Through all of your online research about pontoon boats, you’ve landed here. Now you may have owned a pontoon for years or you’re new to boating altogether. Either way, I want to make sure you have all the tools you need as an owner.
Barletta’s Learning Center is chock full of tips and tricks for everyone from those who just started shopping for their new boat to long-time captains. There are a ton of tools just waiting to be used so that you have the ultimate on-water experience.
I have streamlined all of the information you need if you own a pontoon boat and put it into this article. Check out the six major components of pontoon boat ownership.
- Your Dealership
- Boaters Safety
- Boating 101
- Pontoon Maintenance
- Pontoon Boat Trailer
- Day on the Water
Build a Relationship with your Boat Dealer
This should be your first step no matter what type of boat you have purchased. Whether you ordered a brand new custom boat or you found the perfect retro used boat on the dealer’s lot, I can say with total confidence, the relationship you have with your dealer is incredibly important.
Buy Local
I can’t stress this enough, if you’re planning on buying a boat, buy local. Buying from your local boat dealer is critical to having an easy ownership experience. Since this article is geared towards boat ownership, let me break this down.
Many responsibilities come with owning a pontoon boat. From maintenance, to launch and pull, to random issues that can arise. In these cases, most people turn to their dealer help.
Putting it simply, if you didn’t purchase your boat from the dealer in your area, do not expect them to help you in times of need. The average number of boat dealers is quite small in comparison to boat owners.
That said, most boat dealerships will prioritize their customers, the people who purchased from them. As a manufacturer, we don’t even encourage dealers to sell outside of their network because we know how important that close proximity is especially in times of need.
When Will I Get My New Pontoon Boat?
If you’re in the process of purchasing your new pontoon boat and the dealer doesn’t have it in stock on their lot, chances are they have to order it from the manufacturer. There are also cases where you might order the boat simply to get the color combination you’re wanting.
Whatever the case may be, when you order a boat through your dealer you should plan ahead as lead times vary. There are a ton of variables that affect the amount of time you will have to wait to take possession of your new boat.
Seasonality is a major factor when ordering a boat. If your goal is to be on the water the following summer, I recommend getting your order in before or just after the first of the year. Supply and demand also affect lead times in a big way.
For instance, say there's a global pandemic and factories around the world shut down for days, weeks, or even months. You can’t stop a production line in its tracks and expect that same line to keep up with demand once the world opens back up.
This is something marine manufacturers have been up against for the last couple of years, just as everyone else has. Keep this in mind when you go to order your new pontoon. If you plan ahead and be prepared for a longer than usual wait time, you’ll be in good shape.
Get to know your Dealer’s Service Technicians
To reiterate what I was saying about having a relationship with your local dealer, it’s equally important to put the time and effort into getting to know their service center. Like with any man-made product, you should expect to need service on your pontoon boat at some point.
This is why it’s a good idea to establish who you should call and what their expectations are. As I mentioned before, the number of dealerships and service centers is limited compared to how many boaters are on the water.
When in need of service, especially during peak boating season, keep in mind that you’re one of many service calls that the dealership is getting. Be patient with service timelines and remember that dealers typically prioritize service needs by taking care of those who have purchased from them first and those who have critical issues.
What I mean by that is many dealers will consider a dead engine priority over a burnt-out navigation light. If you’re the one with the dead motor, trust me, you will appreciate being higher up on the list.
The service team at your dealership will be who you rely on most of the time throughout your ownership experience. Get to know them and nurture that relationship, you’ll be glad you did.
Pontoon Boat Maintenance
As I just mentioned, more times than not, you’ll rely on your dealer’s service team and that typically involves the maintenance that comes with owning a pontoon boat. Let’s go over the basics of keeping your pontoon running at peak performance.
Engine Care
There’s something to be said for how durable outboard motors are. Most of the time, if you take care of an outboard with regularly scheduled maintenance the engine will run for a very long time.
