Joys of 'own pontoons' ....

[Refueler]

As many know - I am very lucky that I have my own channel with pontoons / mooring capability for my 'flotilla' ... but this brings in aspects that most boaters don't have to concern themselves with.

For last year and through winter - I had my main pontoons across the wide section of my home channel ... which made it a bit awkward to turn boats. I ended up with some 'dings' in the small speedboat ....

Before that - they were alongside the deeper bank - narrowing the deep channel ..

After careful thought - it was obvious that if the pontoons could be pulled into the shallow water - then that would leave the deep channel free. River level is down at present - typical spring into summer situation. I've pulled the pontoons round until they've grounded. When river rises - I will keep pulling them further to the bank.

The intention is to destroy the old rotten deck we have at present - its where photo was taken from ... and build a new longer deck to sit alongside the pontoons. Deck will be about 1m higher than the pontoons and have steps down.
At the upper end of decking - we have a Sauna 'House' being delivered (6m x 3m) which will be placed onto an old car trailer to roll into place alongside the decking. Wood terraces / cladding will be used to create a party / bbq area that also services the boats.

Lot of work - but worth it .....

 

[Refueler]

OK - Sauna arrives .... and I have an old Car Trailer to put it on ...

Now with the trailer - AUW is about 3T ... I am having brick roads built at home so - Range Rover will pull that into position next to the new decking ...

The Sauna comes complete .. tables, chairs all in same wood as the sauna ... wood burning stove - cage for stones .. electric cables and lights installed etc.

A 'plug and play' job !

 

[apogee]

Brill. Just Brill.

 

[paulbrown22]

Definitely a tough life to have to manage your own pontoon! Looks like a beautiful setting.

 

[Grith]

Yep There is a lot of joy in owing your own pontoon with the time to enjoy it!
We also have our own drive in forward drive out forward boat ramp in our backyard as well!
We stumbled on what we feel is the perfect base for a boating retirement that was also amazingly cheap by ridiculously overpriced Australian property price standards.
Well under £400,000, US$600,000, AUS $1,000,000 after purchase and substantial renovations!
Freshwater 4knot speed restricted lake (no jet skis or wake boats blasting around destroying the tranquility), adjoins The Murray River with no tides, open ocean access around 40 nautical miles away via a manned or alternatively manual loch.
(Does require a at times challenging river mouth bar crossing.)
Alternatively hundreds of nautical miles of interesting mast up river sailing/cruising available from our new home.
The Murray River is an Old paddle steamer transport route with historic riverside towns and the bridges and powerlines are set high enough for our mast to clear due to the clearance required for big paddle steamers.
The only issues are it’s too shallow for deep keel yachts at about 5 foot depth and both a bit windy at times and alternatively can be buggy on still hot nights.
Nothings perfect but so damn close especially for trailerable yacht cruisers and for general mucking around in sailing dingy’s/cats, kayaks,SUP’s and other watercraft!
Not cold enough here to warrant a sauna but we have a spa with a waterview!

 

[Rappey]

Wow, never knew australia has mississippi paddle steamers

Is that your wife/ daughter on the sauna porch or part of the plug and play inventory
I would recomend the grp grating as the surface. 100% grip at all times, wont deteriorate or rot away..

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Wow, never knew australia has mississippi paddle steamers

It's got saltwater crocks and many other things that bite as well. Didn't stop me loving the place and the Aussies when I was there though.

 

[zoidberg]

Now with the trailer - AUW is about 3T ... I am having brick roads built at home so - Range Rover will pull that into position next to the new decking ...
The Sauna comes complete .. tables, chairs all in same wood as the sauna ... wood burning stove - cage for stones .. electric cables and lights installed etc.
A 'plug and play' job !

I'm thinking you'll forget one snowy evening, dash out of your sooper-dooper sauna/bastu, jump into the water to 'refresh' - and be stuck up to your hairy armpits in gooey mud!!

 

[Grith]

Wow, never knew australia has mississippi paddle steamers

Is that your wife/ daughter on the sauna porch or part of the plug and play inventory
I would recomend the grp grating as the surface. 100% grip at all times, wont deteriorate or rot away..

It’s my partner of over 5 years now!
l got lucky that after years concentrating on raising my daughter post being chucked out by her mum that just before my daughter flew the nest at 18yo I repartnered. With one home each we then packed work in and retired just over 3 years ago by selling both our homes in expensive NSW and moving to one comparatively cheap home in South Australia which I call the forgotten state!
My partner had never even set foot on a boat before meeting me and has now lived on our trailer sailer for a combined over 6 months since then and a similar time in our truck camper.
It’s rare to find a woman who can cope living in small spaces for extended periods never mind on a 28 foot trailer sailer who had never even been boating previously!
Bloody good and innovative cook as well as a huge range of other very valuable skills!

 

[zoidberg]

Heartfelt best wishes to you both....

 

[Grith]

It's got saltwater crocks and many other things that bite as well. Didn't stop me loving the place and the Aussies when I was there though.

