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CabinBuilder
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# Posted: 23 May 2011 11:48pm - Edited by: CabinBuilder
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I would like to build a relatively inexpensive dock on the small river / creek we have at one edge of our property. Looking for ideas and options.
It is not the prime waterfront (see pics). The river is not wide, and it is shallow and swampy at our side for about 20-30 ft (~30% of total width), with vegetation growing.
The river water level fluctuates couple feet during the year, which "moves" shoreline (as river's width changes), exposing bottom often.
The water current is very slow, but I think moving ice in the spring may carry the dock away if not done properly.
The only human traffic on the river is a rare canoe.
Some options I was thinking of:
a) hammering down pairs of metal rods every 8 ft and spanning them with 2x8" (PT) timber.
b) dropping few cinder blocks every 8 ft and spanning them with timber
b) some sort of floating dock
c) dumping tree logs?
d) something (relatively light) that could be pulled to shore for the winter
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Actually, I'm not even sure this is practically feasible - to reach the end of the shallow swamp/vegetation area the dock would have to extend approx 1/3 of the rivers' width...
Comments will be appreciated.
P.S.: Also, I'd like to keep it "low profile", i.e. not very prominent, blended-in with surroundings.
View from the nearby bridge
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In winter
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Shallow end pic 1
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Shallow end pic 2
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bobrok
Member
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# Posted: 24 May 2011 09:06am
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My inexpensive solution was to find a wheelchair access ramp on craigslist. I bought 5 16 foot sections for about half the price of the PT lumber and it is very solidly constructed.
One section will be my dock. I'm getting 55 gal plastic drums for free to use as floatation.
On another thread over the winter I got a lot of good advice here on converting the remaining sections to a staircase down to the dock.
If you don't have much of a current this would work along with pipes to stabilize lateral movement.
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Just
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# Posted: 24 May 2011 10:05am
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IN 2007 i tryed the spile thing in our creek [9 ft deep 100 feet across ] it floods in the spring and is calm most of the year . a few boats a day . i had the largest excavater around push 2 25 ft hydro post into the mud about 15 ft . i cut holes in the ice he picked up the posts and droped them through the ice into the mud then pushed them in with his bucket though i was reel smart ,not!!!
the first one was gone in a month! the other one the next year .
apparently the rule of thum spiles must have 4x under ground as the high water depth[ in my case 40 ft under .10 ft water 50ft spile who new ??] so i built a floting dock and it's been great !!take it out ever winter attached to a 500lb hunk of concrete !
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AYP1909
Member
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# Posted: 9 Mar 2012 03:57pm
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CabinBuilder:
I have worked on several docks on the salt water that are subject to the effects of the tides and wave action. Some options that work well can be found at this link: http: //www.kitdocks.com/
Ignore the pricing but look at how the floating sections are secured to pilings and the ramp sections that move with the fluctuations of the tide.
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