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As we continue to develop our pondsite from scratch, I thought it might be the better decision to split out the launch and dock construction under a separate thread. This way, anyone looking for information for the specific category won't get lost in the pond construction stuff. I have transferred the beginning presentation of the subject from the Principal Spillway Logic thread to this thread and will follow it's development here.
If there is a chance that I can pay back the PB forum support crew by helping just one other brethren, then this thread will have served a good purpose.
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Well, on to the next project; the concrete work for 2 docks and a boat launch.
Jeesh, another reflection on the work that concrete guys do...truly more new-found respect! We have formed up the first pour of the launch. The rebar is laid within the forms, but not yet tied and put up on the bar chairs.

We have drilled ten 12" dia holes for the concrete piers that will support the dock that borders the launch for 44 feet with a 14' x 16' covered deck at the end. We have also installed small rebar cages within the concrete pier forms for added stability.


There another 8 more of these holes at the beach area for a smaller 20' x 12' "L" shaped dock. The 20' section runs along the edge of the sand beach (recommended by Ewest), and the 12' "L" section turns away at 90 degrees into a quick drop-off that will put it into 6-7 ft of water...a great place to temporarily tie up the Liberty Ferry.
Oh yeah...we aren't hurtin' for rain, either. The banks are runnin' little erosion channels and the rye is just startin' to sprout. Nothing too severe and we really got a gully washer a couple of days ago. The 1 acre area in front of the dam has about 4-5 feet of water. We gotta hustle up this concrete work and shift to the tire pyramids and PVC tree structures. The race with Mother Nature is on.
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(OK...now on to the new stuff...)

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Before I continue, allow me to throw out some specifications and logistics.
The pondsite is at the end of a 2000 ft entry drive that was blazed last year. The last leg of this entry is about 200 ft, straight, and into the east end of the pond at a gradual slope. We knew right away that it would serve well as a boat launch. The launch will be 72' long, 12' wide, and about 6 - 7" thick. At the end of the launch, the normal pool water depth will be 5 feet. The launch is reinforced with #3 epoxy coated rebar (3/8" dia) set at 12" on-center, each way. They are set on bar chairs to elevate them. Rebar is too thick and heavy to reach into the concrete, during the pour, and just pull up from flat on the ground, like wire mesh. We are pouring the launch in sections, the first two will be 31' long. This was selected because we are using 16' long lumber for the forms AND the sides are really not accessible for a concrete truck so the pour must be done from the end. The chutes on the trucks only reach out about 20 feet or so. We used 2 x 6 for the forms. The form at the top of the pour (where the next pour will attach and continue) is drilled out with 2" dia holes at 12" o.c. and 3/4" x 18" epoxy coated dowels are laid in half way into the form zone. They will harden within the concrete, and the larger dia 2" holes should allow us to still remove the 2 x 6 form. These dowels will tie the next pour to the previous.
The round concrete piers are drilled with a 12" dia bit. They all average 48" long from the base of the hole to the top of the tube. The holes within the water are not as deep within the soil since frost heave should not be a problem there. They are, tho, drilled thru the topsoil and into the clay below for a firm bearing surface. Each hole is reinforced with a cage of epoxy coated rebar that is 4 verticals with 4 square ties of #3 rebar. The cages were pre-fab'd in the cool of the basement and the the vertical members were manufactured long. I trimmed these vertical members to length, on site, to be 8" longer the actual depth of each hole as we drilled them. This was done because the hole depths did vary somewhat. Then, each cage was set within the tube/hole and pounded with a 3# sledge until the entire cage was about 2" below the top of the tube. This centralized and stabilized the cage for the concrete pour.

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Nice documentation.

More pictures!
More Pictures!
;\)
Ed

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Brettski, I see some water there!

Has the urge to put in a few dozen fatheads overcome you yet???!!!!!!!


Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:"
"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."

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...Sunil identifies temptation:
 Quote:
Brettski, I see some water there!
Has the urge to put in a few dozen fatheads overcome you yet???!!!!!!!
...No, not yet. I have my hands full with these other priority projects....but....a couple more good rains, a few more weeks of construction progress, ....?
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We elected to cut the verts on the rebar cages on-site since I was unsure as to the actual depths of each...no biggie. I went to Menards and purchased their largest bolt cutter; a unit 30" in length. I went home and did a test-run on a pc of rebar on the garage floor. Now remember, this is Grade 60 rebar; the good stuff. It also makes it harder to cut. After leaning, pumping, and re-adjusting the cut, the rebar finally yields with a high-pitched "ping" and shoots across the concrete floor like a bottle rocket. This ain't gonna git it in the dirt at the jobsite. Time for some re-engineering.
I took a piece of 2 x 8 x 16" treated pine and milled a slot for the handle grip (radial arm saw). Then I cut slots thru it for 2 larger hose clamps and cranked the whole thing together to create a stabile base. Then I added a piece of chain-link fence post pipe that I had in stock.

