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River Pools vs. Thursday Pools: Comparing Fiberglass Pool Manufacturers

A common question I’ve been asked since joining the pool industry is: which pool manufacturer is the best? It’s a great question. At Royal Pools and G2 Outdoor Designs, we have been installing fiberglass inground pools for over 24 years. We’ve installed dozens of different pools from our share of a few manufacturers over the years. 

In this article, we’re going to compare Thursday Pools and River Pools and Spas out of Fortville, Indiana, and talk a little bit about the pools and services they offer. Picking a pool manufacturer is all about finding the company that best fits your needs and dreams. We have narrowed down Thursday and River as two of the best fiberglass manufacturers in the industry today.

Let this article serve as an unbiased look at the two companies from the perspective of a pool installer. We can’t tell you which manufacturer is best, but we can prepare you for what to expect from certain manufacturers. 

The six criteria we’re going to use to compare the two companies are:

  • Available pool shapes 

  • Number of pools offered 

  • Manufacturing and technological innovation

  • Warranties

  • Recommended installation techniques

  • Available pool colors

Available Pool Shapes and Amount of Shapes Offered

Thursday Pools takes the lead in this category with its extensive selection of pool shapes. From classic rectangles to elegant freeform shapes, Thursday offers a diverse selection of designs to complement any landscape or architectural style. Whether you’re envisioning a sleek lap pool or a relaxing kidney-shaped oasis, Thursday Pools has the perfect shape to fit your vision. 

The pools offered by Thursday Pools are:

  • Rectangular Fiberglass Pools
      • Goliath 25
        • 25’ long by 11’11” wide
        • 3’8” shallow end depth
        • 5’6” deep end depth
      • Goliath 29
        • 29’ long by 13’11” wide
        • 3’8” shallow end depth
        • 5’8” deep end depth
      • Goliath 33×14
        • 33’ long by 13’11” wide
        • 3’8” shallow end depth
        • 6’ deep end depth
        • Holds 11,718 gallons of water
      • Goliath 33×16
        • 33’ long by 15’11”
        • 3’8” shallow end depth
        • 6’ deep end depth
        • Holds 15,300 gallons of water
      • Goliath 37
        • 37’ long by 15’11” wide
        • 3’8” shallow end depth
        • 6’4” deep end depth
        • Holds 17,500 gallons of water
      • Goliath 41
        • 41’ long by 15’11” wide
        • 3’8” shallow end depth
        • 6’8” deep end depth
        • Holds 19,700 gallons of water
      • Monolith
        • 40’5” long by 15’10”
        • 3’4” shallow end depth
        • 8’6” deep end depth
        • Holds 22,400 gallons of water
      • Aspen 25
        • 25’ long by 12’ wide
        • 3’4” shallow end depth
        • 5’1” deep end depth
        • Holds 7,425 gallons of water
      • Aspen 30
        • 30’ long by 13’11”
        • 3’4” shallow end depth
        • 5’6” deep end depth
        • Holds 7,610 gallons of water
      • Aspen 35’x14’
        • 35’ long by 13’11” wide
        • 3’4” shallow end depth
        • 5’6” deep end depth
        • Holds 8,423 gallons of water
      • Aspen 35’x16’
        • 35’ long by 15’11” wide
        • 3’4” shallow end depth
        • 5’6” deep end depth
        • Holds 10,140 gallons of water
      • Aspen 40
        • 40’ long by 15’11” wide
        • 3’4” shallow end depth
        • 5’10” deep end depth
        • Holds 13,090 gallons of water
      • Grace Beach Entry 36’x14’
        • 36’ long by 13’11” wide
        • 0’ – 5’6” depth
        • Holds 8,400 gallons of water
      • Grace Beach Entry 36’x16’
        • 36’ long by 15’11” wide
        • 0’ – 5’6” depth
        • Holds 10,000 gallons of water
      • Grace Beach Entry 40
        • 40’ long by 15’11” wide
        • 0’ – 5’10” depth
        • Holds 13,500 gallons of water
      • Lil Bob
        • 27’9” long by 13’9” wide
        • 4’6” depth
        • Holds 9,000 gallons of water
      • Lil Bob LX
        • 35’9” long by 13’9” wide
        • 4’6” depth
        • Holds 9,500 gallons of water
      • Spirit
        • 39’9” long by 13’9” wide
        • 4’6” depth
        • Holds 13,500 gallons of water
      • Sea Turtle
        • 19’9” long by 9’9” wide
        • 4’6” depth
        • Holds 4,300 gallons of water
  • Shaped Fiberglass Pools
      • Titus 26
        • 26’ long by 12’ wide
        • 3’5” shallow end depth
        • 5’5” deep end depth
        • Holds 7,500 gallons of water
      • Titus 33
        • 33’ long by 14’ wide
        • 3’5” shallow end depth
        • 5’10” deep end depth
        • Holds 11,000 gallons of water
      • Wellspring 36
        • 36’ long by 15’11” wide
        • 3’8” shallow end depth
        • 5’10” deep end depth
        • Holds 13,500 gallons of water
      • Wellspring 40
        • 40’ long by 15’11” wide
        • 3’8” shallow end depth
        • 5’10” deep end depth
        • Holds 15,500 gallons of water
      • Sandal Beach Entry 34
        • 34’9” long by 16’ wide
        • 0’ – 5’8” depth
        • Holds 12,000 gallons of water
      • Sandal Beach Entry 39
        • 39’ long by 16’ wide
        • 0’ – 6’ depth
        • Holds 13,000 gallons of water
      • Sun Day 30
        • 30’5.75” long by 15’6” wide
        • 3’ shallow end depth
        • 5’4” deep end depth
        • Holds 10,000 gallons of water
      • Sun Day 34
        • 34’9” long by 16’ wide 
        • 3’ shallow end depth
        • 5’8” deep end depth
        • Holds 12,000 gallons of water
      • Sun Day 39
        • 39’ long by 16’ wide
        • 3’ shallow end depth
        • 6’ deep end depth
        • Holds 13,300 gallons of water
      • Pearl
        • 26’ long by 15’15/16” wide 
  • Roman Fiberglass Pools
        • 33’ long by 14’ wide 
        • 3’5” shallow end depth
        • 5’ deep end depth
        • Holds 11,490 gallons of water
        • 36’ long by 16’ wide
        • 3’8” shallow end depth
        • 5’8” deep end depth
        • Holds 10,500 gallons of water
      • 40’ long by 16’ wide
      • 3’8” shallow end depth
      • 6’ deep end depth
      • Holds 12,500 gallons of water

