Floating Pontoon Hire FAQs

Call FPS Pontoon Hire on 01253 921 352 or send us your project details.

If possible, include the site location, proposed dates, intended use, approximate working area, number of personnel, plant or equipment loads, water conditions and access information.

You do not need to have the complete pontoon design worked out before contacting us. We can review the information and help develop a practical arrangement for the project.

Useful information includes:

• Project location and proposed dates
• What work will be carried out from the pontoon
• Approximate platform dimensions or required working area
• Number of personnel
• Plant, equipment and material weights and footprints
• Water depth, flow, tide or other known water conditions
• Site, bank and waterside access
• Required edge protection, ramps, gangways or scaffold
• Safety boat, life jacket or rescue requirements

Drawings, photographs, videos and marked-up site plans are particularly useful.

Not every project needs a site visit. Many requirements can be reviewed from drawings, photographs, videos, mapping and client information.

Where access is difficult, water conditions are unusual or the project has complex interfaces, a site visit may be recommended before the final arrangement is agreed.

Hire cost depends on the complete project rather than a single square-metre rate.

The main factors include platform size and configuration, hire duration, delivery distance, installation and dismantling requirements, site access, temporary works requirements and any additional equipment or boat support.

Once we understand the project, we can prepare a quotation based on the required scope.

The correct platform is based on what the pontoon needs to do. We consider the required working area, personnel, equipment, access points, water conditions, freeboard, positioning and any interfaces with scaffold or structures.

Our modular system can be configured into different shapes and sizes rather than relying on one standard platform. See our Modular Pontoon Floats & Components page for more detail.

Typical single-height working load: 175 kg/m², evenly distributed.

For higher-load applications, a double-height configuration can provide up to 350 kg/m² working load. The same 350 kg/m² figure is approximately the full-immersion point for a single-height platform, which is why FPS does not use it as the single-height working load.

Plant, scaffold, point loads, equipment footprint, personnel and site conditions can all affect the allowable project load, so the final arrangement is assessed for the actual project.

Potentially, yes, but plant and machinery must be considered as part of the pontoon design rather than added after installation.

We need the machine weight, footprint, working position, dynamic actions where relevant and any additional equipment or personnel loads. Concentrated loads may require load-spreading measures or a project-specific temporary works assessment.

Yes, scaffold towers can be incorporated into suitable floating-platform arrangements where the complete loading, stability, restraint and access requirements have been assessed.

The tower height, footprint, equipment, personnel and operating environment all need to be considered. See our Floating Scaffold Towers service.

The modular system allows a wide range of platform shapes and sizes, but changes during the hire should not be made without agreement from FPS.

A change in dimensions, loading, access, scaffold position or intended use can alter the stability and safe working arrangement, so the revised requirement should be reviewed first.

Safety is considered from the planning stage through installation, use and dismantling.

Controls can include project-specific RAMS, agreed access arrangements, edge protection, life jackets, rescue equipment, safety boat cover, temporary works, positioning and restraint, operating limits and inspection requirements.

Read more on our Health, Safety, Environment & Quality page.

Where required for the project, FPS prepares risk assessments and method statements covering our agreed scope of work.

The documentation is based on the project information available and should reflect the actual site, access method, installation arrangement, water conditions and interfaces with other activities.

Yes. More complex arrangements, higher loads, scaffold installations and unusual configurations can be supported by temporary works design information and stability calculations where required.

We will need accurate information about the proposed loads, dimensions and intended operating arrangement. See Temporary Works & Stability Calculations.

The required edge protection depends on the work activity, platform layout, access points and project risk assessment.

FPS can incorporate handrails, mesh barriers, toe boards, gates and other project-specific perimeter arrangements. Rope or chain may be suitable for demarcation in some situations but should not be treated as equivalent to a proper guardrail system where collective fall protection is required.

See Pontoon Edge Protection Systems.

