sloping dock


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Posted by Ed Kiser on November 09, 2004 at 02:12:19 from 64.12.116.6 user Kisered.

In looking through about four thousand photographs that I have downloaded for the past several years from the LAKELANCAM (Tony Richards), I have noticed many features of that place that seem a bit unusual. But let me mention one in particular:

A few of those pictures show a boat dock, a decked wooden structure held by posts on both sides driven into the bottom of the lake. The posts sometimes seem to extend around three feet above the deck itself, but in other places, do not show above the surface of the deck.

The unusual feature is that these seem to have a sloping deck, with the end that is the farther out into the lake being the lower. In times of high water, that farther end is actually under water, with only the posts sticking out above the water. Where there were no posts above the deck, the water covers the deck, perhaps even hiding it to catch some unwary boat approaching to close to the end.

This is an interesting method of accomodating various water levels. It permits a boat to come to that portion of the deck that provides the most accessible place for getting into and out of the boat. The presence of those posts also can be a big help in managing that big step.
But not all docks have those posts.

In my part of the world, the landing docks are essentially all level. This does require a bit of athletic ability in getting from a boat onto the dock in times of low water. On some docks, that difficulty is resolved by providing a wooden ladder built into the side of the dock extending down into the water.

Sometimes in my local area (South Florida) I see an accomodation to tide levels in that the dock is level, extending out into the deeper water to accomodate the keel of a sailing yacht, but at the very end is a sloping ramp that is hinged at the dock to allow it to move up and down, with the other end on a floating platform whose surface remains very low to the water's surface regardless of the rising of the tide, thus making it easy to transfer to and from a boat moored to this floating section. Such an arrangement is however more complex and obviously more expensive to build.

The sloping dock seems to be a simple, practical, and sturdy solution to the problem of changing water levels.

I was wondering if this concept of a sloping dock is common for docks in the lake district, or am I just seeing a few that seem to have this feature?

My first reaction to seeing a picture of a dock with the end slightly under water was that this was a poorly constructed dock, as it was not properly leveled at all, or the end had sunk into the mud over time. Then, it occured to me that perhaps this slope was intentional, to serve a utilitarian purpose. Perhaps there was method in this madness.

Incidentally, my use of the word, "dock", may not be appropriate for that structure in the lake district, as they probably have some other name for it. Perhaps it is a quay. Other areas of the world may be calling this structure a pier or landing. Not trying to quibble about what it is called as that difference is just a matter of local custom.

(To almost-quote a famous Englishman: "What's in a name? A rose by any other name, is still a dang thornbush...")

My apologies to the great bard...

Ed Kiser, South Florida


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