Most outboard motors have a break-in period if they’re brand new. Make sure to discuss what that entails with your dealer. You typically need to fluctuate between different speeds for a certain amount of hours. Each brand is different so double-check what your new engine requires.
Once the motor is broken in, most engine manufacturers ask that you have a “check-up” of sorts done to clear out any shakedown that came from its first few hours on the water. For example, my pontoon boat required its first maintenance at 100 hours.
After the initial break-in period is done and you’ve had your first routine maintenance performed, check in with the service techs to see how regularly you should have a tune-up. This will depend on how much you use the boat, just as it does with cars.
I live in Indiana where we get four to five months, if we’re lucky, on the water. For me, I have routine maintenance done once a year right before the boat goes into storage. This includes things like an oil change and new spark plugs, among other services performed. If you live in a warm climate and boat more frequently, you may need your engine serviced more than that.
Winterization
As I mentioned, I take my boat to see the service techs at my dealership once a year for routine maintenance. For me, this goes hand-in-hand with winterizing the boat. I pre-schedule this service each year so that when the season starts to turn, I'm already on the dealer’s list for a service appointment.
If you’re mechanically inclined and want to tackle the winterization process yourself, make sure you’re still planning ahead for any service needs you may want your dealer to perform outside of this process such as storage.
Some dealers will offer storage for the winter months. In order to get a spot, make sure you’re having this conversation when you take possession of the boat. If you plan to store the boat yourself, there are a couple of things to consider.
You can store the boat either indoors or outdoors. If you store indoors, make sure the building and the opening of the building are tall and wide enough to fit the pontoon boat while it’s sitting on a trailer. I made this mistake and found out just before I pulled the boat through the too-short door.
If you’re storing the boat outdoors, contact your dealer and get on the schedule for a shrink wrap service. Once the engine is properly winterized, it’s important to make sure the boat itself will be protected from the elements. Having it shrink-wrapped will do just that.
Cleaning
One of the easiest ways to keep your pontoon like-new is by keeping up with cleaning the interior and the exterior. We do this on our own pontoon by doing a quick scrub down after every weekend we use the boat.
It may sound excessive but most pontoons are such low maintenance when it comes to cleaning, that this process doesn’t take long at all. To keep up with the interior, make sure all trash is removed after each use and the seats are wiped clean and are dried-out before putting the cover on.
Newer brands use vinyl weave flooring instead of carpet. This is an awesome alternative as it’s mold-resistant and you can clean it by hosing it down. These basic steps will help you stay on top of cleaning the inside of the boat.
Cleaning the exterior is just as simple as long as you do it frequently. The side panels typically collect water spots and dust. A gentle wipe down with soap and water will take care of that with little effort.
Depending on how you store the boat on the water, your toons are going to oxidize to some extent as well as collect marine growth. If the pontoon is up on a lift most of the time, there will be less marine growth, but you can still expect some color change from the times when the boat is in the water.
There are toon protectants that can be applied by your dealer or at the factory when you order the boat, depending on which brand you go with. For example, Barletta offers Metal Jacket for the toons, and I can personally attest that it works great.
There are different types of toon protectants on the market and most of them make cleaning the toons much easier. Think of it as a non-stick spray for your baking dishes. A quick power wash to the toons and you’re good to go.
If your toons have marine growth caked on and you need a little more cleaning power, some dealers will offer acid washing. This should be done by a professional and is not recommended if you have toon protectant on the toons.
Batteries
We can’t talk about maintenance without talking about boat batteries! The battery onboard is the heart of the boat. It powers all of the electronics and sparks the ignition so that the boat will run when you turn the key.
A good rule of thumb to keep in mind is that the typical lifespan of a boat battery is around five years. You may get more or less time out of your battery but that’s the average you should expect.
If you take care of your batteries, you will get the maximum out of them. Keeping them on a trickle charge while they’re in storage will go a long way. You also want to make sure you’re buying the manufacturer's suggested type of battery for the boat.