Huge improvement. Still a bear to crank it down and cut, but manageable. Still got the high velocity "ping" \:\) .
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The rebar mat was laid out on the ground in their respective positions. I laid the long bars first, then tied the short cross pieces one at a time. I could only do one at a time because they would roll downhill on the long bars like they were rails. Next pour, we go the opposite way :rolleyes: .
I ain't no iron-worker, nor do I play one on TV, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night! We used standard issue 16 ga. annealed tie wire. I tied every junction at the perimeter to stabilize the mass. Then we hop-scotched the entire mat, adding a tie so that no tie was any further than 36" from another. Why not all of 'em?....you try it.
We then elevated the mat by placing a rebar chair at about 48" o.c. They are also standard issue 3" bar chairs; a plastic cone (like a volcano) with the sides cut out for concrete permeation and round notches at the top rim to accept the rebar.

We had areas near the edges that went pretty deep. I decided it was easier to fill the gap with concrete over terra-firma as opposed to filling the holes with loose soil and compacting. In these areas, we boosted the chairs with larger rocks. At the last minute, as we rested for a couple of minutes and waited for the concrete truck, I decided that maybe I should put a tie wire thru each of the chairs and tie it to the mat. Whew...good call, Brettski. When the force of the pour hits 'em, another 11th hour decision yields good results.
Oh yeah, the 3/4" x 18" smooth dowels....I cut 2" dia holes at 12" on center in the 2 x 6" form, then screwed on the backer blocks you see with 7/8" dia holes. This centralizes the bars within the 2" holes behind them.

When we go to strip the forms, remove the screw-on blocks and hopefully pop off the 2 x 6 form. The 2" holes in the form should allow room to slip over the dowels, since they are not absolutely square and straight.
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Then, the pour. Boy am I glad that I bought (and brought) those waders! The entire slab took about 9 yards of concrete.

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Donna-ski and I struck it off with a 2 x 6 x 14', using the standard sawing motion. PLEASE NOTE: Donna-ski is one tough dame. I laugh to think that she could kick most of my buddie's butts. She takes pain pills for some bad knees and still scares me.
Anyway, the beauty of finishing a boat launch is that the goal is a non-skid, non-slip surface. That, and most of it is below the water, puts the finishing portion well within our DIY grasp. After we strike it off, that's it...it ain't real pretty, but looks OK for novices. Then I put the finishing touch to it I took a garden rake and worked from each edge, dropping it in the center and drawing it back out, scraping up the top aggregate and creating the ultimate non-skid surface:

I got your broom finish right here!

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Sometime in the future, you're gonna have to let us know how much this all cost you.

I could not help myself but to swing by the local bait store and buy 3 dozen fatheads (assuming they were true fatheads) and throw them into that water.

I know Guvnor Davidson would do the same.


Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:"
"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."

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 Quote:
Originally posted by Sunil:
Sometime in the future, you're gonna have to let us know how much this all cost you.
Be sure and do so only by PM, utilizing encryption. This is one instance where violating the DLYHKHMTPC/DLYWKHMTPC rule, in the open forum, could cost hundreds of lives.

Great pics and tutorial, Brettski.


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 Quote:
Originally posted by Sunil:
Sometime in the future, you're gonna have to let us know how much this all cost you.

I could not help myself but to swing by the local bait store and buy 3 dozen fatheads (assuming they were true fatheads) and throw them into that water.

I know Guvnor Davidson would do the same.
Maybe it cost enough that he cant afford any fatheads. :p ...but, it is one helluva job. Brettski, you're my hero.


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Thanks, guys...now the big faux-pah!
PFF just PM'd me and quizzed me on the drop of the grade vs the length. He noted that a 72' long launch that drops 5' would "put water into the truck doors before the boat floats". First I geeked out, then I remembered that about 20' is exposed on the shore. Without running out to the truck and measuring clearance and then running a buncha calc's, what's the consensus?
(thanx for the bump, PFF)

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Whoops, I was too late to stop the pour, but if it droops 5' in 52' that is much better than 72'!


Please no more rain for a month! :|
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allowing 20' for boat and tongue, when the hitch is at 2ft of water, the motor will be in 4ft. I assume you want be getting a large boat, though. With the hitch at 1ft. the motor will be in 3ft.


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Unless you are planning on water skiing, I would think you would find that some of the best pond boats to use are ones that one or two guys can move around or carry.

Burg, I'll front Brettski the $10 bucks to get a few dozen "verified" fatheads. Afterall, I'm anxious to get some fish onto Sunil's Mound and into Kopecky's Ditch.


Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:"
"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."

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Burgermeister peeks into the crystal ball...
 Quote:
I assume you want be getting a large boat, though.
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....yeah, nothing too much...it might look outta place on a pond. I'm kinda using this as my model:


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Fabulous thread.

