Suppose someone recommends you get a floating pontoon installed on your waterfront property. The first thing you’re likely to do is to look for information about floating pontoons – do your research and get an idea of what they are, the types available, pricing, etc.
However, there’s a lot of confusion and misconception around floating pontoons. Once people realise floating pontoons are different to pontoon boats, the next thing they get hung up on is whether they’re the same or different to floating docks.
If you’re seeking the answer to this question, you’ve come to the right place. As floating pontoon specialists servicing the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, and Northern NSW region, we are perfect equipped to provide a well-explained answer for this question.
So, the question: Are Floating Docks and Floating Pontoons the Same Thing?
The answer: Not really. Floating pontoons are a type of floating dock.
Table of Contents
What is a Floating Dock?
Floating docks can be any docking structure that provides mooring and not just for boats. It can be mooring for jet skis, PWCs, and other vessels also. They’re commonly made from HDPE (modular floats) or aluminium (floating pontoons), both of which provide buoyancy.
Common floating docks include the likes of jet ski docks, modular floats, barges, marina docks, and gangways and ramps, but floating pontoons are by far the most common, especially on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast, and in Brisbane and Northern NSW.
Please read my previous article, Floating Docks vs Fixed Docks, to understand better what a floating dock is.
What is a Floating Pontoon?
As mentioned, a floating pontoon, not to be confused with a floating pontoon boat, is a type of floating dock. It is similar to a jetty in functionality but provides many more benefits.
Floating pontoons consist of a floating dock, usually made from a wrapped polystyrene void with a concrete deck and an aluminium gangway. The gangway is moored to the shore and spans out to the floating dock, providing a passageway to the dock.
Floating pontoons not only provide access to the dock. Primarily, they provide mooring. But they’re also used for other things such as gaining space, bathing and swimming, and these three floating pontoon uses besides mooring – floating terrace, fishing platform, diving platform.
Pontoons have passed jetties in terms of popularity because they’re designed to withstand marine environments better. They move up and down with fluctuating tides, never becoming submerged, which means they last longer, require less maintenance and repairs and will ensure your boat isn’t overturned due to the tension of a submerged mooring and rising tides.
There are various types of floating pontoons, namely cable pontoons, strut pontoons, piled pontoons, which we specialise in here at Micks Marine Maintenance. Other types of floating pontoons include finger pontoons, flatdeck pontoons, and commercial pontoons (often referred to as marina docks).
Conclusion
If you’re interested to learn more about floating docks and/or floating pontoons, the first thing you need to understand is that they’re not exactly the same thing. A floating pontoon is a type of floating dock, and there are many types, including jet ski docks, modular floats, barges, marina docks, and gangways and ramps.
Floating pontoons are familiar sights on waterfront homes on the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Brisbane and Northern NSW. Their popularity is due to their main benefits, including their cost-effectiveness, low maintenance, and longevity.
If you’re looking to improve your waterfront home with a floating dock, then a floating pontoon is the best choice by far. While there are various floating pontoons to choose between, the most common are strut pontoons, cable pontoons and piled pontoons, which we manufacture and install here at Micks Marine Maintenance.
Contact us today for more information on floating pontoons by calling 0431 778 468 or sending us an email enquiry. We service the East Coast from Northern NSW to Sunshine Coast and look forward to helping you improve your home with a quality floating pontoon.