US/CANADA . INSTALLATION INFORMATION . RESIDENTIAL
installation recommendations for
FLOATING DOCKS, RAFTS
AND BOAT WELLS
CREATE BUILD-IT-YOURSELF
FLOATING STRUCTURES WITH
STYROFOAM™ BRAND BUOYANCY
BILLETS
These instructions describe the materials
needed and guidelines for building
floating docks, rafts and boat wells/docks
with STYROFOAM™ Brand Buoyancy
Billets.
Extremely buoyant and durable, the
billet material is composed of millions of
tiny non-interconnecting air cells – each
serving as an independent buoyancy
chamber. These billets won’t lose their
buoyancy, even if punctured. It takes
only 1 cubic foot (0.03 cubic meter) of
STYROFOAM™ Brand Buoyancy Billets to
float 55 pounds (25 kilograms).
Lightweight, the billets are easy to
install. And they stay on the job year after
year under normal conditions. They resist
the attack of destructive marine growths,
are unaffected by salt or fresh water, won’t
become waterlogged and won’t corrode.
MATERIALS CHECKLIST
•Handsaw
•Framing square
•Handheld drill
•Hammer
•Wrench
•Carriage bolts/washers/nuts (see Table 1)
•Treated wood* (see Table 1)
•Nails (see Table 1)
•Scrap of 1/2" (13 mm) plywood
PLANS FOR A FLOATING DOCK
These instructions describe the materials
needed and guidelines for building a 6' x
10' (1.8 m x 3 m) floating dock. Additional
sections can be made to increase the
length of the dock. The materials needed
for one section are shown in Table 1. The
plans for the floating dock are shown in
Figure 1.
figure 1: floating dock plan
Corners
Counterbore
1/2" (1.3 cm)
for carriage bolts
16" (41 cm)
Carriage bolt –
washer under nut
10' (3 m)
STYROFOAM™ Brand Buoyancy Billets –
combined 1220 lbs (553 kg) buoyancy
Deck braces
Sides and ends
Decking
6' (1.8 m)
6" (15 cm)
Carriage bolts –
washer under nut
Cross ties
Skirts
all around
table 1: materials for dock
Part Name Size, inch (cm) Quantity Needed
Deck Braces 2 x 10 x 117 (5 x 25 x 297) 1
Deck Braces 2 x 10 x 33-3/4 (5 x 25 x 85.7) 2
Deck Sides 2 x 10 x 120 (5 x 25 x 305) 2
Deck Ends 2 x 10 x 72 (5 x 25 x 183) 2
Skirts 2 x 6 x 120 (5 x 15 x 305) 2
Skirts 2 x 6 x 72 (5 x 15 x 183) 2
Cross Ties 2 x 6 x 72 (5 x 15 x 183) 3
Decking 2 x 6 x 72 (5 x 15 x 183) 20
Skids 2 x 6 x 108 (5 x 15 x 274) 2
Corners 4 x 4 x 16-1/4 (10 x 10 x 41) 4
Galvanized Carriage Bolts
with Nuts (or threaded rod
cut to required length)
Galvanized Carriage Bolts
with Nuts (or threaded rod
cut to required length)
Galvanized Nails Length: 3-1/2 (9) 6 lbs (2.7 kg)
Galvanized Washers Diameter: 3/8 (0.95) 22
STYROFOAM™ Brand
Buoyancy Billets
Diameter: 3/8 (0.95)
Length: 16 (41)
Diameter: 3/8 (0.95)
Length: 6 (15)
10 x 20 x 96 (25 x 51 x 244) 2
6
16
®™Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow
*Use treated wood (or wood naturally resistant to decay/insect attack). Wood should be clean, dry and free from oil residue.
CONSTRUCTION STEPS
1. Following the illustrations, create the
framework shown in Figure 2. With the
frame structure upside down, nail on
the three cross ties and the four skirt
boards.
2. Consulting Figure 3, lay the
STYROFOAM™ Brand Buoyancy Billets
across the cross ties. Place skids on
the foam as shown. To connect the
foam, drill six holes through the skids,
foam, and the cross ties. Insert the
long bolts and reach under the cross
ties to apply washers and nuts.
3. Turn the structure over and tighten the
nuts to a snug fit.
4. Install lengthwise brace. Then install
cross bracing.
5. Nail on deck boards using a piece of
1/2" (13 mm) plywood to space boards
1/2" apart (Figure 4).
figure 2: bottom view of dock
REPLACING EXISTING DRUMS
Easily replace drums on a boat well/wharf
with buoyancy billets while the floating
structure is still in the water. The rocking
that is usually experienced in drum-floated
structures is greatly reduced by using
STYROFOAM™ Brand Buoyancy Billets.
