Age of a Doughboy Pool

by Laura
(Grand Rapids, MI)

We are looking at buying a used doughboy pool. I have looked into a couple that the people "think" they are about 10-15 years old, but they still have those Y shaped buttresses on the long side of the oval.

Does anyone know when Doughboy stopped making the outside buttresses? These pools seem to be older than 10 years old at first glance, and I don't want to end up with a 20-25 year old pool instead.

Thanks for your help.

Hi Laura

There are some models of Doughboy pools still using that brace assembly. It's not a good indicator of age.

Age is not that important when considering the condition of a pool. I have seen above ground pools rusting away after only a few years. I have seen others that are good as new after 20 years.

A lot of it has to do with the soil conditions where the pool is sitting. Some acidic soils can reek havoc on a pool. Pools sitting in constantly damp soil don't fair so well either.

I would dig the dirt out from around the outside of the pool and get a close look at the bottom rails. I would then remove one of the uprights. Can you remove the screws without having to snap them off? Is the bottom plate healthy looking or will it fall apart when you touch it?

If it all looks good from the outside I then want to do the same to the inside.

Keep in mind there is no way you are going to be able to use the liner that is in the pool, it will need a new one. So I would insist the owner empty the pool and allow me to examine the inside before I gave them any money.

Once inside the pool I would take a razor blade a few inches from the top and cut the liner out. You can now examine the inside of the wall. Pull the sand back and examine all the way down to the bottom rail.

The pool could be thirty years old but if there is minimal rust, inside and out, and all the parts are reusable, it really does not matter.

All that matters with age is what you see from the outside. The paint on the wall and top rails becomes faded. If the fading makes the pool look too old pass it up. If it looks good at first glance start digging and see what you find. It just might be good as new.