First and foremost, Thanx to everyone who has posted here on the subject of floating docks, I think I’ve read them all. My goal was to build a 12 x 16 floating dock for fishing, easy ingress/egress of a small pond boat and sitting on & drinking beer. Unfortunately, I do not have a tractor with a FEL to place it in the water, so I had to improvise with what I had, which is a 5x10 landscape/motorcycle trailer. I began by building bunks on the trailer so I could launch the dock like a boat. I built it out of pressure treated pine with a 2x12 rim frame, 2x6 joists and 2x4 cross bracing. I then decked it with standard 5/4 decking. I chose galvanized 3.5” framing nails in lieu of screws simply because I thought the nails were adequate. If I’m proven wrong over time, I will just replace any nails that back out with screws. The gangway is 4’ x 16’ with 3 each 2x8 stringers and 2x6 cross-bracing and decking on top. I did use 55 Gal plastic barrels for floats, but only after careful consideration of ESSHUP’s concerns expressed in another posting here. After close examination of my white barrels, I noticed most were made from an opaque/white material and the construction was identical to the blue ones. I did have a few that appeared to be made from a different material, a milky looking white material and the construction seemed a little different. So, I used the opaque/white ones. If they cause problems later, I have a plan to easily swap them out as needed. Now for the pictures.
The “launch vehicle”, a 5x10, single axle, landscape trailer.
First added 4x4 corner supports, 24” tall. This should be tall enough for the suspended barrels to clear the fenders at launch.
The completed launch vehicle.
The 2x4 across the front is raised a bit to give it a “lip” to stop the dock frame when we slide it up on the trailer. This will also allow me to anchor it to the trailer with a couple of deck screws through the “lip” into the dock frame.
The dock frame under construction. The ratchet strap was very useful to pull the rim frame 2x12’s together to hold the 2x6 joists in place for nailing. At this point it was a one man operation and the straps proved invaluable.
The finished dock frame. I didn’t use as much cross bracing as some have because I didn’t think it was necessary. The installed decking with approximately 700+ 3.5” galvanized nails will provide all the cross bracing needed.
While I waited on my helpers to arrive I thought I’d take a break and fish a bit. Caught 9 or 10 of these little guys while I waited.
It was late when my helpers arrived; I was just glad they showed up! Loading it was much easier than I anticipated, Four guys lifted the front edge of the frame and I backed the trailer under it, they sat it down then picked up the other end and slid it onto the trailer. It’s hard to see the trailer under there, it has about 3.5’ hanging off each side. Lengthwise, it has 10’ on the trailer and 6’ hanging off. I added the vertical brace for stability while I hung the barrels.
Left side with the barrels hung. Temporarily suspended the barrels in place using ¼” poly rope.
Right side with the barrels hung.
Drove the few hundred yards to the pond and backed it into the water, it slid off as planned. I barely got the trailer wheels wet and the wrangler pulled the trailer out and never spun a tire.
Next step was to haul the gangway down to the pond.
Here you can better see the poly rope used to hold the barrels in place, now it’s time for it to come off.
For the shore pilings, I used 4”x6” PT pine, set about 30” deep in concrete. Used standard galvanized dock hardware to attach the gangway to the dock, but on the shore end, I used a 5’ long, ½” black pipe with galvanized caps on each end. This cost about $8 and is more than adequate.
Another view of the shore-side connection.
Gangway attached to dock frame.
[img]
http://images107.fotki.com/v780/fileygTe/cd5e5/6/1273456/12838752/IMG_6719.jpg[/img]
Getting late, had time to start decking the gangway.
[img]
http://images15.fotki.com/v1624/fileBcYN/cd5e5/6/1273456/12838752/IMG_6725.jpg[/img]
But there was still time to catch a few more of these. The sunset more than made up for the small size. It’s late February and there is no jacket on that arm….not even a long sleeve.
[img]
http://images108.fotki.com/v1623/fileVl9Q/cd5e5/6/1273456/12838752/IMG_6714.jpg[/img]
Here’s where I deviated slightly from the plan, although I anticipated this and kinda planned for it. To help compensate for the list due to the weight of the gangway, I added a 13th barrel on that side. The joists supporting the other barrels are set on 20” centers, but I left the center spacing here wide enough to slide the 13th barrel in from the top and secure it with 2x4’s set flat. Although it helped, it did not take the entire list out.
[img]
http://images107.fotki.com/v70/filecRWJ/cd5e5/6/1273456/12838752/IMG_6727.jpg[/img]
Sunset on the finished dock.
[img]
http://images14.fotki.com/v384/fileFE4f/cd5e5/6/1273456/12838752/IMG_6731.jpg[/img]
After I cut off the pilings level, I decided to cut some bevels freehand, not perfect, but not bad for a 10” skill saw.
[img]
http://public.fotki.com/jsing/hambrick-rd-1/dock-build/img-6735.html[/img]
And here’s the finished product, well, almost finished. On my next trip down, I will add a 10-12’ approach ramp and add some weights so the dock sits level.
[img]
http://images108.fotki.com/v1623/file2lk4/cd5e5/6/1273456/12838752/IMG_6737.jpg[/img]
As for costs;
Barrels Free
Silicon Sealant $8
Lumber $575
Galvanized Hardware $20
Galvanized Nails $52
Dock Hardware/Hinge $68
Dock Hardware, 1/2”Pipe $8
Rope $6
Total $750 (MOL)
Pricing Notes:
1. Galvanized hardware came from Agri Supply, it is about 75% cheaper when you buy it by the pound vs buying it individually at Home Depot or Lowes.
2. Lumber costs are about 12% cheaper in south Ga vs the Atlanta area, I suppose the difference is shipping since it originates in south Ga. And I got a 10% GI discount.
3. Dock hardware is available from Home Depot only online, it ships free and is the cheapest source I found.
