Boat & Pontoon Repairs FAQ — Central Coast

A gelcoat chip or small crack is priced by the size of the damaged area and the colour match needed. Structural hull repair after a collision, long-term water ingress or delamination is priced by how much laminate has to be cut out and rebuilt, and how easy the damage is to reach. Small cosmetic chips can be patched with a DIY gelcoat kit if you are comfortable matching the colour and sanding it smooth. Cracks that go through to the fibreglass underneath, or spider-cracking around a stress point, are worth having a repairer look at, because a cosmetic patch can hide a deeper problem rather than fix it.

There is no single interval. It depends on the antifoul product, how long the boat sits in the water and how much it is used. Marine growth building up faster than usual between applications is a sign it is due. A typical job covers haul-out, hull cleaning and application, and the cost is driven mainly by boat size and hull condition. If the hull also needs fibreglass work, ask about doing both while the boat is out of the water, so you pay for one haul-out instead of two.

It depends on what has failed. Replacing wheel bearings and seals is a relatively small job. Replacing an axle, or a full set of rollers or skids, costs a lot more, depending on the size of the trailer and how much rust there is. Bearings that feel rough, sound noisy or run hot after a tow are worth checking before the next trip. If the trailer is backed into salt water, have the bearings checked every season, because salt water speeds up corrosion.

Float damage comes from UV breakdown, years of wave slap and knocks from boats coming alongside. Floats sitting lower in the water than they used to are the sign to look for, and replacement is priced by the number of floats and the size of the pontoon. On the lakes, water level matters as well. Central Coast Council's Tuggerah Lakes estuary page puts normal levels around 0.2 to 0.4 m AHD (Australian Height Datum), with minor flooding from 0.9 m AHD and about a 50% chance of reaching that in any year. The July 2022 flood peaked at 1.72 m AHD. Ask how a repaired lake pontoon and its fixings will sit at flood levels, not just normal ones.

It depends on the waterway. Central Coast Council's DCP 2022, Chapter 2.12, says that on Brisbane Water and the Tuggerah Lakes estuary, Council will not accept an application for a waterfront structure until Crown Lands landowner's consent is in hand, unless the structure sits wholly on private land. In the St Huberts Island canals, you contact Council about landowner's consent, and mooring licences there are Council's responsibility rather than NSW Maritime's. The DCP also notes these structures may be Integrated Development needing DPI Fisheries approval. Whether a particular repair needs approval depends on its scope, so check with Crown Lands or Council before work starts.

Under Central Coast Council's DCP 2022, section 2.12.2.5, before a water recreation structure is built on Brisbane Water, the owner must create a positive covenant on their land. It requires public liability insurance for the life of the structure and the structure to be kept in a safe condition at all times. If those two obligations are not met, the structure must be removed. In the St Huberts Island canals, Council may direct the removal of structures that are not maintained, and the positive covenant there lets Council carry out repairs or remove the pontoon and recover the costs. If your property has a covenant, read it before deciding a repair can wait.