building pontoon - buying floats
 

Hi Guys,

Forgive me if this question has been asked a thousand times. I searched
the archives, but could find what I was looking for, maybe it was the
way I formed my question.

I want to purchase pontoon floats. I am looking for a vendor
(preferably in Canada). I did search google, but the same one or two
continously come up. I know there must be more.

Thanks in advance, Sean

How big? Where in Canada? Material? House Boat, river boat?

"mrcomp_ca" wrote in message
oups.com...
| Hi Guys,
|
| Forgive me if this question has been asked a thousand times. I
searched
| the archives, but could find what I was looking for, maybe it was
the
| way I formed my question.
|
| I want to purchase pontoon floats. I am looking for a vendor
| (preferably in Canada). I did search google, but the same one or
two
| continously come up. I know there must be more.
|
| Thanks in advance, Sean
|

I'm in Atlantic Canada. I'm thinking Aluminum, but would consider
plastic. It will be used on a lake, for hauling building materials and
people for the odd party. I'm thinking 10' X 20.

http://www.ststephenboatworks.ca/

C&M Marine, P.O. Box 50, Bayfield, NB, E0A 1E0, Canada, (tel) (506)
538-9806, (fax) (506) 538-9806.
Duguays Boat, 5881 Route 15, Shemogue, NB, E4N 2P1, Canada, (tel)
506-577-4226, (fax) 506-577-4690
Magna Marine Inc., P.O. Box 23018, Moncton, NB, E1A 6S8, Canada, (tel)
(506) 383-5039, (fax) (506) 383-4452
Novie Boatbuilders Ltd., 102 Bear Point Road, RR # 1, Shag Harbour,
NS, B0W 3B0, Canada, (tel) 902-745-2829, (fax) 902-745-0138.
Aylward Fibreglass Inc., P.O. Box 189, Barrington, Clarks Harbour, NS,
B0W 1E0, Canada, (tel) (902) 745-1531, (fax) (902)745-1531.
Covey Island Boatworks, 2 River Rd., Petite Riviere, NS, B0J 2P0,
Canada, (tel) 902 688 2843, (fax) 902 688 2591.
Darrin Auchterlonie, 2 Maitland St, Dartmouth, NS, B2Y3L7, Canada,
(tel) 902-827-3723, (fax) 902-463-3664.
Herring Cove Marine, 253 Village Road, Herring Cove, Halifax, NS, B3M
3K6, Canada, (tel) 902-477-8010, (fax) 902-477-8010.
IMP Marine, 120 Thornhill Drive, Burnside Industrial Park, Halifax,
NS, B3B 1S3, Canada, (tel) 902-468-2111, (fax) 902-468-3077.
InterTech Marine Ltd., 2089 Upper Water Street, Halifax, NS, Canada,
(tel) 902-425-1083, (fax) 902-425-1569.
Keltic Star Inc., 14 Gebhardt Street, Halifax, NS, B3M2W7, Canada,
(tel) (902) 868-2718, (fax) (902) 868-2718.
TrawlerCat Marine.com, 2 Box 2 Highway 1, Meteghan, NS, B0W 2J0,
Canada, (tel) 902 645 2902, (fax) 902 645 2903.
Yachtsmiths International Ltd., 2 Maitland St., Dartmouth, NS, B4A2H4,
Canada, (tel) 902-463-0741, (fax) 902-463-3664.
Island Concepts Ltd., Box 41, Elmsdale, PE, COB IKO, Canada, (tel)
902-853-4469, (fax) 902-853-4469.


"mrcomp_ca" wrote in message
oups.com...
| I'm in Atlantic Canada. I'm thinking Aluminum, but would consider
| plastic. It will be used on a lake, for hauling building materials
and
| people for the odd party. I'm thinking 10' X 20.
|

WOW, Thank you very much!!!!

mrcomp_ca wrote:
Hi Guys,

Forgive me if this question has been asked a thousand times. I searched
the archives, but could find what I was looking for, maybe it was the
way I formed my question.

I want to purchase pontoon floats. I am looking for a vendor
(preferably in Canada). I did search google, but the same one or two
continously come up. I know there must be more.

Thanks in advance, Sean


Where are you?

In Fredericton, "Truefoam" retails through building supply dealers.
They cut blocks to size, and provide reccomendations for specific uses.

Terry K

Hi Terry,

I'm in Moncton. Thanks for info, but I'm loooking more for aluminum or
plastic then foam.

mrcomp_ca wrote:
Hi Terry,

I'm in Moncton. Thanks for info, but I'm loooking more for aluminum or
plastic then foam.


Kent home hardware has a new-to-them line of docking stuff,
including a "dock in a box" kit using plastic floats. Haven't
checked for price, but be prepared. I think I will try to go with
10" foam slabs directly under a 5' x 5' decks of 1" cedar planks,
'cause I got the cedar cheap from a bankrupt mill, and can get
castoff used rope from another mill. I may use erect pressurised
pepsi bottles, tethered with string winnowed from the rope, saran
wrap and clear packing tape. I will use doubled planks as skids and
cages for the floats, and eye bolts (the only costly items) at
corners to squeeze the deckboards between top and bottom flat
stringers, and for cleats and couplings. I want a moored dock with a
cable ferry to the shore, powered by handing the clothesline or an
oar in the current, just for fun. The ferry name may be a problem,
possibly "Wotfwat Ferry." for "Water or tug free we add tires" in
memory of "Worn out through fair wear and tear" an old air force
materiel condemnation code. (Tires are pulls in mangled french.)
Suits me, if not yet the mate.

I was also thinking of jamming pop bottles in old tires for floats,
ugly but free, tough, maintainable and manageable.

I want the component parts to be easily carried by matey and me, as
they will come out before freeze up, so small sections, ultralight,
are in order. If used rope is easy enough to get I needn't even use
proper untieable knots, just cut and replace.

Is your pontoon desire for dock floats or a deck boat? I thought 45
gal drums might make pontoons for a swath type boat, "streamlined"
with a flooded plasic skin, tyvec or shrink, soft like a dolphin's
hide. I would like to devise a method for joining them at the ends
without welding (plastic barrels?) Perhaps planks and banding or
rope and spanish windlass, or even plastic culverts. You could fill
them with pop bottles for floatation should leaks occur. Flats on
the bottom might enable planing, or foils, flight.

Friendly recyclers may allow you to pay a deposit and "borrow" as
many bottles as you want. For a small consideration, they will even
leave the caps on if you want a lot of them. They are a funny bunch.
They might even pay you to leave caps on and invite you to the tips
party, too. 50 bucks a giant bag, sorted by colour, 8' diameter, 4'
high, keep the bag, I was quoted, but I smiled a lot, and Her Royal
Bossiness was in a good mood, didn't have a lot to do, as her crew
of community service 5 dollar an hour parolled convicts were in a
calm mood. She enjoyed our discussion of reduce, recyle, re-use, and
what heroic service and folly she and her crew performed. How to
squeeze that bag into my van is the only problem. I could use the
boat trailer, I guess. I wonder how many bags I could lash onto it?

The bottles will float better if pressurisd. Vinegar and baking
soda will do that, but filling the bottles with cold air, maybe in
the winter, possibly even a drop of liquid nitrogen or a chip of dry
ice will do as well. Undamaged caps will hold pressure indefinitely,
and fail to a leak down in pressure. Ah, modern technology.

The art of the engineer is to do what must be done as cheaply as
possible.

Ain't summer fun?

Terry K