I have a new pond starting next week. Will probably shake out at around 2.5 acres give or take how ambitious the excavator is.
My question for now is regarding a dock. I searched some and couldn't find much on here, but figured there are probably some smart guys here.

I have the room and the manpower to help, I'd love to build a patio style dock 20-30' out, so a 4-5' wide lane leading out to a platform dock. Was wondering if anyone had done any pictorials on it or what the thoughts are here. I'm sure a lot of you have done it, just looking for some ideas and thoughts on it.

Maybe not exactly what your looking for, but worth flipping through this old thread of mine...

https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=487145&page=1

https://www.playstarinc.com/docks are pretty common if you are looking to buy a kit in a store and assemble/install yourself

I'm hoping to do a 4x30' floating in the next year or so

quarter, I'll check it out.

Since I'm starting from scratch, I think I want to do a solid dock. I've heard people with issues on floating docks and having them stay put.

I'm sure I could do 4x4 posts, but thought maybe I'd try to use a contact I have in the telephone pole world to get some of their rejects.

I used telephone poles for the upright on my fixed deck and they have held up great. I attached a floating dock with a gangway so it is easier for swimmers when the water level fluctuates.

I've done several using Tommy Docks hardware, and they've been bulletproof.

roymunson,
I used telephone poles on a 5x30 fixed walkway and 16x24 dock on a 2.7 acre pond. The decking that I went with is maintenance free. It doesn’t splinter, get hot, need staining and is made in the USA. You can see it here.
Btw I’m glad that I didn’t build it any smaller.

https://imgur.com/gallery/aERJTEL

If you build a fixed dock choose your materials carefully.
Neighbor guy did that in 2007. He used PT lumber from the box store lumberyard.
His dock is already falling apart. Literally falling apart.

I built a 12x16 floater with 4x16 ramp for my pond. It's pinned with 2.5" chain link fence post pipe.
It stays put just fine, and it's always the same distance from the deck to the water.

I went round and round on dock ideas for a new pond. Finally decided to do a floater. As Augie mentioned the materials are critical, and I wanted the permanent factor to always be there. Plus I have some guys that have built a few floaters recently and love the way they turned out. Now I just need those Oklahoma spring rains to come down.

For floating dock supplies, https://www.dockbuilders.com/

I have learned that even if the wood is PT, you HAVE TO stain/seal it and maintain it or it won't last 20 years even if it doesn't touch the ground or water. Another thing that I learned is if you use PT wood, forget about using any of the so called coated screws made for PT wood. They last 10-12 years before rusting away, stainless is the only way to go.

With the price of PT wood today I'd hate to think about building one. I'm having a heart attack just looking at 2x12's that are rated for ground contact to build a few garden beds.

Agreed about stainless steel screws esshup.
Heppy

On the pressure-treated lumber, I think they got the copper content wrong for a few years when they banned arsenic in the preservative, and it reacted with all the fasteners and caused corrosion except for stainless steel. My experience with the wood quality of pressure-treated wood has been hit and miss. Some boards last and others crack, rot, and fall apart.

If you use PT, have a real lumber yard order marine grade for the parts below the waterline.

What they said above. I knew the water level didn't fluctuate so I put in a solid deck 2016. Idea to plan to finished.








I plan to use Tommy Docks https://tommydocks.com/ probaly one this year and one next year. Good to see somebody on here has used them - very little discussion on them.

Here's a top and bottom shot of my working dock in the hatchery pond. All Tommy Dock hardware was used.

If you can see the pole feet, there's erosion on the side of the pond, but the feet kept the dock in position.


Not sure why esshup and I made it duel level, but I like it, and it was easy to do.

Dang! That would have been a lot easier to build with the water at that level. LOL Looks like a good power wash and a treatment with Penofin is needed. Why? Because that's what you wanted!

It does need a little love.

But not much, it's held up very well!!