Dow FLOATING DOCKS, RAFTS AND BOAT WELLS - Manual

installation recommendations for
F L O AT I N G D O C K S , R A F T S
A N D B O AT W E L L S
CREATE BUILD-IT-YOURSELF
FLOATING STRUCTURES WITH
STYROFOAM ™ BRAND BUOYANCY
BILLETS
These instructions describe the materials
needed and guidelines for building
floating docks, rafts and boat wells/docks
with STYROFOAM ™ Brand Buoyancy
Billets.
Extremely buoyant and durable, the
billet material is composed of millions of
tiny non-interconnecting air cells – each
serving as an independent buoyancy
chamber. These billets won’t lose their
buoyancy, even if punctured. It takes
only 1 cubic foot (0.03 cubic meter) of
STYROFOAM ™ Brand Buoyancy Billets to
float 55 pounds (25 kilograms).
Lightweight, the billets are easy to
install. And they stay on the job year after
year under normal conditions. They resist
the attack of destructive marine growths,
are unaffected by salt or fresh water, won’t
become waterlogged and won’t corrode.
®™Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow
*Use treated wood (or wood naturally resistant to decay/insect attack). Wood should be clean, dry and free from oil residue.
MATERIALS CHECKLIST
• Handsaw
• Framing square
• Handheld drill
• Hammer
• Wrench
• Carriage bolts/washers/nuts (see Table 1)
• Treated wood* (see Table 1)
• Nails (see Table 1)
• Scrap of 1/2" (13 mm) plywood
PLANS FOR A FLOATING DOCK
These instructions describe the materials
needed and guidelines for building a 6' x
10' (1.8 m x 3 m) floating dock. Additional
sections can be made to increase the
length of the dock. The materials needed
for one section are shown in Table 1. The
plans for the floating dock are shown in
Figure 1.
Part Name Size, inch (cm) Quantity Needed
Deck Braces 2 x 10 x 117 (5 x 25 x 297) 1
Deck Braces 2 x 10 x 33-3/4 (5 x 25 x 85.7) 2
Deck Sides 2 x 10 x 120 (5 x 25 x 305) 2
Deck Ends 2 x 10 x 72 (5 x 25 x 183) 2
Skirts 2 x 6 x 120 (5 x 15 x 305) 2
Skirts 2 x 6 x 72 (5 x 15 x 183) 2
Cross Ties 2 x 6 x 72 (5 x 15 x 183) 3
Decking 2 x 6 x 72 (5 x 15 x 183) 20
Skids 2 x 6 x 108 (5 x 15 x 274) 2
Corners 4 x 4 x 16-1/4 (10 x 10 x 41) 4
Galvanized Carriage Bolts
with Nuts (or threaded rod
cut to required length) Diameter: 3/8 (0.95)
Length: 16 (41)
6
Galvanized Carriage Bolts
with Nuts (or threaded rod
cut to required length) Diameter: 3/8 (0.95)
Length: 6 (15) 16
Galvanized Nails Length: 3-1/2 (9) 6 lbs (2.7 kg)
Galvanized Washers Diameter: 3/8 (0.95) 22
STYROFOAM ™ Brand
Buoyancy Billets
10 x 20 x 96 (25 x 51 x 244) 2
table 1: materials for dock
16" (41 cm)
Carriage bolt –
washer under nut
10' (3 m)
Corners
6' (1.8 m)
Deck braces
Decking
Counterbore
1/2" (1.3 cm)
for carriage bolts
STYROFOAM™ Brand Buoyancy Billets –
combined 1220 lbs (553 kg) buoyancy
Sides and ends
Cross ties
Skirts
all around
6" (15 cm)
Carriage bolts –
washer under nut
figure 1: floating dock plan
U S / C A N A D A . INSTALLATION INFORMATION . RESIDENTIAL