Unique shipping strategies for fibreglass pools

by arslan_ahmed | April 28, 2023 7:00 pm

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By Annie Brock

The saying, “it took planes, trains, and automobiles” to get to a destination can be modified to “it took trucks, cranes, and barges” to describe recent installations completed by Thursday Pools.

Jonathan Hendrick from Hendrick Pool and Lawn Service in McCordsville, Indiana, recently used a barge to deliver five fibreglass pools to backyards located along a large reservoir. The pools were all installed in a neighbourhood located in the township of Fishers, Indiana, and all the houses are on the water’s edge of the Geist Reservoir.

“In examining the approach to these backyards, it made much more sense to bring them in from the water, rather than trying to crane them over these large homes that are set back far from the road,” says Hendrick.

This led him to contact Deaton’s Waterfront Services, a local barge company, to find another way to get these pools to their respective backyards.

Using a barge and an excavator

In some neighbourhoods, it can be challenging to arrange the delivery of a pool, especially if it includes closing a road and attaining permits to do so. Bringing a pool through a front yard which is further from the backyard, and getting it around or, in many cases, over the house to where the pool is being installed, can not only be time-consuming but can also require additional work.

“By using a barge to deliver the pools, we had to use the excavator only to hoist the pools from the barge and into the backyard. In fact, we barged the excavator to the jobsite first,” says Hendrick. “It was fun to watch the pools travel by boat to these homes. There were definitely lots of spectators.”

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By not having to use a crane, it was more cost-efficient and avoided any potential damage to the clients’ property by shipping the pool directly from the water.

Although these deliveries were particularly unique, there have been other pools which were pulled down from a river to be delivered to backyards.

“Fibreglass pools are completely water-tight and built like a sailboat, so we also did consider just pulling the pools behind a speedboat,”
says Hendrick.

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Ultimately, the installation team decided to use the barge to be safe and to ensure the pools were not damaged by anything in the reservoir.

“The photos show there were five pools—all being installed in the same neighbourhood over a two-week period. All of them were for one home builder we work with and install all their pools,” says Hendrick. “The barge delivery brings the pools directly into the backyard, so there is no need to worry about craning it over a house, damaging the front yard, or having to close off a road for four to five hours to use a big crane.”

A lot of scheduling and co-ordination was required for this procedure; it was important to ensure everyone was on the same page. As a result, it paid off.

For this location specifically, Hendrick worked with Deaton’s Waterfront services, as they run all the docks on the reservoir. The company used a much smaller crane at the boat ramp and moved the pools from the truck to the trailer. The pools were then picked up off the barge using an excavator and placed directly in each respective backyard.

Since all the houses are on the reservoir, high-water tables made it necessary to plumb and fill the pools with water to ensure they remain in-place securely.

Fibreglass pools and their delivery

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Pool builders find fibreglass pools make it easy to schedule multiple jobs at once; this is particularly beneficial for builders that have smaller crews considering today’s labour shortages. Hendrick has been building both vinyl liner and fibreglass pools for the past 35 years, but he is finding his clients and his crew have a preference toward fibreglass pools.

“These pools have all the high-end, resort-style features that consumers want built into their designs,” says Hendrick. “Fibreglass is actually a better solution when it comes to shallow areas, especially for tanning ledges and beach entry pools, as you do not need to worry about what furniture is brought into the area, or how long the nails are on the dogs running into the shallow end, which can be easily torn in vinyl liner pools.”

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In addition to these features, fibreglass pools can also be installed quickly in any temperature.

“We are able to install fibreglass pools in really cold temperatures, both in the later winter and early fall,” says Hendrick. “And with organization, it is possible to install multiple fibreglass pools in a short period of time—by combining the deliveries and using cranes and barges as we did in this situation.”

Hendrick says this project, which involved the installation of multiple pools, was something he could only do with a fibreglass pool.

“We have been extremely fortunate. In this neighbourhood alone, we have installed 60 to 70 per cent of the pools. Out of the five pools we installed, three of them were 4.8 x 10.5 m (16 x 33 ft), one was 4.2 x 10.6 m (14 x 35 ft), and another was 4.8 x 11 m (16 x 37 ft), which included a 2 x 2 m (9 x 9 ft) fibreglass spa,” says Hendrick. “The manufacturer was great at helping us co-ordinate the deliveries and we organized accordingly, saving time to maximize what smaller crews can accomplish. It makes these jobs highly profitable.”

Many builders find fibreglass pools quicker to install, especially when they have a smaller crew. For most, fibreglass pool projects typically take one to three days, making it easier for crews to stay organized and operate efficiently. As labourers have been scarce over the past few years, it is another reason why installation companies are adding fibreglass pools to their product offerings. Fibreglass pools need fewer people to install, and, unlike other pool types, they do not require skilled labour. For example, a skilled worker is required to form a vermiculate bottom for a vinyl liner pool, and similarly, someone with finishing skills is needed when installing gunite pools.

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Offer fibreglass this spring

As builders are busy quoting backyard pool projects and trying to figure out how they can maximize the number of installations they can perform, they should consider offering fibreglass pools to their services and catalogue. By doing so, they can start installing pools sooner, get more pools installed with smaller crews, and with attention to detail and co-ordination, builders might even find themselves using unique delivery methods to get more pools into their customers’ backyards.

Author

Annie Brock has helped independent dealers grow and thrive for more than 25 years. Her pool industry experience includes positions in retail merchandising, design, and executive management. Brock is currently the director of business development for Thursday Pools and helps existing dealers achieve their growth goals, while onboarding new independent dealers. She is most well-known for her competitive spirit, a desire to do whatever it takes to get the job done right with integrity, and for her expertise in fibreglass pool manufacturing.

Source URL: https://www.poolspamarketing.com/trade/features/unique-shipping-strategies-for-fibreglass-pools/

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