Building your own dock can be a genuinely rewarding project. For a complete novice it can get strenuous, and outside help is worth having — but with basic skills with screws and bolts, and a few carpentry tricks, you should be able to build a dock on your own waterfront land. First, decide what you actually want it for: some people just want a simple place to get on and off a boat, others want enough space to lounge and sunbathe.
Requirement Gathering
First, figure out how far you'll need to go into the water to reach your boat. A rowboat needs only a few feet of water, so a small dock will do. A bigger boat needs more depth, which determines the dock's length. You'll also need to decide whether the dock floats or is set on posts driven into the ground beneath the water.
The Dock Design
You can buy a predefined dock design, or set your own dimensions. Generally a dock has two sections: a walkway section roughly 10–16 feet long and about 4 feet wide, running from the land, attached to a wider lounging section around 10 feet wide.
Materials
- Screws and eye bolts
- Pressure-treated lumber panels — for good stability, use at least 2x6 or 2x8 inch boards
- Posts: pre-made posts that slide into a bracket, or metal/wooden posts of your own
- Galvanized nails and rubber bumpers
Some stores sell a complete dock-building kit with all the material and accessories included.
Tools
Measuring tape, marker or pencil, saw, hammer, mallet — and a paper sheet with pencil and eraser to sketch out the design before you start.
Procedure
- Cut the boards for a 12 ft (length) × 4 ft (width) section. Screw the 4-foot boards at the ends of the three long boards.
- Attach the long boards to the end of the 4-foot-wide board with even spacing.
- Keep the long boards perpendicular to the bottom ones and screw them together.
- Screw the floorboards on top of the frame, making sure each board is perpendicular to the frame beneath it.
- Repeat the process for the lounge section, again keeping the floor section at proper right angles to the frame before screwing it together.
- Drive your 4x4 inch posts (wood or metal) into the ground beneath the water at the corners of the dock, and make sure they're stable enough to hold the free-standing structure.
- Apply rubber bumper material to the edges of the dock to protect the boat from scratching against it.
- If your kit came with a railing, attach it now.
Follow the manual if your kit has one. Get help — the large pieces of lumber get hard to move alone once they're attached. When in doubt, bring in professional help; the boat's safety depends on it. Done right, it's a genuinely satisfying build.