The floating docks at my wife's family cottage are beat. I should be able to repair them enough to get another year out of them, but they are poorly designed and definitely not worth recreating as-is.
In the past, they've pounded steel pilings in (2" pipe) and the dock rests between the pilings. Problem is, the bottom is silt for 2', and then solid rock. Invariably, they get pulled out every few of weeks and have to be sledged back in. Plus, having large, mangled steel pipes jutting out at odd angles is less than ideal on a dock where kids are running and playing.
So anyway, I've been eyeballing different setups for ideas to use next year. For the docks themselves, I'm thinking 4x10' pressure treated sections on plastic 55gal floats. What I'm really chewing on is how to keep them in place.
Considerations:
-about 30' long
-must be able to dock boats with 6' draught
-Tide is about 3 feet
The final contestants are these two:
Option 1: moorings
Two heavy, permamnent moorings are placed at the sides of the dock, and chains are run from the opposite sides. Weights can be placed on the chains to help keep the dock centered.
advantages:
-Clean design, with no steel pipes sticking out
-Easy to set up each spring, just hook up to moorings (once you find them)
disadvantages:
- dock will sway and wander with wind & waves
- Have to be careful that boats don't get fetched on mooring chains
- moorings can be hard to locate in the spring
Option 2: cradle
A steel cradle is welded up out of 2" pipe. Two bars come up out of the water, and the dock slides up & down with the tides between them. The cradle can easily be carried by two people, weighs as much as 2 sections of scaffolding. Once in place in the water, it's weighted down with about 20 2'cement patio blocks.
advantages:
-Solid: dock doesn't sway or shift with wind, tide or waves.
-No looking for moorings every spring
disadvantages:
-Don't like having the steel poles jutting up
-the 2' patio blocks could be hard to place & remove if the dock is in 6+' of water.
Anyone have any thoughts on this? The easier to set up the better, but the most important thing is making something solid that I don't have to frig with all summer long. I'm really curious to see what setups you guys have.