Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Property Projects & Construction Floating Gangway / Dock

Depending on the water depth, pipes may or may not work. It is unstable because all the weight is up high (a person) and there is nothing to keep it from turning turtle when the weight is place on it - the center of gravity changes from low to the water to high.

I think the outrigger idea will work better than the pipe idea. You need play in the sleeves that go around the pipes to allow the dock to move up and down, and without diagonal bracing on the pipes under the pier, there is nothing to keep them from swaying side to side, like Cecil's long pier across his front pond.

If you do not need to keep the pier on the water and it's just to be used as a bridge, I would make it a fixed pier with pipes. For a 40' long pier, I don't think you can build it with that budget unless you really, really get creative with finding donated or free material.