Floating dock removal for the winter

[Gqjeff]

Should be fine. At the small lake we are on no one removes their docks and it freezes hard. We have a 40K dock and its not ever leaving the water for what its worth lol...

[mikenehrkorn]

Should be fine. At the small lake we are on no one removes their docks and it freezes hard. We have a 40K dock and its not ever leaving the water for what its worth lol...

Are your docks permanent structures or floating? And when you say a small lake how big are you talking?

Thanks for the insight!!

[Gqjeff]

They are floating docks. All but ours r wooden floating docks either with proper floats, foam or 55 gallon drums. Ours is a metal deck with a lift. About 75% of these wooden docks have lifts as well. Actually we leave the lift down and let it freeze in over the winter. Smallish as in a mile or so long and narrow. Your in IL also we are talking a strip mine near south wilmington here.

[Gqjeff]

our dock

[BensonWdby]

Moving ice is a concern. Do you have pressure ridges on the shore from ice moving the shoreline? If not you may not have to worry about it. Have you been on the lake when the ice comes out? On larger lakes I have seen moving ice ravage a steel dock that was out of the water and up shore about 6 feet. On really big lakes I have seen the ice sheet damage houses 50 ft upshore.

[New Guy]

It would never make it on one of the bigger inland lakes by us.

[jester]

I deal with this every fall and spring at a friends cabin. We take the dock away from shore about 25 feet and secure it with 4 50 gallon drums (In place all year) full of concrete and rebar sticking out the sides. The water depth is about 25 feet were we secure the dock. The chains from the drums to the dock are long enough to allow the dock to move with the wind or ice pack. They have been doing this for the last 60 years with only one issue when the wind picked up in the spring melt it moved everything about 20 feet. It was less work to sink another two 50 gallon drums then to move the ones that moved.

The question I have is are your floats filled with foam or air? If air I would pull the dock no questions asked.

With that said there is always a risk in leaving the dock in. It only takes one really good storm to take out everything.

[mjr119]

One valid question no one has asked... Do you have insurance that will cover it?

If so, pay premium, sit back, and no longer worry about the dock.

[mikenehrkorn]

I deal with this every fall and spring at a friends cabin. We take the dock away from shore about 25 feet and secure it with 4 50 gallon drums (In place all year) full of concrete and rebar sticking out the sides. The water depth is about 25 feet were we secure the dock. The chains from the drums to the dock are long enough to allow the dock to move with the wind or ice pack. They have been doing this for the last 60 years with only one issue when the wind picked up in the spring melt it moved everything about 20 feet. It was less work to sink another two 50 gallon drums then to move the ones that moved.

The question I have is are your floats filled with foam or air? If air I would pull the dock no questions asked.

With that said there is always a risk in leaving the dock in. It only takes one really good storm to take out everything.

Interesting....in this in OR? If so, how low do the temps get?

My floats are full of foam (expanded polystyrene). I contacted the vendor of the floats to ask them the same questions I posed here and of course they wouldn't commit but did say that some of their customers have kept the floats in icy conditions with no issues.

[mikenehrkorn]

One valid question no one has asked... Do you have insurance that will cover it?

If so, pay premium, sit back, and no longer worry about the dock.

Good question....I have not called my agent yet but definitely will if I decide to take my chances.

The more I think about this the more I think it might be OK.......several of my neighbors have permanent docks (like the sections that I have that lead to the "U" floating section) and leave them in every winter with no issues. Granted they are not floating and the poles holding the docks up are only 1 - 1 1/2" pipe, but they never seem to move even in the worst winters (like last year). And I don't know about the neighbors, but my posts are probably only about 5-8' into the lake bottom.

Decisions, decisions...