Thursday Pools also offers spas and small pool options, including:

  • The Pearl
    • 26’ long by 15’15/16” wide
    • 3’9” flat-bottom depth
    • Holds 2,000 gallons of water
  • Wading Pool 1
    • 9’ wide by 9’ long
    • 3’6” flat-bottom depth
    • Holds 510 gallons of water
  • Wading Pool 2
    • 13’9” long by 11’9” wide
    • 1’6” flat-bottom depth
    • Holds 970 gallons of water
  • The Round Spa Spillover
    • 8’6” wide
    • 3’ flat-bottom depth
    • Holds 800 gallons of water
  • The Square Spa 
    • 9’ long by 9’ wide
    • 3’2” flat-bottom depth
    • Holds 900 gallons of water
  • The Square Spa Spillover
    • 9’ wide by 9’ long
    • 3’ flat-bottom depth
    • Holds 890 gallons of water
  • The Grand Spa
    • 11’6” long by 11’10” wide
    • 2’11” flat-bottom depth
  • The Grand Spa Spillover
    • 11’6” long by 11’10” wide
    • 2’11” flat-bottom depth
  • Wet Deck
    • 14’ long by 8’ wide
    • 1’ flat-bottom depth
    • Holds 270 gallons of water
  • Wet Deck w/ Dual Spillover
    • 14’ long by 8’ wide
    • 1’ flat-bottom depth
    • Holds 270 gallons of water

River also offers a selection of fiberglass pools, though not as expansive as Thursday’s line. They carry five pool lines as well as three one-sized pools. Those pools are:

Rectangular Fiberglass Pools

Shaped Fiberglass Pools

Roman Fiberglass Pools 

Manufacturing Process and Technological Innovation

Without having to bore you with the full-blown manufacturing process check out these two videos to see how Thursday Pools and River Pools make their pools!

If you’re looking for a more in-depth explanation, check out How is a Fiberglass Pool Made?

Thursday Pools has become known as the industry leader for fiberglass pool innovation in recent years. So much so in fact, that in 2023 Thursday Pools bought out River Pools and folded them into their manufacturing process. They still operate as separate entities, but Thursday does own all of River Pools’ manufacturing. 

Thursday has patented many new products and innovations over the past few years. For that reason, we give this category to Thursday Pools. It should be noted that all of these innovations would be additional add-ons to their standard pool packages. 

Lucky 7 Skimmer

Fiberglass pool walls are usually slightly angled, and almost every skimmer is designed to fit perfectly in vinyl liner and concrete pools, making it a hassle for fiberglass installers. However, Thursday Pools has created the Lucky 7 Skimmer which is specifically designed for fiberglass pools. Thursday Pools designed this skimmer to have a larger mounting plate that will cover a pre-cut hole, making for a flush, polished look.

Backfill Eliminator

Tanning ledges are a great feature of some fiberglass pools, but they have often been a thorn in the side of builders for a couple of reasons. During the process of backfilling the area between the pool structure and the earth with stone, it is difficult to fill the area under the tanning ledge completely. For this reason, a gap is present between this portion of the pool and the earth, allowing the pool to flex over time because there is nothing to support it.

