Built steel experience
The completed Nautilus 55 and the Yntegra court provide real Nautilus steel-hull precedents.
Nautilus Innovation
Modular floating platforms for resorts and remote-island construction.
A new modular floating work and building platform being developed for resort construction, remote islands, Caribbean lagoons, marinas and waterfront projects. Designed around container shipping and local assembly, it can be configured for construction, public decks, floating pickleball or padel courts, and floating accommodation.
Proven steel experience underpins the next-generation HDPE platform. The completed Nautilus 55 demonstrates the original modular approach; the PE100 pipe system is the more deployable platform now being developed for static applications.
2023 winner
Radical Innovation
Professional Project
Award-winning creative collaboration
The Turtle Bungalow.
Nautilus and Luxury Frontiers worked together to conceptualise the Turtle Bungalow, pairing Luxury Frontiers' resort design with Nautilus modular floating technology and an off-site construction approach. The resulting concept won the 2023 Radical Innovation Professional Project Award.
This was an extensive design-development exercise—not simply a visual concept. The hull was configured around both the structural loads of the two-storey mass-timber superstructure and its mechanical, electrical and plumbing requirements, including space and load allowances for solar power, desalination, wastewater treatment and other resort systems.
Concept and design development: Nautilus + Luxury Frontiers · Hull configuration: Nautilus Water Suites technology
Built project / Miami 2024 / real photography
A floating padel court—built, installed and in use.
This is the completed Yntegra Floating Padel Court, not a render. Nautilus supplied the earlier modular steel-hull system for the two hull sets beneath the court. The project shows how a floating platform can become a high-value resort and waterfront amenity.
See the project, photographs and system distinctionA more deployable HDPE platform
The new PE100 pipe system is designed for container shipping, local assembly and static use.
Mobility assessed to the brief
Any propelled HDPE variant requires separate engineering around sea state, loads, operations and approval.
The brand architecture
Nautilus Innovation builds the platform. Nautilus Water Suites builds up the craft.
The engineered floating foundation is a Nautilus Innovation platform. Nautilus Water Suites is the sub-brand for floating accommodation built above it—structure, interiors, services and guest experience included. Nautilus first proved its modular approach with steel; the new HDPE pipe-hull development is intended to make static work, sport, hospitality and accommodation platforms faster to ship and assemble. Explore the wider resort design, procurement and construction practice at Nautilus Innovation ↗.
Nautilus Innovation / next-generation development
A modular HDPE work platform designed to avoid hull painting.
0paint on the hull, ever
0welds on the pipe hull
1 boxof pipes floats an 85 m² work platform
4 daysto assemble with a crew of four
How it works
Hull, frame and deck—each doing one job well.
Sealed pipe hull
Large-diameter black PE100 pipes are capped, air tested and fitted with a pressure gauge in the factory. Each pipe is its own watertight compartment.
Treated hardwood frame
KERAS GL20 keruing glulam spreads the deck load across the hull. Every member is fully machined before ACQ pressure treatment, then labelled for assembly.
Deck and wearing surface
Hardwood boards form the working deck. For vehicles and tracked plant, an optional 3.2 mm galvanised chequer plate becomes a sacrificial, replaceable wearing layer.
Built to be lifted
Lift points and landing blocks are carried by the frame, so the pipes only carry their own weight out of the water.
Standardised buoyancy
ISO 4427 PE100 pipe, sized to the project.
Standard outside diameters run from 630 to 1,200 mm, with walls from about 19 to 68 mm. Pipe size and wall are selected for handling, impact, loading and operating depth.
Every pipe is factory air tested at 0.30 bar for one hour, with a test record for its serial number.
Timber treatment specification
ACQ-treated keruing, specified for a marine working platform.
The structural frame uses pressure-treated keruing hardwood rather than creosote-treated timber. Treatment protects against decay and insect attack; the architectural coating is a separate finish.
