Size of boat in relation to dock size....?

bpatters69

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Hello All,

We live on the Florida Intracoastal and our dock is in dis-repair. The dock is about 5' wide by 20' and there are three posts. My plan is to only replace half of the dock so the total length would be 10'. I plan to use pressure treated lumber (2 x 6) with stainless steel connectors and fasteners. My question is how small of a boat am I limiting myself to if I only have a 10' long dock? The reason I ask is we are considering renting the dock. We would also supply power and water.

Thanks, Bill
 

Bondo

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Re: Size of boat in relation to dock size....?

Hello All,

We live on the Florida Intracoastal and our dock is in dis-repair. The dock is about 5' wide by 20' and there are three posts. My plan is to only replace half of the dock so the total length would be 10'. I plan to use pressure treated lumber (2 x 6) with stainless steel connectors and fasteners. My question is how small of a boat am I limiting myself to if I only have a 10' long dock? The reason I ask is we are considering renting the dock. We would also supply power and water.

Thanks, Bill

Ayuh,... Welcome Aboard,... I think yer question is to vague Bill,...

I mean, ya could dock a 100' battleship to a 10' dock, if everything was lain out perfectly...
 

ErikF

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Re: Size of boat in relation to dock size....?

I agree with Bond-o that the questions is a little too vague.

However if I were renting a dock I'd likely only consider docks the same length or longer than the boat I would be docking.
 

bpatters69

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Re: Size of boat in relation to dock size....?

I agree with Bond-o that the questions is a little too vague.

However if I were renting a dock I'd likely only consider docks the same length or longer than the boat I would be docking.

Sorry guys. I will try to clarify. I am trying to determine the largest boat that could tie up to a 10' dock. I was not sure if there was a relationship between dock length and boat length. Our dock backs up to a sea wall which is 90' long so the dock is really just used for getting off and on a boat, right? If dock length does not matter, that is what I need to know. I just would hate to have a possible renter that has a 15' boat say he did not want to rent our dock because it was too small.

Does that help?
 

bpatters69

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Re: Size of boat in relation to dock size....?

I agree with Bond-o that the questions is a little too vague.

However if I were renting a dock I'd likely only consider docks the same length or longer than the boat I would be docking.

Do you think that is the consensus of most boaters? Based on your response, I am thinking that I should rebuild the dock to make it 20' as any potential renter would have a boat in that range (15 - 20 feet).
 

chriscraft254

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Re: Size of boat in relation to dock size....?

Simply put the dock needs to be long enough to safely tie up a boat. Usually, depending on the sturdiness of the dock, you can usually tie up a boat twice as long as the dock safely. But it also depends on the type of boat and where the cleats or holds are on the boat and the dock. Also depends on how heavy the boat is, the current in that area, waves from other boats etc.

The longer the better imo, why are you only going to rebuild half of it? The more dock you have, the more renters you are opening it up to. The more dock you have, the easier it is to board and dock imo.
 

Tahorover

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Re: Size of boat in relation to dock size....?

How many pilings?

My dock builder said 5000 to 8000lbs per piling on my water way. You have to factor in the weight of the dock ,force of water movement and all boats attached.
 

CaptainKickback

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Re: Size of boat in relation to dock size....?

All good advice above.

An important factor is their are sufficient pilings so the boat (bow or stern) can't get under the dock at low tide and get trapped as the tide comes in. Whips hold to boat off the dock most of the time, but they can break, their ropes can slip, strong winds can overpower them, etc. It only takes getting trapped once to sink a boat.

While with the right setup, as someone already posted, you could dock a larger boat, but I can tell you that most people with a 25 footer or bigger will be wary of your small dock, even though it might work. Psychological thing.

Also, the design of the particular boat makes a difference, mainly, where do people get on and off the boat. If only easy at the very back, you need dock to step on, yet the stern of the boat needs to rest on the piling.

IMO, build a 20 foot dock. It won't severely limit the boat you can buy or the boat rental money (usually priced per foot of boat size) you can get.
 

