Esshup, I used the hardware supplied by Dock Builders and found it to be very well made. I used the 3" pipe brackets, then bought thin walled 2 1/2" pipe for uprights. You don't need to drive them into the bottom. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't because you may need to move your dock. I had to use a bumper jack and chain to pull my pipes up out of the bottom..du
