I have a bunch of non-standard size lumber. They are close to common 2" x 4" dimensions and anywhere from 8' to 10' in length. (They can't really be used as 2" x 4"s unfortunately as the dimensions vary too much. They are salvaged from packaging crates, FYI.)

I thought I would go ahead and use them to create a stake bed or two and then sink it in my pond. I also have some scurvy CMU's that I will use to weight the wooden stake beds. My questions are:

How many CMU's per 2" x 4", roughly, will I need to keep this apparatus from floating on me?

Assuming an 8' to 10' height, how close should I space the vertical 2" x 4"s?

TIA for any advice. I plan on building these and dragging them out on the ice here in the next couple of weeks and then letting them fall through the ice as it melts.

I would use some random lengths (not all the same) and have a variety of distances. For example, and area 4 X 4 of dense arrangement with some loose arrangement next to it. That is a place for small fish to gather and some loose for bigger fish to wait in ambush. Place a rope and float on it so you can know where it ends up and also so you can drag it to another location if needed.

While this pic is not stake bed it shows the concept.




Structure archive for ideas

https://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=92463#Post92463

I'm not sure how much weight it will take to sink a pallet with stakes??? Flotation force (buoyancy) will depend on amount of wood involved. When they become water logged almost no weight would be needed. You may have to experiment unless someone here has experience with it. It might take a lot of weight to get a pallet and 10-20 2X4s to sink. Consider ripping the 2X4s making 2X2s. Maybe ask on the crappie forum?
A lot of stake beds are made by pounding the stakes into the bottom often during low water level. Here are a couple things I found from crappie.com.

Poster1 How do you get yours off the boat and into the water and sitting upright? We had a row of conveyor rollers on the front of a work boat. Took 2 of us to shove it off evenly. With the front of the bed going into the water 1st, we had more weight on the backend so it would catch up while going down in deeper water. 8' x8' beds, with 5 rows of basicly 1x4's, 7 boards to a row. Caught a lot of fish off those. We would get used concrete blocks that had mortar in them, clean 1 hole out and slide the empty hole over 1 of the vertical stakes. 3 blocks in the front and 4 on the back. Lot of work but was worth it. Did about 700 of them.

Poster2 “Use rocks in corners between top and bottom pallet boards and just slide over the side. Helps to push down on high side to level them out as they go over.. The short ones I make out of pallets will flip if you put blocks on top.”
NOTE I THINK HE MEANS THE CEMENT BLOCKS SHOULD BE UNDER THE PALLET NOT ON TOP TO REDUCE PALLET FLIPPING AS IT SINKS.
From:
https://www.crappie.com/crappie/cra...-mgmt/283776-building-pallet-stake-beds/
See the picture near the bottom of this link for using stakes in cement blocks. Numerous structure ideas in crappie.com forum
http://fox1966.org/Crappie%20beds.html

Pretty easy to figure. About how much water will it displace? Water weighs 7.5# to the gallon. When its heavier than the water it displaces, it sinks.

Where did you get that weight for a gallon of water (or are you referring to units in a non-USA county)? https://www.thecalculatorsite.com/articles/units/how-much-gallon-of-water-weigh.php

RAH Texas is a non-USA county (sic), right? Haha

Hey I resemble that remark!

But isn't Texas a whole nother Country?

IIRC Texas is the only state in our union that can lawfully secede and go back to being a country. Just going on something my brother told me. Something the effect that Texas would only agree to join if this condition were allowed for it. Any natural born Texan would know the answer to this. Is my brother correct?

RossC's 7.5 pounds per gallon is a mistake taken from "7.5 gallons per cubic foot". Don't feel bad Ross...I know this cause I have made the mistake myself.

There are 8.33 pounds per gallon of water, give or take some depending on the temperature of the water (if we get picky...lol).

So, to make a safe calculation, calculate the volume of wood you will be using, convert that to U.S. gallons, multiply that number by 8.33 pounds per gallon... and you will have the weight it wood take to sink the structure (see what I did there? lol) This number will be more than you strictly need since wood has some weight to it already, BUT I would double the sinker weight number to make sure it sinks and stays put. OR, at least multiply it by 1.5.

If wood weighed 8.33 pound per gallon (in other words, 62 pounds per cubic foot) the wood would not necessary float or sink..it would just hoover around with the current. Once you find something that weighs more than water (8.33 pounds per gallon)...it will sink.

There are more scientific weighs to calculate the OP's question (see what I did there? lol), but the above will get you where you need to be without making your head and my head hurt.

RossC is on the right track, just not in his right mind. Just kidding around Ross!

A true 2"x4"- 8 foot long makes up about 3.5 US gallons of volume. That would be 29 pounds of water weight minus most of the actual weight of the 2x4x8'. An untreated white wood 2x4x8" weighs about 10 pounds. You'd need 29-10=19 pounds to make it not sink or float. 19*1.5= about 30 pounds. This wood make it sink well (I did it again).

One thing that needs to be taken into consideration is how dry the wood is. A 2 x 4 x 10 that is kiln dried will need more weight to sink it than a sopping wet treated 2 x 4 x 10.

https://www.builderscalculator.com/lumber-weight-calculator/

Start at page 3 of the following chart:

https://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fpltn/fpltn-218-1931.pdf

How many pond bosses does it take to screw in a lightbulb?:) Shove some of the 2x4's though the holes in the cement block and see how many boards it takes to float the block...

Ah, the question for the ages: experimental physics versus theoretical physics!

Hey, its been a long time since I did my ,divemaster course. I actually taught that at the IDC, but that was many moons ago.