How to secure floating dock with Pontoon Boat

[Weppler78]

Hi I’m fairly new to boating in general and recently have taken over taking care of my families small camp on a lake in Maine. We currently have a wooden dock floating on barrels with a floating walkway. The pontoon boat ties on to the dock. The dock itself is tied on either side to two trees on our shore about 20 feet away from the dock. I usually help take this dock in and out every year and it’s always a pain with the process of tying to the tree, and going forward I was wondering if I had any other options since we might have others taking in and out. Can I use any kind of method with a carabiner or hook around the tree to avoid younger folks not as well versed in thing knots from making any errors on the knot or how close/far to tie the dock to the shore. Or is just wrapping around the tree the only way to go?

I was hoping there might be a quicker way that’s more foolproof. Forgive me if this is a silly question just unsure about any quick methods using hardware.

 

[harringtondav]

Not knowing the tree positions I think you've come up with the best solution. Get lines/ropes long enough to wrap once around each tree. Connect a hook or carabiner to the end of the line, and secure the other end to your dock. Wrap the line around the tree and secure it with the hook, etc. Assuming the lines will be different lengths, keep them tied on the dock or wrapped around the trees during the winter.
I favor a bowline knot for securing a line to a hook or the like. Google it. Also If you don't have cleats to secure the lines on the dock, install them since they're the quickest and most secure tie off.

 

[Grub54891]

Floating docks are best secured using a smaller pipe with a pad on the bottom, or pounded down into the sea bed. I’d go with the pad as it’s easier to raise when you pull the dock. Those pipes will go through another slightly larger pipe that is attached to the dock itself. The dock can float, and move up/down as tides change. In the fall simply raise the pipe on the bottom up, and pull the dock.