Thread: floating docks
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Old 04-24-2021, 06:54 AM   #8
Dave R
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We almost always use floating docks due to the tide where we boat. They are mostly not very pleasant to use (the concrete ones are good). I prefer a stable dock if there's no tide. If you are going to use a floating dock and you want it to be comfortable, make it big, stiff, and heavy; and make sure that it cannot move much laterally. If it's willowy and allowed to move side to side, or rock, it will be awful. The motion is not like a boat moving in the waves, it's more jerky and unpredictable, and the noise will be irritating.

A good friend of mine has a nice aluminum dock with big plastic wheels and adjustable galvanized steel tube legs. He can easily launch it himself using gravity and a winch to control the descent. The wheels are set to keep the walking surface just above water when it's sitting in its place, then he has a screw jack that he uses to push the legs, one at a time, into the bottom and lift/level the dock. The light weight of the aluminum and plastic decking makes it pretty easy to haul out with a winch at the end of the season too. If the shore does not work with wheels, perhaps a hybrid with floats for moving and adjustable legs for stability would be a good compromise.

Good Luck!
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