Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Great Floating Dock Plan pics

I tried to shoot a few shots while we were constructing this floating dock a few weeks ago however I was also tasked with coordinating 4 different activities for 40 boyscouts at the same time - so the photos were few! For perspective, below is a photo of our lake in November of 2006 the day we closed the dam. That is my Ranger in the photo to give a feel for the size of the pond. It should be about 2 acres when full. This is followed by the way the lake looked a few weeks ago. Lime and Gypsum added last year made a remarkable difference in the clarity.





We found it easier to launch the dock by rolling it on the pipes instead of lifting it. It was extremely heavy!

We were anxious to get it on the water even though we were not completely finished. The following weekend I finished decking and then built a ramp. We had about 10 inches of depth added to the lake since this photo. The floating dock looks much better now that it is complete - I'll post more pictures soon of the end result.

That's a very pretty pond setting. Nice framing work on the dock, too.

Yep, we have a winner! Nice job, Cap'n.
I bet you mentioned this in another thread, but I forget....what did you wind up using for the flotation?

Nice job Captian.Looking real sweet!!

Brettski, I ended up using white styrofoam. This cut the cost on floatation down to 1/3 of the extruded polystyrene cost. The place I bought it from started with 20" x 4' x 8' slabs. I had them cut them to 10"x 2'x 8' which are the dimensions of the recommended extruded product. My understanding from the research I did is that it supports exactly the same weight and therefore could be the same dimensions. Only about 3 inches of the dock is submerged. You can run around or jump on this thing and it hardly moves. I think the corner pipes help stabilize it. I moved the dock out a bit farther last weekend and found it relatively easy to pull the pipes and re-locate it. I am purchasing longer pipes since the rising waters are about to overtake the length!

Hey captain1, do the plans show the wood touching the water, or does it matter? I went to great lengths to keep my wood well above the water line because I was afraid of it rotting or water logging. I guess it's not that important with treated wood.

bobad, pressure treated lumber will not rot easily in or out of the water. In fact, it may very well rot quicker out of the water when it dries up and cracks. I actually called up to Canada and talked to the guys that posted these plans on the Canadian Fishing Website and they have had these docks in place for 10 years with no issues. I believe the life of this dock will be in the 10-12 year range and then it will likely need additional foam or foam replacement due to deterioration and some waterlogging.

Here are a few more shots of the completed dock. I added a dock ladder for swimming and moved the boats to it. We really enjoyed it this weekend and caught my first bass from it yesterday. I still need to get a couple longer pipes to hold it in place. Note the styrofoam positioning from the side view.

Thanks for the update. Your dock looks awesome!!!

The pond looks good to, you've really done a nice job of it and should be proud. Now with the weather getting nice, it's going to be an ideal place to relax and enjoy your accomplishment.

Eddie

My experiecne with white styrofoam in ponds is it does not hold up well to weathering. Lack of winter in TX may help the white styrofoam to persit in your application. Since you have the foam completely covered from sunlight that may lengthen its aging for you. PLease keep us advised about how well it holds up as time passes.

Here are some pics of the floating dock i am building for a guy. I will have it finished on Tuesday of this week and will post some more pics.
It is 16x32' with a 5'x14' angled walkway and a 5'x12' gangway. All of the floats and hardware were purchased from dockbuilders.com
The deckboards are going to be 100% recycled plastic made from milk jugs by epsplasticlumber.com

Great photos Nate and thanks for the link to dock builders.

That is an upcoming project for me also.

Captain and Nate:

These are both impressive structures, I could only HOPE for my efforts to render something that floats. I'd say the only thing missing is the pic of you hoisting a beer in one hand and lipping a nice LMB in the other....or perhaps some of those bikini clad gals that are always on the pontoon boat ads....?

Not finished yet. Will post the missing pics as soon as the events take place.

Jeff,
Let me know when your ready to build and I can definitely help you with whatever info you need. I spent 13 years building custom homes before I started the pond business. Pretty much all of my clients need new docks for their new lakes or they need docks to replace the existing ones on their old lakes.

No, Brettski. No.

Thank you. I will take you up on that. I'll email you when I'm closer to beginning this project.

Here are the pics from the nearly completed dock. This 7 acre pond is 65 feet deep, crystal clear water, and always overflowing due to some big springs.

Still have a fish feeder and ladder to install, picnic table to build, and a few small miscellaneous features to add. The pontoon boat parks on the right hand side (same side as the hand rail) Also all of the deckboards are fastened from underneath so no screws showing on the floor.

That's quite impressive; well-built. I kicked around putting a floating one for awhile. I like the benches, too.

Nate,
Your expertise with carpentry is easily identified. Very slick piece of work, sir. Looks like one of the composite decking products. Which did you select?
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Let me know the best time for the bikini clad models. We can steam up Theo's X-ray specs.

(fume)

Brettski,
Composite decking is actually not a good choice for docks. They dont last nearly as long as advertised and start fading instantly. They absolutely can not touch the water at all. Composite decking looks awesome on docks for about 1 year, then it looks horrible after that.

We use plastic deckboards for docks. They are made out of 100% recycled milk jugs and will last forever, even if submerged in water. They will never rot, swell, or fade. There are some tricks to learn with plastic though. A 16' plastic deckboard will shrink and expand long ways up to 3/4 of an inch between summer and winter. Must plan accordingly.

Beautiful work Nate. Oh and I like your website.

Thanks Jeff. I still have lots of work to do on the website, but wont have time till later in the year.

Yeah, I know from whence you come on that wisdom. You earned it from professional carpentry exposure. I picked it up during research of our Deck and launch construction project . I really had my heart set on the HDPE product, but just could not swallow the price tag. So...back to ol' reliable: PT.

Very nice work, if you don't mind me asking, what are and where did you get those black angle pieces that mount your seats to the deck ?