While picturing your new dream dock, how it's moored will be an important decision which affects what type of gangway will be best suited for it. There are two main types of floating dock mooring systems: a piling-type mooring system, and a stand-off mooring system.
A piling-type mooring system allows the floating dock to move up and down with the water-level. With this type of mooring system, a gangway is hinged at the shoreline on one end, with wheels which land on the floating dock surface on the other end. As the water level falls, the dock will lower and the gangway edge will roll toward the shore. Conversely, as the water level rises, the gangway edge will roll further on the dock surface away from the shore.
A stand-off mooring system will have a double-hinged gangway (hinged at the shoreline, and hinged at the floating dock) and as the water level rises, the entire floating dock will push away from the shore, while falling water levels will see the dock come toward the shoreline.
There are pros and cons to each design type and should be considered early in the design process. Also, one needs to ensure the proper length of gangway necessary (typically 3-5 times the vertical drop, including water fluctuation), and consequentially, the needed buoyancy to offset the expected weight load of the gangway.
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