- Primary structure
- KERAS GL20 keruing glulam
- Secondary structure
- Solid keruing, ACQ pressure treated
- Preparation
- All cuts, holes, seats and profiles machined before treatment
- Treatment standard
- CSA O80 preservative-treated wood, or the approved project equivalent
- Deck
- Reclaimed Belian, EN 350 natural durability class 1; no preservative treatment required
- Fixings
- Grade 316 stainless steel throughout the timber assembly
- Finish
- Leave to silver naturally, stain, or apply a compatible marine paint system
- Quality record
- Treatment certificates supplied with the timber kit; project retention and penetration confirmed before manufacture
First use / working life
A reusable floating work platform for construction.
The modular work platform can carry materials, a small vehicle or tracked plant; land over a folding ramp; or work with an optional spider crane. Spuds hold the floating structure as a stable construction deck in sheltered water. When the project ends, the platform is ready for its next use rather than disposal.
- 7.24 × 11.8 m standard deck, about 85 m²
- About 13.5 t product carried without crane
- About 9.5 t product carried with a 3 t class spider crane
- Optional chequer-plate wearing layer for tracked plant
Stability and operating evidence
Wide, shallow and checked across every loading case.
loading conditions
meet the IMO 2008 Intact Stability Code, Part B 2.2 pontoon criteria
range of stability
against a minimum criterion of 20°
transverse GM
from loaded to light condition
damage heel
with one outer pipe flooded and the crane aboard
The platform remains afloat if one pipe floods. Freeboard—not stability—sets the product rating for the standard work platform.
These figures apply to the current standard three-module work-platform design. Final ratings are confirmed for the configuration, load, water and approvals route, then verified by load and inclining tests at launch.
Built and shipped
Standard boxes. Four days. No welding.
A complete work platform ships in two closed 40 ft high-cube containers. Because the boxes fill by volume rather than weight, the platform travels as standard freight to any suitable port.
- 01Unload and set out the nine pipes
- 02Place the primaries and fit the straps
- 03Pin the modules together
- 04Drop in the bay frames and secondaries
- 05Lay the hardwood deck
- 06Fit ramp, spuds and bumpers; commission and launch
Resorts / remote locations / Caribbean
Floating building platforms designed around difficult access.
Remote resort projects need useful marine infrastructure before the guest facilities are complete. The Nautilus system arrives as standard freight, bolts together with a trained local crew and starts work as a stable floating construction platform. When construction is finished, the same modular asset can be reconfigured for hospitality, recreation or accommodation.
Resort construction platforms
Move building materials, compact plant and project teams across sheltered lagoons and resort shorelines. Configure the deck, ramp, spuds and optional crane around the construction sequence.
Remote-island logistics
Ship the pipe hull and treated timber kit in standard 40 ft containers to locations where transporting a conventional barge or welded pontoon is difficult. Assembly is local and requires no welding on the hull.
Caribbean waterfront projects
Develop work platforms, landing stages, public decks, floating sports courts and Water Suites for suitable Caribbean and tropical sites. Wind, waves, hurricane exposure, moorings and local approvals are assessed for each location.
Best suited to calm and sheltered water. Every resort, island and Caribbean project receives a site-specific review of loads, freeboard, stability, access, mooring conditions and the applicable approval route.
Explore platforms for resorts, Caribbean sites and remote islands →First use to second life
One modular floating structure. Multiple commercial uses.
01 / first use
Floating work platform
A hard-working modular deck for island, marina and waterfront construction—moving materials, carrying plant and supporting crane operations.
Construction asset02 / second life
Three families of use
The flotation and structural platform stay in service. The deck layout and what is built above it change.
Floating public spaces
Accessible waterfront bars, cafés, event platforms, swim decks, social spaces and landing stages.
Floating pickleball and padel courts
Full-size pickleball or padel courts on a stiff, level floating base, with lighting and perimeter systems engineered into the platform.
Floating accommodation
Build upward into a complete Water Suite. The Escape Edition demonstrates two storeys of floating accommodation plus a roof terrace.
Built precedent / Miami 2024 / Yntegra Group
Yntegra Floating Padel Court.
The completed court demonstrates the destination value of a floating sports platform. Nautilus supplied the earlier steel modular hull system—two hull sets comprising eight modules, installed in two days—for Yntegra Group's Art Basel activation in Miami.
