Silver Sponsor Profile: Poralu Marine, provider of excellence in water sport equipment
Praised for their low environmental impact and multiple health benefits, water sports are on a roll in the Asia-Pacific region, especially in Australia. Rowing, kayaking, canoeing and dragon boat organisations attract each year more and more aficionados looking for an adrenaline rush and close contact with nature.
Photo: infrastructure for the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore, 2010
Now that the restrictions are easing in Australia, New Zealand and Asian countries, all sporting associations have to be proactive if they do not want to miss the opportunity to revive growth. How can they maintain and even improve the appeal of their respective activities in this challenging context? With more than 35 years of experience in water sports equipment, Poralu Marine believes that we must take full advantage of these quiet times. This is indeed the perfect moment for clubs to invest in top-notch equipment and refresh their public image to quickly get back on their feet.
Safe and Aesthetic Infrastructure
Water sports are enjoyed by enthusiasts of all ages, from children to senior citizens. Encouraged by the achievements of international parasports athletes, clubs and sporting facilities are increasingly searching for ways to provide infrastructure which enables those with a disability to participate at all levels.
To welcome current and encourage new memberships, sporting associations may need to review and refine their infrastructures not only to improve safety and convenience but also to provide easier and more reliable access for people of all abilities. Collapsible cleats, low freeboard pontoons with rounded shapes, and angles that are protected with polyethylene fendering are an optimum solution to ensure practical, convenient, and safe use of floating pontoons.
As Mike Tanner, President of the Hong Kong, China Rowing Association, explains: “The quality of the infrastructure makes a huge difference, especially for introduction classes. Athletes need to have a good user experience. They should feel safe and comfortable, and this is the case on Poralu Marine’s aluminium pontoons which are very stable and secure.”
Rob Simmonds, Director of Sport and Rowing at Ballarat High School, Victoria, Australia notes: “The aluminium floating pontoon Poralu Marine installed moves with the level of the water, making it easier and safer for teenagers to launch and recover the boats.” He adds: “Our old wooden launching pontoon can be slippery when wet. As the structure wears down, nails or wooden pieces can stick out and break easily. With our aluminium launching pontoon, the kids are safe. Besides, scratching and denting the boats is almost impossible. Poralu pontoons are truly teenager proof.”
Above: Ballarat High School Boat Club, before and after the new aluminium floating pontoon
The floating pontoons can be reinforced with extra floats and are wide and stable enough to accommodate wheelchairs, and adaptive sailing or rowing equipment.
As the scorching sun can often be a scourge for bare-feet rowers, polypropylene decking offers enhanced protection against UV rays and does not store heat. It also provides a robust and non-slip surface, a useful additional feature to reinforce safety during boats launching and recovery.
Sustainable Sporting Installations
A strong environmental commitment, supported by tangible infrastructure selection, can be a great asset for a club’s public image and attractiveness. Materials choices do make a difference in both the short and long term.
Aluminium floating docks are environmentally friendly as they are constructed from 100% recyclable and long-lasting marine-grade quality products, made to resist the most extreme climates and marine environments (temperatures from – 40°C to + 50°C, tropical storms areas and cyclonic locations, snow and ice).
Mike Tanner explains that the key factor in their decisions to choose an aluminium pontoon was “the reputation and the quality of product; aluminium gave us the confidence that the pontoon would last over the years and still be reliable. We were expecting a good value for our money from Poralu Marine and, so far, it did not disappoint.”
Rob Simmonds adds: “With the screws coming off or the wooden plank breaking, we spent over 1000AUD a year to fix our wooden pontoon. Over the years, that adds up. In comparison, the maintenance on the Poralu aluminium pontoons is almost non-existent.”
Their high level of recyclability can also be put forward as an added and significant advantage. All major components in addition to the aluminium such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and stainless steel are 100% recyclable.
The benefits of aluminium extend further when considering the impact on the environment, as since pontoons with minimal draft and multiple floats do not form a solid edge. Therefore, water and even debris can easily pass through the float gaps, ensuring that water exchange is unaffected.
High-end and Innovative Equipment
Without question, one of the highlights of a club’s life is the organisation of competitions. Being local national or international events, the capacity to hold races is a major asset to attract new athletes.
Facilities suitable for high-level sport need to meet strict performance criteria. A great example is the WIFC (Welland International Flat Water Center), Welland, Canada: his Director Stephen Fischer has been working with Poralu Marine to design all the floating dock modules to allow international events to come during the following years for rowing, sprint canoe, open water swimming, kayak polo and even a challenging Dragon Boat World championship. In the case of systems constructed specifically as “start” facilities they must offer a flexible and adjustable solution to ensure fair competitions for a wide range of boat sizes.
Finally, they ideally should be designed or adapted as floating platforms to welcome large scale ceremonies or to be utilised for other community events. The sporting club of Kawana, Queensland, Australia run by the Sunshine Council Coast, was equipped in this way by Poralu Marine with an innovative floating rowing starting line that can be adapted into a platform for medal presentation ceremonies. The club is now ready to welcome water-sport competitions, whatever the size of the boats, and to host ceremonies or other events on-water.
Partner of choice for sporting associations of all sizes
In an increasingly competitive setting, sporting associations have several options to attract and retain their members. Visually appealing, sustainable, safe, and high-performing infrastructures give them the best possible chance to increase their appeal.
Specialising in water-sports installations, Poralu Marine is a partner of choice for sporting associations of all sizes. Poralu Marine has placed the values of sport in its DNA: excellence, commitment, fun, ethics, and passion. We share the same pursuit of personal excellence and the same respect for our partners. Our floating pontoons have been designed in collaboration with high-level athletes from FISA (World Rowing Federation) and ICF (International Canoe Federation) in order to get an expert understanding of training and competition needs. This proximity to the athletes allows Poralu Marine’s innovation to stay at the cutting-edge of technology.
Following competitive tenders, Poralu Marine has been selected by several International Committees to equip their facilities for world-class competitions. Some of our global references include international major events such as the Olympic and the Paralympic Games in London in 2012; the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in 2010; the World Rowing Championships in Lucerne (Switzerland) in 2001; the World Junior Rowing Championships, Brive-la-Gaillarde (France) in 2009 and last but not least Paris 2024 Olympic Games. For more information, visit www.poralu.com
Photos above left: the Capital Lake Rowing Club, and the ICF Canoe World Championships
