Dow FLOATING DOCKS, RAFTS AND BOAT WELLS User Manual

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 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

®™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)

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

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