Planning Your Dream Dock

So, you've always dreamed of having a new dock. In fact, if you close your eyes you can feel the gentle rocking of the dock and hear the peaceful lapping of the water against the sides. Feel the warm glow of the sun as you reach for your glass of iced tea with the perfect lemon wedge on the rim.

Perhaps the visions dancing in your head are of a more dynamic nature, i.e., water skiing, speed boating, partying. In any event, a little planning will go along way in avoiding the nightmares and making your dream come true.
 

Start with a phone call to the county courthouse to find out what permits may be required. Rules and regulations vary from state to state and county to county. Some state use specific size restrictions and other use fair market value. There may also be restrictions on the type of flotation or other construction materials allowed. You can almost never begin this process too early. No sense in designing something you'll never be allowed to put in the water.

Your next bit of homework will have to do with the site. Are you on a lake or a river? Is it the beautiful but petulant Pend Oreille Lake noted as much for it's size and depth as it's quick stormy temper? Maybe you've staked your claim along a lazy river or that perfect little pocket lake protected from the wind and off limits to power boats. Note the direction of the prevailing wind and wake, or current if on a river. You should also know the depth of the water off your shore. You'll need about 4' of depth to clear your outdrive if you'll be docking a boat. This can be a determining factor in the length of your dock. What is the composition of the lake bottom? Is it sandy, mucky or solid rock, a steep shaley slope or gradual drop. How deep is the water off the end of your dock?

Find out where the high and low water levels are and when they occur. Are they determined strictly by runoff and Mother Nature or controlled by a dam? Gathering the site information will help you determine if you need a pier type (stationary) dock or a floating dock.

Anchoring will be your next consideration if you choose a floating dock. Log or steel pilings, pipe, deadman weights, screw pins, cable, chain and bulkheads are all means of anchoring a floating dock. Your choices may be limited by what is allowed or available in your particular region and by the bottom composition at your site.

This is an opportune time to meet the neighbors and see and hear what has worked or not worked for them. Locations on a body of water are not all equal. What works great for your friend in the bay across the lake may not be appropriate for your location on the point. Learn from the experiences next door.

Next, do a little day dreaming. Jot down all the activities your visualize taking place on and around your dock. Swimming, skiing, sunbathing, fishing, docking boats, entertaining, or just watching sunsets. You get the picture.

Now the fun begins. Sit down at a table with all your notes and information, a piece of graph paper and a pencil. Here's where you get to massage that dream into a doable plan.

There are a few guidelines you may want to consider when designing the shape of your dock. Go no wider that 10' on any particular section of decked surface and no narrower that 4" for the sake of stability and traffic flow.

If you are designing a boat slip, allowing a minimum 10' berth will accommodate most boats. Make the slip at least as long as the boat you plan to moor. Try to align the slip so the bow of the boat will be facing the direction of the wind and wake and will be pushed away from the dock and not into it. If a boat slip eats up too much of your square footage allowance you might want to consider mooring whips or a boat lift.

You may also want to contact a professional dock builder at this point. Armed with all the information you've gathered they should be able to draw up a configuration to fit your needs and give you a good estimate of the cost along with some helpful suggestions for your particular situation.

A dock is an investment. A little planning and forethought can make it a wise investment and a dream come true.