The Big Bob by Thursday Pools is a large rectangular fiberglass pool built on one simple promise: give the whole family more room to play in the same water at the same time. Thursday Pools says Bob has done it again, only even bigger, and the design earns that description. At 16 feet wide and 40 feet long with a uniform flat-bottom depth that holds steady from one end to the other, the Big Bob is a genuine sport pool scaled up for households that want space to spread out. This is the pool for the family that always seems to have a few extra kids in the backyard and would not have it any other way.
Big Bob Thursday
Pool
More Pool, More Fun, More Bob
What Is the Big Bob Pool?
The Big Bob is a rectangle fiberglass pool available in one generous size: outside dimensions of 16′ x 40′, inside dimensions of 15′ x 39′, with a uniform flat-bottom standing depth of 4’6″ throughout the entire pool.
What defines the Big Bob structurally is that flat-bottom floor combined with extra-long built-in benches running along both sides of the pool. Most fiberglass models include a single short bench near the steps. The Big Bob extends bench seating down both long walls, so a large group can sit, rest, and socialize in the water at the same time without crowding the entry area. Wide walk-in entry steps make getting in and out easy for swimmers of every age, and the same non-skid gel coat finish that covers the pool floor runs across the benches and steps for sure footing at every contact point. The wide-open central swim area runs unobstructed across the full 40-foot length, built for pool games, water aerobics, casual laps, or simply floating through an afternoon with a full house.
What the Big Bob Pool Is Not
The Big Bob is not a variable-depth pool. There is no deep end, no shallow-to-deep grade, and no depth transition to navigate. Its uniform 4’6″ sport depth is a deliberate design choice, not an omission. If your family is set on a diving pool with a traditional deep end, Thursday Pools’ Monolith, which reaches 8’6″ in the deep end, is the model built for that.
The Big Bob is also not a compact or space-saving design. At 16′ x 40′, it is one of the larger rectangles in the Thursday Pools lineup, and it needs a yard that can accommodate it. If your space is tighter, the Lil Bob and Lil Bob LX deliver the same Bob character in a smaller footprint. What the Big Bob delivers that the smaller models cannot is sheer shared capacity: a wide, long, flat-bottom pool where a big group is all in the same water, at the same comfortable depth, at the same time.
Why Thursday Pools?
Thursday Pools is the only fiberglass pool manufacturer in the United States that holds ISO 9001 certification, the internationally recognized, independently audited standard for quality management systems. That designation governs how Thursday Pools designs, produces, and tests every pool that leaves their Fortville, Indiana, facility, and no other fiberglass pool manufacturer in the country holds it.
On the Big Bob specifically, patented Thursday Pools innovations are available:
- Geo-Anchor Pool Wall® (U.S. Patent No. 9593455): A fiberglass pool anchoring system engineered to reinforce the pool wall structure. For Ohio homeowners, where freeze-thaw cycles put consistent seasonal pressure on underground installations, this added structural layer is a meaningful upgrade over standard construction.
- Lucky 7 Skimmer®: The first skimmer in the fiberglass pool industry designed specifically for fiberglass pools. Its 7-degree angle and custom mounting plate improve skimming function, optimize water level management, and produce a cleaner finished look at the pool wall compared to adapting standard skimmer hardware to a fiberglass shell.
The gel coat finish on the Big Bob, standard across all Thursday Pools designs, is non-skid and impervious to algae. That means less scrubbing, fewer chemicals, and a surface built to withstand years of heavy, active family use without cracking or peeling.
Why Fiberglass and Why Big Bob?
Fiberglass pools are faster to install, have lower long-term maintenance costs, and are easier to care for than concrete or vinyl-liner pools. They do not require resurfacing the way concrete does. They do not carry the recurring expense of liner replacement the way vinyl does. Thursday Pools estimates installation cost at approximately $1,800 per linear foot as a ballpark figure, making the Big Bob’s 40-foot length a useful reference point when you begin thinking through your budget.
The case for the Big Bob specifically comes down to how the flat bottom changes the way a large pool gets used. Most fiberglass pools, regardless of manufacturer, follow a traditional depth model with a defined shallow end and a deeper end, which means only part of the pool works for any given activity. The Big Bob’s uniform 4’6″ depth makes the entire 40-foot surface usable at once. Pool games happen anywhere. Kids of different ages share the same water with no invisible boundary between what they can and cannot manage. Adults who want to walk, exercise, or just stand and talk can do so comfortably anywhere in the pool. Add the extra-long benches on both sides, and the Big Bob becomes a pool where a crowd can genuinely spread out instead of stacking up at one end.
Ready for More Bob in Your Backyard?
Your backyard is ready for this. The Big Bob pool by Thursday Pools is how you make it happen. At Ohio Paradise Pools, we have spent over 32 years building pools for Northeast Ohio families, and we bring that full depth of experience to every project. We are family-owned and full-service, which means we handle everything from initial design through excavation, shell installation, plumbing, electrical, and decking, and we stay in communication with you at every step. We offer FaceTime check-ins throughout the build so you can see real progress on your project even when you are not on-site.
When installation is complete, we close out every project with our pool school, a two-visit, hands-on orientation that walks you through your filtration system, water chemistry, and seasonal routines so you go into year one fully confident.
Call us today at (440) 610-5484 or schedule a free consultation to start planning your Big Bob pool installation in Edison Park and the surrounding Ohio communities.
Available Sizes
Big Bob Pool FAQs
What is the Big Bob's size, and what does a uniform flat-bottom depth mean in practice?
