Safe at Sea: Buying a pontoon?
With the New Year underway, there has been a wealth of articles entitled, “The Best (fill in the blank) of 2020” or “The Most Popular (again, fill in the blank) of the Year.” BoatTest.com, likewise, ran a two-part article about its most widely-read features of 2020. Over the next couple weeks, Safe at Sea will zero in on a few of those topics that might be of interest to readers.
The year 2020 marked a soaring boat sales. Whether due to increased leisure time or increased savings (canceled travel plans) or my favorite rationale, “Enough dreaming, let’s just do it!” purchases took off.
By far, the most popular boat purchased throughout the country has been pontoons, and their increased sale is expected to continue to grow this upcoming year. With that in mind, BoatTest.com wrote an article entitled, “12 Things to Look for in a Pontoon.” I would argue that most of the dozen features listed were aspects of any boat which any buyer would examine, regardless of boat type. For example, amenities, engine horse power, and the like.
A buyer, though, should consider a few unique features of pontoons before hand. They are:
– Every buyer should match their boat to its intended use, and pontoons are generally considered a leisure “large-capacity” boat. An owner should calculate how many folks, on average, will be on board; on a pontoon, that number can be large. A buyer should examine the boat’s Capacity Plate and verify the boat’s ability to handle that many passengers (and all gear, including motor/gas).
– One of the attractions of shopping for a pontoon is the wealth of seating configurations available. Here, the design should be influenced by how the boat will be used. For example, will the boat be used for fishing? Sun-bathing? Dining? One consideration should be its ability to load/unload more elderly (wheel-chair bound?) passengers.
– One given on a pontoon will be that passengers will be sitting in front of the captain; therefore, a raised helm puts the driver in a position that gives him/her all-around sightlines.
– The three boarding gates (bow, stern, port) will receive abuse (another “given”). Not only should the gates be wide, their latches should also be easy-to-use. Importantly, those latches need to be very study to endure their endless banging.
– A specific location to store an anchor. Do not believe an anchor is not a requirement. Always plan for the worst scenario: engine failure equates to anchor the boat, engine failure and sudden wind equates to anchor the boat, et cetera.
– Finally, the question, “twin-toons” or “tri-toons” needs to be answered. This question brings us back to our starting point: What will the primary purpose of your pontoon be? Is it leisurely cruising at sedate speeds? A stable platform for swimming and entertaining? Then twin-pontoons will be less expensive and provide for your purposes. However, if you want a pontoon that can go as fast as most sport boats and get on plane fast, then purchase a tri-toon. Your boat will be ready not only for leisure travel and entertainment, but great for waterskiing and tubing.
For additional information from the article, visit www.BoatTest.com.
Pat Schmidt is a member of America’s Boating Club of Sanibel-Captiva. For more about the chapter and its boating education courses, visit www.sancapboating.club or contact education@sanibelcaptivasps.org or 612-987-2125.