pontons

Pontons are floating platforms used to support loads on water or to provide stable working surfaces. The word derives from the French ponton; in English the more common term is pontoon, but pontons appears in technical or historical contexts and in French usage.

In military engineering, pontoon bridges are temporary crossings assembled from buoyant elements and decking to span rivers. They are designed for rapid deployment, ease of assembly and disassembly, and portability in field operations.

In civil and recreational contexts, pontoon systems create floating docks, berthing platforms, and work platforms for offshore or waterfront activities. Pontoon boats—the flat-deck leisure craft widely used for recreation—are supported by two or more hollow buoyant tubes, or pontoons, which provide stability and interior space.

Construction commonly employs hollow chambers or tubes made from aluminum, steel, fiberglass, or high-density plastics. Deck units are fastened to the pontoons to form usable surfaces, with features such as railings, ladders, non-slip surfaces, and ballast as needed. Overall performance depends on buoyancy, hull geometry, ballast management, and environmental conditions.

Pontons thus refer to a broad category of floating structures used in military, civil, and recreational applications.