small dock

[tomatolord]

ok here is the skinny<br /><br />I live on a small 15 acre lake no power boats, just canoes, paddle and electric<br /><br />we are lowering the lake to put in a small boat ramp so people can stow their boats, instead of just pulling them up on the bank like they do now.<br /><br />At most the dock will be 10 feet long with a floating dock on the end.<br /><br />The lake rarely freezes and if does only about 1/2inch<br /><br />Width 5-6 foot, that way i can just buy stock lumber<br /><br />The question is what should I use as posts?<br />and<br />How deep should they go?<br />and<br />should I use concrete ( i guess i could push in one of carboard concrete footing tubes

 

[roscoe]

Re: small dock

Posts for what?<br />On a short dock like that, you should be able to anchor one end to shore with a couple of steel pipes driven into the shore, and let the other end float free.<br /><br />Just my opinion.

 

[funpilot]

Re: small dock

It's not the size of the dock, but how it is used... unless it is really skinny, but I digress.<br /><br />I wouldn't sink any piers because it is nice to be able to remove things from the water when necessary, to repair or refinish. I agree with Roscoe, but honestly, a couple of posts welded to steel wheel rims might make the far end more stable. In this area, the ACME foundry makes some really nice dock brackets too. I like 2X4 construction, with joist hangers for reinforcements and 1x6 planks.<br /><br />good luck.<br /><br />fp

 

[tomatolord]

Re: small dock

The use of the dock would be to fish off of and to swim and to tie our paddle boat off to.<br /><br />Additionaly I want to anchor the floating dock to it as well.<br /><br />I like having the walkway out to the end of the dock solid, dad has one that floats and it is not very stable in my opinion.<br /><br />I looked at the costs of floats and they can be pretty expensive versus just making the main dock solid into the lake<br /><br />when I build the floating dock I want to be able to motor (electric) out as a swim platform into the lake.

 

[roscoe]

Re: small dock

Ok, I get the picture now.<br />2 docks.<br />One is secure and hard mounted to shore and bottom of lake.<br />Second is a floating deck, easily attached to dock, and easily turned into a swimming station.<br /><br />You need a solid foundation to make a solid pier.<br />Might want to pour the concrete as long as the lake is being lowered anyway. Also depends on the lake bottom, sand, gravel, muck, mud, rock, ect.

 

[Kenneth Brown]

Re: small dock

If you are still considering the floater I have a suggestion. Use the blue barrels but fill them partially with water. It will take a lot of the back/forth action out of the dock. You will have to trial and error with how much water to fill but about halfway works well for me.

 

[tomatolord]

Re: small dock

Also what would should I use for the posts?<br /><br />How about pickle barrels??<br /><br />I live about 1 hour from mount olive nc, so i can get the pickle barrels for free, <br /><br />the bottom of the lake is clay/mud<br /><br />Anyone put valves in for air?<br /><br />the issue with barrels is if they leak how do you get them out to fix em?? <br /><br />the ones with foam, even if they leak they still float.

 

[Kenneth Brown]

Re: small dock

Band them to the deck. I have no idea what a pickle barrel is so I couldn't comment.

 

[dhammann]

Re: small dock

Use 4x4 pressure treated posts. Taper the bottom of the post with a skil saw or chainsaw and drive them into the mud with a hand-held pile driver, they will drive easily through the mud until you hit the clay bottom. Space the posts about 6 feet apart. You can make a homemade pile driver out of a piece of 6 or 8 inch steel pipe with a cap welded on one end and a handle welded on each side….eat your Wheaties before you try to use it!