Hello , we have a dock that is not accessable during low tide (about 3
hours twice a day). because of difficult regulation and costs our
beach association can not dredge the sand bar anymore.
we also are prohibited from moving our current dock.

so we need to get people on and off our 18 foot boats during low tide.
we would like to not "beach" the boat since it a rocky bottom.

does anyone have an idea on how we can make a "low tide" dock that
will not upset the govt agencies ?

some crazy ideas that i do not know will work :

1. put "boulders" (with somewhat flat tops) out 10 feet from shore
with tires to protect boat and use a alum ladder to get from beach to
"rocks". this will only be useful during a few hours during low tide.
we can avoid govt regulation since "boulders" are natural.

2. put a "swimming" platform near the beach , guests can walk on
platform and
walk to boat. 10 feet should be long enough to get the boat in 2-3
feet water.
im not sure if this would work and how to anchor it.

3. use plastic "jet docks" , im not sure how to prevent the boat from
pushing them to shore. perhaps 2 45 degree anchors that keep the
boat 10 feet offshore. seems to be very tricky.

any out of the box ideas ? thanks.

this will be on long island sound , so there will be waves.

thanks very much

"MIKE" wrote in message

Hello , we have a dock that is not accessable during low tide (about 3
hours twice a day). because of difficult regulation and costs our
beach association can not dredge the sand bar anymore.
we also are prohibited from moving our current dock.

so we need to get people on and off our 18 foot boats during low tide.
we would like to not "beach" the boat since it a rocky bottom.

does anyone have an idea on how we can make a "low tide" dock that
will not upset the govt agencies ?

some crazy ideas that i do not know will work :

1. put "boulders" (with somewhat flat tops) out 10 feet from shore
with tires to protect boat and use a alum ladder to get from beach to
"rocks". this will only be useful during a few hours during low tide.
we can avoid govt regulation since "boulders" are natural.

2. put a "swimming" platform near the beach , guests can walk on
platform and
walk to boat. 10 feet should be long enough to get the boat in 2-3
feet water.
im not sure if this would work and how to anchor it.

3. use plastic "jet docks" , im not sure how to prevent the boat from
pushing them to shore. perhaps 2 45 degree anchors that keep the
boat 10 feet offshore. seems to be very tricky.

any out of the box ideas ? thanks.

this will be on long island sound , so there will be waves.

thanks very much

Not sure how big you need it, but our summer place (on a river that goes up
and down, and has silly rules about messing up the river bank) has a
floating dock on two poles anchored into the river bed, and a ramp from
shore (on wheels so the dock end can go up and down) for people to walk on
to the floating dock.

On 8 May 2004 20:07:18 -0700, (MIKE) wrote:
Hello , we have a dock that is not accessable during low tide (about 3
hours twice a day). because of difficult regulation and costs our
beach association can not dredge the sand bar anymore.
we also are prohibited from moving our current dock.
==========================

If you are on an exposed area of Long Island sound it will be
difficuly to build anything strong enough to make it through a storm -
think cheap and easily replacable. The folks up in Maine with so
called "tidal" waterfront do some creative things with floating dock
sections stretched out across the mud flats. They are usually wood
with foam flotation blocks, and positioned with chains and mooring
anchors of some sort.

Perhaps extend the length of your dock by 15 - 20 feet with a floating dock
section?

"MIKE" wrote in message
...
Hello , we have a dock that is not accessable during low tide (about 3
hours twice a day). because of difficult regulation and costs our
beach association can not dredge the sand bar anymore.
we also are prohibited from moving our current dock.

so we need to get people on and off our 18 foot boats during low tide.
we would like to not "beach" the boat since it a rocky bottom.

does anyone have an idea on how we can make a "low tide" dock that
will not upset the govt agencies ?

some crazy ideas that i do not know will work :

1. put "boulders" (with somewhat flat tops) out 10 feet from shore
with tires to protect boat and use a alum ladder to get from beach to
"rocks". this will only be useful during a few hours during low tide.
we can avoid govt regulation since "boulders" are natural.

2. put a "swimming" platform near the beach , guests can walk on
platform and
walk to boat. 10 feet should be long enough to get the boat in 2-3
feet water.
im not sure if this would work and how to anchor it.

3. use plastic "jet docks" , im not sure how to prevent the boat from
pushing them to shore. perhaps 2 45 degree anchors that keep the
boat 10 feet offshore. seems to be very tricky.

any out of the box ideas ? thanks.

this will be on long island sound , so there will be waves.

thanks very much

I would warn you that even such an act as moving boulders to form a natural
pier will be disastrous if the local DEC finds out. Your best bet is to
hire a professional to do permits for a seasonally removable 4 foot wide
open pile pier extension to the existing pier. If it is for an association,
I am sure the permits will be issued with no problems or hold up. They cost
very little to take out and put in each winter and the Sound ice, as you
know can destroy anything permanent at any given winter (like the one
recently passed) A seasonal dock is not as cost prohibitive as you might
think. The permits and work can be done inexpensively by hiring the right
professional to do it. For your area I would recommend Stout Construction
631-207-1771. They handle everything from permits to seasonal installation.
For permits only, the right person is Chuck Webber of Environmental
Consultants.


wrote in message
k.net...
Perhaps extend the length of your dock by 15 - 20 feet with a floating
dock
section?

"MIKE" wrote in message
...
Hello , we have a dock that is not accessable during low tide (about 3
hours twice a day). because of difficult regulation and costs our
beach association can not dredge the sand bar anymore.
we also are prohibited from moving our current dock.

so we need to get people on and off our 18 foot boats during low tide.
we would like to not "beach" the boat since it a rocky bottom.

does anyone have an idea on how we can make a "low tide" dock that
will not upset the govt agencies ?

some crazy ideas that i do not know will work :

1. put "boulders" (with somewhat flat tops) out 10 feet from shore
with tires to protect boat and use a alum ladder to get from beach to
"rocks". this will only be useful during a few hours during low tide.
we can avoid govt regulation since "boulders" are natural.

2. put a "swimming" platform near the beach , guests can walk on
platform and
walk to boat. 10 feet should be long enough to get the boat in 2-3
feet water.
im not sure if this would work and how to anchor it.

3. use plastic "jet docks" , im not sure how to prevent the boat from
pushing them to shore. perhaps 2 45 degree anchors that keep the
boat 10 feet offshore. seems to be very tricky.

any out of the box ideas ? thanks.

this will be on long island sound , so there will be waves.

thanks very much

thankyou all !

i have a new idea :



http://www.porta-dock.com/pages/dock...-in_docks.html


its a portable dock with wheels , does anyone have experiance with
this ?

my concern is that a big wave hitting my 18 foot boston whaler will
topple the "dock" and my guests with it ! thanks !

On 11 May 2004 19:09:06 -0700, (MIKE) wrote:
my concern is that a big wave hitting my 18 foot boston whaler will
topple the "dock" and my guests with it ! thanks !

===============================================

If your Whaler and proposed dock are exposed to significant wave
action, they will both become damaged within a short time. You might
consider a "haul out" system which is popular in some areas.

Basically you plant a mooring anchor a short distance off the beach in
deep water, and attach the usual floating ball. The mooring float has
a pulley system attached which is like a continuous clothes line
running ashore to a fixed point. This allows you to retrieve the boat
from shore when you want to use it. You'll need something solid on
the beach like a tree, post or screw anchor to secure the free end of
the system. The boat is generally secured both bow and stern to keep
it from swinging around. I've seen some cottage communities on
exposed portions of Long Island Sound where every house will have a
system like this.