Houseboat Refloating & Float Replacement

If your houseboat is sitting lower than it used to, leaning, or riding on floats that are waterlogged, corroded or simply past their life, the boat itself is usually fine — it is the buoyancy underneath that needs renewing. We retrofit modern rotomoulded HDPE pontoon floats beneath existing hulls and floating homes: the old floats are extracted and replaced, the new buoyancy is sized to the real weight of the boat, and the freeboard comes back to where it should be.

We design and fabricate the float arrangements in Poole, Dorset, and can support installation — ✎ [confirm standard wording for installation offering: in-house team / partner riggers / owner-assisted].

Real builds

Refloating a houseboat on failing buoyancy

✎ [PROJECT / LOCATION — confirm owner permission] — a houseboat riding low on compromised floats. New Cutlass Marine floats were installed beneath the existing structure and the old buoyancy removed, restoring freeboard and level trim without rebuilding the home above.

• Boat: ✎ type, approx. dimensions and weight
• New buoyancy: ✎ float count/type (e.g. Cutlass 600F × N) and layout
• Method: ✎ in-situ vs craned, duration, access notes

Renewing floats under an overloaded floating home

✎ [PROJECT — confirm permission] — a floating home that had grown heavier over the years (extensions, stoves, water tanks) until its original buoyancy was overloaded. The float layout was re-engineered for the current, real weight and the buoyancy upgraded to suit.

• Before/after freeboard: ✎
• New float arrangement: ✎
• What the owner noticed: ✎ (trim, stability, peace of mind)

How a refloat works

Every refloat starts with the real numbers: the weight of your boat as it is today, how that weight is distributed, and the freeboard you need back. From that we size a layout of Cutlass Marine pontoon floats — sealed, rotomoulded HDPE units that do not waterlog — usually carried on modular aluminium framing beneath the hull. Because the system is modular, buoyancy can be added or rearranged later if your boat's weight changes again.

Common questions

How do I know my floats are failing?

Common signs are the boat sitting lower than it used to, a persistent lean, floats that sound or feel heavy (waterlogged foam or flooded steel), and visible corrosion or splits at the waterline. If you send us photos and rough dimensions we can usually tell you whether refloating is worth investigating.

Can it be done without craning the boat out?

Sometimes. It depends on the hull, the site and access — some refloats are carried out in the water by working float by float, others are simpler with a lift. We assess this per project rather than promising a method up front.

What goes underneath — will the new floats last?

We use sealed rotomoulded HDPE pontoon floats. There is no foam to waterlog and no steel to rust; the same units carry our decks, moorings and floating homes. Buoyancy is sized to your boat's actual weight with a sensible margin.

My boat is heavier than it was when built — is that a problem?

It is the most common reason floats fail: homes gain weight over the years and the original buoyancy ends up overloaded. A refloat is the natural moment to re-size buoyancy for the boat you actually have now, not the one that left the yard.

Talk to us about your project

Send us a photo of your site, the rough size you have in mind and what the platform needs to do, and we will come back with a configuration and guide pricing. Contact the workshop — or explore the system in the pontoon base configurator.