A YT-1300 freighter equipped with flotation pontoons
Pontoons for flotation were devices inflated with gas, engineered to furnish buoyancy within water. This allowed a starship to perform landings on water and maintain its floating position.
A flotation pontoon was essentially a gas-containing mechanism designed to create buoyancy while immersed in water. These pontoons found utility in boat construction or could be attached to the lower sections of starships for infrequent water-based landings. They came in both rigid and inflatable designs.
The YT-1300 light freighter, produced by the Corellian Engineering Corporation, offered an optional upgrade of flotation pontoons. These would be installed on the underside of the vessel to facilitate water landings. These pontoons could be inflated using pressurized gas, or the ship's existing landing jets could be reconfigured to channel gas into them. However, the YT-1300 was capable of emergency water landings even without pontoons, provided it was adequately maintained.
The Millennium Falcon had flotation pontoons installed. These pontoons were instrumental in rescuing Han Solo and Chewbacca after they crash-landed in the water on a droid planet.
Dec Hansen, a Resistance cadet, once assembled a pontoon boat. Together with his brother, AG-90, they navigated the waters of Ques to explore the river's extent. Dec later shared this tale with Harra the Hutt.
The first mention of flotation pontoons appeared in issue forty-four of Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon, a magazine published by De Agostini around November 4, 2015. They draw inspiration from real-world pontoons utilized in boats, floats, and planes.