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A Kingtide Marine pontoon floating level with the tide at the foot of its hardwood gangway, against a rocky foreshore

Pontoon Design & Construction in Sydney

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Pontoons

A pontoon rises and falls with the tide, so stepping onto your boat is just as easy at low water as at high. On most waterfronts, it’s the upgrade that gets people out on the water more often.

We design, build and install pontoons across the Port Hacking River, the Georges River, Sydney Harbour and the South Coast. We can supply a stand-alone pontoon, add one to your existing jetty, or build a complete jetty, ramp and pontoon package.

Is your waterfront suitable for a pontoon?

Most are, but it comes down to a few things we check on site.

  • Water depth. A pontoon generally needs at least 600 mm of water at zero tide. If it’s shallower, the pontoon sits on the bottom at low tide and damages the seabed, and it won’t be approved.
  • Seagrass. Protected seagrass beneath the site can limit where a pontoon can sit, or how it’s built.
  • Exposure. Sites open to strong wind, swell or boat wash may need a heavier-duty pontoon or better protection.
  • Space on the waterway. The pontoon and your boat need to sit within your permitted area, clear of navigation channels and neighbouring frontages.

If a pontoon isn’t the right fit, we’ll suggest what is, whether that’s a fixed jetty, a wharf or a skid ramp. Book a site inspection and we’ll tell you exactly what your waterfront can take.

Cruiser moored against a Kingtide Marine pontoon held off the seawall by a capped guide pile, with a hardwood gangway running back to the garden

How a pontoon is built and anchored

The pontoon. We build pontoons two ways.

  1. Fibreglass with a timber subframe. The traditional method. It’s strong and proven, and it offers good value.
  2. Fully moulded fibreglass. One solid shell with no internal timber, so nothing inside can rot or shift over time. It costs more upfront but needs less looking after.

We’ll help you choose based on your budget and how much maintenance you want down the track.

The anchoring. A pontoon is only as good as the system holding it in place. On most Sydney waterfronts we use pile guides: the pontoon rides up and down the driven piles on rollers, so it stays put in any tide. Where piles aren’t suitable, we use hinge brackets off the ramp at the jetty end. We engineer the right system for your site’s depth, seabed and exposure.

Built to float. Anchored to stay.

Newly installed Kingtide Marine pontoon and hardwood gangway on flat water in front of a waterfront home under construction

How much maintenance does a pontoon need?

The pontoons themselves are built to our specification by a contractor we have used for years. We install them, along with the piles, gangway and jetty they connect to, and we service what we build long after handover.

Give it an annual once-over: grease the rollers, check the floats and freeboard, tighten the deck fixings and look over the gangway hinges. An hour or two of work adds years to the structure, and the inspection is free. Rollers and fixings are the parts that go quietly, and then go all at once.

Grey composite-decked pontoon and gangway with a black rubbing strake, moored in front of a green timber boat shed

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between a pontoon and a jetty?

A jetty is a fixed structure on piles at a set height. A pontoon floats, rising and falling with the tide, so your boarding step never changes. Most complete setups use both: a fixed jetty or gangway leading down to a floating pontoon where the boat lives.

How often do pontoons need maintenance?

A quick annual service is ideal. Check and grease the rollers, inspect the floats and freeboard, tighten deck fixings and look over the gangway hinges. It is an hour or two of work that adds years to the structure, and it is part of our standard maintenance plans.

What size pontoon do I need?

About eighty-five per cent of the ones we install are 3.6 by 2.4 metres, which comfortably takes a family boat and still leaves room to move around it. If your vessel, your depth or your approval calls for something different, we build to custom sizes. We work it out at the site visit rather than starting from a catalogue.

Do I have enough water depth for a pontoon?

You need at least 600mm at a zero tide. Below that a pontoon would sit on the bottom at low water and damage the seabed and marine life, so it will not be approved. If your frontage is shallower than that, a fixed jetty or wharf is the way to go instead. We check the depth on the first site visit so you know early.

Can you build a pontoon for my specific waterfront?

That is the only way we build them. Depth at low tide, tide range, wash exposure, bed conditions and your vessel all shape the design, along with the extras you want on it: swim-up steps, a stainless ladder, bollards, fenders. We start with a free site visit, then design a pontoon and anchoring system for your exact frontage.

Simple from the start

How It Works

  1. Site visit and measurements

    Depth at low tide, tide range, exposure and the boat that will live there.

  2. Float and anchoring engineered

    The pontoon and its restraint system designed together for your frontage.

  3. Install and first service

    Guide piles in, pontoon on, and a service visit to keep it running sweet.

Kingtide Marine

Why Choose Kingtide Marine

20 years of experience

Twenty years in the trade and around 100 jobs a year on the Port Hacking River, the Georges River, Sydney Harbour and the South Coast. Nobody knows these tides, beds and foreshores better.

Our own fleet of vessels

No waiting on subcontractors. We run our own fleet of operating marine vessels and do the construction ourselves.

Five-year warranty

We warrant our work for five years and come back at three to six months to check it over, tighten it up and put it right.

Reviews

What our clients say

5.0 from 16 Google reviews

  • Mick and his team delivered outstanding service and work quality in the refurbishment of our concrete jetty and slipway. Communication was excellent and the end product was of a very high standard, considering the original state of the structures. We definitely felt we received excellent value for money and will always use Kingtide for future waterfront projects.

    Stephen Smith

  • Mick, Sam and the team were fantastic to deal with from the onset. Easy to deal with and awesome workmanship. Nothing was a problem and great advice given. I highly recommend Kingtide services.

    Paul Gentile

  • Mick and his team worked with us from the day our old jetty was damaged in a storm. They made it safe and patiently waited while we planned for a new one. They kept us updated with progress, checked we were happy and we now have a beautiful new jetty. Would highly recommend them..thanks guys. Drummoyne NSW

    Jules OK

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