Dock Billets Limiting Uses

According to one Ontario resort owner dock billets are “okay but not very functional”. The problem with dock billets says Sharon Provencher at Lake Lauzon Resort Algoma Mills Ontario is that they are for a single use only. If you use enough of them they provide good flotation, however you would never think about maneuvering them around for other uses. At our lodge we want visitors to be able to go out and use a “pontoon dock” as a roomy fishing platform one day and a swimming raft on another. We can throw an electric motor on our platform and away we go. At the end of the day we position it sideways on the end of our stationary dock where it provides an excellent wind break for parked boats.

Dock Billets Winter Storage

Most dock billets are not designed for ice conditions. This means cottage and home owners have to remove their docks and store them over winter. This can certainly be a challenge on uneven shorelines where space is limited.

Building with Dock Billets

The biggest mistake people make when building docks is underestimating their flotation requirements. It is a natural instinct to want to spread them around to maximize the coverage and minimize the expenditure. The result is uneven flotation and instability. The better way to go is to calculate your need and build to that specification. Unbroken perimeter flotation is hard to beat. Going big; simply use larger floats or add a third section down the middle.
Dock Billets are often sold at price points attractive to low budget projects. While this may prove cost effective on the front end it won’t be long term. If you are going to use dock billets insure they are foam filled using a high density product with a low water absorption rate. These are definitely more expensive than the air filled dock billets, however the added expense is well worth it.
More information on Pontoon Floats
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