floating dock.......any advise???

[alilley]

ok so i am thinking about building me a floating dock on the prpoerity that i currently rent. i have check with land lord and he said to let him know and he would get me the permitts. i have 2 thiks that i would like to be able to do with it first i would like to be able to park the boat there in summer months and out her for kids to fish and swim off of. does any one have any idea on whre to start on tis porject. what i was thinking of doing was one of 2 ideas first being like a pier or a L shaped so i can just pull up bescide dock and tie off vs having a slip topfull into (my voce is kind of narrow makes it trick to do in the middle of summer when our lake leval dropps). as long as i have an automatice bilge pump, (to pump out any extra rain water) what else would i need to worrie about with leaving the boat on the water.

 

[sasto]

Re: floating dock.......any advise???

Power, water, double braided dock lines, and fenders.

Good Luck! Have fun.

 

[scoutabout]

Re: floating dock.......any advise???

Couple of thoughts from a long time floater owner:

Make sure the dock is properly secured to shore and anchored, not to mention is large enough to accommodate your boat's weight. There are various patterns to set the dock anchors depending on the conditions, prevailing wind, water level flucuation, etc. I'm sure you could google "floating dock installation" and get some good ideas.

There are pros and cons to a floating slip type setup. Nice to have the option of loading and unloading either side, not to mention a slot to aim for if the winds are high. Con is it's twice as much hardware, expense, and maintenance.

If you are going for an L shape, make sure your boat doesn't end up tied beam-on to heavy winds or prevailing weather as the rocking and bashing against the dock could be substantial.

Whatever you choose, make sure the dock is nice and wide. Skinny floaters are a drag to walk on due to instability. Finally, remember it may have to be removed or at least moved depending on winter icing conditions, should you live in a northern climate.

 

[Fireman431]

Re: floating dock.......any advise???

Maybe look into the pre-fab snap together floating docks? I haven't done any real research on them, but from what I've been told, they are very stable and you can actually change your configuration if the need arises.

http://www.ez-dock.com/en.html

 

[blifsey]

Re: floating dock.......any advise???

Since you are renting, my first thought was something like the EZ Dock Fireman431 provided link to. If you end lease and move you could take to next water front home or sell the parts.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: floating dock.......any advise???

um, you don't need power or water.

 

[sasto]

Re: floating dock.......any advise???

um, you don't need power or water.

I can't properly maintain a boat in the water without these. How would I keep her cleaned and maintained without it? Just curious.

 

[DuckHunterJon]

Re: floating dock.......any advise???

How big a boat we talking about?