Any pontoon owners here?

[45pro]

I moved out by a lake and were looking to purchase a pontoon. I dont know anything about them for start. Were looking to do this as cheap as possible and need the pontoon, motor, and trailer. The pontoon i basically only need it to float. haha. I dont need any electronics or anything like that. I would just like to get the family out on the water(8 of us).

Can this be done for $3-5,000?

my other question is would my 97 ranger 3.0 V6 be able to put it in the water and back out? If not i have a buddy that has a truck i could borrow until i can upgrade.

So i'm looking for all the information that i can, help me out...What do i need to look for in a used pontoon?

 

[PistolBob]

A boat owner has two happy days in his life. The day he gets his boat, and the day he finally sells his boat. :-)

 

[45pro]

ok...

 

[euby]

You should be able to find a good used one for that. As far as the truck, if all your doing is backing it in and out you should be fine. I'd stick with a Mercury outboard if possible and check toons for any split seems or leakage. other than that everything else just bolts on... enjoy

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

You have your own dock, or you have to take it in & out every time? We had one when I was a teenager, on our own dock, and I would winterize them for people. Mostly they'd just leave them in all year, even though the lake would freeze, no problems. They're not really that heavy, so your 6 should be ok if you don't have far to go. Our lake was electric only, but two trolling motors can move one of those pretty well. I wouldn't figure on pulling skiers with a pontoon anyway I'd think you could find a good deal on a used one, but careful it's not rotting or leaky or something. Can't tell you about prices.

 

[45pro]

You have your own dock, or you have to take it in & out every time? We had one when I was a teenager, on our own dock, and I would winterize them for people. Mostly they'd just leave them in all year, even though the lake would freeze, no problems. They're not really that heavy, so your 6 should be ok if you don't have far to go. Our lake was electric only, but two trolling motors can move one of those pretty well. I wouldn't figure on pulling skiers with a pontoon anyway I'd think you could find a good deal on a used one, but careful it's not rotting or leaky or something. Can't tell you about prices.

I do not have a dock, i'm on the back side of the road. So i will have to take it in and out. The lake access is only about 100 yards from me.

How do i tell if its leaking? can you pressure test them or anything? i'm mostly worried about the toons. Is there just air inside them or what? I believe we can use a regular motor but if trollies will move it then that may be cheaper, if it doesn't come with a motor? how long do you get out of a charge with a trolly? Any maintenence with it? Recharging? Sorry for all the questions as i dont know anything about them really. I just dont want to get screwed.

 

[Butch627]

Ive had one for about 20 years. Mine is a 1976 all aluminum sylvan. We got rid of the original motor about 7 years ago and replaced it with a 4 stroke. I got rid of all the original built in furniture years ago and now just use sturdy stackable plastic chairs and picnic tables. It reduces the routine maintence considerably, allows you to reconfigure the boat at will and gives more freedom of movement. My boat is 24ft. I could probably get by with a 15hp motor on it but no way a trolling motor. Look for rotted decking, move the furniture on it and walk and bounce over every part of the boat. Then climb undernath and look for signs of rot. I replaced my deck shortly after buying it. I used pressure treated plywood and I probably have another 4 or 5 years left before needing to replace it again, but the carpeting is shot. I recommend looking for big dents and patches on the pontoons. There isn't that much to the boat itself. If you run into problems with the motor that can cost a lot of money to fix. I would highly recommend having a mechanic check out the motor before buying. This is probably the best time of year to find one cheap.

 

[Richwon4]

For that price range you can find something decent, but expect to have some surprise issues that need dealt with. I've seen plenty for sale in that range that would work out okay for what you are saying, the problem is at the end of the add, "trailer not included"

 

[Ogre]

I would try to figure out exactly what you want to do on the water ahead of time. People may buy more boat than they need (if say, they are going to do nothing but park, drink and grill) or not enough (skiing, tubing, more people than you originally thought). Have you had a boat before? If no, then your probably good to buy an older model until you figure out what your family wants out of boating.

The old saying, IMO, is true, "Buy once, cry once." Many people buy an underpowered toon and end up regretting it, because they realize pontoons are far more versatile than orginally built for. We bought a 25' Tritoon last year. It has carpeted aluminum deck, lifting strakes, and is underskinned. Powered by a 200hp Honda. We can ski, tube, cruise, and party.
As far as the toon leaking question, yes you can pressurize them to check for leaks, but DO NOT put more than 3psi in them. There are alot of boat shops and aluminum welders that can pressure check and repair toons. and from what I understand it's not all that expensive.

 

[DialTone301]

When buying a used one be sure to thoroughly check the deck and the furniture for rot. Check the pontoons good for physical damage and if you aren't familiar with motors have someone check the motor over for you.

I hope you find what you are looking for!

 

[churchmouse]

Personal experience, As stated all through this thread, look over the entire boat. Deck, carpet, furniture, wiring and lights. Check the Battery and connections. These things live on the water and in the rain. Look at the fuse panel. Friend bought one that looked great on the trailer. Wiring was a mess from owner mods and bad connections from deterioration. I had to rewire my toon after several years on the water. Check the lower unit lube. There is a drain on the unit and if it is white, pass. Full of water. My 25 ft. had a 60 HP on it until it failed due to age and relatives (long story) It was OK but always a bit under powered. I replaced it with a 120 HP and it was a very fun boat. They are not made to go real fast but are a fun way to spend the day on the lake. Miss mine terribly.

 

[tgallmey]

well my grandpa did it with a 92 4 cylinder 5 speed ranger so sure why not lol

 

[ludlow]

You should have no problem finding something decent in that price range. We bought a '93 Suncruiser 24' pontoon with trailer and 50hp Johnson outboard about four seasons ago. It's not the prettiest thing but it runs well and can accommodate 8 people. We've had to do a little work on it here and there but that is to be expected with anything that age.

Your ranger should handle the boat okay. Ours weighs about 3000lb and we launched it with a mini van for a season before I got my Tundra.

 

[45pro]

Thanks for all the replies.

You should have no problem finding something decent in that price range. We bought a '93 Suncruiser 24' pontoon with trailer and 50hp Johnson outboard about four seasons ago. It's not the prettiest thing but it runs well and can accommodate 8 people. We've had to do a little work on it here and there but that is to be expected with anything that age.

Your ranger should handle the boat okay. Ours weighs about 3000lb and we launched it with a mini van for a season before I got my Tundra.

Its good to know my ranger will do the job. I'm not familiar with pontoons at all (or boats in general). I know i need to inspect the pontoons, what exactly is a hull?

 

[Mr Evilwrench]

It's basically a sheet of marine plywood on a couple of pop cans, thus the rot issue. It should hold up a long time, but not forever. My experience was all on an electric only lake, but most of the boats had two trolling motors, and with two batteries could get around plenty for a few hours on a charge. There should be a plug in each pontoon, so pressure testing is easy. Yes, they're just full of air, not unicorn farts or anything special. A cracked weld would be trivial for someone with aluminum welding mojo.

 

[45pro]

Just watched this,[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgpzqEudTOg[/ame]. That answers a lot of questions on how its built. So basically if the toons are holding water and the crossmembers aren't rusted out,your structure is sound. Everything else seems to be just plywood and furniture. Then you have the wiring and motor...