Pier & Dock Building or Buying Ideas Wanted

Need to purchase or build a new dock/pier this spring, to get the needed depth will be going out 40', would like the last 10'-12' to be maybe 16'-20' wide so we can have a seating area and our boat lifts on each side. Everything will be on legs/feet and needs to come out each season for the winter, so not too heavy.

So far the cheapest new 4'x10' aluminum sections with feet are pricing out at $550+ each of which I need at least (8).

Looking for suggestions on a good resources for new or used? In/around northern Illinois/southern Wisco?? Very locally spoke to McHenry piers, they will be getting me pricing after the boat show this weekend.

Also want to explore building my own so looking for ideas, pics, links, etc. for a DIY pier including a source for any necessary hardware like legs, posts, feet, etc.

Oh Yeah, anybody want to go to a pier building party this spring, free beer, food and pulls behind the boat???

I am a similar situation except with shallower water I need to go out about 80 ft. Watch the craigslist like a hawk- Aluminum and plastic versions just aint cheap even if you make them. A couple months ago I scored 7 sections of 5'x8' alumidock with all hardware and legs for 600 bucks - now I just need to come up with 2100 or so for the last three sections I would need.

I'm a big fan of DH Docks for dock hardware. I built my own dock out of 2x6 and decking with the DH hardware on all 4 corners of each section. Rigid conduit for the legs with DH Docks feet on them. Easy to get in and out every year and get leveled, seems like the dock will last forever. Very solid and professional looking. I want to say the cost for the whole thing which is 60' long and 8x8 at the end was ~1500 or so.

We use drill stem with concrete on top, downs come out ever.

Go ahead a buy any metal you need, because the price is going to jump big very soon. Especially metal roofing.

     
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I have a mix of 8' and 10' sections and they each have (3) 2x6 joists with the 5/4 decking on top. We bottomed out the big box store's rental F150 on the way home with that load! I think the width is just over 3' on the decking, maybe closer to 3'6". Easily put in and out with 2 people.

Buff the wood, buff the wood
Come on, buff the wood

Free beer and maybe a pull for this old gimpy guy with some pointers? Thats all it takes here, as long as I have some advance warning.
I have an aluminum Shore Station dock that I like pretty well. It is fairly light and comes apart and adjusts easily, however they are a bit pricy if you need the type of length you are talking about. I think there are other brands that are easier to adjust on the market now.
I built a deck the summer before last and added a guest dock last fall so my guests can tie up and enjoy a refreshment when they visit. (Matt, Peter, don't forget to stop). They lower the water 3-1/2 feet or so for the winter so I waited until then. I had to shovel it two mornings to finish. A treated dock ids cheap at about $15 / ' in materials to construct. It is heavy and doesn't come apart easily though. Whatever you decide LMK if you want a hand.

Shore Station dock, a bit pricy but really easy. This one is ten years old.


This little 20" wood dock ( not stained yet) cost me just under $300 in materials but I had the pipe so I didn't price that in. You could just as easily use treated 4X4 for the posts. 2-2X8 joists with 5/4 inset on 2X4s sistered to the inside of the joists. I inset the legs to eliminate external hardware that could leave a mark and put mooring lines through the deck knotted for retention. 2'9" wide including the joists to get the most out of the 8' 5/4s. It looks odd with the water down. I had to make two trips to the lumber yard with my trailer. I figured the weight of dry treated. It was double that weight. the legs are vertical, the appearance that they are not vertical is an illusion.


Here is what it looks like with the water up. It is very secure and has a nice surface to walk on. This is before I built the deck.

Flat brackets instead of corners?

Chris,
One thing that bothers me is the weight of 200. Remember we are not getting any younger plus, HW may not be around to help you when needed. I can't lift much now like I used to!

I agree with Gary about the 1&1/4 pipe. I see in your material list they are for the 1&1/4 but that's not much. Link these extrusions you are using. I,m familiar with the galv dock parts but not the extrusions.

I used the 1.25 pipe and depending on the depth they are ok... if they get longer than 6 ft you might be more wobbly than usual. I paid 223$ with tax for 7 10 footers at the local HEP. So in the same ball park - 3.50 a foot cut to your desired length with no scrap would be ok by me, will be closer to 5 after I cut off the scrap. 200lbs is heavy. I would consider making the deck removeable. I just have to build another 30 ft of removable decking tomorrow and I will have built or refurbished and installed 23 sections of dock this year. It's not that much fun building them after 4 or 5. I am ready to lie down on one and sleep a couple days.

Progress report, framed up the 10 sections this weekend, the dock hardware should be here this week and which/where I get the posts is TBD.

In an effort to trim some lbs built the first one using 2x6 decking boards in lieu of 2x6 dimensional, which are 1/4" thinner and also have the nice rolled edges like the 5/4 decking. We tested with 3 of us standing and walking on a completed spanned section and it felt fine so all the rest were built the same way. Not sure the exact finished weight but I can carry 1 by myself and with 1 guy on each end it's quite reasonable.

Hardware is coming from DH Docks, using corner clips throughout which are about 5x5 each face and should add a bit more rigidity once all bolted up.

Sections all look great, running the deck boards the long way feel great to walk on but will make it important the docks go in as a nice straight line.


Now that summer break has begun, going to try and get my daughter to lightly sand and stain the cedar deck boards this week, anybody have a suggestion on a translucent exterior stain??

JoeinNY wrote: I used the 1.25 pipe and depending on the depth they are ok... if they get longer than 6 ft you might be more wobbly than usual. I paid 223$ with tax for 7 10 footers at the local HEP. So in the same ball park - 3.50 a foot cut to your desired length with no scrap would be ok by me, will be closer to 5 after I cut off the scrap. 200lbs is heavy. I would consider making the deck removeable. I just have to build another 30 ft of removable decking tomorrow and I will have built or refurbished and installed 23 sections of dock this year. It's not that much fun building them after 4 or 5. I am ready to lie down on one and sleep a couple days.

I used rigid galvanized electrical conduit. Very stout and IIRC 10.00 per stick at 10ft from Menards, price seems to have doubled since 2010 I guess, or maybe it was on sale at the time.

http://www.menards.com/main/electrical/rough-electrical/conduit/1-1-4-x10-rigid-conduit/p-1470046-c-6423.htm

Wrapped up the Dock Project this weekend, pics coming soon