You need a new floating dock or want to add to the existing one, but money is tight, so you are considering building your own. The cost of a finished pier includes the following:

• The cost of manufacturing the parts of the pier.
• The cost of transporting the parts from the pier to the final location.
• The cost of assembling the parts into a finished dock.

It’s easy to see that building a floating dock yourself can save you the cost of paying someone to assemble the dock for you. This article will show you how you can save money on both parts and shipping by choosing the right framing materials.

Galvanised steel
There are many companies that make galvanized steel frames. These are often sold as part of a kit that includes floats designed to work with the frames. Typically these frames come in sizes ranging from 2×8′ up to 8’x10′. Typically, each frame is a single welded assembly that is hot-dip galvanized after it has been welded. The largest frames can weigh up to 300 pounds, and depending on where the dock frames are manufactured, shipping can account for a large percentage of the final dock cost.

The significant weight of a steel frame dock not only increases shipping cost, but an 8×20′ steel frame dock with suggested flotation will weigh 930 pounds before decking. If your dock has to get out of the water every winter, this may not be the dock for you. Another disadvantage of steel frame docks is that the metal is protected by a galvanized coating. No holes can be drilled in the frame or the protective layer will be broken and the metal will rust. This makes it more difficult to add or modify the dock.

Treated wood
Another option is to frame your pier with locally purchased pressure-treated lumber. With this option, you typically purchase a hardware kit that has galvanized steel brackets and fasteners. The hardware kit is small and relatively inexpensive to ship. While framing your pier with local treated lumber will save on shipping costs, wood frame piers can be just as heavy as steel frame piers. Also, unlike galvanized steel or aluminum, treated lumber is not designed to be continuously submerged. This means that the dock must be built so that the wooden structure sits on the floats and rests completely on the water. Due to design restrictions and the weight of the wood itself, wood-framed docks can be even more difficult to move in and out of the water than steel-framed docks.

Aluminum
Aluminum dock frames are significantly lighter than frames made of steel or wood. But some aluminum frames are welded units that can still cost a lot to ship because they take up a lot of space on the delivery truck. Therefore, depending on where the dock frames are manufactured, shipping can still account for a large percentage of the final dock cost. There are companies that make aluminum dock frames that are completely bolted on. These frames can be shipped in a set of small packages and can be shipped cost effectively even from coast to coast. The final spring will also be significantly lighter. Most aluminum dock frames are designed to work with custom dock floats (usually sold by the dock frame manufacturer), however there is at least one manufacturer that has designed an aluminum frame dock kit that it can work with the 55 gallon polyethylene plastic drums. Combining the aluminum frame and plastic drums, the same 8×20′ steel framed dock that weighed 930 pounds will only weigh 520 pounds. This is a significant difference that will make the dock much easier to get in and out of the water.

For many reasons, including dock weight and frame design, there has never been any floating dock manufacturer that put wheels on their docks. However, as of 2010, at least one manufacturer now offers wheels with their aluminum spring frame kits. They can be sturdy plastic wheels that allow the dock to be rolled up on the beach and stored there for the winter. Or a real highway axle and tires can be added to turn the dock into a floating trailer and allow it to be towed directly from a standard launch ramp like a boat. This can be advantageous if your waterfront property is steep and does not have a beach where the dock can be stored for the winter.

Another advantage of aluminum framed platforms is that corrosion resistance is built into the aluminum and is not compromised if new holes are drilled for additions or modifications. Note: When screwing aluminum for use in saltwater or any water that has even a trace of salt in it, you’ll want to avoid stainless steel fasteners and use aluminum fasteners instead. Stainless steel and aluminum have an electrolysis effect in the presence of salt which causes the aluminum to corrode to a white flaky powder.

We hope you found this article informative, and if you decide to build your own pier, you better understand your framing options!