Fireman431

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Re: Size of boat in relation to dock size....?

Along with the other posters above (to which I'm mostly in agreement), you have to consider the unknown factors. In flat, calm waters and no breeze, a person standing in the water could easily hold a 40' boat in place. You are on the ICW, so you have to factor in the weight of the boat (including gear), the incoming/outgoing tides, wakes from passing boats (even in a no-wake zone), storm surge, inclement weather, hurricane season, and the normal summer storms with 20+ mph winds.

A dock, properly built, should come close to mirroring the length of the boat to adequately secure it with bow, stern, and spring lines. If someone came in to your 10' dock with a 22' boat for the afternoon, no issue. To moor it there? Never.

I think keeping the dock to the 20-25' length will open more opportunity for possible renters than a 10' dock would. I would also seriously (read: seriously!) consider building it as a floating dock. Not much more expense and it may releive you of some liability. I can only imagine some renters boat getting damaged because he was tied to your dock during a storm surge and he expected you to adjust the dock lines to match the tide...:eek:

Best of luck. Where in the ICW are you?
 

southkogs

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Re: Size of boat in relation to dock size....?

Also - what are 'renters' of a dock going to be needing the dock for? If I'm loading a family of 6 with two dogs, luggage and groceries for a week on a 30' cabin boat - I'm gonna' run outta' room on that 10' dock kinda' quick. If I'm putting 4 guys, fishing gear and some food for the day on a 17' fishing boat 10' is probably plenty of dock.

Renting amenities is usually based on needs and conveniences for the price.
 

oops!

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Re: Size of boat in relation to dock size....?

There is another major consideration here.

The depth of the water !

It was suggested about tide earlier....
If the dock starts on land......you have to get out far enough that the boat can float !
This could be 30 feet !

One other thing......If I was crusing in my boat...looking for a dock to rent.....and I saw a little 10 foot dock with a for rent sign, and I was in a standard 20 foot boat.....i would keep going !
 

NSBCraig

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Re: Size of boat in relation to dock size....?

I guess I'm gonna have to disagree a bit here.

Dock size has nothing to do with what size boat you can dock there.

All over Ft Lauderdale/ Pompano people rent their docks out to help with the cost of owning their house. Some have four or five different renters at once. Many have no dock at all, just a seawall with a couple 40-60' sailboats tied to them with fenders holding them off the wall.

In Oakhill I know a couple people that rent space for their boats that have no dock at all, it's just a hill with some trees to tie to.

What's more important is what you have to tie to. Is it a concrete seawall? How many pilings are there? What is the depth of the water?

Now of course my preference would be rebuilding it the same as it was at 20' mostly since it's there already there and if you decide later you want it bigger you may have problems with the city/ county etc since your now building a larger dock not just repairing an existing one.
 

Frank Acampora

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Re: Size of boat in relation to dock size....?

Agree wholeheartedly with the last sentence. The best argument for rebuilding to original length lies with the PIA factor of dealing with authorities later if you want to enlarge it. Maintain what you have.
 

CaptainKickback

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Re: Size of boat in relation to dock size....?

+2 on dealing with the authorities.

On renting space where there is no dock, no way would anyone I know pay money to tie up to a sea wall or a tree. There are too many legitiment docks available here in the FtLauderdale area. Also, remember, sailboaters are used to mooring their boats, which is not the same as docking the boat.
 

Home Cookin'

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Re: Size of boat in relation to dock size....?

In most instances the dock and associated pilings have to serve two functions: landing and mooring. Typically you want to do both with the same structure.

first factor is water depth at the end of the dock. Two feet at low water can handle a 21' boat with an OB and a skilled operator. But let's assume there's 4' at low water so that's not an issue.

Second factor is the current conditions, including waves and wakes, tide height and the fetch of prevailing winds. This is important for two reasons. Strong conditions put more pull on the pilings, requiring different lay-outs as well as material size. Wave conditions require the boat to be pulled away from the dock and pilings (whips are worthless, and a boat should never touch any of the dock structure, even dolphins, when moored). If your water is 100% calm you can do with a lot less.

