Floats and Frames
Modular Pontoon Solutions
floats-and-frames-project-portfolio.jpgA selection of real Floats and Frames builds and case studies, from navigable trimaran houseboats and pentamaran floating homes to float-and-frame pontoon kits, mooring jetties and floating event stages. They span sites across the UK, from inland rivers and the Norfolk Broads to saltwater marinas and the Isle of Wight.
Each project shows a different way our modular float-and-frame system is used, whether we supplied a complete vessel, a self-build kit, or simply the Cutlass Marine floats and the design consultation behind a client's own build. More case studies are added over time.
charnwood-ark-navigable-trimaran-houseboat.jpgThe Charnwood Ark is a full pontoon-hulled houseboat built by Floats and Frames in 2015, on a seven-module, 3.8 m beam trimaran frame. The modules were launched in sections from a Leicestershire riverbank and connected in the water into a single pontoon hull, then topped with prefabricated cabin sections that were clad, glazed and roofed on site.
Its low gabled roof clears inland-waterway bridge apertures, so the Ark is licensed as a genuinely navigable craft, which avoids the local-authority planning permission a fixed structure would need. The robust build also rides out the extreme flooding and flow at its mooring, a recurring theme across our riverside projects.
Related: Floating home kits →
lilypod-floating-timber-cabin-dartmoor.jpgLilypod is a hand-built floating timber cabin on a lake at Alder Farm, on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon. Our involvement was the draughting and design consultation for the pontoon base, followed by a floats-only sale and delivery of the Cutlass Marine units.
The cabin itself, from design to hand-building, was conceived and realised by the client: a striking floating sanctuary inspired by its natural setting, now available as a short-term rental retreat. It is a good example of how far a project can go from a floats supply and a design conversation.
Related: Pontoon floats →
quadmaran-float-frame-pontoon-norfolk-broads.jpgThis project was a full float-and-frame kit of six 4.5 m beam quadmaran modules, supplied for self-build and launched in increments by the client, then bolted into a single pontoon at a slipway near the mooring in the Norfolk Broads.
Following a viability consultation with our team, the owners are building their own superstructure for short-term accommodation and a family escape. The cabin stage has been delayed by Broads Authority requirements, exactly the kind of waterway-compliance question we can help clients navigate before they commit.
Related: Floating home kits →
pentamaran-cb100-houseboat-isle-of-wight.jpgA six-module, 5 m beam CB100 pentamaran hull frame, supplied and launched at a saltwater marina in Gosport. The pontoon was dry-assembled on a slipway at low tide and floated naturally as the tide came in; once afloat, a MAC Cabins prefabricated container home was craned on and fixed down.
The finished vessel was then towed across The Solent to its mooring on the Isle of Wight, where it now runs as an Airbnb. It handles the aggressive saltwater spray, waves and tidal beaching of an exposed coastal site, and is one of very few pontoon-based houseboats to have been to sea.
Related: Floating home kits →
water-source-heat-pump-mooring-jetty.jpgThis end-of-garden jetty doubles as a narrowboat mooring and a mounting frame for a water-source heat pump, with the heat-pump units suspended beneath the deck to draw from the water below. We provided the consultation and supplied the Cutlass Marine floats for the build.
The client home-fabricated the mild-steel frame to our drawings and finished it in two-pack epoxy marine paint. Articulated arms set into the garden let the jetty ride seasonal flood and drought levels, with cleat bolt points pre-drilled before painting and timber decking tech-screwed down after launch and final positioning.
Related: Moorings & jetties →
floating-event-stage-moorings-pub.jpgA bespoke three-module, 4 m beam trimaran raft supplied to The Moorings Pub in Barrow upon Soar, serving as both a floating event stage and extra covered space for patrons. It is built on a double layer of light-gauge steel framing with composite decking.
The stage has been in steady summer use since 2019 while riding out heavy flood conditions and aggressive winter flow. It has since been fitted for an outboard and navigated several miles downriver as a party raft, which says a lot about the durability of a well-specified floating platform.
Related: Floating decks →Whether you need a complete floating home, a self-build pontoon kit, a mooring or a one-off commission, we can take it from a first conversation through to delivery. Tell us about your site and your idea and we will advise the best approach.
