The Gold Coast’s specialist canal jetty & pontoon builders.
Timber jetty repair and full rebuild, BIA-approved pontoon installation, marine handrail safety upgrades, and structural inspection reports for pre-purchase or insurance. Across the City of Gold Coast canal network — ~100km of private canal frontage from Paradise Point through Broadbeach Waters. QBCC-licensed. Marine Trades QLD experienced. MSQ tidal-zone approvals coordinated. Free on-site quote.
Five canal-frontage marine services.
From a single-board spot repair on a Sovereign Islands jetty through to a full structural rebuild with engineered F17 piles and integrated pontoon on a Sanctuary Cove canal frontage. We do the inspection, the council and MSQ approvals, the build, and the marine warranty.
Timber jetty repair & replacement
Spot board replacement, stringer swap, pile-cap repair, full-deck replacement on retained piles. F17 turpentine, ironbark, jarrah or spotted gum hardwood. Marine borer attack assessment included. ~$1.5K (spot) to $30K (full deck replacement). 1-7 day project.
See jetty repair →Pontoon installation
Floating pontoons - polystyrene-foam-core (most common) or concrete (premium / heavy vessel). BIA-approved range, fixed to driven piles or floating-pile-guide systems. Single-bay through to twin-finger. Includes gangway and access ramp. ~$8K-$25K pontoon + $4K-$8K install.
See pontoon installation →Full jetty rebuild
When repair isn't enough. Demolition of old jetty, new driven pile installation (4-8 piles typical), F17 hardwood structural rebuild OR composite/concrete piles with hardwood/composite decking. Engineered design with full Council + MSQ approvals. ~$20K-$80K. 4-8 week project.
See full rebuild →Marine handrails & safety upgrades
316 marine-grade stainless balustrading. AS 1170 wind-load design. Glass-panel canal-side fall protection. Integrated low-voltage LED lighting. Ladder pockets, cleats, bollards. Critical safety upgrade for older jetties without modern compliant handrail. ~$4K-$15K typical 12m run.
See handrails & safety →Structural assessment & inspection
Pre-purchase canal-property reports. Insurance and warranty documentation. Residual-life estimates on existing jetty / pontoon / pile network. Detailed photographic report with timber-borer probe, pile-base inspection, and load-test where feasible. ~$800-$2,500.
See structural assessment →Three things every Gold Coast jetty project needs to get right.
QBCC license + Marine Trades QLD experience — not a generalist deck builder.
Tidal-zone marine timber work is materially different to land-based deck or pergola construction. The piling is in salt water, the load cases include tidal current and wake loading, and the timber spec is governed by AS 3962 (Marine Structures) and AS 4997 (Marine Wharves) rather than AS 1720 (general timber structures). Plenty of capable general decking contractors quote canal jetties and then make the wrong material call — using treated softwood below the tidal line is the classic failure, marine borer collapses the pile in 8–12 years. A QBCC-licensed builder with documented marine trades experience matters. Confirm the license number on the quote AND ask for references on at least three completed Gold Coast canal jetties.
MSQ Tidal Works approval + City of Gold Coast canal-corridor compliance.
On the Gold Coast canal network, any work in the tidal zone (the area below mean high water mark) is subject to Maritime Safety Queensland (MSQ) Tidal Works approval. Like-for-like repair within the existing footprint usually doesn’t trigger a fresh application — but extending the jetty further into the canal, adding a pontoon finger, or replacing pile count or location DOES. City of Gold Coast additionally enforces canal-corridor setbacks — the public navigable channel is typically a 6-metre canal-corridor strip measured from the navigable centre. Sanctuary Cove sits within SCCMA jurisdiction with its own Architectural Committee approval. Hope Harbour has its own design covenant. We sort all three (Council + MSQ + body corporate) in parallel with the design quote so there are no regulatory surprises during the build.
Marine borer + UV + brackish water = timber selection matters.
The Gold Coast canal water is warm, saline-to-brackish, and biologically active year-round — perfect breeding conditions for marine borer (Teredo navalis, the 'shipworm'). Untreated hardwood lasts 5–15 years underwater; high-pressure CCA-treated H6 marine-grade hardwood lasts 25–40 years; creosote-treated turpentine lasts 40–60+ years; composite or concrete-cased piles last 50–100+ years. Above-water, the brutal QLD UV destroys unprotected pine in 3–5 years and untreated hardwood decking turns silver-grey within one season. We spec H6 marine-grade hardwood for piles by default, F17 turpentine or ironbark for structural members, and either oiled hardwood OR composite decking depending on owner preference. 316-grade stainless for ALL fixings — never 304 (rusts within 2 years in canal salt spray).
Where we work.
Whole City of Gold Coast canal network — ~100km of private canal frontage. Paradise Point and Sovereign Islands in the north through to Broadbeach Waters and Mermaid Waters in the south. Sanctuary Cove and Hope Island gated estates included.
From on-site quote to handover — 5 stages.
Free on-site quote
60-90 min visit at low tide. Marine-borer probe on visible pile timber, deck-board hollow check, structural-bearer inspection, water-depth and tide-range note. We talk through repair vs rebuild honestly.
Design + fixed quote
Engineered design (if rebuild) or scope-of-work list (if repair) + fixed-price written quote within 7 days. Includes MSQ + Council + body corporate approval pathway and fees.
Approvals lodged
We lodge Form 17 with a private building certifier. MSQ Tidal Works application if rebuild or new footprint. SCCMA / Hope Harbour Architectural Committee submission if applicable. 2–8 weeks depending on scope.
Build
Repair: 1–7 days. Pontoon install: 2–5 days. Full rebuild: 4–8 weeks (demolition, pile-drive, structural, decking, handrail, commissioning). Daily on-site progress photos delivered to owner.
Handover + marine warranty
Final structural inspection. Compliance certificate. Maintenance schedule (annual marine-borer check, oiling cycle, hardware corrosion review). 10-year structural warranty on rebuild work, 5-year on repair work.
Ready for a free on-site jetty quote?
60–90 minutes on-site at low tide. We measure, check the piles, probe for marine borer, talk you through repair vs rebuild honestly.