The Big Bob comes in one size: outside dimensions of 16′ x 40′ with inside dimensions of 15′ x 39′ and a uniform 4’6″ flat-bottom depth throughout. The uniform depth is the design choice that makes the Big Bob distinctive. Instead of grading from a shallow end to a deep end the way most inground pools do, the Big Bob holds that same 4’6″ depth from one end of the 40-foot pool to the other. For families, this is a meaningful practical difference. Because the depth never changes, there is no invisible boundary between where swimmers can and cannot go, and the entire pool stays predictable from end to end. For adults, 4’6″ is a comfortable standing depth for socializing, playing games, and exercising without treading water. The entire pool becomes available to everyone at the same time.
How is the Big Bob different from the Lil Bob and Lil Bob LX?
The three Bob designs share the same flat-bottom sport pool character, and the difference is scale. The Lil Bob and Lil Bob LX are the compact members of the family, sized for yards where space is the constraint and a smaller group is the norm. The Big Bob is the full-size version, at 16′ x 40′, built for households that regularly host a crowd and want room for everyone to be in the water at once. If your yard is tight or your gatherings are smaller, a Lil Bob keeps the same design language in a footprint that fits. If you have the space and the people to fill it, the Big Bob is the one that lives up to its name.
What are the extra-long benches, and why do they matter?
Most fiberglass pools include a single short bench near the entry steps. The Big Bob extends built-in bench seating along both long sides of the pool, which changes how a group uses the space. In a pool actively shared by a full family plus guests, a single bench becomes a bottleneck. With long benches on both sides, multiple people can sit and rest in the water at the same time, on opposite walls, without crowding the swim area or the steps. Parents supervising younger swimmers have a comfortable spot to sit at water level from either side, and the benches double as a social zone for the adults who want to be in the pool without actively swimming. The non-skid gel coat finish runs across the bench surfaces for secure seating and footing.
Is the Big Bob a good choice for pool games and water aerobics?
Yes. The Big Bob’s 4’6″ flat-bottom depth is the standard depth for standing-height pool games like volleyball and basketball, and the flat floor means that depth holds consistently across the full width and length of the pool. Games can be played from end to end rather than only where the depth cooperates. The wide-open 40-foot swim area gives water aerobics classes, casual laps, and active play plenty of unobstructed room, and adults can stand comfortably anywhere in the pool. This is exactly the kind of use the Big Bob’s sport pool design was built to support.
Is the Big Bob auto-cover ready, and why does that matter in Ohio?
Yes. The Big Bob’s straight rectangular edges are well-suited for an automatic pool cover, which tracks cleanly along the pool’s straight sides. An auto cover covers the entire pool surface and keeps the water inaccessible without your knowledge, providing a significant safety layer for households with young children or pets. It is also one of the most practical investments an Ohio pool owner can make. Ohio’s swim season typically runs from mid-May through September, which means the pool sits dormant for more than half the year. A pool under an auto cover loses far less water to evaporation, collects less debris, and holds its chemical balance far better through the offseason than an uncovered pool. The result is a cleaner, more balanced pool at spring startup every year and lower chemical costs over the life of the pool. Ohio Paradise Pools can build auto-cover planning into the design phase so the integration is structurally clean from the beginning.
How long does it take to install a Big Bob pool?
Because the Big Bob is a one-piece fiberglass shell, it installs significantly faster than concrete or vinyl liner alternatives. Most fiberglass pool installations are completed in approximately 2 to 3 weeks from excavation through shell placement, plumbing, electrical, and initial finishing work. The actual timeline for your specific project depends on local permitting, site accessibility, weather, and the scope of the decking and landscaping work included. At Ohio Paradise Pools, we manage the entire process, and we believe consistent communication is part of what we deliver. Throughout your build, we provide regular project updates and offer FaceTime walk-throughs so you can follow the progress of your pool on days you are not physically on-site. When installation is complete, we conduct two dedicated pool school visits to walk you through your filtration system, water chemistry, and seasonal routine before we consider the job finished.
What warranty does the Big Bob pool carry?
Thursday Pools backs the Big Bob with a lifetime structural warranty on the fiberglass shell and a 15-year surface warranty on the gel coat finish. The structural warranty covers the shell against defects in materials and workmanship over the life of the pool. The surface warranty covers the gel coat against delamination, blistering, and structural coating failure for 15 years. When you work with Ohio Paradise Pools, those manufacturer warranties are supported by a local team that has been in business for over 32 years, holds a BBB A+ rating, and has been recognized as Cleveland’s swimming pool contractor of the year in 2022, 2023, and 2024. A strong manufacturer warranty paired with an accountable local installer is what long-term protection actually looks like.
What optional additions pair well with the Big Bob?
Thursday Pools offers the Wet Deck, Wading Pool, Spa, and Grand Spa as Optional Additions compatible with the Big Bob. A Spa or Grand Spa positioned alongside the Big Bob adds a dedicated hydrotherapy space next to the main swim area. The Wet Deck adds a shallow wading surface that integrates into the surrounding outdoor living space. The Wading Pool provides a dedicated uniform-shallow play zone for younger children. Ohio Paradise Pools will help you evaluate which of these additions makes sense within your specific yard and budget, and most of these pairings produce a more cohesive outdoor space when planned together from the beginning.
What does day-to-day maintenance look like for a Big Bob pool?
The Big Bob’s gel coat surface is the same non-skid, algae-resistant finish standard across all Thursday Pools designs. This gives it a real maintenance advantage over concrete pools, which require periodic resurfacing, and over vinyl liner pools, which are susceptible to liner damage and eventual full liner replacement. Routine care involves regularly testing and adjusting water chemistry, running the filtration system, and occasionally skimming or vacuuming the pool floor. The Big Bob’s flat-bottom design actually simplifies vacuuming because there are no contour transitions or depth changes to navigate across the full surface. Ohio Paradise Pools includes pool school as a standard part of every installation, so by the time we are done you will know your pool well enough to manage it confidently on your own and know exactly when to call us.