And then along came Thursday Pools with the backfill eliminator.

This structure, with a strengthened honeycomb core, is placed underneath the tanning ledge portion of the pool to give support between itself and the earth. Now you don’t have to worry about the pool shape ever flexing.

The Only Beach Entry Fiberglass Pool in the World

For years the biggest criticism of fiberglass pools was that you couldn’t customize them. Which is true. If you decide to go with fiberglass, you will have to choose a design offered by the manufacturer you pick. If they don’t offer something you like, then you’ll have to find a new company. Designs like natural beach-entry designs were impossible with fiberglass for many years. Until Thursday introduced the Grace Beach Entry pool.

This design gives you the feel of being at the beach as the entrance slopes down into the rest of the pool. The addition of a sloping structure allows the pool to transition easily between the patio that surrounds it, making it all flow together. The aesthetic appeal and innovation that it took to create this pool make it worth mentioning. 

Geo-Anchoring Pool System

Another feature that Thursday invented is the Geo-Anchoring System, which is a system that anchors the pool structure to the earth to prevent it from falling into the earth over time.

The geotextile material is infused into the pool walls in the manufacturing process and delivered to the location ready to be implemented.

When the pool shell is placed in the desired location, the material is rolled out from the shell onto the backfill. There are multiple layers of the geotextile material, thus creating a high level of security for the pool.

River Rods

One innovation created by River Pools is what they call River Rods. These are 12-inch-long composite rods that are placed around the perimeter of the pool above the shell. Once the backfill is placed around the pool, it’s time to pour the concrete patio.

Once the concrete is poured and settled, it has also encased each rod, securing them in place very tight, giving the pool and patio an added level of durability.

(Video about River Rods)

Warranties

This category is going to be a draw. Why, you may ask. Well, remember how we said Thursday Pools acquired River Pools last year? Because of this merger, the two companies now both offer the exact same manufacturing warranty on their fiberglass pools, a ONE-TIME TRANSFERABLE LIMITED STRUCTURAL WARRANTY AND 15-YEAR SURFACE WARRANTY AGAINST OSMOTIC BLISTERING. You can check out the warranties in depth below.

Installation Processes

Every pool installation is unique in its own way, but with fiberglass pools, there are some general things you can expect in the installation process. You can’t really pick a favorite in this category because the installation process will ultimately come down to the company that installs your pool.

Thursday Pools

A typical installation process from Thursday Pools looks a little something like this:

  • Step 1—Pool is delivered on a trailer
  • Step 2—The hole is dug
  • Step 3—The pool is placed into the ground on a compacted bed of 3/4-inch clean stone or water-permeable stone
  • Step 4—Plumbing is installed with straps
  • Step 5—Must have a de-watering system or the fiberglass pool de-anchoring system
  • Step 6—Backfill placed around pool with only clean 3/4-inch stone
  • Step 7—Patio and decking installed; concrete must be poured 9-12 inches around the bond beam of the pool (coping) tying the pool and concrete deck together

Again, this can vary depending on your pool builder, but a process along these lines is what you should expect. 

River Pools

While River Pools follows a similar installation process as Thursday Pools, they do take some extended measures.

  • Step 1—Pool is delivered on a trailer
  • Step 2—The hole is dug
  • Step 3—The pool is placed into the ground on a compacted bed of 3/4-inch clean stone or water-permeable stone
  • Step 4—Plumbing is installed with hard PVC only and straps
  • Step 5—Must have a de-watering system or
  • Step 6—Backfill placed around pool with only clean 3/4-inch stone
  • Step 7—Patio and decking installed; concrete must be poured 9-12 inches around the bond beam of the pool (coping) tying the pool and concrete deck together

During the plumbing stage, River Pools has implemented the use of plumbing straps. These are fastened around the pipes and secured to the pool shell, decreasing the amount of stress the plumbing will endure.

Available Pool Colors

The last category we’re going to talk about today, but certainly not the least important, would be color options! Fiberglass pool colors are generally very similar regardless of the manufacturer you go with. Lots of blues, lots of light blues, some whites, some grays, etc. This category is going to be a draw as well, as the color options the two offer are the exact same. 

Since the two companies have merged, the color options for their fiberglass pools are:

  • Arctic shimmer
  • California
  • Caribbean sparkle
  • Diamond
  • Maya
  • Sandstone

We hope you are able to make a better informed decision on who to pick after reading our article above. You can’t go wrong with a Thursday or a River pool, they’re made to be just as durable and long-lasting, and that’s all that matters. For more information on fiberglass pools and all things pools, feel free to check out our Learning Hub.

Written By Logan Edgemon

 

Additional Articles:

Is a Fiberglass Pool Worth Purchasing?

Common Fiberglass Pool Problems And Their Solutions

Fiberglass Pools: 5 Things Your Pool Builder Must Do At Installation