A: We typically stock 300-500 floats and turn-around time is usually 1-3 business days. We stock 18" and 27" wide floats at our location in NH and 36" floats at the plastics factory in WI. WE DO NOT OPERATE A RETAIL LOCATION in NH or WI and all local pick-ups require both an appointment and payment in advance. We do not accept payment on-site and visitors without prior arrangements may be turned away.
For US customers, small orders of 18" wide floats can ship with FedEx Ground, but orders of 8 pieces or more typically ship via truck freight to be most economical. 27" and 36" wide floats ship via truck freight, regardless as to the quantity ordered. If you're close enough to NH, local pick-up of small orders of 18" and 27" wide floats is available with prior arrangements and we will assign a minimal freight charge for any float picked up in NH (yes, we pay to get them here). As stated above, we DO NOT operate a retail location, so we stress that arrangements MUST be made in advance for local pick-up. Pick-up at the plastics facility in WI is only offered by special acception. When we quote freight, we will always quote the most economical means of getting your order to you, NOT the quickest. Delivery dates are NOT guaranteed for ANY shipment.
INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS: We ship via truck freight to Canada and Mexico, but if you're located outside of North America, we only ship via ocean freight. We do ship internationally, but not to all parts of the world due to liability or extraordinary cost of doing so. When shipping outside of the US, Canada, or Mexico, we only ship via container ship and only offer freight direct to a major sea port. When shipping via sea freight, the cost that you pay through us is ONLY the cost to get the freight onto the boat and physically to the local dock. Your local port WILL have additional fees on top of our freight charge, and you WILL be responsible for your local importation taxes and fees before the freight is handed over at the final destination. We simply don't have a way to calculate or collect these fees, so we strongly recommend doing your own research concerning the local fees you will encounter when importing our products. Also, you will have to work with a customs broker to file customs documents prior to floats leaving the US. We do not include this service and you will be responsible for making such arrangements. International orders are subject to minimum order requirements.
The cost of shipping varies enough from one location to another that we are not able to provide an automated shipping calculator on our site. SHIPPING IS NOT INCLUDED IN OUR PRICING. If shipping is required, contact us with your COMPLETE shipping address before making your purchase; we are not able to quote freight with just a zip code. We work with multiple freight companies and always shop for the best rate. A fair amount of work can go into obtaining freight quotes, especially for international customers, so please be reasonable with your requests. As the costs of shipping is constantly fluctuating, shipping quotes are typically only valid for a few days and extended shipping quotes are not available.
FREIGHT DISCLAIMER & RECEIVING PARTY AGREEMENT:
The majority of our products ship via truck freight on skids (pallets). Truck freight is complicated and there are caveats that some customers may not be unaware of. The three most important things to be aware of are listed below.
-Freight companies will not hold freight without extra charges
-Freight companies will not redirect freight without extra charges
-THE RECEIVING PARTY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR INSPECTING FREIGHT BEFORE ACCEPTING DELIVERY
Truck freight requires special attention during delivery, as the receiving party is responsible to note any damage before signing the delivery receipt and accepting the shipment. Signing (anywhere on the document) and failing to note any present damage waives all liability on the part of the trucking company. If the document is signed and damage is found after, we are unable to file a claim with the freight company, and we cannot guarantee replacement of damaged goods free of charge. Tiny Pontoon Boats is NOT a freight company. When we package our goods, we take great care to make sure that items arrive as intended, but once it leaves our facility, IT IS NOT ON OUR TRUCK. If damage exists on your shipment, note it on the receiving receipt from the trucking company, take a picture of the receipt, and take a picture of the damage on the shipment, as well as multiple pictures of the shipment as a whole, before the truck leaves. When you agree to accept a shipment of ANY KIND from Tiny Pontoon Boats, you are agreeing to these tasks in the event that damaged goods arrive.
Q: How thick is the plastic on the floats? Precisely what is the material? What are the dimensional tolerances?
A: All of our floats are made with super tough HDPE (high-density polyethylene) plastic shells, which is the same type of material used to make truck bed liners and snowmobile skis, and each float has a closed-cell urethane foam filling for safety and structural rigidity. The HDPE shell is a super tough material that will take a beating and the foam filling stops you from sinking if you do manage to puncture a float. The exact materials and their data and MSDS sheets are listed below.
HDPE plastic shell: DOW HDPE DPDA-3220 NT 7
Urethane foam filling: Dow Delta-therm AR8515 Polyol + Delta-therm AE7105 Isocyanate
Formed foam Technical Data Sheet
Delta-therm AR8515 Polyol MSDS Sheet
Delta-therm AE7105 Isocyanate MSDS Sheet
Our 18" floats have a 0.24" wall thickness, 27" floats have a 0.30" wall thickness, and our 36" floats have a 0.31" wall thickness. Walls will measure thicker in corners of mounting flanges and abutment surfaces. The wall thickness of each float is determined by completed part strength requirements, as well as production process requirements. Each float section is an independent sealed unit.
Our plastic floats are industrial products that meet industrial standards, even if you are using them for recreational purposes. We have painstakingly crafted our product and the production process, but minor inconsistencies in the floats can occur. Small gaps between the base of floats that are butted-together on pontoon assemblies is common. The floats come out of accurately machined molds, but final parts are not exact duplicates of the mold cavity, due to shrinkage, and industry-wide standards for large rotomolded products dictate quality control of our floats. All measurements stated are +/- as much as 4% (all measurements) and we cannot guarantee tighter tolerances.
