Building new dock section, would this layout work or could it cause issue?

[rdetzel]

Long story short, we're trying to get a permit to extend our dock since we have large rocks that make me nervous about bringing our new boat near the existing dock.

My plan is just to go out perpendicular from our existing dock 20-26' and pull the boat up along that so the bow is near the rocks and existing dock while the prop is as far away as possible. I was originally going with two 10' sections of stationary dock but I'm starting to lean towards floating since the water goes down 12-18" towards the end of the season.

My concern is that the front cleat would have to be tied to the ramp that can fluctuate. Could this setup cause issues, should I just stick with the stationary setup?

 

[alldodge]

Don't see any problems with either design so long as it is build strong enough to handle the load when weather is at its worst. Pylons will handle most all of the load. What is everything planed to be made out of and dimensions on dock I'm assuming a 20 something footer?

 

[ahicks]

Floating docks that are reasonably stable to walk on, and capable of handling weather (a quick front moving through can cause some hellish conditions, even if it only lasts a few minutes!) are going to be much more complex (not to mention expensive) than a fixed dock will be. Our lake has a similar seasonal variance (18" or so), and it's barely noticeable if the dock height is kept as low as possible at the high water point. You don't mention if the area you're in demands seasonal dock removal (so ice doesn't rip it to shreds), but that may also be a consideration?

 

[JASinIL2006]

I built a floating dock very similar to what your pictures show. Our lake fluctuates, but usually no more than 12?. I went with two 10? sections that project out from the fixed dock (no ramp section). It?s achored at each end: it is attached to the fixed dock with dock hinges and anchored at the lake end with weights sunk into the lake bottom with heavy chains attached to the dock. We pull it each winter to avoid ice damage.

I don?t see any problems with your design. I would make the floating sections at least 6? wide. Any less and the dock will be tippy as people climb out of the boat. I made mine 5? wide and were I to do it again, I?d make it 7? ot 8? wide.

 

[roscoe]

Where are the rocks?

Possibly move the new portion out, to the end of the dock.
Then you can pull the boat in behind.
That way, the boat is not banging against the dock with every wave.

 

[rdetzel]

No Title

I'll probably make it out of pressure treated lumber. I've been looking at the Aluminum frames but they are like 3x the cost. Maybe in a few years if we're forced to replace the existing dock we'll upgrade everything but doesn't seem worth it now.

Our new boat is 22' (decking tip to tip, pontoon, 12-15" draft) not counting the engine. Because of this I was planning two 10' sections.

It has to be seasonal so we'll be putting it in and taking it out every year. Our existing (grandfathered) dock stays in but the water goes down so much it's out of the water. My plan for this would be to basically just pull it up on the existing dock for the winter.

The bottom is 4-5" of much than sand. Deepest (Spring) it's 5' depth, lowest is 2-3' in another month or so. I was thinking of use schedule 40 metal pipes with footers so they don't sink too far into the mud. Something like the picture show.

The rocks are everywhere. Some large, some small, some close to the surface, some not that bad. I've attached my sketch I'm sending in with the permits. The numbers are the depth to the surface, as you can see some are pretty close. Ideally I build an "L" dock so the entire boat isn't near any rocks but I doubt I'll get approval for that as my dock is already way past conforming. They'll make me remove it if I want to do anything like that.

The wind comes from the top left so it's not ideal as it will be hitting the dock but I'm assuming some decent fenders will protect it. I could switch sides but there are more shallow rocks on the right side and it's easier to dock with the wind. ;-)

 

[JASinIL2006]

You also can get some padded deck edging that is durable and will protect your boat. That way, you don?t need to pull out the fenders every time you dock. If you are really worried about it, you could get some dock whips to hold the boat away from the dock.