BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - how to build a floating dock using 55 gallon barrells

Short Wave Sportfishing

On Thu, 14 Feb 2008 17:47:53 -0800 (PST), wrote:

Has anyone built a floating dock using 55 gallon plastic barrels? I
have 5 available and would like to make a dock that is at least
12x12 . Does anyone have any easy plans to use or suggestions? Thanks!

I haven't done it, but I helped my buddy down at the farm equipment
shop build one - it worked pretty good.

Two things we discovered - you need to put some ballast in the barrels
- we used water. Second, depending on how long it will be, build it
in sections - not as one humongous long dock.

What he did was use PT decking and built a frame with 2x8's - three
barrels to the sides and one in the middle. He secured the barrels by
framing them in - didn't need to secure directly, but he did use
polyethylene rope - 1/2" as a safety measure.

The ballast was 25% of the volume of the barrel.

Works great.