Ok I have a NRD watershed that is made for flood control. It does not change every week but maybe 2 or 3 times in the spring. It takes 7 to 9 days to get back to permanent pool. So what ever I make needs to be able to take that up and down change. I will not be able to use the dock until the water level goes back down. But I do not want the dock to float over backwards and then be stuck up in the air. I have built what I call, a fishing pier ( non floating walkway )45 feet out into the water, but it is 30 inches out of the water, I need something I can get in and out of a boat so I want to put the floating dock onto the side of this pier. 6 foot by 12 foot floating dock with 4 foot by 20 foot walkway shaped like a T. I have built plenty of structures and know enough that it is better to ask someone that has built something like this than to have to do this project twice!!
How is your dock project coming along?
Here in Maine, we have significant tidal ranges (e.g., maybe around 25 feet at Eastport), and a number of different strategies have been employed to deal with those changing water levels. I’ve seen an incredible variety of pier and dock types here, and I’ve built a couple of them myself. Perhaps I could chime in with a few suggestions. But first, I’d like to understand your situation a bit better. I have a few questions:
How high is the water in the lake when your non-floating fishing pier is 30 inches above the water? Is that the ‘permanent pool’ level you mentioned? If so, what happens to the pier when the water is at its maximum height? Is it submerged? Or do you remove the pier?
When the water levels are changing, does the influx or outflow cause any appreciable current in the water?
Are you planning to install any structures on the dock that might increase its exposed area to the wind, such as a roof or canopy?
How smooth is the bank as it slopes down into the water? What is the composition of the bank (soil, ledge, etc.)?
Do you still plan on keeping the existing fishing pier and connecting a walkway/gangway and dock to it, or would you like to start from scratch and build a totally new dock system?
By the way, the rolling dock/pier idea from esshup is interesting. Float drums are available with built-in wheels, or, wheels can be added to the pier/walkway/dock section frames. That would keep the overall length pretty manageable if you didn’t mind moving the dock toward the water as the level goes down and re-anchoring the shore end of the pier.
