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Description

      The P-series pontoons can be used to create barges, causeways, ferry boats, landing craft, gunnery platforms, floating dry docks, etc. There are six basic components, and a lot of accessories.

Specifications

     For the P-1 basic pontoon:

Weight:  empty, 1 ton

Length:  1.53 m

Width:  2.13 m

Height:  1.53 m

     ... which have a displacement of 5 tons (if fully submerged). The other five pontoons are:

• P-2:  2.13 square, 1.53 deep. It's the component used to make ends for barges and ferries, since the upper surface is level. The underside of the bow is 9.5mm thick steel (armor value 15)
  

• P-3:  flat bottom, but the upper deck slopes down to about 2/3 height.

• P-4:  upper deck slopes down, bottom slopes up; this is attached to the P-3 to makes a ramp down to about half a meter from the bottom.

• P-5 male:  similar to the P-2, but has a hinge along the "bow" edge, to connect with ...

• P-5 female:  ... and thus make flexible connections for long wharves, causeways, etc. The resulting hinge can withstand 150 tons of pull.
  

     They have non-skid coating on the deck plates. Each pontoon has a 5 cm plugged hole for air ventilation, water drainage or siphon connections at the top and bottom of each end plate. They're made of 4.8mm steel (armor value 10).

     The designed load for these pontoons allows for 30 centimeters of freeboard; wheeled vehicles are limited to 16 tons per axle without some serious strengthening of the pontoon system. A sample barge:

Accessories

     A skid-mounted outboard motor can be attached to the deck edge, at the bow, sides or stern of a pontoon vessel. For the Morrow Project, this is a 230 HP electric motor, with a right-angle housing and vertical drive down to the 106 cm diameter propeller, which has a Kortz nozzle. Steering is accomplished by rotating the propeller in a complete circle. The motor unit has a steering wheel, direction indicator for the propeller, and a power control unit. The motors can be operated remotely. Weight, about 2 tons.

     All sorts of bolts, nuts, keepers, closures, assembly plates, chafing plates, gussets, tie plates, pins, bitts, cleats, etc. are used to connect pontoons together and to fit them out. The basic assembly bolt is 1.5" diameter, 3-3/8" long, with a hexagonal head. For game purposes, 10 kg of material is needed to connect two pontoons together.

     A system of rubber fenders are available for the edges. Fenders for one pontoon edge weigh 10 kg.

     Assembling pontoons together requires drift pins, spud wrenches, come-alongs, spreader jacks, heavy-duty pinch bars, and assembly jigs. An impact wrench, or 48" long ratchet wrench, is needed to tighten up the nuts.

     Deck structures may be needed for tools, fittings, pups, etc.; a standard pontoon upper surface can be replaced with a 21" diameter waterproof hatch. A floor panel assembly is installed inside the pontoon. The deck-with-hatch weighs 100 kg; the internal floor assembly weighs 100 kg.

     An electrically-driven winch is available, in a steel housing with bolt-down corners. It can apply 4500 kg of pull (yes, units, I know); maximum line speed is 3.6 meters per minute. A snatch block is furnished, which doubles line pull for heavy winching requirements. The winch cable is 40.6 meters long, 9.5mm diameter, and weighs 12.9 kg. The entire winch unit weighs about 50 kg.

     There's a little one-man pilothouse, with propulsion unit controls, dome light, and navigation lights; heater; windshield wiper; electric fan; outlets for 12 volt DC, 24 volt DC, 110 volt AC. Note that it's not sealed against fallout. Aluminum construction (10 points of armor), windows are 8mm thick polycarbonate (armor value 10). Mass, 200 kg.