The Dock Manual: Designing, Building, Maintaining
- Book Review,
by Max Burns
Book News, Inc.
Burns, an accomplished writer and do-it-yourselfer who has authored books and articles on dock building, tells how to build and repair residential docks. He gives 10 complete plans for stationary and floating docks, each with materials and tools lists, and simple, illustrated construction techniques. He also gives step-by-step instructions for analyzing a shoreline and choosing the right dock. Includes a glossary. -- Copyright © 2000 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR All rights reserved
Book Description
The Dock Manual is the only book devoted entirely to planning, constructing, and maintaining residential docks on rivers, lakes, and oceans.
From the Author
My writing of service and how-to journalism has always been guided by the belief that given the reasons why, folks are more likely to do the job right than if simply told how to go about some esoteric task. Knowledge converts the drudgery of work into understanding. Understanding puts you in control, which is where you should be as the owner/operator of your very own water and sewage system. So in common with my other how-to books and articles, The Dock Manual is not just a how-to book, it's also a "why?" book. I also believe that no matter who the reader--from novice to expert--that person should enjoy the read and learn something. "How-to" books are about work; reading the book shouldn't be. So while ensuring that my writing is jam-packed with good information and tricks of the appropriate trades, it's important to me that the book (whether one of mine or one I am reading) also be a good read. Respect for the environment, too, is another theme that runs through my service journalism. Not the trade-car-for-bicycle or eat-only-lettuce-fertilized-with-natural-gnats'-poo sort of radical stuff, but most definitely there are ways any member of humanity can minimize his or her impact on earth while still maintaining a lifestyle compatible with comfort and convenience. And this holds particularly true for that sensitive interface between land and water that is so important to our survival yet so easily damaged (and so easily preserved, for that matter). The Dock Manual explains how to take advantage of all that your shoreline has to offer while minimizing the disruption to existing surroundings.
From the Back Cover
The essential ingredient for full enjoyment of your river, lake, pond, or oceanfront property. If you're fortunate enough to own waterfront property, you know that a dock is essential for realizing maximum value and enjoyment of that land. Now you can build your own dock, or repair an existing dock, with this comprehensive, easy-to-use guide -- the only book devoted exclusively to residential docks. The Dock Manual contains 10 complete plan for stationary and floating docks -- each with materials and tool lists, and simple, illustrated construction techniques. You'll also find step-by-step instructions for analyzing your shoreline and choosing the right dock for your needs. You'll refer to The Dock Manual throughout the year for expert advice to help you: * Make repairs and upgrades * Winterize your dock * Build angle, roller, and stair ramps * Paint, stain, and treat your dock * Deter and repair decay to wood and plastic * Incorporate design options like trims and colors
About the Author
Besides his Storey book, The Dock Manual, Max Burns is an accomplished writer who has authored two additional books. He has written numerous articles on dock building, and has won seven Canadian National Magazine Awards for his writing as well. Max lives in Ontario, Canada.
Excerpted from The Dock Manual : Designing, Building, Maintaining by Max Burns. Copyright © 1999. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved
Basic residential dock building is not a difficult process--certainly much easier from my experience than constructing, say, a staircase. That's the good news. It's also the bad news. Such simplicity tends to encourage building without the necessary planning. Even the best looking waterfront structure fails if it suits neither the shoreline nor the dock user's needs. So even when equipped with complete plans for a dandy dock, it's still possible to build a berth of the blues, a beauty to behold but with enough congestion to get a mention on the local radio's traffic report. ... How much room do we need? What was true for Robin Hood and Little John centuries ago is still true still today--people need a lane at least 3 feet wide to pass by each other without getting into a shoving match. In fact, experience has taught me that 3 feet is often not enough for young siblings. Although evidence suggests that floating objects have been around since water was first invented, give or take a few millennia, it was Archimedes, the third-century B.C. Greek mathematician and part-time dock builder of enduring renown, who first made note of the natural law of flotation. Subsequently known as Archimedes' principle, this law applies to any object placed in water, be it a floating dock, a boat, or a rubber duck. ... Severe wave action, which often occurs in shallow water facing a large exposure (an ideal situation for a pipe dock, by the way), can put some of the lighter, aluminum-tube-frame docks at risk. Any light-weight pipe dock is a risky choice for mooring large boats, or for mooring any boats in an area subject to severe wave action. It's a