Metal aids to navigation.
Not every station should be converted to polymer. Large hulls, defined load-bearing duties, or a fleet already standardised on steel are all cases where metal remains the better specification — which is why we keep this line running alongside the polymer range.
Four conditions that make steel the right answer
The value of metal AtoN is not tradition — it is a handful of duties polymer does not cover well. Check the selection against these four.
- Very large hulls — beyond the economic range of rotational moulding.
- Load-bearing duties — large equipment mounted on the hull, personnel boarding, or additional structural loads.
- Matching an existing fleet — where crews, spares and tooling are all built around steel.
- The tender specifies it — build to the document.
If none of the four applies, it is worth running a whole-life comparison against the polymer range first — on waterways with tight maintenance windows the difference is substantial.
Four metal AtoN structures
Steel buoys
Large channel and special-purpose buoys, built to the hull size, ballast and mooring arrangement the project requires, with a specified protective coating system.
Steel beacons
Fixed steel structures for banks, embankments and shoals, with the load capacity to carry larger lanterns and ancillary equipment.
Aluminium beacons
Lighter and more corrosion-resistant than steel — suited to stations where lifting access is restricted or slipping for maintenance is difficult.
Shore marks & structures
Shore marks, leading marks and fixed marker structures, with shapes, colours and dayboards configured to the applicable marking requirements.
Parameters to fixThis family is currently supplied mainly to project drawings.
| Material | Carbon steel / aluminium alloy (grades to be confirmed) |
|---|---|
| Hull sizes | To be completed: sizes, displacement and ballast arrangements |
| Coating system | To be completed: coating specification, dry film thickness and design protection life |
| Shapes and colours | Configured per the IALA Maritime Buoyage System |
| Lantern | Fits our marine lanterns, or a prepared interface for a specified model |
| Telemetry | Optional telemetry terminal |
| Standards | To be completed: the standards the company manufactures and tests to |
This family is currently built largely to project drawings while the standard range sheet is being compiled. Send drawings or a technical specification and we will quote against them.
Usually specified together
Need metal structures?We quote to drawing — or help you decide the material first.
Send drawings, a technical specification or the channel conditions. If the material is still open, we can run a metal-versus-polymer comparison before you commit.