What is a Strut Pontoon

Following on from last weeks blog about cable pontoon, this week we are going to take a look at strut pontoons.

A “Strut Pontoon” is a reference to how the pontoon is held in place so that it doesn’t move or float away, similar to the cable pontoon, the strut pontoon is held in place with 4 major components 1 more than the cable.

1: The Pontoon

The pontoon can be either made from concrete or our light weight aluminium system. The concrete type have a 125mm thick concrete deck on the top, this is used to make a strong heavy structure. The light weight series is aluminium sheeting and a truss system to gain its rigidity and spread loads, both systems are then topped off with first grade marine carpet.

2: The gangway/walkway

The gangway or walkway as sometimes known is your access from the land to the pontoon, these are made from aluminium and can generally be built in one piece up to about 18m. On a cable pontoon system the gangway does two jobs, one for access and the other is as a brace for the pontoon. The gangway is hard fixed to a concrete mooring block on the land end and also the frame of the pontoon, this in-turn stops any back and forth movement.

3: The Strut Arm

The strut arm is commonly made from aluminium in a diamond shape with bracing on the top and bottom sides and is held in place using a concrete mooring block similar to how the gangway/walkway is secured. The arm length needs to be built within a small tolerance of the gangway/walkway length to ensure that both the arm and walkway move the same amount of distance during tidal changes and any weather conditions.

4: The Cable braces

The cable braces (Stainless Steel Cable) on the pontoon run in a X shape, extending from the rear two corners of the pontoon. The right hand side cable will attach to a concrete mooring block on the left hand side of the property and the left hand side will connect to the right mooring block on the land, forming the X shape.