Ramps and Docks

[mhack]

New to Alaska and want to build a ramp and floating dock on a lake for a super cub. Any ideas out there on how the winter ice will affect them or do they have to be pulled for the winter. Any feedback on trailers vs. rails to pull the plane to a hangar would be appreciated.
Mike

[Ken Grindlay]

I don't liveinAK, but I did grow up on a lake near Lake Michigan. We pulled our dock every year, leave it in and you will be sorry.
I have no experience with any of the rail systems. I do have a hydraullic trailer (hand operated hydraullics) made by Marshall Guildermiester. It works great. You will have to make one very simple mod to it (contact me for info). I got the hand operated version, because I operate in salt water ands didn't want to deal with potentially fickle electronics. If I was buying today, I would get the electric one. Since I'm in the salt,I pull it after every flight, wash it , hit it with LPS-3, and put it in the hanger.
Ken
try Marshall at www.seaplanetrailers.com

:usa
Here you go. Take a look at H7 and H11.

http://www.miracletruss.com/hanger_addl.html

H11 shows a floating dock. It has pipe pilings driven in the pond so the deck can go up and down. I think it uses foam bats for flotation.

In H7 you can see the track going to the ramp. It uses a little trolley to transport the cub from the pond to the hanger.

[CaptFox]

I used to have a floating dock in Whitehorse YT. It stayed in most winters floating on foam and held off the shoreline with rigid metal poles and cables, It used to survive most winters but did ocasionally get beaten up pretty good and poles and wood often had to be replaced, It was too large to remove from the water 80´so it had to survive the ice and was getting old so I didnt worry too much about it. I would suggest removing the dock for the winters as it is risky to leave it in and will last alot longer.

David.