Definition: “Pontoon” means the individual floating unit that is joined to others to form the floating jetty.
- Steel pontoons suffer from corrosion and need to be dry-docked every couple of years for cleaning, inspection, and painting.
- Aluminium frame and deck pontoons are only adequate for light duties, and in remote locations thieves may target the aluminium frame and the wood deck boards.
- Lightweight pontoons made from GRP or wood are unsuited for commercial use and may be unstable.
- Lightly reinforced concrete float pontoons are not adequately robust for heavy commercial use, and they are known to fail under wave action.
Marinetek manufactures fully reinforced, monolithic, concrete pontoons. These have been supplied to more than 2,000 projects in more than 40 countries over the past 25 years. These pontoons are extremely durable with an expected service life of 30+ years and they require almost no maintenance.
The following criteria are critical:
Stability
The pontoon system must be stable because users will not feel safe and secure if the moves as they walk, or if it significantly moves from wave action.
Sureness underfoot
The pontoons must provide sureness underfoot. People must be able to walk on the pontoons in normal shoes without fear of slipping or tripping. The surface must be slip-resistant even when wet.
Durability
The pontoons should provide a long service life with minimal maintenance expenses and be able to survive continuous wave action.
Foundation
The pontoons must offer a firm foundation for any structures that are to be erected on top.
Moorings
The mooring system must hold the pontoon system securely in place against the effect of wind force, but it must also be able to respond to changes in water level.
Marinetek pontoons satisfy all the above better than any other type.