Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Docks

I want to build a dock on my 1+ acre pond. The pond is located about 150 feet from my back door, in what was originally a swampy oxbow from a nearby creek channel. I built the pond about 7 years ago, and stocked it with fatheads, bluegill, and channel cats the second spring. The third spring I stocked LM bass from a local rancher's stock tank. The overall balance seems to be working great. I've got 5+ pound bass, with a sizeable population in the 2 to 3 pound range.

The water level is amazingly constant, largely due to the high water table in the area, and also because of two springs on the hillside that my house is on (springs flow year-around). There's always some amount of flow through the pond, evidenced by a trickle from my outflow culvert.

Now my question:

I would like to build a dock on my pond for several reasons -- to be able to flycast from, to tie my canoe up to, to have a BBQ from as the sun is setting, to swim from and sunbathe, etc. I believe that a permanent structure would be best (pilings rather than floats), but I've never built one before. I can draw one up on paper, but there are numerous design aspects that I'm not certain about.

How do I go about sinking the pilings? Driving them with any kind of machinery would be next to impossible, as the ground is very mushy around the perimeter of the pond. Has anyone drilled/jetted large diameter PVC pipe into the floor of a pond and then cemented PT posts into the tube? That's the direction I'm leaning at this point...

What type of lumber is recommended today? The standard .40 CCA that we used to buy several years ago is pretty much gone, and has been replaced by a non-arsenic treatement (.25 CC). Is this stuff as good as the .40 CCA? I've been told that the new PT lumber requires hot dip galvenized fasteners or they'll rot away in no time. True?

Any other advice to the first time dockbuilder? Thanks -- Troy

Troy,
Search this site for "Docks". I remember someone describing in detail planting pvc pipe & filling with concrete for dock pillings.

Howdy Ric --

Thanks for the quick reply. I've been searching the site all afternoon, but haven't really come across the info I'm looking for yet. If anyone can point me to a specific thread that I'm missing, I'd sure appreciate it. Great website y'all have going here.

link didnt work but ric's thread there is the main one.

Here's some discussion:
http://www.pondboss.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=20;t=000351

And another: starts out discussing floating docks .. search under Help
http://www.pondboss.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=19;t=000033

As a homebuilder in Ohio, we are running into the same situation as far as the new treated lumber. You can use bolts only if they are 1/2" dia. otherwise you will have to use double dipped fasteners. With the price of steel going thru the roof and lumber at an all time high, I would look into a floating dock system if I were in your situation. If that is not an option, they make screw in type pilings that I have heard of. Not familiar with them though. There was a post on it a few months ago. good luck

I built my dock over existing water in a wet area. I built the framework out of steel and floated it out on barrels. I then used pipes with auger feet to anchor it to the bottom. I put synthetic decking on it after it was over the water. The only equipment I needed was a big pipe wrench to drill into the bottom and a few wrenches. The ice has never moved it an inch and it will hold up a small car. The decking has a 20 year warranty. The only disadvantages to the synthetic decking are the cost and it is hot to the bare feet on sunny days. The bonus is that it is actually less slippery when it's wet so it is good for swimming and diving.

That was mine with the PVC Pilings. Just go to my homepage.

Bob

I had the same types of questions and built what i think is the best and cheapest way to go. I bought an old boat trailor 20 ft long. I ran 2x8x16 lumber down the sides on the frame of the trailor and bolted it on leaving the 2x8x16 sticking above the top edge of the traior 4 inches. I started at the front of the hitch and made a 3 ft walk way using green lumber screwed in with deck screws and went up 8 feet. The deck then was wider at 12x10 ft with a two foot over hang. I treated the lumber with heavy linseed oil and really soaked it in and then put a nice stain on the entire deck. I then got some plastic 55 gallon drums and attached them under it using metal straps and sucked them up tight to the wood frame. I stuck her in the water and it floated just as had predicted, very unstable. By the way i built it for the same purpose that you mentioned. Fly fishing off of it and the kids can sun and play on it. The plan went hay wire when two of us 180lb guys got on it, it tried very hard to sink. I had a back up plan however and it turned out wonderful. I got in the water and lifted the dock up and put a cinder block under the tires and brought it up to the level i wanted. So you have the support of the barrels as well as the support of the blocks. You can easily get 6 adults on it and have a good ole time. As far as the front of the trailor popping up with all the weight on the deck, i then screwed a trailor house hold down screw into the ground about 3 ft using the chains on the hitch as an attachment and it will never go anywhere. Total cost was $200.00 If i choose to i can unscrew the hold down and hook onto it with my pickup and pull it out in a few years and re treat the wood. I doubt if i will ever need to. It was a fun project and if a guy could make them in large numbers i don't think i could make them fast enough for the demand. People have asked me to make them one and i don't really have the desire but told them how easy it was to do. You can go to any boat dealer and they have old trailors sitting arround and you can get one for nothing. I had this one hand so i didn't include that in the cost. I also put a stainless steel grab bar at the end of the dock so the kids can grad hold and get on. Sorry for being long winded but this in my opinion is the only way to go. If you want a picture of the dock in the water let me know and i will email you a picture.