variation of the tail-wagging-the-dog theme, the boat wagging the dock in this case. Granted, such shenanigans don't seem to bother my dog, Martha, but they can make a mess of your pipe dock, bending legs (Martha's are designed to bend) and loosening joints because the legs resist bending. ... Wood is the best choice for do-it-yourself crib construction, preferably hemlock, Douglas fir, or some comparably strong and decay-resistant species. And since you can't play crib without a full deck, a crib needs to be topped off with both a subframe and decking. Both are usually wood too, although there is no reason why plastic could not be used for the deck if your material preferences bend in that direction. ... Wood exposed to climatic change (all wood not continuously immersed in water) constantly expands and contracts at the caprice of nature, and not in a uniform fashion. In fact, wood is at its worst behavior down at the waterfront--wet and fat one moment; drying and on a diet the next. Therefore, joining pieces of wood in dock building requires different techniques than the accepted practices of house and general carpentry (see chapter 9). This adds a bit to the cost of construction, but without it any dock will suffer premature failure. ... No tool--hand-powered or electric--should be uncomfortable or awkward to use. Unfortunately, cheap tools often are. While some door-crasher specials are fiscally attractive, reach for the tool before reaching for your wallet. Pick it up and feel how it fits in your hand. Is it balanced to minimize the strain of its weight on your wrist and arm? Does the handle feel "right" when held in working position? Quality tools last longer and conform to the quirks of human anatomy. Cheap tools break in use, seriously testing your self-control. ... Miscellaneous optional tools: Backhoe. I called mine Waldo. It could lift whole docks into the air, dig big holes in the ground for building concrete piers, and do all sorts of backbreaking stuff at the flick of a lever--especially stuff I never thought needed doing until I bought it. But be forewarned: People will continually stop by to ask if you want to earn a few bucks doing a "simple" job for them (it's never worth it) or ask if you want to sell Waldo. To the first question, I always said no; to the second I quoted a ridiculously high price, until some cad said "Sure", and Waldo was sold. Now, whenever I spot a backhoe sitting in someone's yard, I stop by and ask if they want to sell it. Invariably the owner wants too much. ... The common practice is to hinge floating dock sections together. Big mistake. This allows free up-and-down movement at the ends of each section, setting the stage for the infamous roller-coaster effect as each section attempts to rotate about its own roll axis when you travel from one end of the dock to the other. What you get is an aquatic teeter-totter, which is great if that is what you were after. If not, the hardware of choice is a dock connector. ... Don't make mistakes, make adjustments. Allow yourself a few moments (or days, if necessary) to ponder the ramifications of an error. Almost any error can be converted into a running design change, or at worst reclassified as art. ... Forms hold the concrete in place until it sets. If the forms fail, the concrete spills out, sets, and leaves a mess rivalling a teenager's bedroom, only with no hope of ever cleaning it up. ... A prime motivator for putting anything together yourself is cost--rumor has it can save you money (don't keep the receipts). Yet if cost is your only reason to break out the hammers, there's no shortage of low grade contractors all across North America who will gladly slap together a shoreline embarrassment for possibly even less than you and your brother- in-law Ned could, and almost certainly much quicker. ... Shifting or heaving ice can topple cribs and smash floating docks against the shore, or trap and crush them between packs of moving ice. And if a wind begins to blow when the ice is floating free--and not attached to the dock--the ice can pound against the dock with the power of a jackhammer. All this unruly behavior can cause some serious damage in a few short hours. ... No matter what precautions you take or materials you use, some sites demand that any dock you put in be removed for the winter; otherwise the ice will do it for you in the spring. This realization will likely come as a great disappointment to those who had high hopes for a low-maintenance solution to their docking problems, but life's a bit tough on us all at times. ... On both dock and boat, mooring lines are tied to bitts, bollards, cleats, or rings. Bitts are like pants--they come in pairs except everybody knows there's only one of them. Officially, bitts consist of two vertical wooden posts and, sometimes, a horizontal bar runs between them. When bitts are made of metal (usually with a Madonna-like waistline tucked in just below the top to hold the rope in place), they are then known as bollards, although the terms and shapes are argued by experts from all factions of the boating world. So call them either name and you're sure to initiate a lively debate among keen sailors. ... Those with small boats (a utility boat or runabout less than 14 feet) need not spend big bucks in order to have a marine railway that works. As with all do-it-yourself projects, time, toil, and ingenuity are the currency exchanged here.
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