Floating Docks and Their Construction

Today's generation seems to have taken to heart the maxim "work hard, play hard" and are on the lookout for new and interesting ways to entertain themselves. So, naturally, when all their options on land are exhausted, water (sea/ lake/ river) is what they eventually turns to. While a few avid enthusiasts might own the occasional fishing boat or pleasure craft, personal watercrafts and small boats have suddenly become very popular among people looking to spend their time on water. For such small or medium sized boats, a floating dock is the best way to store and launch these crafts into the water. They save you the trouble of lugging a trailer from the water to your home every time you want to go out for a little spin. Nothing can be easier than lowering a floating dock to launch your boat and then raising it again when you want to take your craft out of the water. Based on a rather simple design, the floating docks are now used the world over for launching and storing a small or medium sized boat or PWC.The main working principle of a floating dock is quite simple -- a combination of wood, some Styrofoam billets or empty barrels put together helps form a floating platform from which your boat can be launched. Poles are dropped from the side of the platform into the floor below to secure or anchor the platform and ensure that it doesn't move. These poles are loosely attached to the dock, so that the platform can rise and fall with the tide and waves, but does not get drawn away from the shore. This is the simplest type of floating dock, and can be constructed at home by anyone with an inclination towards DIY projects and some free time. But while these might be a decent option, floating docks have come a long way from this simple, yet effective, design.The latest floating docks are works of engineering that turn what used to be quite a chore and the biggest deterrent to owning a boat, into a walk in the park. For example, if you owned a personal water craft (PWC), you just have to push your PWC into the water, off your floating dock, to launch; to lift it back out of the water, you can just drive it up onto the floating dock. It is as simple as that. No more do you need to lower it into the water using a trailer at the end of your car. This system even works for small or medium sized boats, as the construction materials that go into making a floating dock have a buoyancy of over 2,000 pounds as their minimum.The main advantage of a floating dock, as opposed to a standing dock, is a little difficult to understand. The very nature of a floating dock is to move with the wind and the waves, as opposed to standing docks that resist every force they encounter. This makes the floating dock far less susceptible to stresses and structural damage, making it far more durable than their contemporary counterparts. They are also extremely easy to install, and can be custom made to fit your boat or PWC. This is more than enough reason to invest in a floating dock, and enjoy a lifetime of pleasure on the water.