Pontoon Boats

I realize this is a sorta vague question, but is there anything unique to owning a pontoon boat in terms of maintenance/upkeep, as compared to a bass boat or jon boat? Or anything unique as far as operating one? I've ridden on one countless times but never actually drove one, but I gotta think it's much simpler than a bass boat....

We may be in the market for [a used] one in the next year or so. It would have to be kept outside in the backyard, so a cover is a must to keep the interior in decent shape. Anything else I need to know about?

They can be a pain to load and transport. They are also great for family.

Yeah, the Mrs isn't a fan of bass boats......her dad scarred her for life when she was little because he apparently only knew 2 speeds: "Stop" and WOT. She wants something we can just joyride on, maybe pull a tube at a reasonable speed, etc. I've fished off pontoons plenty of times so I know I could fish just fine from one.

In what way are they a pain to load/transport compared to a bass boat? Just because they're bigger?

Hah; used to have my Skeeter throttle marked "whoa" and "WFO".

Wind pushes them around easier than a regular boat.

Current too

Tritoon is superior to 2 pontoons in a lot of ways

Smoother ride, gets up out of water faster being the biggest 2

We just sold a 22’ with a 150 yamaha for an 23’ with a 150 Honda and have been realhappy with it

Thickness of plywood deck is important too

If it matters............I'm cheap, so when I say "used", we're talking like < $10k

i enjoy fishing off of my friends pontoon. To answer your question it takes a time or two to learn how to load a pontoon on a trailer. Im also not a fan of pulling them.

I'm a 10 minute drive (or less) from virtually anywhere I'd be taking it, so I'm not too concerned about pulling it. Now, if it's trickier to load one on a trailer than a bass boat, I may be "that guy" at the boat ramp the first few times out, but I figure there's only 1 way to learn.

you are right gomer. I looked like " that guy" a time or to loading the toon up.lol

A 23' Tritoon at the Spanish Fort BPS has a $57,000 price tag on it.

That's ok............I'm sure they'd be happy to finance it for 144 months....

Try 240

Tri toon with a decent 150hp+ motor and a 36v trolling would be the set up. Just need the right interior layout in my opinion. Also a lowe or other aluminum deck boat would be nice and you can find them in your $$$ range.

The tritoons are the deal though. Ours is 24' with a 200 Yamaha and will scoot 40mph plus with all the day on the lake toys

They are real comfortable. Good to sleep on too. Plenty of room. But like said, current pushes them pretty bad as well as the wind. They are just so big and awkward. But you trade that for comfort.

Pontoons are awesome...loading is the only PIA IMO, but you'll learn hot to load it up after a couple tries. I'd like to buy another one to redo at some point as you can do it relatively on the cheap, but have a damn good boat when your done. You can have both a fishing and family machine all in one.

If you leave it in a wet slip, its a PITA to scrub the algae off the pontoons every year.

Pontoons are great. I think I need to do a "How to" video on how to load a pontoon. It's simple, even in the wind, once you learn how. If you buy one from me, I'll throw in free lessons

Hahah

There is a place on lake Martin advertising 2 free wake board lessons with purchase of a boat.

If you can buy $100k boat, you can afford 2 wake board lessons

I hate pontoon boats.

This is true. And if you don't bother to do it, it will be real sluggish. The towing/loading and wind/current thing is spot on too. All of that said, If you want to do more relaxing on the lake than burning up the river, you will enjoy having a pontoon. We used to camp and Crappie fish on ours pretty often.

How does someone hate a pontoon boat?

Glad you asked this Gomer, wife and I been thinking about this as well. I never been on one but was wondering how fishing was on one.

Our new one is built with fishing semi in mind, although will never get fished on

Rear facing seats, rod attachments, livewell.

The ones I've fished off of weren't made to be fished off of (there are some specifically designed with fishing in mind) but I never had any trouble fishing off of them. Most have a little bit of a front deck, outside the rail, that is big enough to stand on and often even mount a foot controlled trolling motor. Usually at least 1 or 2 places along the side (usually where a door is) where you can stand right up to the rail instead of having a bench seat in the way.

