Floating dock kit assembly using an aluminum frame and floating barrels

Floating dock kit assembly using an aluminum frame and floating barrels

You need a new floating dock or want to add to your existing one, but money is tight. Building your own dock can easily save you 50% over the cost of a new one. The cost of a finished pier includes the following:

• The cost of manufacturing the parts of the pier.
• The cost of transporting the parts from the pier to the final location.
• The cost of assembling the parts into a finished dock.

When looking at the costs of building your own dock, it’s easy to assume that the assembly cost is $0, because it’s just your time. However, three days after a base assembly went awry, you may wish you had selected your base pieces a little more carefully. This article will outline the assembly process for the different floating dock construction options and will hopefully save you some time and stress building your own floating dock.

Welded steel or welded aluminum frames with custom floats

If you’re assembling a dock kit with a galvanized steel frame and custom floats, chances are it’s all shipped from the same manufacturer. The frames can weigh up to 300 pounds and even the floats can weigh up to 110 pounds, so unless you have a forklift, you want to make sure all your friends are waiting when the truck arrives. Move the parts as close to the water as possible, because the final assembly will weigh the sum total of all the parts you bolt and screw together. Once assembled, you will drag/carry the dock up the beach and into the water.

It is important to remember that the steel of your dock structure is protected by a zinc coating that is applied after all holes are drilled and the dock is fully welded. This coating is normally applied in a process known as “hot-dip galvanizing”. Any new holes drilled in your galvanized structure will not be protected and will rust. Typically the deck is attached by first bolting pressure treated boards to which the deck can be bolted.

Pressure-treated wood frames with custom floats

If you are assembling a dock kit that is framed with pressure-treated lumber, the dock kit company will typically provide a hardware kit and custom floats. The hardware kit includes galvanized steel brackets and all necessary bolts and screws to attach the wood frame and floats. They will also provide you with a list of wood and it will be up to you to order the wood. When building a 20×8′ floating dock, a typical lumber list would include the following:

• 2×8 x 20′ main boards, Qty.=5
• 2x8x8′ Dock Ends, Qty. =2
• 2x6x8′ Dock Deck, Qty=42

The main timbers are likely not a stock item and will need to be specially ordered from a local sawmill. In fact, you may find that your best deal is to special order all of your lumber and have it delivered on the same truck.

The 20×8′ dock described here will weigh even more than a dock with a welded steel frame, and worse, you’ll want to assemble the frame on as flat an area as possible. The finished dock may end up being much further from the lake than the steel or aluminum framed dock, so launching your dock will involve surrounding it with all your friends and neighbors and walking down the beach to the water.

Aluminum “bolt-on” frames and 55-gallon polyethylene drums

Aluminum spring kits won’t require an army to unload upon delivery because aluminum is lightweight and because the parts can be broken down into several smaller packages. Some aluminum base kits use stainless steel fasteners. There is an electrolysis effect between stainless steel and aluminum which will cause the aluminum to corrode to a white powder. This is significant in the presence of any type of salt. Even the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest has enough salts to see significant corrosion between stainless steel and aluminum after just one season in the water. The best aluminum frame spring kits will use 2024 aluminum studs that have been anodized to improve their corrosion resistance. Using aluminum bolts will allow your dock to last in all environments, including the ocean.

The most common aluminum frame dock kits use 55 gallon polyethylene plastic drums for flotation. Refurbished drums are much cheaper than custom dock floats and are usually available locally thus saving on shipping costs. Polyethylene drums are installed after the frame is assembled, but before the deck is attached. In most kits, the drums can be installed from the top.

Because aluminum frames are significantly lighter than steel and wood frames, the finished dock will be much lighter and therefore easier to transport to shore. Wheels cannot be added to steel or wood frame dock kits. However, some aluminum framed dock kits allow you to add poly wheels that will allow you and a couple of friends to easily roll your dock down the beach and into the water. Some aluminum frame dock kits even allow you to add a highway rated axle that turns your dock into a floating trailer. These docks can be assembled miles from the lake and then towed behind a truck or SUV to the boat launch ramp.

I hope you enjoyed this article and that you are better prepared to build your own floating dock!

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