Pontoon Boat Trailers
As a long-time pontoon boat owner, I know the importance of owning a boat trailer or having access to a trailer. For many years, I would rent a trailer at the beginning and end of each season in order to pull the boat and get it into storage.
My local dealer rents out pontoon boat trailers and we knew how to launch, haul out, and tow a boat, so that setup worked well for us. If you don’t have access to renting a trailer or borrowing one from a friend, you may look to purchase one from your dealer.
[For more information on pontoon boat trailers check out: Pontoon Boat Trailers: The Ultimate Buyer's Guide]
Purchasing a Pontoon Boat Trailer
You may already know this but most pontoon manufacturers don’t build or sell pontoon boat trailers. You will typically have to purchase a trailer through your dealer or another third-party source.
If you own a pontoon boat or have one on order, you should be turning to your dealer for more information on buying a trailer for the boat. I would make sure to have a trailer on order far before taking possession of the boat.
How to Tow a Pontoon Boat
If you’re planning on towing your pontoon boat, make sure you’re fully aware of your vehicle’s towing capabilities. It’s critical that you know what the tow vehicle’s GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating) is. GVWR is the amount of weight the vehicle can safely tow.
Next, make sure the vehicle you plan to use has a hitch receiver. You will need to purchase the trailer hitch ball that attaches to the hitch receiver. I recommend looking for a hitch ball that’s already attached to a mount.
There are different size hitch balls so be sure that the one you buy fits the coupler on your pontoon trailer. Once you have the appropriate hitch accessories, connect the trailer to the truck and it’s time to drive.
The next crucial step is to know how to pull and back up the trailer. Take your trailer to an empty parking lot and practice until you’re comfortable backing into tighter spaces. Once you perfect this skill, launching the pontoon boat will be a piece of cake.
How to Launch a Pontoon Boat
If you plan on having your dealer handle launch and haul out make sure you coordinate dates and times with them. Communicate so that you know whether you need to tow the boat to them or they’ll be picking it up from storage.
Let’s say you’re planning on handling launch and haul out. If you’ve practiced backing the trailer and are confident that you can get into the ramp with little hassle, you’ve already won half the battle.
As a long-time boater, I try to steer clear of launching my pontoon boat on the weekend or at peak times of the day. If you’re launching the boat just for the day and weekends are the only time you plan on boating, try to get to the ramp early in the morning.
Having the ramp to yourself takes the pressure off and makes for a much more enjoyable experience. You will also want to make sure the boat is prepared ahead of backing into the ramp so that you’re not holding up the line of boaters waiting to launch.
Have at least one person with you so that they can navigate the boat off of the trailer and make sure your truck stays on the ramp. There’s nothing worse than losing the truck and trailer off the side of the boat ramp, good luck coming back from that.
Once the boat floats free and clears the trailer, pull the truck up onto dry land and get out of the way. Some public launches have a parking lot that you can leave your vehicle in if you’re just launching for the day.
Safety on the Water
Safety should be at the top of every boater’s list. Boating should be an enjoyable experience for all. I’ve been on the water my entire life and I can say that most of those years have been filled with fun, stress-free boating.
There have been moments when either the driver of the boat I was on wasn’t practicing safe boating or other boaters around me were being careless. In those moments, I have been lucky enough to know how to navigate the situation.
Growing up in a lake town, boater’s safety was a course they taught us in eighth grade. That was one of the most beneficial classes they could have added to our curriculum because it taught us kids respect for the water at a young age.
Boating License
No matter what type of boat you have or plan to purchase, I recommend finding a local boater’s safety course to take. It wouldn’t hurt to get this done before you take possession of the boat so you’re ready when the season starts.
Hear me out, you’re never too old to obtain a boater’s license. True, in most cases you do not need a boater’s license for recreational boating. You do need a driver’s license, but just because you can drive a car doesn’t mean you’re an expert boater. For instance, do you know what the red and green navigation lights signal?
