Building A Dock Question

[Steve W]

I want to build a dock for my pond that either floats or is adjustable because of flucuating water levels. The best idea I've come up with is to float it with plastic barrels. My concern is whether I can leave it in the pond in the winter; will the ice crush or puncture the barrels?

If anyone has any experience with this or has a better idea for a dock I sure would appreciate the help. Thanks, Steve W.

[EAGLE EYES]

The floating raft idea is a good one. Plastic 55 gal drums work great. There are a few different ways to strap them together. One of my relatives put one out about 10 years ago. It still works excellent. I think they work good for just about any body of water. At some point every body of water will have a varying water level and it's nice not having to adjust your dock for it. I believe my relatives used Aluminum banding strap for holding the drums to the platform. You should be able to find something close to this at any lumber yard. Home Depot ect... I definatly would remove it from the water in the fall. You don't want to destroy your newly crafted dock for a few minutes of work! Good luck!!! Hope it turns out great.

[Orange Barrel]

What you probably want to do is, fill in the hole that you call a pond and turn it into a putting green. You'd probably have a better success rate at golf than fishing or even bowling for that matter.