That depends on the work, location, water conditions, number of people exposed and the project risk assessment.

Some projects may require dedicated safety boat cover, while others may use different rescue arrangements. FPS can provide Safety Boat Hire and can coordinate it with the pontoon scope where required.

Our modular systems are transported using suitable FPS vehicles and trailers, with the delivery method planned around the amount of equipment and available site access.

Depending on the site, components may be unloaded close to the water, moved in manageable sections or transferred using agreed lifting or handling equipment.

Restricted access is one of the reasons a modular system can be useful. Individual components can be moved in smaller sections and assembled at a suitable location.

Where direct vehicle access is not available, we can review alternatives such as hand carrying, smaller plant, agreed lifting arrangements or assembling at a different launch point and moving the pontoon by water.

Send photographs, dimensions and route information when requesting the quotation.

Yes. FPS can provide delivery, assembly, installation, dismantling and collection as one coordinated hire package.

The installation is completed to the agreed layout and project controls. At the end of the hire, our team returns to dismantle and remove the system unless a different scope has been agreed.

For the sequence from initial enquiry through installation, handover and collection, see our pontoon delivery, installation and project process guide.

Delivery and installation can be planned around site access, permits, possessions, client working hours and other programme restrictions where these are identified in advance.

Tell us the required time window when requesting the quotation so we can confirm what can be accommodated.

The restraint method depends on the location, water depth, flow, tide, available fixing points, bank or structure and whether the platform must remain fixed or be repositioned.

Possible arrangements can include ropes, approved fixing points, spud-type restraint or other project-specific methods. The correct solution is considered as part of the complete pontoon arrangement.

Modular pontoons can be used in many inland and sheltered-water environments, including canals, rivers, lakes, docks, reservoirs, pools and other suitable waterside locations.

Suitability depends on access, water depth, flow, tide, exposure, structures, environmental restrictions and the intended work. The site must therefore be assessed rather than assumed suitable from the water type alone.

Yes, some projects require the platform to be repositioned between work areas.

The proposed movement method should be agreed in advance. Depending on the site and platform arrangement, movement may be by ropes, assistance from a boat or another planned method. Any change to loading or configuration before movement should also be reviewed.

Wind, flow, tide, water level, visibility and other environmental conditions can affect the safe use of a floating platform.

Project documentation should identify relevant operating limits and responsibilities. If conditions move outside the agreed limits or materially change from those planned, work should be reassessed before continuing.

Contact FPS as soon as you know the programme may change. Subject to availability and the hire agreement, the hire period can often be extended.

Early notice is important because equipment and installation teams may already be allocated to another project.

Do not alter the platform, edge protection, restraint, scaffold interface or loading arrangement without first agreeing the change with FPS.

Even a relatively small change can affect access, buoyancy, stability or the temporary works assumptions used for the original arrangement.

Contact the FPS office when the equipment is no longer required so dismantling and collection can be arranged in accordance with the hire terms and site programme.

The pontoon remains on site until collection, so keep the agreed controls in place and let us know about access restrictions, programme changes or site conditions that may affect removal.

Yes. Life jackets can be supplied for suitable construction, inspection, survey, production and event requirements.

The quantity and specification should match the wearer, activity and project risk assessment. See Life Jacket Hire.

Yes. FPS provides commercial boat hire for safety cover, access, project support and media work.

See our Commercial Boat Hire section for Safety Boat Hire, Work Boat Hire, Bareboat Hire and Media & Filming Boat Hire.

Depending on the project, the FPS scope can include edge protection, life jackets, ramps, access equipment, ladders, rescue equipment, safety or work boats and other project-specific accessories.

See our Pontoon & Marine Equipment Hire page.

Yes. Where appropriate, we can combine the floating platform with installation, access arrangements, edge protection, safety equipment, boat support and temporary works into one coordinated scope.

The exact package is built around the project rather than using a standard bundle. Send us the project details and we can advise on the required arrangement.