DRUM REPLACEMENT STEPS
1. Replace small sections one at a time.
Sink and remove only two side-by-side
drums at a time.
Plus, there are no hollow drumming
noises to listen to at night.
One 10" x 20" x 96" (25 x 51 x 244 cm)
STYROFOAM™ Brand Buoyancy Billet
has an average buoyancy that is
approximately 150 percent greater than a
55-gallon (208-liter) drum (Table 2).
2. Build a crib from lumber – 2" x 8"
(5 x 20 cm) boards are suggested.
Fasten the crib to the STYROFOAM™
Brand Buoyancy Billet. Cross members
should be longer than the wharf is wide.
figure 3: attaching billets
to bottom of dock
figure 4: attaching decking
to top of raft or dock
3. Tilt crib and push under wharf using
the 2" x 8" boards as handles.
4. Center under the wharf. Secure with
16 pennyweight (16d) nails. Saw off
protruding 2" x 8" handles.
table 2: comparative size and buoyancy data
Product Cubic Feet
Billet Size, inch (cm)
7 x 20 x 96 (18 x 51 x 244) 7.7 (0.22) 14 (6.4) 425 (192.8)
10 x 20 x 96 (25 x 51 x 244) 11.1 (0.31) 20 (9.1) 610 (276.7)
7 x 20 x 108
10 x 20 x 108
10 x 24 x 96
Drum Size
55-gallon (208-liter), 18-gauge 7.8 (0.22) 48.5 (22.0) 440 (199.6)
(1) Available in the U.S. only
(1)
(1)
(1)
13.3 (0.38) 24 (10.9) 730 (331.1)
(Cubic Meters)
8.6 (0.24) 16 (7.3) 480 (217.7)
12.5 (0.35) 23 (10.4) 690 (313.0)
Approximate Weight,
lbs (kg)
Approximate
Buoyancy, lbs (kg)
®™Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow
PLANS FOR A SWIMMING RAFT
These instructions describe the materials
needed and guidelines for building an 8'
x 12' (2.4 m x 3.7 m) swimming raft. The
materials needed are shown in Table 3.
The plans for the raft are shown in Figure 5.
CONSTRUCTION STEPS
1. Following the illustrations, create the
framework shown in Figure 6. With the
frame structure upside down, nail on
the four cross ties and the four skirt
boards.
2. Cut the three STYROFOAM™ Brand
Buoyancy Billets in half for the six
shorter pieces shown in Figure 7.
3. Consulting Figure 7, lay the sections
of the STYROFOAM™ Brand Buoyancy
Billets across the cross ties. Place
skids on the foam as shown. To
connect the foam, drill six holes
through the skids, foam and the cross
ties. Insert the long bolts and reach
under the cross ties to apply washers
and nuts.
4. Turn the structure over and tighten the
nuts to a snug fit.
5. Install lengthwise bracing first, then
install cross bracing.
6. Consulting Figure 4, nail on deck
boards using a piece of 1/2" (13 mm)
plywood to space boards 1/2" apart.
figure 5: swimming raft plan
Corners
12' (3.7 m)
16" (41 cm)
Carriage bolt –
washer under nut
Skids –
counterbore
1/2" (1.3 cm)
for carriage bolts
STYROFOAM™ Brand Buoyancy Billets –
combined 1830 lbs (830 kg) buoyancy
figure 6: bottom view of raft
Deck braces
Decking
8' (2.4 m)
Skirts
all around
Cross ties
Sides and ends
6" (15 cm)
Carriage bolt –
washer under nut
table 3: materials for swimming raft
Part Name Size, inch (cm) Quantity
Sides 2 x 10 x 144 (5 x 25 x 366) 2
Ends 2 x 10 x 93 (5 x 25 x 236) 2
Deck Braces 2 x 10 x 141 (5 x 25 x 358) 2
Deck Braces 2 x 10 x 330 (5 x 25 x 76) 3
Skirts 2 x 6 x 144 (5 x 15 x 366) 2
Skirts 2 x 6 x 93 (5 x 15 x 236) 2
Cross Ties 2 x 6 x 96 (5 x 15 x 244) 4
Decking 2 x 6 x 96 (5 x 15 x 244) 24
Skids 2 x 6 x 134 (5 x 15 x 340) 3
Corners 4 x 4 x 16-1/4 (10 x 10 x 41) 4
Galvanized Carriage Bolts with Nuts
(or threaded rod cut to required length)
Galvanized Carriage Bolts with Nuts
(or threaded rod cut to required length)
Galvanized Nails Length: 3-1/2 (9) 6 lbs (2.7 kg)
Galvanized Washers Diameter: 3/8 (0.95) 28
STYROFOAM™ Brand Buoyancy Billets 10 x 20 x 96 (25 x 51 x 244) 3
Diameter: 3/8 (0.95)
Length: 16 (41)
Diameter: 3/8 (0.95)
Length: 6 (15)
Needed
12
16
figure 7: attaching billets
to bottom of raft
HOW TO SECURE FLOATING DOCKS AND RAFTS
Washer and
cotter pin
Float number 1 Float number 2
Galvanized washers
at both ends
of eye bolts
Loose-fitting steel rod
Galvanized eye bolts
Washer and
cotter pin
Float number 1 Float number 2
Galvanized washers
at both ends
of eye bolts
TOP VIEW
SIDE VIEW
Float
Leave Clearance
Piling
Pipe nipples
(free fit on chain)
Bolt
Eye bolt washers
at both ends
Lt.
