A good jetty can really make your pond or lake look special, as well as providing a convenient way to get in and out of your pond boat or lake boat.

1. Building a Jetty for
Your Pond or Lake

2. Here are some tips when using a contractor.
Ask to see photos or examples of previous
work by your chosen jetty construction
contractor, have they ever built a jetty before?
Your pond may be completely natural, it may
be fed by a spring, it may be fed by a stream
or spring, it may have an artificial liner, and
this liner could be made from a wide variety of
materials.

3. Your pond or lake may need to be drained
partially or even fully before the jetty can be
installed. Any fish will need to be removed
prior to full draining. When the contractor
visits your pond or lake he will need to find
these things out before giving you an accurate
quote.

4. Why not go online and find some photos of
Jetties. Choose a Jetty you like the look of, and
show the photo to your contractor. There are
hundreds of different Jetties in the past, and
everyone is different.

5. A Jetty can be constructed from a range of
different timbers, and even cast Iron or steel.
The legs/uprights for your jetty will go down
through the water and be anchored into the
pond/lake bed. These legs should really be cut
from hardwood such as green oak or Sappelli for
durability. Your Contractor may prefer to use
softwood for the decking planks above the
water.

6. Some specialist treatments may be 'pond
friendly' but most treated timber should be
sealed with a product such as G4 before being
used for decking over water. Fish can be
particularly sensitive to certain chemicals. If
you intend to leave your boat on the water
tied up to the jetty you may need to use
fenders or attach a protective strip to the
jetty.

7. Most people think a fender has to be a
brightly colored plastic inflatable
sausage/balloon, which will ruin the look of
their jetty, but there is no reason why you
can't use solid rope woven narrow boat
fenders, they have a lovely traditional look,
and do the job just as well.

8. Remember that a jetty can provide a safety
risk for small children, falling from the end of
the jetty can leave a child in very deep water,
and it is incredibly difficult to pull yourself out
of the water onto the end of a jetty. Consider
having a ladder installed at the end of your
jetty, and perhaps a life ring on the line should
the worst happen.

9. Source:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Building-a-Jetty-for-
Your-Pond-or-Lake&id=6707747
Images:
http://www.brookandbyrne.com.au/jetties.h
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