Brettski, you're a new classification of Pondmesiter. You're more like a "Pondfreakster". ;\) You really know how to do it up!


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Brettski- I don't see any help while you were pouring. Did you run the comealong and jitterbug by yourself?

I am with Bruce, you are in a class all by yourself. "Pondfreakster Boss Supreme"


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Don't for get to install the "No Wake" bouys in front of the swim-up bar and position the ski jump to face into the prevailing wind.
You are truly a man with a passion.
Are you keeping a journal with all of this information and pictures? You have the makings for several articles in PB and a great reference for the rest of us.


1/4 & 3/4 acre ponds. A thousand miles from no where and there is no place I want to be...
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...OK, just a little bit on the concrete piers.
We laid out the exact centers of each pier right on the ground and pounded a short pc of #3 rebar into dead-center. The real trick is to transfer this exact location vertically to the top of the poured concrete pier. Remember, the post-hole digger can have a mind of it's own, especially when it hits a substantial rock or root. Also, the hole is rarely perfectly plumb; this is usually the biggest offendor. I have used a measurement transfer method before with accurate success, but did not take pics of it's application during this project. I can expand on it and fudge in a pictorial should someone care to see it.
OK, the holes are drilled, the tubes are FIRMLY placed within the holes, and the center locations have been transferred to the tops of the tubes. Time to pour concrete, right? Almost. Cut an extra tube, or a leftover cut-off, in half length-wise. It should be a min of about 24" or so. It will save a bunch of concrete over-spill.

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As noted above, some of the drilled piers holes wound up with a slant. Instead of leaving the form tubes loose in the hole and propped up perfectly vertical with stakes and supports, I make sure they are tightly jammed in, won't move, and accept the lean. I used my eye to trowel down the surface to "close to level", then used a short bubble level (right on the wet concrete) to finish it. (you will also note that the anchor bolt is off-center. Not really...it is actually dead on WRT the layout)

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We used 1/2" x 12" 18-8 Stainless Steel "L" anchor bolts. I left about 1" exposed to accommodate the post base, a couple of SS washers and a nut.

The 1/4" SS post bases will come into play a couple weeks out when we start framing.

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Well, another day in paradise...pass the Ibuprofen, please.
When we brought through the concrete truck with 10 yards in the barrel 3 days ago, he found one soft spot in the new driveway constructed last Fall. Today, we summonned 14 tons of "oversize" (rock/clay), quasi-tailgated, adjusted with shovels (dozer and backhoe are long gone...ugh!), and mashed in with the tri-axle running back and forth. This one took about 2 hours of chain-gang misery.
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OK, now back to the subject...the launch.
The forms popped off pretty darn easy. The smooth dowels worked out great. Finally, a project phase works as planned!

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As noted in a previous post, we had some areas that deepened well below the 2 x 6 forms. We used additional 2 x 4's and and, in one area, additional 2 x 6's below the primary forms. Now I know where 9 yards of concrete went.

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We re-used the forms and set 'em up for the next 31' of launch to be poured. We're gonna dowel this pour, also, because there will be one more pour to create an apron to tie back into grade.

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Pursuant to some hyper-tension suffered a couple of days ago at the hands of PFF, I took specific elevation readings vs. length of launch run. At normal pool, we will have 56' of the launch underwater and the end will be at 5 ft depth. This, to me, is not ideal by any means but is acceptable for the application. No doubt, any truck will be in the water during a launch, but shouldn't be gurgling . Sedans....this might be a problem.

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 Quote:
Pursuant to some hyper-tension suffered a couple of days ago at the hands of PFF
I am glad I had a hand or hands involved in such a wonderful project. :rolleyes: ;\) :p


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Those puddles are screaming "fatheads, fatheads, please!!!!" to me, and I can't get it out of my head.


Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:"
"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."

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...another sweaty day in paradise. Overcast and cloudy is a welcome blessing. We laid in the rebar for pour #2, tied the bars, and propped up the mat on bar chairs.

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Continuous, multiple pours above grade are typically separated at the smooth-dowel seams with expansion joint. I conferred with a trusted friend and concrete contractor and he dismissed expansion joint as unnecessary for such a low-tech, underwater application. He did insist, though, on doweling the slabs together.

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This is gonna be another pretty thick pour. Since I don't want to lose too much slope, as it is already lower than ideal, we are keeping the top end of the pour as high as practical. That, and the edges of this pour, like the first, drop off to create thicker edges. I'm guestimating 9 yards on this one.

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On close examination, I don't see any backs on your rebar supports. They look more like bar stools than chairs.


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In the future we will all try and call them "bar stools", so we can satisfy your aesthetic values! :rolleyes: \:\)


Please no more rain for a month! :|
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Brettski,

I like your style! Great work and thanks for the photos.

gator


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Really nice work and very detailed. Thanks for sharing your project with us Brettski. I love to watch somebody that enjoys what they're doing.
CR


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