Boat Terms
Part of being a safe boater is knowing what the name of components on the boat means and the role they play. For example, the navigation lights on the front of every boat are red and green. These signal who has the right-of-way at night when passing other boats.
Knowing these terms will contribute to how you navigate the boat. They will also play a role in keeping you compliant with the law. Get to know your boat, you will be safer on the water.
Who has the Right-of-Way?
This goes hand-in-hand with knowing nautical terms. As I mentioned, navigation lights will let you know who has the right-of-way when boating at night. During the day, there are three main passing situations that you will encounter.
These situations are head-on, crossing, or overtaking. It’s important that you know if you’re the give-way or stand-on vessel. Depending on the direction you’re coming from and how you’re approaching the other boat will determine which vessel type you are and how you should react.
A boater’s safety course will educate you on this and many other pieces of must-know safety information. This type of information will be critical to know before you hit the water.
Safety on New Water
Let’s say you’ve taken a boater’s safety course, have obtained your boating license, and are comfortable at the helm. Are you prepared to boat on new water? What I mean by that is, do you know what it takes to make sure you’re safe no matter where you’re boating?
For example, I have grown up on a freshwater lake. There’s not much of a current, I know where all of the sandbars are, and which channels to avoid due to fallen trees and underwater obstructions.
If I were asked to get behind the wheel of my pontoon boat on the neighboring river, I would need a whole lot of information before taking off. If you plan to boat in a new place, make sure you plan ahead for anything that could get in the way of a hassle-free boat ride.
Driving a Pontoon Boat
You may be a boater at heart but if you’ve never driven a pontoon boat, I recommend asking your dealer for lessons. It really is straightforward but there are things like the type of steering that the boat has which could make driving this type of boat a new experience for you.
Learning how to drive a pontoon boat takes minimal time but make sure you’re doing it right. Ask your dealer for a lesson when you take delivery of the boat, they will be your best resource for this.
How to Trim the Engine
There are two main reasons you will trim the motor for. Trim refers to moving the engine out and in. You will do this by pushing the button on the throttle up or down. The first reason you would use trim is to move the propeller away from the ground.
When you trim up, the outboard engine pushes out away from the boat which naturally brings the propeller up. This comes in handy when you drive into shallow spots or an area with underwater obstructions.
You want to move the propeller so that it doesn’t hit the bottom which can cause damage to the prop and potentially the lower unit of the motor.
The second main reason for trimming the engine is to get peak performance while the boat is underway. This is a skill that you will learn over time and is done mostly by feel. If you are not sure how to trim your pontoon boat’s engine, ask your dealer for a lesson. The more you drive the pontoon boat, the easier it will come to you.
How to Dock the Pontoon Boat
Knowing how to safely drive your pontoon boat and knowing how to dock the boat go hand-in-hand. If you can get the boat out on the water, you need to know how to put it away at the end of the day.
Docking is a skill that can be more treacherous to master. Many times, the main thing holding someone back from learning how to successfully dock a boat is fear. Fear of hitting the pier too hard or fear of damaging the boat.
Whatever it might be, I'm telling you from experience, letting go of the fear will get you closer to becoming a docking expert. If you know your surroundings and are sure that your boat will fit in the designated space, that’s half the battle.
Keep in mind when approaching the dock, you never want to go faster than you’re willing to hit the pier. If you come in slow and steady, a little bump to the side rail isn’t going to kill the boat, in most cases.
Let go of the fear, have confidence in your skill, and go slow. Keep that in the back of your head and you’ll learn how to dock a boat in no time. And before you attempt docking, make sure you know how to tie up once you’re there.
The Perfect Day on the Water
As a pontoon boat owner, you might already know what your favorite pontoon pastime is. You most likely value comfort and the ability to bring a group with you out on the boat. If you have the right floorplan and just the right amount of seating, your possibilities are endless.
If you’re looking to float at the sandbar, all you need is the right type of anchor. If you’re looking to water ski, make sure you choose a large enough engine. There is a pontoon boat for everyone and as the SUVs of the water, they are considered the most versatile boat on the market.