System distinction: these photographs show the built Yntegra court on the earlier steel modular hull route. They do not depict the new PE100 pipe-hull platform described above.
- Developer
- Yntegra Group
- Debut
- Art Basel, Miami · 2024
- Resort application
- Signature amenity developed for Rosewood Exuma, The Bahamas
Project imagery courtesy of Yntegra Group. Select any photograph to open the official project story.
Nautilus Water Suites / proof and development
Proven steel experience. A more deployable platform in development.
The completed steel-hulled Nautilus 55 provides the full-scale Nautilus precedent. The original 2021 render set develops that experience into a premium propelled Water Suite concept. The newer Escape Edition explores the same accommodation ambition on a static PE100 pipe platform designed for simpler shipping and local assembly.
Proven foundation / enclosed modular steel hull
The original Water Suite concept, shown in full quality.
These polished external-party visuals show the intended architecture, outdoor living and interior standard of the 2021 steel-hull proposition. The built Nautilus 55 appears in the photographic sequence below; any new steel vessel remains a project-specific engineering, class and supply-chain engagement.
Development concept / static / PE100 pipe platform
Escape Edition: a more deployable accommodation platform.
The current engineering basis is a non-propelled platform that is pushed or towed into position and secured on a project-specific mooring system. It is being developed for suitable sheltered-water resorts and remote locations; the final rating and approval route depend on the site and use.
17.8 × 7.9 moverall deck
≈ 140 m²hardwood deck
2 storeysplus roof terrace
Staticpushed or towed into place
Water Suite plans and answers
The built-up craft, all in one place.
The original render set, floor plans and the practical Water Suite questions stay with this application of the Nautilus platform.
Is the Water Suite the hull platform?
The Nautilus Innovation platform is the engineered floating foundation. Nautilus Water Suites is the completed hospitality craft built on it—structure, interiors, services and guest experience.
Can the Water Suite be two storeys?
Yes. The Escape Edition shows open living at deck level, a private suite on level two and a roof terrace above. The final layout and loading are engineered for each project.
How is the Escape Edition moved and positioned?
The present PE100 concept is a non-propelled platform: it is pushed or towed into position and held on a project-specific mooring system. If a buyer requires its own propulsion, Nautilus can first undertake a separate feasibility and certification study covering sea state, speed, loading, operations and the applicable authority. No propelled HDPE configuration is represented as approved today.
Where are the floor plans and exterior elevations?
The plans-and-elevations download above includes the deck plans, upper-level plan, roof-terrace plan, sections and exterior elevations for the current Escape Edition concept.
From proven precedent to next-generation platform
What is established—and what is being developed.
| Position | Proven foundationModular steel system | Next-generation developmentPE100 pipe platform |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence | The completed Nautilus 55, build photographs and operational history provide a full-scale Nautilus precedent. | Engineering studies and application concepts are available; Nautilus has not yet completed a full-scale pipe-platform precedent. |
| Purpose | Established the modular hull, accommodation and propelled-craft design foundation. | Intended to simplify procurement, container shipping, local assembly and long-term hull maintenance. |
| Current basis | Project-specific steel vessel work drawing on the original system and supply-chain experience. | Static work, public, sport and accommodation platforms, rated to the defined site and loading case. |
| Propulsion | The steel work includes a completed craft and a documented propelled design route. | A possible future pathway—not a current approval. It requires a separate naval-architecture and certification programme. |
| Engagement | New steel projects require engineering, class and supply-chain assessment before quotation. | Begin with a pilot brief covering use, location, sea state, loads, mooring and required approvals. |
Nautilus archive / Steel Solution v1.0 / 2021
One modular hull, built up into the Nautilus 55.
The steel route is shown as one continuous system: transportable fabricated modules form the hull, the hull supports the accommodation structure, and the completed Nautilus 55 becomes the working proof of the idea. The 2021 design was developed in towed and propelled versions, with optional sponsons for additional beam, buoyancy and stability. It remains the proven Nautilus foundation, but a new steel project requires a fresh supply-chain, engineering and approval assessment rather than a catalogue price.
