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Q: What are the floats made from? How are they constructed?
A: Our large barge kits float on our super tough 36" wide HDPE plastic floats. These floats have a highly impact resistant 3/8" thick shell with a closed-cell urethane foam filling. The HDPE plastic shells are rotomolded parts that are made from the same material that pick-up truck bed liners and snowmobile skis are made from. Each 4' long float is an individually sealed unit, so if you do experience a puncture, you simply can't sink. To see full details on our plastic float construction, please visit our MODULAR PLASTIC FLOATS page. Our plastic floats are industrial products that meet industrial standards, even if being used 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 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% and we cannot guarantee tighter tolerances. During the manufacture of our floats, we use secondary and tertiary cooling fixtures to ensure that the on-center spacing for the mounting channels in the top of our 36" floats remain at the 16" that we specify on our MODULAR PLASTIC FLOATS page. This measurement is strictly restrained during the cooling process of the shell, as well as during and after the foam filling process. Q: Is decking included? What do I use? A: Decking is NOT included with our large barge systems and we do not currently offer decking for these barge systems. The decking material that is appropriate for your project will depend on the use of your barge. Customers typically use marine-grade plywood (not pressure treated), rough-cut lumber, aluminum grating, fiberglass grating, or fiberglass deck planks for the flooring of their barges. The solution that makes sense for your barge depends on your application and budget. Below we have provided links to different deck plank and panel options for our barge systems from suppliers that we trust. We do not sell these items here at TPB and we are not affiliated with the companies we point out below. ROUGH-CUT CARGO TRAILER DECK PLANKS (MAY HAVE TO BE TREATED) Q: How quickly do boat and work platform kits ship? How does shipping work? A: Lead times for our large barge systems are typically in the 10-13 week range, and actual lead time for any individual order is dictated by current work load of multiple manufacturing facilities and the timing of your order being placed. We have systems in place to ensure that orders are filled as quickly as possible, but if checking for a current lead time, please bear in mind that it can change at any time and we will not push other paid orders aside to fill your order quicker. To be clear, shipping of our large barge systems is complicated and the cost of delivery can be hefty; typically a significant part of the total cost. Frame systems and accessories always ship from our fabrication and machine shop in NH (details below). The 36" floats for this system always ship directly from the plastics factory in WI and ship with a maximum of 26 floats per 53' truck if on pallets (they simply don't fit on a truck double-stacked). If you aren't concerned about a few scratches and are building a larger barge, or multiple barges, we can fit up to 76 of our 36" floats into a single 53' truck. Please be aware that you MUST have a forklift, pallet jack, and required manpower available to unload within a 1 hour window when a truck arrives with any shipment of 36" floats. The truck driver will not be required to help unload and will not have a pallet jack on hand. If we are charged for additional unloading time, YOU WILL PAY THE FEE. These terms are not negotiable. Below we have provided links to diagrams showing maximum capacities when packing 36" floats into 53' dry vans (standard tractor trailers) and shipping containers. 36" FLOATS WITH PALLETS IN 53' DRY VAN (TRACTOR TRAILER) 36" FLOATS WITHOUT PALLETS IN 53' DRY VAN (TRACTOR TRAILER) 36" FLOATS WITHOUT PALLETS IN 20' STANDARD-HEIGHT SHIPPING CONTAINER 36" FLOATS WITHOUT PALLETS IN 40' HIGH-CUBE SHIPPING CONTAINER MAMMOTH FLOATS WITHOUT PALLETS ON 53' OPEN FLATBED TRAILER MAMMOTH FLOATS WITHOUT PALLETS IN 53' DRY VAN (TRACTOR TRAILER) Large barge frame systems ship from our fabrication and machine shop in NH and NEVER SHIP WITH FLOATS as they are produced in different parts of the country. All the aluminum and stainless frame components for barges with our 36" wide floats are made and processed in NH (stainless tubes are laser cut in NH and sourced from a NH based supplier) for each individual order. Our large barge frame systems typically require dedicated full flatbed truck shipment due to the length of components. In some cases, we may be able to place frame systms into a dry van (enclosed tractor trailer) or shipping container. We do allow large barge frame systems to be picked up at our location in NH with prior arrangements. Delivery of our frame systems will require full-size forklifts and a skilled forklift operator. ANY DAMAGE THAT OCCURS DURING UNLOADING IS NOT OUR RESPONSIBILITY and the truck driver is NOT responsible for helping to unload your shipment. The receiving party is responsible for having the required equipment and man power to safely unload the order within one hour of the truck's arrival. If we are charged for additional unloading time, YOU WILL PAY THE FEE. These terms are not negotiable. Hardware typically ships with your frame members, but may ship directly from our supplier, depending on your location and scenario. This will be determined at the time your order is placed. INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS:
