DeckingThe top surface of the dock. The boards are fastened across the stringers.
Piles (pilings)Long posts driven into the lakebed or riverbed. A fixed dock stands on them.
StringersThey carry the decking. They run the length of the dock on top of the piles.
Cross bracingDiagonal braces between two supports. The triangles they make keep the dock from swaying.
LadderIt hangs at the edge of the dock. It runs down below the surface.
CleatA boat is tied to it. The line is wound round its two horns.
BumperA cushion between boat and dock. It can be a strip along the edge or a pad on a post.
Floating dock 4
Gangway (ramp)It leads from the shore to a floating dock. Its slope changes as the water rises and falls.
HingeIt joins the gangway to the shore. The far end can then rise and fall with the dock.
FloatsBuoyant blocks under the frame. They carry the dock, which rides up and down with the water. Also called pontoons.
Anchor chainIt keeps the dock from drifting. It runs from the dock down to an anchor on the bottom.
How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30 and kept only where two independent sources use it for that part. Read through archive.org's full-text search (passages, not whole pages): (1) Max Burns, The Dock Manual (Storey Books, 1999), https://archive.org/details/dockmanualdesign00burn ; (2) Chris Lamping, Building & Maintaining Docks (Creative Publishing International, 2007), https://archive.org/details/buildingmaintain0000lamp ; (3) US Navy, Design Manual 25.5, Ferry Terminals and Small Craft Berthing Facilities (1981), https://archive.org/details/DTIC_ADA119526 . Read in full: (4) Wikipedia, Dock, Pier and Floating dock (jetty) (text only). Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
A parts of a dock diagram in two drawings. The fixed dock stands on piles driven into the bottom. The floating dock rides on floats and is reached by a gangway.
Read the full guide
A fixed dock
Piles are driven into the lakebed. Stringers run along their tops and the decking is fastened across the stringers. Seen from the end, cross bracing makes an X between the two piles of a pair. A cleat, a bumper and a ladder finish the dock.
A floating dock
Floats under the frame hold the dock up, so it rises and falls with the water. A gangway, hinged at the shore, leads down to it, and anchor chains hold it in place.
Piles and pilings are the same thing.
A bumper is also called a fender, and a gangway is also called a ramp.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a pier?
A pier is a raised walkway over water that stands on piles or pillars. It has the same main parts as the fixed dock here: piles, stringers, decking and the bracing between the piles.
What are the posts that hold up a dock called?
Piles, or pilings. They are long posts driven into the lakebed or riverbed, and the stringers and decking are built on top of them.
What is the ramp to a floating dock called?
A gangway, or simply a ramp. It is hinged at the shore end, so its slope changes as the water level, and the dock with it, rises and falls.
What holds a floating dock in place?
On the dock drawn here, anchor chains that run from the dock down to anchors on the bottom. The floats only hold it up.