On many lakes across the U.S. and Canada there are docks that are installed in the Spring and removed in the Fall. Stationary docks that are supported on the bottom of the lake on poles generally come apart in sections that are fairly light and can be carried out by hand. Sometimes large plastic wheels are permanently attached to the bottom of the dock poles. Often the fixed dock is light enough and rigid enough that a 30′ long section can be rolled right out of the lake and stored on the beach for the winter.

Floating docks typically use polyethylene plastic floats and are either made entirely of polyethylene, or have a wood, aluminum, or composite deck that sits on top of the plastic floats. Floating docks weigh significantly more per foot than fixed docks. This extra weight makes it more difficult to create a long rigid structure that is light enough to be carried out by hand. Often the longest floating dock sections are limited to about 10 feet. For long docks, the 10 foot sections are connected with flexible connectors. These docks are typically removed by taking the sections apart and hand carrying them out of the water, one 10 foot section at a time. If you have a smooth beach, you might be able to drag the fully assembled dock up the beach with an ATV or SUV. Sometimes people will use PVC pipe as rollers under the dock so the dock does not have to drag on the sand.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4379465