Aqua Dock plastic pontoons

sarabande

sarabande

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I was at Lyme Regis recently and chatted to a local fisherman about their Aqua Dock pontoon system. It comes with good recommendations.

Floating Pontoon Docks ,Mobile Work Platforms and Pontoon Manufacturers, UK

If anyone has experience, good or bad , with the design and use, could you post some views please ? We are looking at strategic alternatives for the traditional concreted foam block and heavy metal and wood structures.

TIA
 
Haven't seen it used as a pontoon, but Shotley Marina uses it as floating fendering inside the lock. It's very tough stuff.
 
There seem to be several variants of these systems, including some where jetskis and small RIBs can be stored out of the water.
I suspect the key thing is anchoring it properly.
It will take a finite amount of abuse then the lego will dismantle itself.
Properly done, it seems very good.
 
They are also made in the UK by these folk - Modular Floating Pontoon Systems - Airfloat MPS

The Fish Pot restaurant on the west coast here (Barbados) has a floating jetty made by Can Dock in Canada - https://candock.com/
Here are a couple of photos of this jetty, in calm and fairly rough conditions.
It must be about 10 years old now, and it has coped with some pretty rough seas re strong westerly winds we have experienced from hurricanes passing north of us. DSCN8164.JPGFish Pot jetty 1.JPG
 
Crinan Boats have had one as their fuel and dinghy pontoon for at least thirty years. It has become very flexible and all the plastic cleat at the top of the connecting pins round the edges have broken off, but otherwise it seems to have survived well.
 
I have been on the plastic pontons at Bridport and Lyme Regis a few years ago. At Bridport the on visitor pontoon there seemed to be a diificulty in the placing of cleats as there were so few and it was unpleasant even in slight swell there and visibly less stable than the heavier wooden pontoon (for locals!) A year later at Lyme Regis it was quite unpleasant to be moored to whilst staying on the boat and we quickly left to anchor as did the boat just leaving as we arrived. I supposeas just a place to moor up a boat and leave they are ok. More dangerous than a normal pontoon to access in poor weather!
 
MoodySabre said:
I think this what they have at Burnham SC on the Crouch. I recall seeing it after a big storm and it had become unlocked and was a bit of a mess. Presumably it can soon be rejoined. Google Maps
Click to expand...
Yes, it has been broken twice in bad storms with some sections being washed away. They have now added a series of chains.
 
sarabande said:
I was at Lyme Regis recently and chatted to a local fisherman about their Aqua Dock pontoon system. It comes with good recommendations.

Floating Pontoon Docks ,Mobile Work Platforms and Pontoon Manufacturers, UK

If anyone has experience, good or bad , with the design and use, could you post some views please ? We are looking at strategic alternatives for the traditional concreted foam block and heavy metal and wood structures.

TIA
Click to expand...
I have moored to them at West Mersea. They are a bit low so fenders tend to pop out.

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk
 
Have seen some French marinas using them for RIB berths to keep them clear of the water. Would seem a good idea for that. However, i have used a small one as a floating pontoon for setting off model boats & it seemed unstable due to the 650mm * 650mm sections being quite flexible. I helped assemble one about 32 ft * 12 ft & place on our moorings on the Blackwater. I did not go on it but noted that it did seem to flex a lot. It was only there for a summer season & did not stay in for any winter period. i suspect that it would soonbreak up. Easy to assemble though. The chap I helped, had all the attachable cleats etc for mooring to a buoy.
 
We have a similar floating dock at our club. It is used to park rescue boats on. ie a 6m RIB and similar sized Ali run about. They have been there for about 10 years with no problems. It is really great to get the boats out of the water so no fouling of the hulls. It is quite an adventure (scary) to drive the boats up onto the deck. There is a section with cut away to take the keels. You line the boat up hopefully central and with motor straight and open the throttle. The bow rears up in a scary manner then settles. You have to hold power on while a crew gets out onto the float and goes forward to attach a winch. Then you can cut power. You should be able to power right on but we always seem to end up winching the last metre or so. On launching we often have to push the bow to get it sliding even with lots of reverse motor power. In our case it is very difficult to reach the engine for flushing. Ours are black and I burnt my bare feet a couple of weeks back as they get very hot in the sun. Yhey don't last for ever as there are a stack of holed blocks in one remote corner of the club. I don't know whose they are as I don't think they are part of the club set up.
So all OK but a fairly lively motion in waves. ol'will
 
When i purchased my boat she was berthed to this system as that particular club used this as the main walk way.
Certainly in dry weather and a long enough stroll down one of these you would get a static shock when touching the metalwork on a boat. As can be seen from the picture Bajansailor posted they float on the water (obviously) but there is no weight to them so its not damped like the concrete poly float ones, the wave goes through it as the picture shows. Wait till you try walking along one when the wave is parallel to the pontoon I ended up sat on it as I genuinely thought i was going to be thrown in the movement was so violent, down to a passing boat going by to quickly.

They are simple to put together and adaptable but they do have some definite drawbacks
 
Give us a call (or message me your contact details) at The Pontoon and Dock Company Ltd (www.pontoonanddock.com) - we’re one of the longest established and biggest players in this field. As the name suggests it’s our speciality, with sales and hire all over the UK and further afield.
There are a few options when it comes to plastic modular pontoon systems, and they are not all one and the same. Cubes are great,cheap end of the scale but many connections equals lots of flexibility/ movement. Slightly pricier but much more solid is the EZ Dock system... bigger pieces, totally different connections, much more solid etc etc.
We cover pretty much all pontoon bases though, inc the concrete/foam/steel/wood varieties. Simple projects through to massively complex ones.
I think you’re possibly in the SW region.... I am based out of the Taunton area. What’s the location?

Cheers

James
 
There are a few of the component blocks (black) stranded at the top end of Chichester Harbour, not a clue where they came from...
 
Cardiff Yacht Club uses this type of pontoon. Its a good system when the weather is fine in flat water but when there are waves, parallel or perpendicular to the pontoon, then its a different story. I am not sure the cost difference between the plastic cube system against other types of more stable floating pontoons, but must be a lot to make the plastic pontoon viable.
 
We used them in Lyme Regis and West bay, both times in settled weather. No problem at all. We also used to be moored in Holyhead where the more traditional pontoons sadly failed in a storm.. I believe that LR and WB keep their plastic pontoons ashore through the winter, I presume because of the weather.
 
We have few of them at the Greenwich Yacht Club in London, and I don't think they proved as good as we thought they will... river is quite fast there, one of them fell apart, and they looked quite wobbly, especially when we moored the boats on each side.... maybe in really sheltered marina?
 
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