Dock time

I think it is finally time to replace the old dock.

I would like to hear your dos and don'ts. Things that you did and are glad and things that you wish you would have done differently.

Right now I am going to build it myself. Angle Iron frame covered in composite lumber with encapsulated flotation. The plan is to make it a U shape to fit a lift in and a decent platform to hang out on and swim off of.

I will take any suggestions/pictures/places to buy the dock specific parts.

THanks
Jon

make it out of fiberon.

I like aluminum. It does not rust. It transfers heat quickly, which means if part of it is in the water it stays cool.
Do not make it less than 6' wide where people have to pass each other. Mine is 8' and there still does not seem enough space on occasion.
More cleats than you think you need because someone different may tie up as soon as you get it figured out.
Good luck.

You can never have too much dock. The bigger the better!

What is fiberon?

I too like aluminium but I am not sure that is going to fit the budget. I don't have the tools to weld it.

I know it will outlast steel but I am thinking that pained steel is going to last a good 20 years.

Any other advice.

Fiber on is. Trex. Expensive but never needs replacing. No splinters.

If you can swing the aluminum even if it is a little over budget I would try to go with that, in the long run it would probably last much longer and have less issues. But building the dock yourself is probably going to save you some good money, i'm personally not a big fan of trex but if you get the right style it can look really nice. The only advice I really have for you is to try to order all of your hardware like the female, male, corner pieces etc. from somewhere online because when i went to my local hardware store this past summer prices were about 50% higher then what they should have been

My dock is steel with timberteck tops. The foam is like what you are talking about. It is extremely stable and will outlast any wood dock you could buy by 3-4 times or more. If you can build it yourself from steel haul it to a galvinizer. Ours is galvinized and been floating for 3 years with no signs of rust anywhere. To get the strength and rigidity of steel from aluminum it would cost you a ton in material alone. I think our guy uses a plater in Indianapolis.

Don't use the Trex or any similar material for any part of the deck that will be structural, it will warp and bend even through they say it it can be used that way. My experince resulted in rebuilding a dock only a year and half in because it was warping so bad. We pulled up all the trex and welded in steel cross members then but the trex back down and it has been been great for the last five years.

I def meant for the decking.

more shaded area ( I wish I would have extended my roof), built in storage on the dock, put an industrial fan located under the roof , over the boat ( helps with drying) , another power outlet. run water down to the dock.

If you are putting a ski/wake boat on a lift in the slip, look at having the front of the slip angled (45's instead of two 90's) to increase your deck space. Also a great spot for storage chests / lockers, makes the front bow eye easier to reach, etc. Add power outlets - next to the boat on BOTH sides of the boat, near the battery location. Also near the swim deck portion of the dock for radios, fans, etc.

Do you have to worry about current? or alot of logs, etc floating up against the dock? If so create a point on the upstream side of the dock to help things flow around the dock instead of getting stuck against it becasue of the current. It doesnt have to be much a shallow angle (15-20 deg should do it) and extend it the length of the dock.

Misters. Make life grand

+1 for Trex, no splinters and looks great.