Building new or replacing that old moss covered soggy dock presents the big question “with what?” Docking decisions may depend on your family’s needs, boating habits and budget. Today’s floating docks present more options for installation and come close to matching the stability of pole docks.
Dock floats? What the heck are they? Years ago, styrofoam billets were used to float a dock but the foam broke up into little pieces that, proved to be harmful to wildlife, and gradually lost their buoyancy. To solve these challenges a thick Polyethylene Plastic Shell was developed, filled with dense EPS foam, that evolved the “Dock Float” into an industry standard that is super tough, highly buoyant and best of all environmentally friendly.
Dock floats can be used with steel, aluminum and wood to make a simple swim raft, a residential dock system or a complex commercial marina. Choice of size, shape and buoyancy make designing and constructing with dock floats easy with its molded-in mounting slots for a strong bolt-on connection to the dock structure.
A big advantage of a floating dock is its ability to maintain a consistent freeboard, which is the distance from the dock deck to the water’s surface, no matter how much the water level changes. Float size and buoyancy allow a choice of freeboard to suit the docks use for low water activities such as kayaking and canoeing to the higher deck level needs of larger boats.
Dock floats, the unsung underbelly of the dock industry, provide innovation and good environmental practices to keep our quieter, tranquil places forever tranquil. Please recycle after use, however long that may take.
Happy float docking!
PS. Yep, the “camo” floats are fake. But you never know what dock float innovation may come next from Seaco Marine!