No crocs here on The Murray (or sharks) but there are other bities mostly the insect kind. Oh and the odd snake as well but if you leave them alone they leave you alone.

 

[William_H]

Love all the photos. Keep it up and best wishes for the new sauna.
Speaking of Murray River paddle steamers I have a fiend who with an obsession built a paddle steamer copy of Murray River style. About 50 ft long in steel with an old steam roller engine and boiler. Beautifully built and fitted out with a steam 240v generator 24v batteries solar PV etc. he called it "Rodney" Griff may be familiar with the story of the original Rodney. A much larger paddle steamer on the Murray River about 120 years ago. Was used to carry strike breaking shearers up river. The unionists got aboard and burnt and scuttled the steamer.
Anyway the copy is interesting ahving fold down wheel house for low bridges. Problems are that she has very shallow draft including rudder. The paddles are connected together so can not be driven asymmetrically. So a beam wind can roll her to lift a paddle slightly giving asymmetric drive that the rudder can not cope with especially at low speed. The end result is that it takes enormous patience and skill to pilot the boat in to a jetty or similar. It gets fired up occasionally takes 4 hrs to get up steam but I just love to hear the whistle. ol'will

 

[Grith]

As many know - I am very lucky that I have my own channel with pontoons / mooring capability for my 'flotilla' ... but this brings in aspects that most boaters don't have to concern themselves with.

For last year and through winter - I had my main pontoons across the wide section of my home channel ... which made it a bit awkward to turn boats. I ended up with some 'dings' in the small speedboat ....

Before that - they were alongside the deeper bank - narrowing the deep channel ..

After careful thought - it was obvious that if the pontoons could be pulled into the shallow water - then that would leave the deep channel free. River level is down at present - typical spring into summer situation. I've pulled the pontoons round until they've grounded. When river rises - I will keep pulling them further to the bank.

The intention is to destroy the old rotten deck we have at present - its where photo was taken from ... and build a new longer deck to sit alongside the pontoons. Deck will be about 1m higher than the pontoons and have steps down.
At the upper end of decking - we have a Sauna 'House' being delivered (6m x 3m) which will be placed onto an old car trailer to roll into place alongside the decking. Wood terraces / cladding will be used to create a party / bbq area that also services the boats.

Lot of work - but worth it .....

Where did you find a place to buy with a pontoon up there!?

 

[Refueler]

Where did you find a place to buy with a pontoon up there!?

?? Long - wide - deep river ... ... don't really understand why it would seem hard to you ?

Pontoons - easy - I have contacts with pontoon constructors and also when marina's replace their old.

 

[Refueler]

I would love to have a steam boat for river trips ....

Maybe ... lets see how work goes this year !

 

[Grith]

?? Long - wide - deep river ... ... don't really understand why it would seem hard to you ?

Pontoons - easy - I have contacts with pontoon constructors and also when marina's replace their old.

I was wondering where you had purchased the property your pontoon was installed at?
My own pontoon is actually my second and this one is designed to allow my 28 foot yacht to slide/winch up on top of it but am waiting on one more stabilising piece for a second try.
I have lowered the end into the water further, uprated the winch from 10/1 to 20/1 and added a pole near the entry end to stop it twisting when loading on but am awaiting the sliding collar for this before trying again.
First try was almost but no cigar!
If the process fails my Tandem Hobie Adventure Island keeps its very flash sit on top mooring spot!

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I would love to have a steam boat for river trips ....

Maybe ... lets see how work goes this year !

You are Charlie Allnut and I claim my free sauna

 

[Refueler]

I was wondering where you had purchased the property your pontoon was installed at?

[/QUOTE]

Its my house since 2004 ... came with channel already dug by previous owner .. in fact what he did was to dig a channel parallel to the old ... filling in the old - which left a marsh area .. not a very good move.
But later extra soil was added and height raised - packed and is now good ground where that swimming pontoon is.

My own pontoon is actually my second and this one is designed to allow my 28 foot yacht to slide/winch up on top of it but am waiting on one more stabilising piece for a second try.
I have lowered the end into the water further, uprated the winch from 10/1 to 20/1 and added a pole near the entry end to stop it twisting when loading on but am awaiting the sliding collar for this before trying again.
First try was almost but no cigar! View attachment 192217View attachment 192218View attachment 192219
If the process fails my Tandem Hobie Adventure Island keeps its very flash sit on top mooring spot!

Guy next door to me has a hydraulic lift system for his 20ft open motor-boat .. snazzy ! Drives in ... steps out - presses button - up she goes.

 

[Grith]

I recently psssed something very similar in Paynesville on the Gippsland Lakes Victoria Australia but it was designed to lift a 30 foot Nolex yacht up and out of the water. Truely an impressive engineering feat as I believe he built it himself.
I still haven’t figured out where your home with personally dug canal is?
UK, America, Canada, Australia unlikely based on comments about winter.
By UK standards most of Australia doesn’t have a winter!

 

[William_H]

Hi Griff
Nigel (Refueler) lives in Latvia. Yes I love his stories being just so different to our (Oz) experiences. ol'will