Due to the complicated nature of shipping these systems, all freight quotes require manual research. SHIPPING IS NOT INCLUDED IN OUR PRICING. When gathering information for your purchase decision, please call us if at all possible. We need a fair amount of information to provide a freight quote and will not quote freight with only an emailed zip code. Please also be reasonable with your requests as quoting multiple-mode freight for these kits is time consuming. Freight quotes are valid for VERY SHORT PERIODS OF TIME (often only a few minutes from the actual quote being issued - simply how the freight industry works), so if you're months away from making your purchase, please TELL US when you speak with us. Once again, please be respectful of our time as quoting freight can be quite time consuming. FREIGHT DISCLAIMER & RECEIVING PARTY AGREEMENT: As stated above, our large barge kits ship via truck freight, and when making a purchase that requires freight delivery, you are agree to some specific terms. These terms are listed below. -Freight companies will not hold freight or delay delivery without extra charges. Any delayed delivery due to the receiving party not being available during times specified at the time of purchase will be the responsibility of the customer and WE WILL COLLECT THE FEE. -Freight companies will not redirect freight, and under no circumstance will we change agreed upon shipping arrangements after a shipment has been scheduled. This includes, but is not limited to, changes to delivery address, delivery hours, receiving party contact phone number, or requests for additional phone calls before delivery. Changes cause problems in the freight industry, and problems are expensive. -THE RECEIVING PARTY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR INSPECTING FREIGHT BEFORE ACCEPTING DELIVERY. If damage is found during delivery, take pictures of the damage with the freight still on the truck (if at all possible), clearly note it on the bill of lading, have the delivery truck driver sign the bill of lading, and take a picture of the bill of lading. Be sure that both you and the truck driver have a copy of the bill of lading with the note and signatures. CALL US BEFORE THE TRUCK LEAVES YOUR LOCATION AND ACCEPT THE FREIGHT. REFUSED DELIVERIES WILL CAUSE ENORMOUS FEES THAT WE WILL COLLECT FROM YOU. After the call, immediately email or text the pictures of the damage and bill of lading to us at tinypontoonboats@gmail.com or 603-630-5658. Properly handling this unlikely scenario is YOUR responsibility. If your freight has damage, and the steps above are not followed, you are waiving all rights to a damage claim and we may not replace your parts free of charge. Tiny Pontoon Boats (Silver Lake Fabrication LLC) is NOT a freight company. When we package our goods, we take great care to make sure that items arrive as intended. During transit, freight is IS NOT ON OUR TRUCK. If damage occurs in transit, you must follow the steps above for us to be able to help you. Q: What is the warranty on these kits? A: Our floats have a 1-year warranty that covers manufacturing defects. This period starts the day that the floats ship to you. This is a 365 day period and the warranty covers the cost of freight for customers in the contiguous US (Alaska and Hawaii are not included), but not the cost of installation. Our frame systems have a 2-year warranty that covers manufacturing defects. This warranty starts the day that the frame kit is shipped and is a 730 day period. The frame kit warranty covers the cost of freight for customers in the contiguous US (Alaska and Hawaii are not included), but not the cost of installation or assembly. For non-US customers, for both floats and frame kits, replacement parts themselves are covered under warranty, but the cost of freight is not included. If you receive a product 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, misuse, and abuse are not covered under warranty. Q: How is payment accepted? A: For our large barge kits, we are able to accept payment via electronic bank transfer through our online invoice, wire transfer, ACH payment, or physical check. We do not accept credit card payments for this product line. All international orders must be paid via wire transfer. Payment is due at the time the order is placed, and no order will be placed into our production queue before payment is received in full. "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. |