As you can tell by the photo, we have a rolling dock - largely due to the floats - we’re missing some. This weekend, in addition to being a long weekend, is also raise the dock weekend. Using muscle power and car jacks, the intent is to prop the dock out of the water, flip it over, and install new flotation devices.

We also want to build an 18 foot extension, so we can moor the new boat along the side. Despite the use of mooring whips, Princess is taking a beating ( Yes, I call the new boat princess, and it’s going to cost $600 to give her a fiberglass facial).

Building a dock is an art-in-itself. Hammering the wood together is one thing, actually getting it to float is a science. Our neighbour, Don, designed our extension right down to the floatation requirements. For anyone who’s interested check out Eagle Boat Docks Floatation Requirements - they do the calculations for you.

Finding the right hardware to the secure the boat is another matter. We sourced cleats through a manufacturer in Ontario, Dockedge. Fortunately, our local marina is able to order the parts for us.

The photo on the far left is our dock, the middle two pictures are the hardware we’re going to use and the photo on the far right is Don’s dock - a facsimile of the one we’re hoping to build.

I’m not sure how it’s going to turn out, but I will be taking notes and lots of photos and will report back on Monday - make that Tuesday.

If anyone else undertaking a cottage project this weekend I’d love to hear about it; leave a comment.

Cheers,

Julie

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 at 4:06 am and is filed under Fix It. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.