We’re up LOTW right now, yesterday there was a Lund pontoon ripping around recklessly in 1-3′ seas.
He allegedly punctured one or both of the pontoons by pounding on waves.
The boat sank in minutes. All souls aboard were rescued.
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Dumb dumb dumb.
I hope everyone is ok… this is the 3rd “fishing” pontoon I have heard of sinking this year. I am thinking as they become more popular and more marketed to serious fisherman, they will continue to sink at an alarming rate. That is a a lot of boat crashing on a lot of wave, and not nearly the same design of aluminum can to keep it all upright.
I saw a pontoon on Lake Superior near Two Harbors last summer that was really pushing his luck given the waves and wind. He hit a ave of maybe 4 feet head on at a good clip and it tore the forward siding and seating off and pushed it almost back to the console. He had just launched and came around the end of the breakwater hell bent on something and hit the first decent roller dead on. People flew all over on the deck. I guess they made it back to the launch ramp and got loaded ok but really, slow the heck down. Not sure of the length but it had a 150 merc hanging on the back.
Wow my step Dad uses his pontoon on Leech all the time in pretty good waves. Had no idea that could happen, but yeah I wouldn’t be flying around in 3 footers on a toon.
Guess plywood on top of barrels doesn’t hold up as well as a formed hull. Seems like manufacturers are pushed that design.
Glad all were ok but what a DA.
As someone who owns a tritoon…that’s incredibly stupid. They can take big waves with ease if handled correctly and whatnot, but this clearly wasn’t the case. We don’t have issues with barge waves, tuna boats plowing water, and so on but it’s a handful of times per day, not a steady run of waves. On Saturday we were on an island right next to a 43’ cruiser. The wake he made going up river was absurd pushing out legitimate 3-4’ers, but most boaters are intelligent enough to deal with it as they approach.
Also by looking at the picture that does not look like a big pontoon by today’s standards, especially to take it out there
Thankfully everyone survived and hopefully learned something.
I read a post from the guy who rescued them. He said the dude was going way too fast and watched it happen. The toon sank in like 8 minutes. Thankfully they were able to get life jackets on or had them on or they wouldnt have made it.
If you’ve ever been to lake of the Ozarks they have pontoons with legit 2-300s hanging off the back . Buddy had a 28 footer down there with a 250 Yamaha on it , front door and aluminum was all smashed in . I asked what happened. He said big wakes . I figured there were tougher than pictured .
Pretty sure I’ve seen that one out there a few times. They are always ripping around everywhere. Western side of the lake by chance?
Apparently this happened right out in front of Long Point.
That’s gonna be a pretty expensive salvage job.
It’s the manufacturer’s fault. They didn’t put big enough warning labels on the toon for stupid people. Glad everyone is ok. People need to start using their heads.
If you’ve ever been to lake of the Ozarks they have pontoons with legit 2-300s hanging off the back . Buddy had a 28 footer down there with a 250 Yamaha on it , front door and aluminum was all smashed in . I asked what happened. He said big wakes . I figured there were tougher than pictured .
My cousins tri took has a 400 Verado. Big motors on toons isn’t a uncommon thing any more
My cousins tri took has a 400 Verado. Big motors on toons isn’t a uncommon thing any more
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Yep. I remember when a 115 was BIG HP on a toon. Many of the people who had Baja’s and similar boats decided they wanted more people on board. High HP toons were the answer. Most don’t realize you can’t drive like a 30 foot glass boat. 
Okay wtf, seriously, a pontoon on LOTW? You couldn’t pay me to take a pontoon out on that lake, wind can whip up quickly and MAN does it get nasty up there.
Relatively shallow water + heavy wind + long fetch = DISASTER. I’ve been on that lake enough to have a lot of respect for what it can do to even a well-suited boat.
There’s at least one launch company on Mille Lacs that operates big pontoons (on the west side right by Garrison) and I imagine conditions get similar. But I assume they know when to call it.
I am guessing more operator error than equipment error.
I know Terry’s has one launch that is a pontoon type. That being said, I have been on both lakes many many days in bad conditions on both lakes. IMO Lake of the Woods is a completely different monster with high winds compared to Mille Lacs. I have only been scared once, that was on Lake Superior. I was concerned about my safety one other time, and that was on LOTW. Mille Lacs I have been out there and respected the lake, but I was confident if I was smart about the conditions there wasn’t any imminent danger getting back to shore.
There’s at least one launch company on Mille Lacs that operates big pontoons (on the west side right by Garrison) and I imagine conditions get similar. But I assume they know when to call it.
I am guessing more operator error than equipment error.
100%
There’s at least one launch company on Mille Lacs that operates big pontoons
Hunters Point uses pontoon style launches too on the east side.
I was fishing out of Long Point on Saturday. It was rough at times but nothing really bad when I was there. I’ve been out in a lot worse at LOTW.
It’s hard to believe that a newer Lund pontoon isn’t more sea worthy than that. I’ve seen plenty pontoons out there but then again, every watercraft has limits. It’d be easy to destroy any boat if the operator wasn’t smart about how they drive in rough seas on LOTW.
I’d like to hear the whole story.
Man, some guys don’t go out in the rain, some don’t go out in the snow. If I see 3-4 ft rollers (pretty rare based on where I fish but it happens) that’s when I stay home, or get home in short order.
Even with the Impact I just don’t trust it out in ocean-like conditions.
I heard the guy was in way over his head from multiple people who watched him. The waves were quite big apparently and he was going all rogue out there and it apparently burst one if not both of the pontoons.
Tom been guiding up there for years and in the last few years he’s been running a AQ tritoon. Like stated above, every watercraft has their limits!
Good to hear everyone made it out ok!
On a lighter (joking) note, for a website of users devoted to full horsepower and full send, you guys are acting like you’ve never sunk a boat before! :rotflol: :jester:
Pretty sure I’ve seen that one out there a few times. They are always ripping around everywhere. Western side of the lake by chance?
Naw, dudes a “guide” in sodak. Pretty boner move for someone that should know better.
There’s at least one launch company on Mille Lacs that operates big pontoons (on the west side right by Garrison) and I imagine conditions get similar. But I assume they know when to call it.
Mille Lacs would still freak me out in a pontoon, but it’s a different animal I think. There’s at least a couple points / islands on the south and east end of the lake you could pull around in an emergency, but mainly there’s just so many more launches/harbors you could retreat to.
Or, you can base your day around the wind and just drive over to whatever side of the lake you want before you launch. I think so much of it is fishing locations as well, so many long runs on LOTW depending where you want to fish.
Once you get out on LOTW, depending where you are there is just like nowhere to run and it could be so much lake to cross before you get to safety. Can definitely get scary and nasty on Mille Lacs too, but you likely have a run of just a couple miles back to safety somewhere, maybe a bit more. Heavy east or NE wind whips up on LOTW and you’re on 16 mile or Stoney point and woof, that’s a nasty ride in.
The boat that rescued the 2 in the pontoon was part of our fishing group this weekend. Was interesting to see 3 people head out on the lake in the morning but return with 5. Watched the pontoon cruise by us as we were fishing and we mentioned how rough it was and that you don’t see many pontoons on LOW. Thankfully someone was close enough to get to them before it was too late!
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