I have been noodling ideas of my future dock plans and could use some flexible creative ideas.
I have an initial need to feed my future fish and that is where a One barrel wide by 8 or 10 foot floating gangway or pier would come in handy to get the feed out from the bank. I don't know if I'll want any more dock than that long term, BUT...
1.) I don't know exactly where I want it which leads me to not install it in a permanent location just yet.
2.) It would be very cool if I could use my trolling motor to move it around on the pond (I think the nieces and nephews would get a big kick out of that). I could also temporarily anchor it in the middle for swimming too.
3.) The pond renovation is new and who knows where full pool will really be so allowing the pier to float allows for the full length to extend into the water.
I have read enough to be able to build an affordable floating pier, but I am looking for ideas on how to anchor it to the shore that would allow the anchors to be moved to a different side if need be, allow the dock to be untethered and floated around the pond, and allow for changing water levels.
My mind keeps coming back to 2 five gallon buckets filled with concrete (about 100 pounds each) and an eyebolt out the top of each for ropes/chains/cables. These would work like land anchors. I would imagine hand digging two holes so that the buckets would be about halfway in the ground for levelness and stability. The pier ropes could be pulled tighter for higher water levels and loosened for lower levels as the pier is pushed out to be entirely in the water. Maybe the first barrel is a foot or two out past the leading edge so that the frame would overhang dry land for ease of access.
This project is on a strict budget as I really don't need it, but it sounds to fun to pass up.
I have attached a quick sketch to help describe my ideas. I think this setup would have some periodic adjustments that would have to be made to keep it situated in the water just right as water levels change, but I am hoping the effort would be worth the flexibility it gains me.