anchor chain
Bolt for
retaining pipe
nipples
TOP VIEW
DOCK TO SEAWALL FOR TIDAL
VARIATION
Bolt
through
pipe into
sea wall
Guide plate
bolted to
float (loose
fit on pipe)
TOP VIEW
Standoff
nipple
Guide pipe
SIDE VIEW
RAFT TO BOTTOM
FLOAT
Use weighted sentinel
if necessary for added holding
SIDE VIEW
DOCK TO DOCK
Loose-fitting steel rod
Chain bridle
Single chain
Galvanized eye bolts
TOP VIEW
SIDE VIEW
DOCK TO SHORELINE
Cable stays to
pipe stakes
TOP VIEW
Float
DOCK TO PILING FOR TIDAL
VARIATION
Leave Clearance
Bolt
Lt.
anchor chain
Bolt for
retaining pipe
nipples
TOP VIEW
Welded pipe frame
Pivot bracket
Eye bolt washers
at both ends
Piling
Pipe nipples
(free fit on chain)
Float
1/2" Section
8" Pipe
PRECAUTIONS
STYROFOAM™ Brand Buoyancy Billets are sold for use in marine applications only. Billets are combustible. Protect from high heat sources. Care should be taken not
to expose material to open flame or other ignition sources. For more information, consult MSDS, call Dow at 1-866-583-BLUE (2583) or contact your local building
inspector. In an emergency, call 1-989-636-4400 in the U.S. or 1-519-339-3711 in Canada.
Pipe frame
SIDE VIEW
Cable
Pipe
driven deep
The foam is subject to attack by some chemicals, including concentrated quantities of gasoline and oil. If this, or pollution by industrial waste is suspected, reaction
of the foam should be checked prior to construction. In case of extreme pollution, additional protection – such as solvent-free epoxy coatings – may be required.
Compatibility of the coating to the billet should be checked prior to applying the coating.
Skirt boards will protect foam from mechanical damage and degradation from ultraviolet light.
NOTICE: No freedom from any patent owned by Dow or others is to be inferred. Because use conditions and applicable laws may differ from one location to another and may change with time, Customer is responsible for determining whether
products and the information in this document are appropriate for Customer’s use and for ensuring that Customer’s workplace and disposal practices are in compliance with applicable laws and other government enactments. The product
shown in this literature may not be available for sale and/or available in all geographies where Dow is represented. The claims made may not have been approved for use in all countries or regions. Dow assumes no obligation or liability for the
information in this document. References to “Dow” or the “Company” mean the Dow legal entity selling the products to Customer unless otherwise expressly noted. NO EXPRESS WARRANTIES ARE GIVEN EXCEPT FOR ANY APPLICABLE
WRITTEN WARRANTIES SPECIFICALLY PROVIDED BY DOW. ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES INCLUDING THOSE OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE EXPRESSLY EXCLUDED.
www.dowbuildingsolutions.com
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DOW CHEMICAL CANADA ULC . Dow Building Solutions . Suite 2100 . 450 – 1st St., SW . Calgary, AB T2P 5H1
For Technical Information: 1-866-583-BLUE (2583) (English) . 1-800-363-6210 (French)
Printed in U.S.A. Form No. 179-04291X-0511P&M
®™Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow
For Sales Information: 1-800-232-2436 (English) . 1-800-565-1255 (French)
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