How to Anchor a Floating Dock
Floating docks are handy for fishing, swimming and just relaxing at the water's edge. After building your floating dock, it is important that you securely attach an anchor so that it does not drift out into the water. It’s a fairly simple process to anchor a floating dock. After you finish this project, you can enjoy your dock for years.
Items Needed:
- Measuring tape
- Two pieces of anchor chain
- Post hole diggers
- Two wooden posts
- Quick set concrete
- Water
- Wheelbarrow
- Shovel
- Drill and drill bit
- Two eye bolts
- Two U-bolts and cross plates
- Screwdriver
- Two quick links
- Two spring clips
Instructions
- Measure the width of the dock to properly align the anchor posts on shore
- Mark the location of one of the posts on the shore and measure over the correct distance, according to your measurements, for the second post.
- Measure the distance from where the deck sits in the water to the anchor posts and purchase the length of chain needed to reach from the posts to the deck. You will need to purchase two pieces of chain of the same length.
- Dig two post holes with the post hole diggers at the marked locations for the posts and position the posts in the holes.
- Mix the quick set concrete with water in a wheelbarrow, according to the package instructions.
- Pour the concrete around the posts in the holes. Let the concrete set the required amount of time according to the instructions on the quick set concrete bag.
- Fill the remaining top portion of the hole with dirt after the concrete has set up.
- Drill a hole on the two corners of the end of the dock that faces the shoreline.
- Place an eye bolt into each one of the drilled holes and tighten the eye bolt until it is flush against the dock.
- Attach a U bolt and a cross plate to each wooden post.
- Place a quick link on one end of the two chains and attach the quick link to the U bolt on each anchor post.
- Attach a spring clip to the other end of both of the chains and attach the chain to the eye bolts on the dock. By attaching the chain to the dock with spring clips, you can unhook the chain and float out on the water if desired.