Pond Dock

[NE_Sportsman]

I am wanting to build a dock on a pond. The dock would mostly be used for fishing off of and getting in and out of a small jon boat. I was thinking about it being a floating dock. I have some 55gal plastic barrels and some decking boards. Im just not sure how to fasten the barrels to the dock and how to keep the dock in place. Thanks for all the suggestions.

[Shorty]

Here is a set of plans.

Floating Dock. How to build. Step 1.

[FrontierTaxidermy]

That seems a little easier than trying to secure the barrels. Thanks for sharing the link it will come in handy.

[Fish Recycler]

I made a dock once out of pallets and 50 gallon drums. It was a disaster waiting to happen, unsightly and not at all functional.

I'd advise something like what Shorty posted, based upon my own personal experience...

[Ty Stromquist]

be careful with styrofoam. Muskrats will chew that stuff away and make a small den in there. Seen it happen once.

[OneMoFish]

I would not use Styrofoam at all. It is not environment friendly and will deteriorate fast. You don't want all the debris from the Styrofoam all over your pond.

It may be cheap and easy to use ... BUT... it will trash it up in a hurry.
So I guess you have to decide which would be better.

[The Raven]

The "foam" idea is not good, as was previously mentioned.

A floating dock is more trouble and expense than it's worth, unless you're building it in a place where you expect significant change in water levels that would damage a fixed deck.

I built a dock and sea wall on Beaver Lake, and did it in the winter. My neighbors thought I was nuts until they saw how much easier it was, and how much more level and square my dock was than mose of theirs were.

[magnusthebigbrownlab]

Originally Posted by The Raven

The "foam" idea is not good, as was previously mentioned.

A floating dock is more trouble and expense than it's worth, unless you're building it in a place where you expect significant change in water levels that would damage a fixed deck.

I built a dock and sea wall on Beaver Lake, and did it in the winter. My neighbors thought I was nuts until they saw how much easier it was, and how much more level and square my dock was than mose of theirs were.

I've seen it done. Get yourself an ice auger, ladder, and one HELL of a post pounder...and then let your 14 year old kid smack the 4X4's in.

[fearnofish]

I know several guys that have farm ponds with floating docks, one has a foam dock , the other has barrels. Both work well, and the foam was is sturdy just has to be taken out in the winter.

[buck2die]

I have a dock that uses barrels. I used lenths of garden hose to attach them to the wood. That way it would never rot. Been on there for like 8 years with no problems. Also, Menards sells alot of handy brackets to allow you to have it rise and fall on poles as the the water level changes.

[The Raven]

Originally Posted by NE_Sportsman

I am wanting to build a dock on a pond. The dock would mostly be used for fishing off of and getting in and out of a small jon boat. I was thinking about it being a floating dock. I have some 55gal plastic barrels and some decking boards. Im just not sure how to fasten the barrels to the dock and how to keep the dock in place. Thanks for all the suggestions.

Okay, I'm not trying to argue for any specific design. But you need to understand a few things about your choice that may not be apparent from the thread, so far.

1. Foam floatation will eventually start to chip off and degrade over time, leaving parts of your floatation to litter your pond area.

2. Barrel and foam floating docks that rise and sink with the water levels are noisy as people move over them. So, if you like to fish off your dock the design might be an issue.

3. Floating docks are, I believe more expensive to build (if you're going to do it right) than fixed wood docks.

4. Floating docks tend not to be as strong as a design where you have the entire structure screwed and/or bolted together. When you build a dock using wood uprights screwed or bolted into a wood decking structure the combined strength is more than you'll ever get from a home-made floating dock.

[NE_Sportsman]

Thanks for all the advice guys. So now I am thinking of making a fixed dock this winter as previously mentioned. If I do how deep do the corner posts have to be pounded down to make sure they will hold and arent sitting in muck. Also, could I make the posts pointed to make the job a little easier. Thanks

[GenerousAngler]

The posts I have observed have generally been pointed.

The reason may be either because it makes the job easier or because boys like playing with pointed sticks.

[magnusthebigbrownlab]

Cut the end (in ground end, obviously) of your 4X4's at a 45 degree angle with the handy-dandy skilsaw, and whack away. The depth you drive them in the ground depends on the bottom conditions. The one I built was on a silt bottom, so our posts went about 6' in. Don't forget to add the depth of the water to your length of post. 6' of bottom + 4' of water + 3' of post above water level = 13' of 4"x4".

[NE_Sportsman]

Originally Posted by magnusthebigbrownlab

Cut the end (in ground end, obviously) of your 4X4's at a 45 degree angle with the handy-dandy skilsaw, and whack away. The depth you drive them in the ground depends on the bottom conditions. The one I built was on a silt bottom, so our posts went about 6' in. Don't forget to add the depth of the water to your length of post. 6' of bottom + 4' of water + 3' of post above water level = 13' of 4"x4".

This pond also has a silt bottom, so 6' sounds good. But thats a lot of post pounding. I better get the "guns" ready Anybody have suggestions on size since it will be used to fish off of some. Also I have a 14 month old and in a couple years he will be fishing there so I probably need a rail of sorts but I still want it functional for getting in and out of a small boat. Any ideas there. Thank a lot.
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[magnusthebigbrownlab]

Put 2X4's or 2X6's horizontally between your dock uprights (above water, obviously) as railing to keep your kiddo from taking a tumble into the lake. Place two of your uprights close together (3-4 feet apart) and build a gate for access into and out of the boat.

[magnusthebigbrownlab]

If you're driving them into a silt bottom, the first 3-4 feet will go pretty quick...it's the good stuff...the last 2 feet or so...that will be a biatch. The heavier the post pounder, the better.

[MA Machine]

Here's a floating dock made out of plastic barrels. It's pretty much a very sturdy wooden platform with barrels underneath it. I would recommend that you double the size if you build one since this one can be a balancing act. The long pole in the front is a pole with a auger tip to anchor the dock if we want to do so. The main dock portion has 2 barrels end to end X 4 barrels side by side X 2 barrels end to end.