julien wrote:
Hi All,

Anyone know of a place to buy some dock building
hardware within driving distance of Philadelphia, PA?

I'm planning on building a pipe dock. A lot of the
pipe brackets I've seen on the net do not have a
locking bolt to keep the pipe from sliding through
the sleeve. (For example, the ones sold by West
Marine are like this.) I'd like the ones that DO
have the locking bolt.

Thanks,
Julien


This would be for a non floating dock? Salt or fresh water? Tidal?
How deep?

I don't mean to be pedantic, but if your dock floated on pipe
pilings, it would not benefit from holes which accelerate rusting.
If you want to raise the dock above where it might float, why not
drill holes where you want them and use pins or bolts and nuts? Set
screw type adjustable height types invariably want at least dimples
drilled to stabilize slippery set screws, or lock bolts so tight
they deform the round pipe to the point where it binds elsewhere.
Even if not, a year later attempts to loosen for re-adjustment may
break the bolts, and then what?

The price of commercially available dock brackets are silly high,
priced for "marine" users. Go to Joe's welding or a scrap yard,
whatever, and he will cut up some box or angle iron scrap for about
2 bucks that will replace 20 dollar "dock accessories." New material
will not be bright and shiny for long.

If you don't do as I say, you place yourself amongst that crowd of
aspiring boating snobs who really don't get it. Go ask a commercial
fisherman where he gets his "marine steel bits." He cuts his own,
or his brother does. It's cheaper to buy a grinder / cutter and
welder and learn to use it at a scrap yard and build your own
hardware for a dock than it is to buy the parts, especially if you
have to "special order" ones with holes.

Alternatively, scrapped steel staging could be trimmed up to do what
you want, using planks for decking, also much cheaper than instant
dock kit stuff. When I started pricing that junk, I near coughed up
a kidney.

Instead, I made floating dock from oil barrels, snugly bevel planked
together with banding into torpedoes with "wet storage"
compartments, and laid deck sections on top. They sit on the bottom
when the tide is out, and float otherwise. 10 by 8 feet cost me
about 100 bucks each and can be disassembled without wading and
rolled ashore easily by me and a mate for winter freeze up. Looks
cool, too! The ends can be joined with dowels through holes in 2
planks each end a few inches longer than the rest.

I think one float could "do" a mooring. If I cast a concrete plate
in the mud at low tide, I should be able to lift it at high tide.

Then, you have the money left over for a louder stereo, whatever.
Oops! on second thought, be sure to order the stainless steel marine
grade angle bits. They are a little more, but they are so much
more,,, nautical and impressive. What was I thinking;-?

Terry K