Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Selecting a site Dock Anchoring

I have a floating dock kit ready to install on my 3/4 acre 16ft deep pond. It will be "L" shaped and extend out 24ft: there are 5 sections and each section is 4'x8' - ramp, to section, to 8'x12' L. The ramp from shore will be hinged on both ends. The bank down to it is steep and I plan on installing steps to the ramp and install a concrete abutment. My question is this: can I only attach the ramp's hinges to the concrete abutement/steps to anchor it? Would this connection withstand left right movement, or must I also include pilings, dead weights, or tethered cables? The dock weighs 1000lb total. I'm having difficulty understanding how to properly install dead weight or cables that allow for both up/down yet prevent left right movement with a ramp permanently attached to shore. Pilings are probably not an option as the water depth is approx 10' at the L.

Mud poles work great.

The material used for posts in chain-link fence is perfect for this. It's cheap, heavy, galvanized, and comes in 24' sticks.

Thanks. One other question, should I have any concern when driving the posts through the pond's clay layer that it might possibly cause a leak?

I have my dock anchored at the shore with a concrete foundation and a heavy duty home-made hinge. My pond is shielded by trees and a high dam which keeps the winds to a miminum. It is on its 3rd season and shows no signs of problems. Here is the thread that discusses my build, but it is practically useless without the photos that the site seems to be having trouble displaying....

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

If you do an image google search using the following as the search verbiage you can find some of the photos. My dock is the one with the blue hinge at the shore...copy and paste the following in the google image search field

site:forums.pondboss.com Dock is Underway, Anchor Advise Please

If we get the photos to work again...the linked thread will be much more useful.

Thanks, the link is very helpful, especially on ways to construct the anchoring foundation. I actually had a deep well dug at the pond last summer to supplement the water level, so I plan on not letting it fluctuate much below the overflow tube. Also when the pond was built they hit sand at 18' and stopped then lined the pond with clay. The water depth right now at full is 16' at the center. My concern is poking holes through the clay layer with pylons pipes and possibly hitting the sand layer and causing a leak, although it should stay above it. I think I will start out with a dead weight on a chain and see how it works.

Take a look at this link and scroll down to the "Dead Weight Anchor" drawing. I'd like to try it.

https://www.boatliftanddock.com/pro...k-floating-docking-system?ProductID=3923

I considered deadweights on the bottom of the pond but could not see how it would work for my dock (or any floating dock that is firmly hinged at the shore). My water could fluctuated a few feet and the dock would have to move to compensate, but even with just a few inches of water level changes...a deadwieght anchor (or chain tether firmly anchored in the pond floor) would get slack during the lower water events and not resist any side to side motion of the dock...OR during higher water levels...it would pick the weight up off the bottom or hold the dock down. I abandoned these types of achors becuase of the hinge at the shore...I made the hinge stout and the dock can move up or down a few feet from full pool. I think deadweights are very good for free floating docks (swimming platforms) so long as the slack in the chain or cable allows for high level events. They don't have to accomdate a fixed gangway at the shore nor do they really need to stay in the exact same location.

The reason that I did not want to use poles is two fold...My pond floor is loaded with rock and driving the poles would have been lesson in futility AND I have seen floating docks that get hung up either partially under water when water rises or bound up in the air when water lowers. Unless the anchors are super solid and the poles super rigid...the length of pole will bend and sway with side wind/wave loads and not do alot for stability.

I get all that you are saying. I'm also thinking the longer the pylon poles the deeper you have to drive them, and in my case I might hit the sand layer and cause a leak. My dock has a 4'x16' ramp/walkway out to an 8'x12' L shaped section. It's not terribly big compared to some, so I think I'll just get it installed with stout hings anchored at the shore and see how it goes. Note: it would be nice if this Forum had a better way of posting photos.

Your dock is a very similar size as mine. So long as you don't get white caps on the pond, I think a solid hinge and base will serve you well.

The old way for photos worked well from a desktop computer, but that's non existant now. Hopefully they will resolve the issue soon or it will be very, very difficult to share information with any sense of accuracy.