As a practical matter storm conditions are irrelevant for small boats because you will pull it out. As for the pier itself, it's a question of wave threat, going back to the fetch. Build it low, double the bents and shorten the stringer runs and you can survive more. However, in a summer squall, you can have short-term wave issues, and again, the boat has to be moored with real mooring lines so it cannot touch any pier structures. My calm cove where I moor my boat year round will get white caps and 3' chop in a squall.

Some places you have to factor in ice issues as well. If you have a lift you need enough depth to sink the whole thing without touching bottom (which will spring your cables).

Here's the solution to the short dock: outboard mooring pilings, including the use of pulleys. A weight/pully system gives you lots of options, and the weight acts as a nice shock absorber in wave conditions. A ten foot dock with additional pilings (dolphins) 10-15' away from each corner in line effectively extend the dock 20-30'. And you have to have pilings out away from the dock to pull the boat away from the dock.

At my house growing up we didn't have a pier so we used the bulkhead (sea wall as you call it) for landing and a piling/wire/pulley system for mooring. My parents built a 40' pier and we still used the pilings/pulley for mooring. I can easily moor 3 small boats (15-23) at the pier now with the pilings, shore posts, etc. and have had 6 boats there at a time short term, such as when we have a yard party.
 

sasto

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Re: Size of boat in relation to dock size....?

Here's the solution to the short dock: outboard mooring pilings, including the use of pulleys. A weight/pully system gives you lots of options, and the weight acts as a nice shock absorber in wave conditions. A ten foot dock with additional pilings (dolphins) 10-15' away from each corner in line effectively extend the dock 20-30'. And you have to have pilings out away from the dock to pull the boat away from the dock.

Home Cookin' nailed on the head. Proper placement of pilings and I'll pull a 100footer in there. I have 50footer docked on a finger pier, 3' wide, and 10' long.

Dock size makes no matter to me...As long as I can get on and off, no worries. I only need pilings or dolphins (group of pilings tied together) to secure her to.
 

sasto

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Re: Size of boat in relation to dock size....?

+2 on dealing with the authorities.

On renting space where there is no dock, no way would anyone I know pay money to tie up to a sea wall or a tree.

I don't know, Captain. There are plenty of multi million dollar yachts tied to a seawall among the canals of Los Olas.
 

Hank496

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Re: Size of boat in relation to dock size....?

A lot of good comments. There are to me a couple issues. The first being the original intent of the poster to determine the physical limitations of the smaller dock. We have a Tee shaped dock, two twenty foot by four foot sections come out from the riverbank, a twenty x fifteen foot float is on the end. At mid to high tide we tie our 32' cruiser to the end of the float.

The second issue, and most important in my mind as a dock owner, is the change in size. My experience does not involve Florida. Our dock while not on the ICW, is on a navigable channel, so we have the Corps, state officials, and town officials to deal with. Our experience has been that any change brings with it a slew of paperwork. And with that comes official review. The important things to remember are that; a) these officials don't care if losing your dock will clip 50k off your home value, b) many of these officials will be of the tree hugger variety that believe protecting the environment means making it completely inaccessible by humans, so they will be only too happy to disapprove, c) they also don't care what it will cost you to comply in terms of engineering studies and the like.

So the short version is, don't change anything. Repair and replace like for like and don't open the can of worms.
 

cyclops2

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Re: Size of boat in relation to dock size....?

I would not tie my 16' fish boat up to a 10' dock. Stupid when a squall pushes the END of a boat tightly against one fender.

LEAVE it at 20' for any reason people can think of.
 

CaptainKickback

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Re: Size of boat in relation to dock size....?

I don't know, Captain. There are plenty of multi million dollar yachts tied to a seawall among the canals of Los Olas.


I owned a shop on Las Olas until 3 years ago and docked my boat at the time in one of those canals. Sorry, but I never saw a boat docked on a sea wall. There is an area of the ICW where Las Olas meets it where a few sailboats are moored out in the water.

But we digress....
 
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