There’s no doubt that a pontoon is an excellent investment for any waterfront property. It allows you to enjoy your waterfront location all the more, providing direct access to the waterway for boating, jet skiing and kayaking, amongst other water activities. It also increases the sale value of your waterfront home, making it more attractive to potential buys when it comes time to sell.
In my biased opinion, there really isn’t any downside to investing in a pontoon, which is why so many waterfront homeowners contact us to have one installed. We have installed pontoons in our services areas of Yamba, Tweed Heads, Gold Coast, Brisbane, Bribie Island, Sunshine Coast, and never get tired of transforming old pontoons into new pontoons or making an unusable waterfront a highly active waterfront.
If you’re like our savvy customers and are considering having a pontoon installed on your waterfront property, then you’ve landed on the right page. I will share my expert knowledge to help you understand the types of pontoons available and know what to consider to find the best-suited pontoon for your home.
Types of Pontoons
Before you can consider which pontoon is the best type for your needs, you first need to know the options available. We install and maintain three main types of pontoons here at Micks Marine Maintenance; cable pontoons, strut pontoons, and piled pontoons.
Let’s take a look at these:
Cable Pontoons
Cable pontoons are a cost-effective pontoon option suitable for most locations. As their name suggests, they utilise cables to hold them in place so they don’t drift away with the tide. The cables are installed in an ‘X’ like pattern. The wires are moored to the shore and cross over each other to connect to the opposite side of the pontoon dock. This ‘X’ connection provides excellent stability.
Learn more about cable pontoons here.
Strut Pontoons
Strut pontoons are very similar to cable pontoons in terms of design and costs. However, rather than using cross over cables to provide stability, strut pontoons rely on a strut arm and a cable. The strut arm runs parallel to one side of the gangway, with the cable running parallel on the other side of the gangway.
Learn more about strut pontoons here.
Piled Pontoons
Consider piled pontoons as the Rolls Royce of pontoons; the most durable option of all. As such, you should expect to pay more for piled pontoons than strut and cable pontoons. Piled pontoons are the only type of pontoon fixed in place by their position rather than by mooring supports. They work like hammering a nail into a plank; the pile is the nail, and the pontoon dock is the plank. However, unlike nails in a plank, piles in a pontoon have the ability to move up and down the pile to adjust to fluctuating tides.
Learn more about piled pontoons here.
In addition to the three standard types of pontoons mentioned above, other less common options may be suitable for your needs. These options include dry berth pontoons, finger pontoons, jet ski berths, and jetties.
Let’s take a look at these:
Dry Berth Pontoons
Dry berth pontoons are designed to provide dry berthing to smaller boats and jet skis. They can be installed on standard cables, strut, or piles and will be beneficial if your primary pontoon requirement is dry berthing of your vessel
Finger Pontoons
Finger pontoons are a little more cost-effective than cable, strut, or piled pontoons primarily due to their size, as the surface area is usually smaller and in some instances, we can install only 1 x pile instead of 2.
They are similar to standard piled pontoons because they, too, rely on piles to hold them in place. However, unlike standard piled pontoons, which are perpendicular to the gangway, finger pontoons extend parallel to the gangway. Therefore, rather than one boat mooring to the front of the pontoon, two boats can moor on either side of a finger pontoon, making this pontoon a great option for those with more than one boat or in a shared duplex-style arrangement.
Jet Ski Berths
Jet ski berths are small floating docks allowing you to ride your jet ski onto them for dry berthing. Like dry berth pontoons, jet ski berths are more commonly installed as an add-on to an existing pontoon or jetty, but we have also installed them as a stand-alone solution for waterfront homeowners who own a jet ski rather than a boat. If you’re only looking to protect your jet ski, this may be the perfect option.
Considerations for choosing the right type of pontoon
Your Needs/Application
Choosing the right type of pontoon will come down to your personal needs and application, what you intend to use your pontoon for.
As referenced above, some pontoons are better suited to certain applications than others. If your reason for getting a pontoon is to moor a boat, you will need to choose between the standard pontoons. If you have a large boat, then a piled pontoon would be the best-suited option. If you have two boats, then a finger pontoon would likely be the best choice.
However, if you want a pontoon to moor a PWC or jet ski, for example, then you could opt for a stand-alone jet ski berth or a standard pontoon with a jet ski berth add-on.
It’s not uncommon for us to install pontoons on waterfront properties with neither a boat nor a jet ski — the homeowners simply want to get more enjoyment from their waterfront property or add a pontoon to increase its resale value. In these cases, a cost-effective strut pontoon or cable pontoon is ideal. We can fabricate and supply a range of pontoon accessories to extend a pontoon’s application, including fish cleaning stations for fishing enthusiasts, kayak holders, light posts, and much more.
Your Location
The critical thing to understand about pontoons is that you can’t always choose based on price or personal preference or by which pontoon best suits your needs/applications. Occasionally, your waterfront location will depict which type of pontoon you have to choose.
For instance, if you live around Sovereign Islands on the Gold Coast or another waterway close to the sea, your location is likely to experience high winds and rougher seas. In such cases, a strut or cable pontoon may not provide adequate support to withstand such elements, and therefore, a piled pontoon would be recommended due to its superior strength.
Another example is if your quay line seabed is rocky, then a piling barge will have a tough time hammering a pile into the seabed, in which case, a piled pontoon wouldn’t be the best option; instead, a cable or strut pontoon would be recommended.
In terms of location, you’re not expected to know which type of pontoon is best suited. To find out, give the team at Micks Marine Maintenance a call. We offer a free site review and quote service, where we look at your location, needs, and boat to determine the best-suited pontoon for your waterfront home.
We can advise on how wide you can go across the width of your boundary and how far out you are required to extend out to reach the quayline for your property. We have the knowledge and experience to make choosing the perfect pontoon for your waterfront property a relatively quick and straightforward process.
Conclusion
Installing a pontoon at any waterfront property is always a good idea. Not only will it open doorways, allowing you to experience more water activities like boating, fishing, and kayaking, it will also increase the resale value of your home.
Your location will play a significant role in determining which type of pontoon is best for you – and the team at Micks Marine Maintenance can help you with choosing the right fit.
We service the entire coastline region from Yamba in Northern NSW to Noosa on the Sunshine Coast, offering first-class pontoon installation and maintenance. We know our service area well and can advise which type of pontoon is best for your needs with a simple phone call or a free on-site review.
Take the guesswork out of choosing a pontoon by contacting the pontoon experts at Micks Marine Maintenance. Call us today on 0431 778 468 or submit an online enquiry for any pontoon installation or maintenance enquiries.