<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>buckybadger wrote:</div>
Do NOT buy a pontoon where the fence/railing goes right to the very front or back of the deck. The little area outside the railing is helpful for docking, trailering, loading, cleaning, hauling miscellaneous rafts, coolers, etc. We’ve got probably 20″ of deck outside the railing on front and back of our tritoon and didn’t realize how much of a necessity it was until after buying.Give the bimini design a good look too. I thought we wouldn’t have ours up often, but it turns out it is probably up 80% of the time. Some of the designs out there barely cover any usable areas of the boat with shade. Others are less than durable. Ours is NOT a power one, but our next one will be. We will ride with it open up to 20mph or so. Beyond that I bring it down although it would probably be fine at any speed.
Think long and hard about transporting the pontoon. If it’s going any distance I would highly recommend a bunk trailer over a scissors trailer. Be sure it has LED sealed lights, a decent step system, and buy a spare for it right away.
Lastly, have a storage plan before buying. There are different philosophies about outside, inside, heated, etc. Regardless of stance pontoons and tritoons are expensive. The buying craze for these the last few years has left a shortage of storage opportunities for those who don’t have their own. They take up a ton of space. The upholstery is vulnerable if not covered and kept out of the elements. I don’t care what manufacturers say about “durability” as the sun, extreme temperature swings, and moisture take their toll. Ours sits outside next to the house with a custom fitting cover that keeps 98% of rain out during it’s used season. In the event something does get wet I’ve got a fan in there immediately. I am under the cover every few days with the onboard charger, checking it is secure, and being sure no birds try to sneak in. Once it is put away in mid October until late April, it goes to an unheated shed with cement floors. That’s the bare minimum I’d do for offseason storage given costs and weather extremes in MN. Just my $0.02
Good points. Pros and cons about the fence/railing going to the front. Pro is more cushion/seating area for people. Cons were already stated.
Another thing about the vacant deck space in front is it eliminates some weight distribution issues for small-medium sized pontoons. Everyone races to sit in the very front of pontoons. If the front seating is back a bit, it helps keep the nose lighter. Everyone’s seen the infamous pontoon nose dives from improperly loaded and driven rigs