6 Foot Dock Decking Issue

[DickR]

When we replaced our old wood frame dock a few years ago with a 6'x30' seasonal aluminum frame crank-up design, I got it without decking, to save on cost. For deck, I used 1x6 cedar, grade STK (select tight knots). Cedar has a natural rot resistance and is relatively light, compared to pressure treated wood or something like Trex. I created panels the width of the dock and just short of 4' out, with a pair of tie boards underneath placed to rest just inside the outer dock frame members. Gravity holds them in place. I weighed one panel after I had them ready, out of curiosity. It weighed 57 lb. Stripping the dock prior to crank-up is easy. I just stand a section up on the 4' side edge, back up to it and grab the sides somewhat below mid-height, and walk away with it.