A floating dock, floating pier or floating jetty is a platform or ramp supported by pontoons. It is usually joined to the shore with a gangway. The pier is usually held in place by vertical poles referred to as pilings, which are embedded in the seafloor or by anchored cables. Frequently used in marinas, this type of pier maintains a fixed vertical relationship to watercraft secured to it, independent of tidal, river or lake elevation. The angle of the gangway varies with the water level.
A Braby pontoon at Evans Bay, Wellington, New Zealand.
A floating dock at Mohonk Mountain House
A floating dock at Florence Marina State Park
A floating dock at a private marina. The vertical "spud" only anchors the dock sections in place, and does not provide structural support for loads upon the dock.
Floats are airtight hollow structures, similar to pressure vessels, designed to provide buoyancy in water. Their principal applications are in watercraft hulls, aircraft floats, floating piers, pontoon rhinos, pontoon causeways, and marine engineering applications such as salvage.
The British racing seaplane Supermarine S.6B (1931)
An anchored raft-like platform used for diving, often referred to as a pontoon
Floats on a Cessna 208 Caravan 1 floatplane, Gloucestershire Airport, England (2017)
Small open catamaran.