Christ Almighty jbc! That is a heck of a sweet set up. I don't want to even speculate what that bad boy costed ya!

Dr. B

Sold our 2010 that we paid $37,000 for $25,000

Amazing how they hold their value

If I live long enough to be an old man, I'm going to have a Pondtoon for fishing.

jbc what differentiates a salt water tritoon from a fresh water one?

The type of water you put it in.

Pontoons are great. We have had one for the last 10+ years. They do require some upkeep and maint. A storage slip on the water is a must. We own three at Little Bridge Marina. Since we bought them, they have quadrupled in value. That said, if you do keep one in a slip, be sure and spray for spiders. They will ruin your seats in a hurry.

There are many pontoons in the 21-24' range that would be adequate for what you want. Hard part is staying at that $10K mark. You will not get a tritoon for that price.

No clue.

If you buy it in Mobile I guess. We got it at show down there

Screws in the plywood subfloor maybe, I can’t imagine much difference

I asked because I see them all the time in the bay but I had no idea there was a such thing as a “ saltwater series. “

Here’s some information I found about it.

USING A PONTOON BOAT IN SALTWATER
Any boat exposed to saltwater can be affected by the salt. However, to minimize the effects of saltwater on our Pontoon, the following preparation and maintenance should be followed:

PREPARATION
Aluminum Anti-Fouling Paint
If you plan to use your boat in saltwater all portions of the boat that will be submerged should be painted with an approved aluminum anti-fouling paint. This service is provided by your dealer or by someone recommended by your dealer. There is an extra charge for this service.

If you trailer your boat and use it in Saltwater anti-fouling paint on the bottom of the pontoons should be applied to be sure that the pontoons have a barrier between them and the bunks. If anti-fouling paint is not used corrosion can occur at the point the trailer bunk meets the pontoon. The application of antifouling paint is a service provided by your dealer or by someone recommended by your dealer. There is an extra charge for this service.

Zinc Anodes
In some cases you may need to have zinc anodes added to your boat to prevent electrolysis. Electrolysis is a deterioration of the metal caused by stray electrical current interacting with the saltwater. Ask your dealer whether he recommends zinc anodes. There is an extra charge for this service.

MAINTENANCE
After each use the entire boat must be washed down with freshwater to remove salt deposits. Allow the boat to dry before covering it with the mooring or seat covers.
Cover your boat WHEN DRY with seat covers or a mooring cover to keep salt and weather off of your boat. Since most salt water areas are very humid and hot it is imperative that the boat be dry before it is covered. If you cover it wet you WILL see mildew develop.
If you trailer your boat you MUST flush the saltwater from in between the bunks and the pontoons. This does not prevent corrosion if no anti fouling paint is applied.
You should repair paint chips and scratches when you start to notice bare metal showing.
A yearly inspection for corrosion or deterioration of the electrical connections is recommended. Avalon & Tahoe does NOT warrant saltwater corrosion.
CONSTRUCTION
Ask your dealer about certain aspects of the construction of a boat built for saltwater conditions:

The deck should be bolted down, not screwed
Toons should be at least 25”
Tubes are fully welded to deck, opposed to welds every foot
More powerful engine, around 60-90hp
“SALTWATER SERIES” NOTICE
Some dealers add additional saltwater resistant materials to our boats to make them even better suited for saltwater use. These specially equipped models may have a sticker called “Saltwater Series”. However this does not make them Saltwater proof nor keep salt water from affecting them to some degree. Even these models must have all of the above-described preparation and maintenance to minimize the effects of salt water.

Saltwater use should be confined primarily to bays and inlets. A pontoon is not made to be an ocean going craft and as such can only be used in the ocean if conditions are similar to an inland lake and only close to shore.

maybe more stainless steel hardware? I believe some motor manufacturers market "saltwater series" motors that I assume have more stainless steel internal parts to help prevent corrosion....

This makes them a PIA for fishing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNiaYARLen8

this is what a pontoon is far right here.