Q: What is the warranty on these floats?
A: Our FOAM-FILLED floats have a 1-year warranty that covers manufacturing defects. This period starts the day that the float ships from the factory or our warehouse. This is a 365 day period and the warranty covers the cost of freight for replacement parts to customers within the contiguous United States. In the event that a customer outside the contiguous United States requires replacement parts, the cost of freight is NOT included in our warranty coverage policy. If you receive a float and find a defect, please contact us as soon as possible and we will replace the part or parts after clear pictures of the defect or defects are received. Crash damage, abrasion, misuse (including submersion beyond the recommended 50% of our standard capacity ratings), abuse, and damage occurring during installation are not covered under warranty. Warranty coverage is 100% at the discretion of Tiny Pontoon Boats and Silver Lake Fabrication LLC.
CLICK HERE to view our warranty for floats ordered without foam (special applications).
Q: What happens if one breaks?
A: Our current line of floats was released in 2023 after 3 years of development, and although we have thoroughly tested our floats, they are made from the same materials as our prior floats that were in production for over 30 years. In the years of us selling our floats to industrial and recreational customers, very few tell us that they have punctured a float. The customers who experienced damage have pretty extreme scenarios. Three examples include an excavator running over a little boat (whoopsie!), an excavator bucket tooth going through the side of a barge, and DOD putting high-speed shrapnel through many 36" floats (their test vessels never sink - as us about that!). Our floats really are tough as nails, but if you have the misfortune of piercing one, you can either easily replace the float, or repair it, but when the damage happens, you won't sink due to the non-water absorbing urethane foam inside each float. If you choose to repair a float, remove it from the vessel (or at least pull the craft out of the water), let it drain in a dry area for a couple days, and use a HDPE plastic welding kit (often advertised as a kayak repair kit - they use a similar material). This is a kit that comes with a special electric soldering iron-type tool and some plastic welding rod. People who kayak use this type of kit to repair their boats after rock damage. These kits are obtainable for about $60 on eBay or Amazon.
HDPE welding kit search on Amazon
Q: What do I use for a frame? Does TPB build frames or provide plans?
A: We have an extensive line of aluminum framed boat kits for our 18", 27", and 36" wide floats. Our small systems use the 18" and 27" wide floats and are available up to 15' in length. The frame systems we offer for our 36" wide floats are available for boats up to 30' in length and are listed on the BigAssPontoonBoats.com page. If you have a custom application, we can provide up to 30' lengths of any of our proprietary aluminum extrusions (1000 pound minimum for any given length). We also offer a single industrial robotics frame system with 36" wide floats on the Robotics Pontoon Platforms page. Our frame systems come with all the components to bolt together a solid base for pleasure and industrial vessels.
Q: Can I add your plastic floats to my existing boat as a "third pontoon"? How do I do this?
A: This is a common use for our 18" and 27" wide plastic floats. Although not applicable for every pontoon boat, we have a general set of installation instructions for using our 18" and 27" wide floats as a third pontoon. Links to the instruction pages are listed below.
18" third pontoon installation
27" third pontoon installation - COMING SOON (contact us for a .pdf)
Q: How do your floats hold up if the water freezes? Will the ice break them?
A: This question comes up a lot when speaking with customers in colder climates. We have a few Canadian customers that have informed us that they they've built floating rafts and work barges that stay in the water year round, including through the winter where the ice freezes solid around the floats, and they have provided no reports of failed floats. However, we do not know how loaded the vessels are and have yet to receive pictures of those vessels from the frozen north. As these customers used our prior line of floats that use the same materials, we expect similar results with our new floats. We can say for certain that a couple inches of ice won't hurt our floats, but we do still recommend at least pulling your vessel onto the shore if it is not being used during the winter if your area gets a hard freeze.
During the winters of 2019-2023, we froze one of our 6'x6' rafts with our prior line of floats in the ice here in NH and found no damage during those three winters. As of yet, we have not been able to freeze a raft with our current floats into solid ice (winter of 2023/2024 did not provide a hard freeze in our area). We are hoping to be able to do so during the winter of 2024/2025. We expect no trouble with this test as our new floats are more durable than the prior line.
Q: What's the patent info?
A: Our line of pontoon floats is officially and legally patented and the official issuance date with the USPTO was 9/17/2024. Our design patent, which covers our full line of pontoon floats, is US patent number D1042298. Full details can be viewed on the USPTO website HERE.
Q: How is payment accepted?
A: For domestic orders totaling up to $7000, we are able to accept payment via credit card, check, or electronic bank transfer. Payment for orders totaling over $7000 must be in the form of an electronic bank transfer, company check, or certified bank check. We do not accept foreign checks, credit cards from outside North America, or physical personal checks for orders totaling over $7000. Payment is due at the time the order is placed, and no order will be placed into our production queue before payment is received. "Net" payment terms are not offered by Silver Lake Fabrication LLC. This is a steadfast company policy. All prices shown are in USD and are subject to change without prior public notice.
Q: How do returns and cancellations work?
A: Simply put, they do not work. We DO NOT accept returns and we WILL NOT cancel an order. We work hard to get orders out the door as quickly as possible and provide the best service that we can. This means that when you commit to a purchase, we have committed to fill the order in a timely manner. Once an order is placed, the money you've paid goes into materials and labor specifically for your order, and we don't get that back, even if you change your mind. We repeat, WE DO NOT ACCEPT RETURNS AND WE WILL NOT CANCEL ORDERS.