Activities
It’s no secret that pontoon boats have evolved over the last decade. They’ve gone from the typical slow cruiser to performance boats with the help of a little innovation and a lot of horsepower. That said, these boats are equipped for more water activities than ever before.
Take water sports for example. With the wide range of outboard engines on the market today and the way these performance pontoons are built, they are great for nearly any water sport you like.
That is just one of the ways pontoons are appealing to younger crowds. They are suitable for a ton of on-water activities that were never possible with the toons of yesterday. This is one of the reasons you will see pontoon boats in parts of the country that you may never have seen before.
Destinations
As I just mentioned, the outboard engines offered today are bigger and faster than ever before. This coupled with the fact that some pontoon manufacturers are building heavy-duty chassis unlike in the past, makes these boats travel friendly.
Big water, currents, and saltwater are no match for these robust boats so you will see them more and more throughout the country. Whether you’re on the intercoastal, rivers that flow for hundreds of miles, or lakes that are considered great, nearly any body of water is a pontoon-friendly destination.
Apps for Boating
If you’re planning on hitting the road with your pontoon boat it’s important that you’re prepared for what’s to come. A new destination means learning new depths, laws, and weather patterns.
There is a bounty of apps available that are geared towards all things boating. Getting to know the water you’re on will make for an easier day on the boat and could save you the headache of prop damage, getting caught in a storm, or getting lost at sea.
Accessories
Aside from bringing your cell phone that has all the best boat apps downloaded before you hit the road, make sure you’re stocked with the pontoon boat essentials. There are a number of pontoon boat accessories that you’ll want to keep on board at all times such as dock line and fenders.
Other accessories such as splash pads and inflatable pizza rafts are a bonus if you’ve got the space to bring them along. Keep in mind if you’re headed out on new water or a large body of water that will take you far from home, it’s not a bad idea to keep a jump box in tow.
Think through your accessory list based on where you plan to boat for the day or weekend. Once you have that nailed down, don’t forget the cooler!
Snacks
What is a day on the water without snacks? The perfect boat snacks are the ones that will help you beat the heat and keep you full of energy. Growing up on the lake, there was nothing better than a cold juice box and a ham sandwich after a full day of swimming at the sandbar.
When you’re packing the cooler keep in mind that your ice will melt, no matter what kind of cooler you have. Ziploc bags will be your friend in this case keeping snacks dry and cool while they float around with the juice boxes and cans of pop.
Boating with Pets
While you’re packing the cooler, don’t forget about your furry friends. Pontoon boats make the perfect boat for pet lovers because of the space to sprawl out and the flat deck that makes it easy for them to move about.
Keep in mind that animals will get hot quicker than humans so make sure you have a plan for them if they’re jumping on board. Will your pet get in the water? If so, I recommend investing in a life vest made just for them.
You should also pack them enough water for the entire day along with the rest of the crew's beverages. Don’t forget to bring along a dish for easy drinking access and another if you plan to feed them on the water.
Speaking as a boat-dog mom, keeping your pets hydrated on the water is critical. Barletta has made this easy by including a built-in pet dish in every boat, along with their many other pet-friendly features.
Pontoon Boat Ownership
Being the owner of a pontoon boat, you’re sure to be a favorite among friends. These boats are comfortable, spacious, and make it easy to move about. With the horsepower offered today and the innovations that most pontoon manufacturers are developing, the reputation is changing and pontoons are becoming the boat of choice among all age groups.
Because of this shift, you can expect to see these boats in places they’ve not been particularly popular before. As the owner of a pontoon boat, your possibilities for on-water fun are endless. If you’re thinking about jumping on board I recommend visiting a boat show or contacting your local dealer for a demo.
*For more information on pontoon boat ownership, check out our Learning Center. We cover everything from what type of fuel to use in your pontoon to how to manually lower your eclectic bimini.
