A DIY Floating Walk
A floating walk is essentially a floating dock, but more narrow. However, since it floats, it should not be made too narrow because it will become unstable side to side. Using blue 55-gallon polyethylene barrels as floats, you can make an inexpensive, reliable walk. You can get these barrels for free or a few dollars from soft beverage bottling plants, water treatment plants or car washes. Using stainless steel hardware and plastic decking makes it last longer. Materials listed are enough for one 12-foot section of walk. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 4 2x6-inch, 12-foot treated lumber beams
- Tape measure
- Circular saw
- 4-foot section of treated 4x4-inch post beam
- Large box of 3-inch, stainless steel square drive wood screws
- Rechargeable electric drill
- 50-inch plastic decking planks. Quantity depends on plank width.
- Six 55-gallon blue polyethylene tight-top drums
- 1/4-inch wood bit
- 36 3/8-inch by 2-inch long stainless steel eye screws
- 50 feet of 1/2-inch braided polypropylene rope
Instructions
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1
Lay three 12-foot beams on edge side by side, 16 inches apart from center to center. Cut two 50-inch pieces of beam from the fourth beam with the saw, and butt each one flush against the tips of the long beams, forming a rectangular frame with a center beam.
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2
Cut 6 pieces of 4x4-inch post into 6-inch blocks with the saw. Place each block snugly against an inside junction between long beams and end beams. Drive three screws through every place where a beam meets a block.
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3
Cut the number of planks you need to cover the frame transversely with 1/8-inch gaps in-between. Make each plank 50 inches long. Drive two screws through each place where plank meets beam. Drive two screws through the edge of end planks into end beams. Turn the walk over on its top.
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4
Lay barrels into each corner between beams, snug against the corner blocks. Lay barrels halfway between the others, halfway down the length of the walk. Draw marks on the centers of the beams beside the drums. End marks should be 3 inches from the drum ends, and a center mark on each side. Remove the drums.
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5
Remove threaded plugs from the drums, seal plugs and hole liberally with clear silicone sealant, and screw them back in. Allow curing.
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6
Drill holes into the beam edges with the 1/4-inch bit. Screw in eye bolts. Lay barrels back into position. For each drum, thread rope through an end eye bolt and double-knot it. Traverse the drum several times, going through opposite eye bolts, pulling tight and knotting at the final eye bolt.
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7
Flip the walk. Ask several strong helpers to help you carry the walk into the water.
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Tips & Warnings
How you keep the walk from moving once in the water depends on tides and water levels. You can drive pilings or anchor with chain and buckets filled with concrete.
References
- Photo Credit Thinkstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images
