A dilapidated wooden decking at the sailing club was replaced with a modern wood composite material. All work was carried out by the club members themselves to install the boat dock on the floating pontoon. The product advantages of NATURinFORM's WPC decking – including the second-highest slip resistance rating of R12 – were convincing.

For the first time, the Hamburg sailing club TUS Finkenwerder used high-quality WPC (wood-polymer composite) flooring from NATURinFORM to renovate a boat dock. "A successful surface renovation, which was also carried out entirely by club members themselves," emphasized Holger Tormählen, board member responsible for the renovation.

Selection and advantages

The club on the Rüsch Canal of the Elbe River has around 300 members, and 13 jetties offer moorings for 150 sailboats. Due to the tidal range of up to 3.5 meters, the jetties are each mounted on floating pontoons. Ten jetties are equipped with aluminum decking, three with Bangkirai planks. "As the wooden decking had become dilapidated and unsightly over the years, renovation was absolutely necessary," says Tormählen. However, reusing wood for the surface was ruled out, as was aluminum. "In summer, aluminum surfaces heat up very quickly. Furthermore, the glare from direct sunlight is annoying." The new decks on the jetties needed to be weatherproof, easy to maintain, comfortable to walk on, non-slip, and splinter-free."

During online research, Tormählen came across the WPC range from the Upper Franconian manufacturer NATURinFORM GmbH, Redwitz ad Rodach. WPC is a material combination of 70% wood fibers from sustainable forestry and 30% environmentally friendly plastic. In-depth discussions with technical consultant Heinz-Dieter Göbel and the provided sample planks immediately convinced the sailing club's management. The decision was therefore quickly made for the solid plank "Die populäre" (The Popular One) in gray.

Easy to clean and particularly non-slip

The decisive factors in favor of WPC were primarily the positive properties of this modern building material. These include stability, durability, and weather resistance, as well as easy maintenance without additional painting or oiling, and a natural-looking installation pattern with a beautiful wood look. Furthermore, the precision elements are splinter-free and non-slip even in wet conditions. This is an important aspect, especially for boat docks, and one that TÜV Rheinland/LGA recently confirmed to the company. The decking boards were tested for slip resistance in 2011 and certified according to DIN 51130 with the second-highest rating group R12. According to DIN 51097, they achieved the highest rating level for slip resistance with Class C. "These advantages represent an essential quality requirement when using these boards on boat docks on and in the water," added Horst Walther, Managing Partner of NATURinFORM.

Processing of the pontoon

After the order was placed and the work was delivered, the renovation work began. No easy task. Not only did the members perform the "labor service" in their free time, but the 30m long pontoon also had to be brought from the water to land for the project. After removing the old wooden decking, the pontoon's steel frame was repaired and improved. Appropriately dimensioned base profiles were installed across the entire length of the dock as a new substructure for the WPC surface. In the meantime, the floorboards had been cut to a width of 2.35m. "No problem with standard woodworking machines," says consultant Heinz-Dieter Göbel. The boards were then easily and reliably attached to the base profiles of the substructure. Once completed, the crew members launched the floating jetty back into the water. Much to the delight of sailors of all ages, the boats could be moored in their usual places again.

Due to the successful renovation, according to information from the board, the renovation of the second jetty will begin in late summer – again with WPC decking from NATURinFORM, "so that next spring a cheerful 'cast off' can be heard again on this pontoon."