16 Foot Pontoon Boat

For going slowly, "25 yards or so," from the banks of a lake!

I may be going out on a limb with this answer without knowing for sure the shaft length you will need but this should be plenty long and powerful enough for a pontoon of 16'x8'.
Minn-Kota Auto Pilot #70 APV2 US2 24Volt 60" Shaft
http://www.jollyannsales.com/trolling%20 motors/minn_kota_autopilot.htm
This will handle almost any windy conditions you will encounter short of a hurricane.

2007-04-13 17:11:33 by dzahncy

My old cajun bass boat it in pretty bad shape but the motor (a 90 HP Johnson) runs like a top. At least it did when I last cranked it two years ago. I used to own a lot on a private 800 acre lake but sold it. Now, I want to explore the local public waters but my 16 foot boat doesn't take waves very well. There is a 33,000 acre lake near my house that gets quite rough in those unexpected summer storms. Anyway, is there any advantage to selling my old boat but not the motor then finding a pontoon boat with no motor and putting mine on it?

A 90 HP motor is PLENTY big for a pontoon up to 24 or 28 feet. Most toons use 50HP, and 35 was the popular choice up until about 10 years ago.

I have a 24 footer and it will do 19-20 mph with a 50 on it.

Beware though, pontoon boats are not good in large waves. Three to four footers are pretty hard on a toon, and if water washes over the deck, you stand a good chance of losing rails, furniture, etc. Pontoons are really for calmer lakes. Just make sure that the motor is the right length (most are 20") so that the cav plate is in the water the correct amount.

2007-05-30 07:39:52 by jimmy t

Price: $159.99 $64.99

UV Protection
300D Marine Grade Poly
Weatherproof

So I've done a lot of math and I've concluded that a plastic 55 gallon drum will hold up about 480 lbs before it sinks. With that being said I've decided that 55 and 30 gallon plastic drums with closed tops and sealed bungs would be the best things to make pontoons out of for only having a very small budget.

I want to make a boat around 14-16 feet long. With the height of 55 gallon drums being about 3 feet, I could fit 5 of them in a row, each side of the pontoon boat. A total of 10 drums could hold up about 4800 lbs before sinking. Such a weight I don't think I'd ever reach.

I want to be able to fit 10 people on this boat. Using an extreme average weight of 200 lbs a person, I've got 2000 lbs I need to meet. Plus weight of the boat itself, coolers....the motor....gas tank....ect. ect. ect.

Just to help with readers to picture my design. I'm going to lay all of the barrels down, stacked top to bottom. 5 in each pontoon. Then if you were looking at it from the rear view, I'm going to put 3 long poles down the length of it, 1 at the 2 o clock. 1 at the 6 o clock, and another at the 10 o clock. Then weld them in place.

I do have a few concerns about using these barrels. Should I be concerned about cave ins when the barrels meet cold water? If so would it be smarter to use structurally stronger smaller containers like 30 gallon drums instead of 55s? I'm aware the leaking may occur, but like I said, I dont think I'll ever get near the sink weight. So leaking won't hurt it that much unless when it will only see maybe at best, 12 hours of use before going home. I can't imagine the leaks, if present, would be so severe it would be a problem in a 12 hour window.

With all that being said what are your concerns about using these barrels? Would you advice against them? If so, what else could I use to make pontoons out of?

I don't think cave-ins would be a problem, unless you're going from a hot springs directly to the Artic Ocean. Leaking shouldn't be a problem if you caulk them and don't run them into anything. I would arrange the bungs to be as close the bottom as possible, though, just in case - you could open them to drain water if necessary.

2009-02-14 13:29:44 by Cameron D

Price: $699.99

Quick-release lever for fast motor deployment
Ultra-quiet trolling motor with 68 pounds of thrust and 48-inch shaft
Unique bearing system reduces friction to cut fish-spooking noise; 3-year warranty

This past Sunday my family and I were at our local marina which is part of a state park and rented a pontoon boat for the day. At the end of the day I was holding my 16 month old son and was getting ready to get off the boat. As soon as my feet hit the wod of the dock they slipped out from under me and me and my son fell. My baby is ok but I landed my knees and one of them turned sideways a popped. I was so scared for my son that I didnt really pay much attention to my injury. The employees at the marina (mstly teenagers) asked if I was ok but didnt show much compassion. We just made sure my son was ok and calmed down and left.

Now almost a week later my knee has been hurting more and more. I went to the Dr, today and I have a torn acl and need to see a specialist about posssibly surgery. Can I sue the marina for medical compensation?

They really should have some sort of anti slip material on the wood of the loading and unloading area. especially since the employees where spraying down the wood from cleaning out the previous boat so they made it even more slippery.

What are your opinions
I have already checked the paperwork it said nothing about slip and falls or personal injury .. it just said I am liable for damages to the boat;
Im not out to get any money on this except what my insurance doesnt cover

I'd bet you (or someone you were with) signed a contract that states you assume all risk around the pontoon. They wouldn't allow themselves to be responsible for something like that.

2010-09-10 11:17:42 by Traces' Momma

- Yesterday my family and I rented a pontoon boat for the day at our local marina. At the end of the day upon getting off of the boat as I was holding my 16 month old I slipped and fell as soon as my feet hit the dock. My knees hit pretty hard and I just about landed on my son. He is ok but my knee hurts pretty badly it piped and now I can barely walk on it. I am going to the hospital in the morning but shouldn't the marina be held liable for not having some sort or anti slip material on the wood of the dock where people load and unload off of boats all day. Do you think I have a case worthy of contacting an attorney for if in f act I did do substantial damage to my knee?

I really believe the world is getting stupider. I'm really surprised people are able to rent pontoon boats with people like you around. This is why coffee comes in a cup emblazoned with "CAUTION!! CONTENTS ARE HOT AND CAN BURN YOU!!" And clothes irons warn in the directions "DO NOT IRON CLOTHES WHILE THEY ARE BEING WORN", and washing machines say "DO NOT FILL WITH FLAMMABLE LIQUIDS" and lawnmowers say "DANGER! SHARP ROTATING BLADES!" , hell, even that little package of silica gel that comes in some food products has to have "DO NOT EAT" written on it.

It just makes me ill to see personal responsibility disappear! Wet things may be slippery! Hot things may burn! Use common sense.

2010-09-09 21:11:57 by Traces' Momma