ScaffFloat adds knuckle boom crane to pontoons

Made entirely from scaffold components, the ScaffFloat system has now been fitted with a crane and used in a project on the River Thames for ladders, chains and wooden fendering installation.

The crane, which can lift 600kg and was fitted to a steel crane base, was designed according to the Lloyd’s Register Code for Lifting Appliances in a Marine Environment and assessed in line with IMO standards, founder and managing director Toby Budd says. The pontoon was licensed by the Port of London Authority as a commercial vessel before the work was carried out. 

For the project on the Thames ScaffFloat mobilised an 8m x 6.4m ScaffFloat, fitted with two 60hp, high-thrust outboards giving 0.8t of bollard pull and a 5-knot service speed, said Budd. Thirty of the company’s small 0.5m³ patented plastic floats provided 15m³ of buoyancy, giving it a comfortable 5t payload on the large open 50m² wood deck.

”We started off with simple pontoons that could be used for access. Then we added outboard pods to the pontoons turning them into workboats, suddenly they became much more useful to our customers and now 90% of our hires go out as a ‘vessel’.

”We then added spud legs, deck winches, and other bolt-ons to add further value. But there is no doubt that it is the addition of a knuckle boom crane that marks the biggest advance in the system from an engineering perspective. Lifting is a key component for most marine works and I am delighted we can now offer this to our customers.”

ScaffFloat won the Spirit of Innovation Award at Seawork in 2019. It is now developing a crane base for larger projects.