Jeff

Bob K --

This is very close to what I had in mind. How did you go about sinking your PVC posts? Did you plant them before the pond filled? I guess it would be very easy if you were working dry and could use the backhoe to move the dirt for you.
Ric --

Thanks for the links to the threads. I had already read the first one, and the second one was pretty useful. Still looking for a bit more advice, specifically on how to sink posts or PVC pipe in about 2 to 4 feet of water? Thanks

I used a post hole digger prior to the pond filling. I plan to put a "T" on the end of the dock this summer and will use a ladder to get some height and then drive them in with a sledge and a piece of wood to protect the end of the pvc. After I get the framing done will pump the pipes out and drive my rebar in and fill with concrete.

Bob

This doesn't answer the original post asking about contructing a dock in a exhisting pond. I put two pilings (2 1/2" pipe) in when I constructed the pond We had a track hoe on site so used it to push them in. They go down to bedrock. Maybe the best thing I used was engineered steel trusses to span from the pilings to the shore (24" clear span Made it alot easier to not have to put in as many pilings. It is 12'square then drops to 8' x 12'. This is strictly for looks.

Some of the locals on a lake pound in steel pipe from a flat bottom boat. I am not an engineer, but the load bearing seems a litle light if you can't get to bed rock or have a large "foot". Maybe a 2' + concrete disk.

Mine is not complete, but steel is and wood frame is started. Only thing holding progress is $ and decision on whether to use engineered plastic or wood for the deck. Would be glad to email a picture of anything you want to see in detail.

Good luck on your project.

Mistyped. steel trusses are 8 feet between them with a 24 foot span. other decking decision is if wood is used......whether to 2" or 5/4"

I went to my local Menards home improvement store. They now carry the complete docking systems. Every component you would need from the posts to the ladder. I was very impressed with what they carried. I also came with complete set of building instructions. They even sell the floats if you want a floating system. It is worth taking a look at.

I've made 6 small (4'X 8')docks using the Menards system. My docks aren't floating but are made to stay at the high water level. The Menards system just uses set screws so I drilled 1/4th inch holes just under the brackets. A 1/4th inch screw thru these holes keeps the bracket from slipping down.

My dad and I just finished building the frame for our dock and we had the same problem trying to figure out how to get the posts in with the lake full. First thing thing we did was plant the supports on shore with concrete. Then to attach the 2x8 boards for the sides we took our flat-bottomed boat and tied the front to the shore and pouded in 6 1" galvanized conduit into 2 tripods (wich were very solid) 1 on either side. Then we put a loop of rope around each of those to hold the 2x8's in place while we bolted them to the supports on shore. Once we had done that all we had to do was go out into the boat and pound in the 4x4 supports about 3'-4' into the clay and bolt the 2x8 sides onto them. It wasn't really all that hard, just a whole lot of checking and re-adjusting with the level. The trick was using the conduit tripods to hold every steady and in place so you could pound the posts in.
-Scott

It is much easier to put a floating dock in than sinking pilings. Here in the southwest(Oklahoma) you can get used oil drilling pipe very cheaply in 16'(I think or 12') lengths. After you have constructed a floating platform of treated lumber you can bolt right angle plates on each corner with a 2-3' piece of larger pipe welded vertically to the corner plates. You just drop the drilling pipe down to the lake floor through the larger pipes on each corner and no pounding is necessary unless you have a rock bottom. The weight of the pipe just drills in over time into the clay. I have had a dock on my lake for 10 years stabilized this way. Before it was stabilized the floating dock was held loosely in position by the ramp from shore.

Layton Runkle