rgilfert: That's a pretty solid looking dock. As Slickcraft mentioned, the uprights on HIS dock go right to the bottom. I have seen uprights on the dock where I stay during vacation, just like yours..ie Not touching the bottom..they also wobble more than I would like. In addition, they are only
Nailed to the facia. I think the Idea is to be "Break Away" if the ice gets hold of them.
I would do like Slickcraft has done..fasten with carriage bolts..BUT I would
Remove ALL the uprights in winter. (Circulators on rattlesnake probably are not practical because of power outages.)
With the uprights
Solidly on the bottom you can add some weight to the deck to keep it from floating UP off the T-Phone poles...IF that were likely. I'll take a guess that the T-Phone poles are embedded in concrete beneath the stones, which would also help to hold the breakwater together as well.
NB