Hey everyone… yes I’m still alive so project coming up building a “relatively inexpensive” dock/pier on my lake recreational lot. I’m thinking this will be a 16x12 with 4’ walkway. I’m planning on making a water jet to sink the posts as deep as I can hopefully 4’ minimum. I’ve built docks on land and put them in/out each season but this lake doesn’t freeze maybe floods occasionally. Having extensive knowledge of framing and decking what should I do? round posts vs. square? Build the main frame then the walkway? Bracing?
Glad you could still navigate to the site! Beautiful view!!! I’ll wait for some replies before I offer any guesses.
My initial research says round posts as there is no heartwood exposed to rot. Question becomes can I get lengths long enough at economical prices without being too big to handle. The winter pool lake level is down 2.5’ currently and I may be working in 3.5-4’ of water when setting the outer posts. Might be some squaring issues as they are irregular.
How about a floating pier? Use the plastic floats. I made one a number of years ago. It was really simple You use steel poles to auger into the lake bottom and use a bracket to allow the dock to move vertically.
Reviving my thread finally made some progress with my long holiday weekend. 2x8x16’ joists under 20”oc with 2x6 decking. I’ve been building the box frames on the ground and using temporary support feet then sinking the posts- although the outer right side is being stubborn.
Forgive the double picture post. Turns out the permit required 15’ setbacks from both sides. So I was granted a 5’ wide x 40’ long finger dock, apparently the previous owner of the adjacent lot took the liberty to add on to his similarly permitted dock and added a 20x16’ tee. The permit guy told me that there wasn’t much he could do about it, as it becomes grandfathered.
Needing a permit for a dock is so strange to me. Perhaps because of the posts. We don't use em here. Everything floats. Blue barrels are sometimes a commodity.
Agree with RCBS I have no expertise in water that doesn’t freeze; some docks that are too large to pull seasonally get air bubblers placed by posts
Laid about 16’ of deck boards this morning and used my pressure washer to sink the posts so much easier and faster. I’ll put the last 8’ section on afternoon this week then it’ll just be deck boards.
Finished up this weekend despite the weather. Started on the 5th pouring the small pad and then went shopping for a trash pump lumber and bits and pieces. Had heat index over 105 and blazing sun when I started to this past weekend with thunderstorms stopping work. Total just over $1600 including purchase of trash pump and suction hose from HF which was $360. I’m probably going to add cross braces to the legs when at winter pool and maybe some mobile home anchors with SS cable to prevent uplift in the event of a flood. I was able to get most of the posts 3.5’-4 down slightly tapered fat end down and filled around them with bags of pea stone hind sight probably should’ve used concrete.
So how does that work exactly? You blast until you think its deep enough and then send it, crossing all fingers and toes that it actually goes clear in?
I don’t know what the answer will be here, but have watched “jet pump” piling installs for docks. Pretty neat. Could do some simple measuring of initial water depth and translate that plus desired pile depth to the post in hand. IIRC, the “jet” (pipe, really) and post are pushed down into the lake bed at the same time… it’s been a while but I believe that’s how it was done the many teens-of-years ago when I witnessed the process.
I kinda wondered if maybe that was the case...so it sounds like the post would end up being kinda sorta exactly in a precise-ish spot...
