbing strap. Worked pretty good.

DavidJ · Oct 16, 2003

We have one on the river property. We used plastic drums for the flotation and poly rope to secure them to the deck. The lumber never gets in the water so leaching is not an issue. We framed it so that the drums would fit between the joists and then floored it with 2x lumber. You could also use 5/4 decking to do the same thing. We used drums under the walk too.

crb478 · Oct 16, 2003

Look up www.Mercomarine.com they have metal frames and plastic wrapped floatation at fairly reasonable prices. I could have built my dock and pier with their products for a few hundred more than I did framing it with pressure treated lumber. The labor involved should be substancially less as should the overall weight. I wish I had found them before I built mine, maybe in 20 or 30 years.

twabscs · Oct 16, 2003

Thanks everyone for the excellent ideas, especially Merco Marine. They have a book of plans for building wooden docks plus all of the hardware that I need.

I'll post some picts in the next few weeks...

twabscs · Oct 17, 2003

Just to provide additional info for those looking for dock info in the future. Here is a link to an excellent (and free) manual on dock building. It is provided by DOW - Dock Manual

Free dock plans: Free Plans

twabscs · Oct 17, 2003

Other good sites for reference:

DockBuilders
Tiger Boat Docks

have_blue · Oct 18, 2003

( We have one on the river property. We used plastic drums for the flotation and poly rope to secure them to the )

I'm saving up blue poly drums for mine now. The pond will be deep, so the dock will be totally floating. I am trying to figure out how to anchor it to prevent it from blowing around.

JDGREEN4ME · Oct 18, 2003

I do not know the conditions your dock will be exposed to so maybe this won't work for you. On one of our floating docks we used old logging chains attached to cinder blocks. Worked fine for us but there was little wave motion and no current to speak of.

Deerlope · Oct 19, 2003

If you do in fact build your own dock you might want to consider useing the plastic decking boards with are made from recycled plastic. The stuff never rots and there are no splinters or slivers to get into bare feet.

DavidJ · Oct 19, 2003

I am trying to figure out how to anchor it to prevent it from blowing around. 

We used stabilizer arms attached to the dock and anchored to the bank to hold it in place. This allows it to rise and fall with the water and also hold it's place. You could use the walkway if you don't have enough change in elevation to prevent walking on it from highest water level to lowest.

TWINKLE_TOES · Oct 19, 2003

Tom, no help here with the construction, but do consider if the lake freezes in the winter, what your plan for the dock might be. The first dock I built was destroyed by ice the first winter.

SacandagaBrad · Oct 19, 2003

We use wheeled docks on our slice of paradise, but that is because of the potential for 3' to 4' waves coming in and anchoring the necessary 120' of length to get the proper depth at the end. There are a number of ready made systems out there that are easy to move in and out, which is important on our lake due to it being a flood control reservoir that drops 10' over the summer and we freeze up for 4 months around mid-December. They also have "top side" adjustments to raise or lower a few feet without moving the dock out from shore. The wheeled systems are very stable.

The down side - the few I've looked at are quite expensive! But they are aluminum and plastic and should last a lifetime. I still don't have one, currently using an old wheeled wood system that has multiple connecting ramps.

Just something else to consider.

BTW - Beautiful spot you have there!!!!

Brad

twabscs · Oct 19, 2003

Yes, I've seen a few of those wheeled docks out here, but as you can imagine, there won't be any large waves in this small lake.

I've decided to go with float drums. They are easy to use and work well with 2x treated lumber. I've attached a picture of one. The only problem I have now is finding a local supplier as it will cost quite a bit to ship them. In fact, the shipping is more than half of the price of the floats.

Thanks for the comments, I really love the place already. I was up yesterday and will attach some additional pictures. I had the dealer do the 50-hour service so I didn't have to trailer the tractor from our old place. It came back from the dealer yesterday looking brand new and he didn't charge any transport fees as he wants to sell me a TS110. He says I need 90 HP for the new place. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

twabscs · Oct 19, 2003

Yes, I'll have to do something about freezing. That will be for 2-3 months here. I've heard, though, that if you just unhook the dock sections and let them move with the ice, you would be okay. However, at this point, I'm just going to build the dock (inside) over the winter and put it out in March.

Attached is a picture of the dam area. As you can see, the water level is way down. We're behind 10" so far this year, and we only get 36" a year.

twabscs · Oct 19, 2003

Excellent idea with the plastic decking. I'll look into that.

Here's a picture looking east. You can see about 50 acres here. The old homestead is there to the left. This was a dairy operation until just a few years ago. Still a few operating dairy farms in the immediate area.

jinman · Oct 19, 2003

Check out this site. Click on Homeowner/prospective buyer. I think this is the plastic decking you want. It's about 3 times as expensive as treated lumber by my calculation.

Trex

BXMMCC · Oct 20, 2003

Did you check with Follansbee? I bought some from them a few years ago, shipping wasn't too bad.

Follansbee float drums

twabscs · Oct 20, 2003

Yeah, I did. You must be much closer than I am. The shipping cost for 8 of the larger, series 2 drums is $295.12, and the cost of the drums is $490.80. Shipping is 60% of the cost of the product. Ouch. We are talking about 240 lbs, though.

TWINKLE_TOES · Oct 20, 2003

Tom, I solved my problems by towing the dock out from shore and anchoring in deeper water for the winter. The damage occured when the ice pushed the dock up onto the rocks along the shore. Most other folks on the lake did the same.