Customers often come to me and say "Hey, I'd like a floating dock for my cottage." Their request is understandable. Floating docks conjure up nostalgic images of those Adirondack camps and rustic boat launches we all hold dear to our hearts. The emotional appeal aside, when is it right to use a floating dock and when is it just added cost? There are 2 primary scenarios that drive the need for a floating dock: deep water and soft bottoms.

We'll deal with each of these individually in a blog to come.

Here in the Finger Lakes, we have a very diverse variety of water types.  From the shale and gravel bottoms of Keuka Lake to the slow moving Seneca River, the way your dock interfaces the water bottom is a critical design point that needs to be addressed early on in the dock selection process.  Because the majority of the Finger Lakes gets locked up with powerful sheets of ice every winter, to leave a seasonal dock in the water is as good as leaving it out by the road for free.  Kiss it goodbye.  A slow drive along the shallow northern end of Cayuga Lake will in most years feature at least one humbled homeowner whose dock has been dragged 300 yards into the lake by an unpredictable and ever shifting sheet of ice.

Because of these drastic weather changes, it is necessary to remove a seasonal dock every year.  Seasonal docks can typically be broken into 3 main groups: leg docks, roll-in docks, and floating docks. 

The first group, leg docks, feature either 2 or 4 leg posts that support a section of dock (typically 4ft wide by 8-20ft long).  These docks have some sort of mud feet attached to the bottom of the support pipes which increase the surface area of the support pipes to better distribute the load and prevent the legs from wedging down into the lake bottom.  Remember, this dock has to be removed at season's end so the more that dock settles into the lake bottom, the harder it's going to be to remove in the fall.  Hence, the leg dock is an excellent option for gravel and slightly silty bottoms with no more than 6-8 inches of soft material.

Perhaps the most effortless dock to install and remove is the roll-in dock.  These docks typically feature 1 or more set of molded plastic wheels and go in just as the name would suggest.  Pick up the end and roll it in like a wheelbarrow.  For a lightweight aluminum truss dock or a galvanized steel dock with the decking removed, this is at best a 1 person job and the task can be finished very quickly.  However, like the leg dock, if there is a significant layer of soft material, the roll-in dock wheels will sink in the mud and be a real hassle to remove in the fall.  Sometimes a 4 wheel drive truck or a winch with steel cable is the only method of removal.

Now for the floating dock.  I've personally stuck my feet into water bottoms 2 feet off shore that could swallow a man whole.  When visiting a customer on Port Bay the bottom was so soft and mucky that it was literally underwater quick sand.  Wheel a roll-in dock in there and it will never come out again.  Pound the posts of a leg dock down with a sledge hammer and watch the ice manipulate your dock with ease every winter.  This is the scenario where a floating dock can really shine!  Cast aluminum augers are fastened to the bottom of the support pipes.  The pipes are locked in an upright position and the dock is floated into place.  Once in place, release the pipes from there upright position and auger them into the soft bottom just like a screw.  You now have an easy to install and easy to remove dock system that if built with high quality materials and processes will last a lifetime!

Next up is the deep water scenario.  Stay tuned...