How to Build a Dock

How to Build a Dock How to Build a Dock If you stay close to a lake or river then you probably have thought about building a dock so that you can make maximum use of the water body before you. You may get apprehended at the thought of building a dock but the result would be worth it. While you get a spot where your family enjoys the water front as well as you get a place to dock your boat. You must make up your mind about what you intend to build and how you want to do it. It’s quite a bit of planning and labor that goes in to build a stable and long lasting dock.

Here is a list of things that you need to keep in mind when you build a dock.

Choose right kind of equipments and materials: You must make a visit to the local store for getting the right equipments that you would need to build the dock. You may need to buy specially treated lumber and strong bumpers, steel screws and fasteners etc.
Choose the location: You must have a good look at the waterfront and decide a place that is not rocky and provide ample space to build the dock and also allows you to park your boat without any issues.
Design the dock: You must pay some attention to your dock plan. Design a dock keeping the need in mind. You may or may not have stairs and posts or a floating dock. A dock with strong posts is an ideal choice as it would be stable and would last a pretty long time. You can get a good dock plan from the internet as well.
Take proper measurements: You must measure the depth of water from the shore to the depth of water you want the dock to stretch.

List of equipments and material you would need to build How to Build a Dock1 How to Build a Dock

A good saw
Bumper
Treated lumber
Measuring tape
Ladder
Steel screws
Some fasteners
Dock stringer
Cordless drill

Steps to build the dock

Remember that this job is not a one man job. You must take somebody’s help in pulling together a dock. Because the work involves holding and fixing boards, if you get assistance, it would prove helpful.
To place the support posts, you need to measure the depth and the distance that you need to put each post.
Place your support posts. Depending on the requirement you can use a boat to help you carry and place the posts in the water.
You must put stringer on a higher level than the present water level, this way you ensure that you are ready for the rainy seasons.
Use the treated lumber decking you have bought and place on the stringer. You can leave a thin gap between each board to allow rain water to drip in.
Take the bumper and attach it to the outer line of the dock you are building.
Check the deck for any lose spots and use the fasteners and screws to hold the deck together strongly.

If you have swallow water you may need to use a ladder to place the support posts. Depending on the strength of the support posts, the stability of the dock would be decided. So give primary attention to this. Make sure the support posts are not too far from each other. Also try to take smooth decking for a better finish of your dock. You can even accessorize your dock with lockers and cabinet if required.