For some, their car is their pride in joy. For others, it’s their boat or jet ski. If your boat or jet ski is your pride and joy, you probably spend every other weekend cleaning it, keeping it looking shiny and new.
But what about your pontoon? Your pontoon is just as big of an investment and has the potential to add value to your home when it comes time to sell. Thus, it pays to take as much pride and joy in keeping your pontoon clean and well-kept as your vessel or PWC. Plus, having a well-maintained pontoon will also protect your true pride and joy.
At Micks Marine Maintenance, we’re all about pontoon maintenance and extending a pontoons lifespan to the fullest. Today, we’ll share with you the many reasons to protect your pontoon just as you do your boat, jet ski or PWC.
Table of Contents
Protects your vessel against damage
Keeping your boat, jet ski, and PWC looking as good as new takes more than some polish and cleaning after each use. You need to ensure the environment around it is safe. For those docking their vessels, this means the pontoon needs to be void of wear and tear that can cause damage to vessels.
If your pontoon’s fender is worn or damaged or covered by barnacles, chances are, damage will come to your vessel. Therefore, it’s crucial to maintain a pontoon against such problems, which is very easy to do.
What to Do
Visual inspections around the edges of the pontoon are all it takes to determine if there is any fender damage or barnacle buildup. If sighted, the fender should be repaired or replaced, and barnacle buildup removed as soon as possible.
If you would like professional assistance with either matter, simply call Micks Marine Maintenance. We provide excellent value pontoon maintenance services and can conduct a complete inspection of your pontoon to determine if any other issues may lead to potential damage to your vessel. Our team of experienced pontoon specialists can quickly repair any issues, such as a damaged fender or replace it if need be.
Prevent more significant damage
Keeping a pontoon maintained, looking after as you do your boat or vessel, will ensure you catch any issues as they form, preventing them from developing further. While pontoons built from aluminium with a concrete deck, such as those we make, are built to be durable, general wear and tear, the marine environment and weather conditions can lead to damage.
Common issues include broken pile brackets, worn bracket rollers, damaged gangways, worn cables, etc., all of which are not catastrophic at first but can lead to more significant issues if left unattended.
Broken pile brackets, barnacle build up on piles and worn bracket rollers can prevent a piled pontoon from rising and falling with the tide, which can lead to scenes such as this:
Damaged gangways can lead to more significant structural damage preventing access to the pontoons dock. The worn cables of a cable pontoon can see a pontoon lose stability and eventually, may even break away from the gangway.
What to Do
Regular visual inspections of the entire pontoon, including the shore moorings and gangway, are the best preventative measure. Components like pile brackets and bracket rollers will require more frequent checks due to general wear and tear.
You can take on the inspection and maintenance duties yourself or trust Micks Marine Maintenance to service your pontoon annually. We will perform a thorough inspection, replacing any parts and components that show signs of weakening or wear before they lead to more severe problems.
The photo above shows a new bracket roller on the left and a worn bracket roller on the right.
Extends the pontoons lifespan
As with anything, providing proper care and maintenance to a pontoon is rewarded with longevity. By performing regular inspections and repairing any issues as they occur, you can expect to reach the maximum lifespan on the pontoon, thus receiving a better return on your investment.
Increases the value and appeal of your home
I’ve mentioned it several times before; a pontoon can increase your home’s value by as much as 10% – but only if it’s well-maintained. A poorly maintained pontoon will be less of an attraction and more of a potential headache to buyers. No one wants to inherit a pontoon that’s in dire straits, costing thousands to repair or remove.
By following the suggestions mentioned above, you’ll be able to use your pontoon for the full lifespan you inhabit your home and then be able to profit from it in the sale. Ten per cent may not sound like a lot, but with the medium Gold Coast waterfront home costing around $900,000, $90,000 is a significant profit.
Read my earlier post, ‘Why Now Is the Best Time To Get A Pontoon,’ to discover how lucrative a pontoon can be in the sale of your home.
Conclusion
If your boat or jet ski is your pride and joy, then so too should be your pontoon. By keeping your pontoon well-maintained, in tip-top condition, you’ll ensure your vessel is protected against any damage that a poorly maintained pontoon may cause. Moreover, you’ll prevent a small issue from becoming a more severe problem that can save you a great deal of money. These two benefits alone should be enough to make you want to project your pontoon as if it were your pride and joy, but there are other benefits also. A well-maintained pontoon will offer greater longevity and make your home more attractive to potential buyers and add value when selling.
For other reasons to treat your pontoon as your pride and job, read ‘Why Floating Dock Maintenance is a Necessity‘.
If you want to protect your pontoon against severe damage, it must be maintained.
Micks Marine Maintenance are pontoon maintenance experts servicing the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, and Northern NSW. Give our friendly team a call for all your maintenance needs – no job is too big or too small.