17.4 moverall length
5.0 / 6.2 mbeam / with sponsons
178 m²total floor space
Towed / propelledtwo 2021 design routes
The modular steel story / real photographs
Modules to hull. Hull to completed craft.
These are photographs from the Nautilus 55 build archive—not concept renders. Read left to right to see the shaped end modules, the connected hull units and the completed two-storey craft afloat.
Nautilus 55 archive documents
The original steel-hull drawing, specifications and practical information.
Archive design basis: the figures and documents above describe the 2021 concept and must be reconfirmed for any new project, location, classification and certification route.
HDPE has established marine applications and published class frameworks, but those do not constitute approval of the Nautilus pipe arrangement. The final rating, registration and certification route must be confirmed for each configuration, country, operating area and use.
How we work
From brief to handover in six clear steps.
- 01
Brief
What the platform carries, where it goes and the water it sits in.
- 02
Engineer
Hull, frame, deck, buoyancy, freeboard and stability.
- 03
Manufacture
Pipes capped and tested; timber cut, drilled and treated.
- 04
Ship
The kit travels in standard 40 ft containers.
- 05
Assemble
A local crew bolts it together with our drawings and supervision.
- 06
Operate
Jet wash, gauge checks and straightforward deck upkeep.
Frequently asked
The practical questions.
What is a modular floating work platform?
It is an engineered floating structure assembled from repeatable hull and frame modules. The Nautilus work platform is designed around construction loads, standard-container shipping and local bolted assembly without welding the pipe hull.
Can it support resort construction in the Caribbean?
Potentially, where the water and operating conditions are suitable. A Caribbean resort platform can be configured for materials, plant, access, landing-stage or later hospitality use. Wind, waves, hurricane exposure, freeboard, stability, moorings and local approvals must be checked for the specific site.
How is the platform delivered to a remote island?
The current standard-platform design packs into two closed 40 ft high-cube containers: one for the PE100 pipes and one for the machined timber kit. It is intended for assembly by a trained local crew without welding the pipe hull.
Can the system become a floating pickleball court?
The module family includes a full-size floating pickleball or padel court application concept. Court surface, perimeter systems, access, lighting, freeboard, stability and approvals would be engineered for the site.
Can it support floating accommodation?
The Escape Edition studies how the platform could support non-powered, two-storey floating accommodation. Structure, loading, services, moorings and the approval route must be developed for each location.
Does the pipe hull need painting or anodes?
The PE100 flotation pipes do not corrode and do not require a conventional steel-hull paint or anode system. The complete platform still requires cleaning, inspection and maintenance of its timber, connections, equipment and pressure gauges.
How is the timber frame protected?
The keruing frame is fully machined first, then ACQ pressure treated. It is not a creosote treatment. The completed timber can be left to silver, stained or finished with a compatible marine paint system, and treatment certificates are specified for the kit.
What if a pipe is damaged?
Each pipe is conceived as an independently sealed compartment, limiting flooding to the damaged pipe. Final damage-stability performance and the repair or replacement method are confirmed for the approved configuration.
Can the platform be lifted out of the water?
The design includes lift points and landing blocks in the structural frame so the pipes are not used as supports out of the water. The final lifting plan must match the approved configuration and weight.
Can the HDPE platform become a propelled craft?
Potentially, but not as an off-the-shelf claim. The present Nautilus pipe-platform basis is static and moved by pushing or towing. A buyer requiring onboard propulsion would begin with a separate feasibility programme covering hull geometry, thrust loads, stability, sea state, speed, payload, people carried, flag requirements and the selected approval authority. Nautilus has not yet completed or certified a propelled version of this pipe system.
Where can it be used?
The initial design focus is calm and sheltered water: lakes, lagoons, marinas and resort shorelines. Exposed sites require a separate project-specific assessment.
Who approves it?
Requirements vary by country, configuration and use. Nautilus would establish the engineering, registration and approval route with the buyer and appropriate specialists before final design or construction.
Start with a defined pilot brief
Tell us what you want to put on the water.
Share the location, intended use, loads, operating conditions and mobility requirement. We will identify the appropriate feasibility, platform and approval pathway before developing a project budget.
hello@nautilus-innovation.com