How to Build a Pier
Creating an entire pier can be a challenging adventure. The work elements are unpredictable. Extra effort is required. Yet, building a basic wooden pier is a possible endeavor for anybody. The structure described is intended to be built in shallow water, no deeper than 20 feet. It would be best suited for a small river, lake or pond. Having an assistant is mandatory for safety and labor reasons. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 4x4's (4 inch wide & 4 inch thick wooden post)
- 2x4's (2 inch thick & 4 inches wide semi wooden planks)
- 2x6's (2 inch thick & 6 inches wide wooden planks)
- Hammer
- Sledge hammer
- Boat
- Diving gear
- 4 & 6 inch Wood screws
- Life jackets
- 12 (20 feet long) Flag sticks
- Black waterproof tape
- Underwater drill
- Air compressor
Instructions
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1
Purchase 12 flag sticks that are 20 feet long. Create a inch by inch measuring system on them. Do this from top to bottom. Follow it up with a foot by foot measuring system.
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2
Put on your life jacket. Gather your flag sticks, tape and your small boat. Bring them to the starting point. It is best to start building at the shallowest part of the water. This is probably about knee deep.
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3
Plant your flag sticks as deep as you can get them by hand. You can use a hammer to pound them down. Measure from the sand floor to the water. Do this before you stake the flag stick in the ground.
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4
Measure your work so the flag sticks lie 2 feet apart in width and 3 feet apart in length. Mark the depth with your black tape. You should have 4 rows of 3. The flag sticks will mark where the 4x4 post will go. It will also mark how long they need to be. Plant the flag sticks in perfect alignment. Attach strings connecting them to determine if they are aligned.
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5
Mark down all your depths. In some cases, there will be variations in the same row going across. Each post should be 3 feet out of the water. The posts should be 2 feet in the sand floor. In order to reach these measurements, mark each approximate depth in footage and add 5 feet. For example, if the the depth to the sand floor is 10 feet, your post will have to be 15 feet.
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6
Purchase all remaining items from the "Things You'll Need" section. You'll find most of the items at your local hardware store.
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7
Replace the flag sticks with the 4x4 posts. Pound each post with a sledge hammer until it is 2 feet deep with 3 feet sticking out of the water. Using your diving gear with an assistant monitoring, dive to the bottom to pack the sand around the post for more stability.
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8
Drill the 4x4 posts into the foundational post going vertically. Use your 6 inch screws. Drill them flush into the post. This will connect each row. It will allow you to build the platform.
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9
Drill the 2x6x6's into the 4x4 posts as cross bars. You will have to dive into the water for this. Be sure to put a cross bar vertically down each open section. This is one of the stabilizers. Drill support beams at an angle around the pier foundation. Put 3 down the sides and 2 in the front. Be sure to anchor them into the sand. Wedge them against the pier's foundational post. You will have to cut these yourself according to the water dimensions.
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10
Drill your 3x6 platform planks into the vertical 4x4 post. Drill the first six. Stand on it to test for stability. Congratulations. The mission is almost accomplished.
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Stand on the pier. Continue drilling the platform down.
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Tips & Warnings
Try to work mid-day when you have the most light.
Using a floaty can help you navigate in the water better in case the boat can't get in certain spots.
Do not build this pier in the ocean. This is for a pond, small lake or stream.
