Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Property Projects & Construction Esshups floating dock

Update:

The pond was low enough so the portion of the floating dock closest to the shore was actually resting on the pond bottom last month, completely out of the water. Now that the dock is floating again, it seems that at least one of those white barrels closest to the shore is taking on water. I had replaced two of them right before the dock was launched because they cracked as I was pushing the dock into the pond. The blue barrels seem to be made of a thicker material, and don't get brittle. All the bungs in all the barrels were removed, both barrel and bung plug threads were coated with silicone sealer, and re-installed.

I will be replacing all the white barrels next year when the water warms up with floats from Dock Builders Supply in Florida. If and when I build another floating dock, I'd bite the expense bullet and only use flotation that was designed for that specific application, NOT plastic barrels. The labor involved to make them work, and the labor involved to replace them when they leak doesn't justify the difference in price for me. In fact, if I had kept track of the hours and extra materials required to make the barrels work, they might be a wash or more expensive to use than the correct floats.........