Common Problems with Pontoon Boats

When buying an new pontoon boat, you want to know what the common problems with pontoon boat are. Although pontoons are one of the most versatile and lowest cost of boat ownership choices out there, no boat is perfect and you need to know the negatives before you buy. In this video we cover:

0:00 Intro
1:30 What happens to a pontoon boat when left uncovered?
2:08 Are pontoon boats hard to handle?
2:37 How fast do pontoon boats depreciate?
3:39 Are pontoon boats easy to damage or hard to handle out of the water?
4:24 How do pontoon boats handle rough water and are they safe?
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A blog we have written about how much pontoon boats cost:

Here is a Pontoon Boat Buyers guide blog:

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Connect with us!

[SeanHorsfall]

What are some other pontoon boat problems we missed? Please share your ideas!

[Maynardd]

Yep, your phones and tablets definitely listen to you. I haven’t looked up a single pontoon boat online, I’ve only discussed it in my house for the last couple of days, and now I’m getting pontoon boat recommendations in my feed on YouTube. Big Brother is real!

[truman]

I love how you can stand up and walk around on it.
Multiple people can fish and lounge on a pontoon.
You can comfortably spend the entire day on a pontoon.

[davegoodwin]

The biggest problem with a pontoon boat....
I don't have one.

[jerryjohnson]

Problems? This video convinced me to buy one.

[daveumpref]

I've had a pontoon for years and the main negatives are that it handles very poorly you need to anticipate more than you would in a V-hull, It will handle true but, very slowly. Also, you need to keep bimini tops down when pulling out or in. They act like sails and will pull you 3ft or more and that's the difference between a perfect dock and a costly repair. Other than that, they are fantastic. Less maintenance and worry about bilge pumps and rear seals. I take mine out alone all the time and it's not difficult at all. when you can, take a morning when no one is around, no one is looking and making you nervous and self conscious, and practice pulling in and out a few times, and then a few more times and before you know it you'll have a feel for pulling into the slip cleanly. I've had both V-hull and pontoon and those are the only real problems with the pontoon. The overall plusses and minuses are for another time but, those are the two real issues with new pontoon owners. If you practice for a while, you'll be just fine.

[williamdavis]

Have owned 4 pontoons and a professional Mariner agree with you on most points. Exception docking, Tri tube pontoon can handle much better than the typical two story no basement powerboat. Low windage with most is aft gives predictable wind drift.

Three hulls all with keels have triple the directional stability of a single hull planning design. Pontoon tracks straight and outboard powered responds well to “ kicking” the stern with power. Docking shown bow in stern out and pulled in with a shore line handler could have been so easy. As she coast forward go hard right rudder and give her a quick bump reverse. Stern will move in boat snugs up nicely.

[ronpage]

If you get a pontoon boat, covered storage is a must. Very expensive to replace the vinyl and carpet. We loved ours. Will be getting a tri hull in the future.

[curtcollett]

A while back I saw a stripped pontoon boat used as a porch. If maintained and easily detached from the house it could be a lifesaver for those living in major flood zones.

[nhbiker]

I made the rookie mistake when my boat was brand new. I flipped the bumpers into the boat and I gently pushed the boat off and by the time I for to the driver's seat, the wind pushed the boat back up against the dock and it put a deep scratch on one of the toons. Lesson learned...now I open the bimini when out on the water and I push off hard if the wind is blowing and bring the bumpers in the boat when under way.

[TenACgal]

Few thoughts on my personal experience. I have a 1997 20 foot Voyager fish/cruise layout and absolutely love it! I have babied it and it has been a labor of love, and still looks relatively great for its age. It has a 90 HP Mercury Force motor that has been irritable when it comes to idling since day one which is my only major complaint. That, and I sometimes get cold on the passenger side. Otherwise, we opted for a boat with an aluminum deck and dark green carpet against all other opinions that said it would burn your feet, but that has never been true. It also will never rot out. I would think boat decks without carpet would be more likely to burn your feet, but easier to clean as I have to actually vacuum mine. Not too much of a problem for me since I keep a cheap vacuum cleaner on a shelf in the boat bay of our detached garage high up where I can just pull it down onto the boat and plug it in. That said, I will stress that you absolutely must protect your boat from the sun and humidity as I have done for this boat or it wouldn’t still be looking good since 1997, and now it is 2024. Keep it covered and keep the dry out stuff under the tent if you cannot keep your boat in a garage. Moisture is cancer to a boat. And sun.
Yes, the wind can make a pontoon hard to maneuver, but just put the Bimini down and go slow. Pontoons can take a lot of abuse if you bump some thing. I actually love that you can beach them and not worry about cracking your fiberglass hull. Yay for aluminum!
I could go on, but I am just waiting for someone to come out with my dreamboat, which would be a 20 foot with a wraparound windshield, aluminum deck, and a porta potty. It hasn’t happened yet. I suppose I could special order one, but I’m not dropping the price of a house on a pontoon boat.

[kai-xsix]

My family has a pontoon boat and we love it! The only down side we have is that it’s slow and wheatering seats and it mostly gets you wet in rough waters, but kinda easy to park on land!

[homepage]

Bought a tri-toon and absolutely love it! Have many fellow boaters tell me they should have bought a tri-toon before buying a wake-boat and we can tube and ski as good as a wake boat..just can't provide a wake like a wake boat. Have fished with the boat in 2 feet of water. I live near the coast and are planning to run the bays but not taking out to the open water even though was told it could handle 3-4 foot swells. Not risking that tho! These tri-toons have come a long way.

[bossgobbler]

My 22 ft goes 22 mph with only a 60 horse Honda. Fully loaded (8-10 people) we do good to hit 20, but who cares. We are never in a hurry and my fuel tank doesn't seem to ever need filling.

[thomasritchie]

People don't realize how inexpensive and quick to have built are steel carports/garages if you have enough space on your property. This eliminates the problem with damage to your boat when sitting idle. My 20 ft. carport was less than $1500 and was built in half a day by installers. The price included the installation.

[Indianawhiskeyandbourbon]

Pontoon boat
Don't store food in your seats on a boat slip. You may come back to a shredded interior, rotten food and raccoon crap everywhere. Then your slip neighbors get their boats shredded as well and you're the reason. My 2017 24' Sweetwater pontoon that I paid 19k for last year looks like a 1980's that's been sitting out in the woods. Don't store food, bring it with you and take it when you leave. Also, never trust your fuel gauge. Always top your tank and if you leave it sitting for anymore than a month, use a marine grade fuel treatment. If your tank is left unfilled, it's more susceptible to condensation buildup.


If you see storm clouds on the Get the boat docked immediately. Don't try to ride it out.

[emersonc]

One thing about loading pontoons on trailers, if you have a bunked trailer where each toon is resting on the bunks, some will be very tall on the trailer and if you get them crooked at all they can fall off. Happened to someone on our lake.

[brother]

Always learn something from you guys every time i watch a video. Thanks

[zeus-mtwx]

Thank you.
Wifey and I moving on from center steer forked skiff type to pontoon boat.

[Rottypiper]

Putting the cover on after every use is a pain.