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Just bought a 22SSRXPDN - Now What?

Congrats on the new boat and welcome! We've had our boat for 3 seasons now and I'm still occasionally adding something to the "stuff you didn't think about list". As a new boater when I asked our dealer for the best advice he could give me he said "don't pull into a dock faster than the speed you're willing to hit it at". After getting on the water seeing some other boaters I quickly realized the value of that advice, lol.

Great forums here with some really experienced and great people. You are in the right place!
 
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Advice
Where to start ...
First get separate insurance on your boat not attached to your homeowner policy.
Deal with the same insurance company as to get multi-policy discount.
Take a boaters course, owning a boat is about making Great Memories, NOT A NIGHTMARE
NEVER EVER NEVER LET ANYONE CAPTAIN YOUR BOAT BUT YOU
You are responsible for your Benny, you paid for it dont allow a family member or a friend to ruin your boat or reputation on your Lake . More accidents are caused by guests who think a boat is a car!!!
Be careful of your boat and those you let on it , the careless drinker, smoker, or jealous friend can do more harm than good
My Policy ....... No Shoes On My Boat .... You would be shocked how many adults will place their shoes on your seats and whose kids will stand on your seats with shoes
Lastly maintain your boat it is a costly toy, playing DIY is not for everyone

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Welcome from another SML pontoon owner. One of the nice things about buying from Webster Marine is they include everything you need to get on the water ( life jackets, throw cushion, anchor w/ line, chain rode and shackle, cooler, mooring lines, fenders). SML is patrolled by 2 or 3 different county LE departments so make sure you have your registration on the boat, all lights and horn are functioning, fire extinguisher, etc. They will pull over at some point, guaranteed.
 
If possible, bring an experienced boater (preferably an experienced pontoon boater) along with you on your first few outings. Ask questions, listen to the answers. Docking is the biggest challenge for all of us, but especially for nubies. Like an airplane landing, any docking job you can walk away from is a good one.
 
All, I appreciate all the insight from my fellow seaman, it's been going well. I have a very narrow slip and I was wondering what you might be using for bumpers attached to the piling post. Like to make the entry into the slip as safe as possible and allow some room for error, all be it a tap to the post.
 
I haven’t read the other posts, yet, but purchase a docking pole. That thing is worth its weight in gold. You can pull or push with it, and makes time near the dock, more stress free. A plus about this tool is if you have storage in the middle log, this is great for pushing gear toward the front, then retrieve it when you need it. Before this, either my wife or I had to get on our belly or get inside the area to access the front portion of the cell.

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Spoiledrotten said:
I haven’t read the other posts, yet, but purchase a docking pole. That thing is worth its weight in gold. You can pull or push with it, and makes time near the dock, more stress free. A plus about this tool is if you have storage in the middle log, this is great for pushing gear toward the front, then retrieve it when you need it. Before this, either my wife or I had to get on our belly or get inside the area to access the front portion of the cell.

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I've never used one of these for getting to my dock, trailer etc. in over 6 years of boating. Maybe I am doing it wrong!!!
 
My wife saw one at West Marine, bought it and was so proud to show it to me telling me docking would be so much easier. How many times in 2 years has it been used? Zero, never, nada, zilch! :cool:
 
They can also be used to easily retrieve things like hats that may blow overboard :) We have one onboard but have rarely had to use it - only a couple times when the wind was strong blowing us away from the dock (and of course the mentioned hats).
 
Spoiledrotten said:
I haven’t read the other posts, yet, but purchase a docking pole. That thing is worth its weight in gold. You can pull or push with it, and makes time near the dock, more stress free. A plus about this tool is if you have storage in the middle log, this is great for pushing gear toward the front, then retrieve it when you need it. Before this, either my wife or I had to get on our belly or get inside the area to access the front portion of the cell.

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Thanks a wonderful tip, on the list of must-haves.
 
This is what i would recommend over a standard boat hook:

My wife would say, and I'd probably agree, that the best gadget we've seen so far is the Boat Loop. Makes docking easy, low-stress, and the device has multiple other uses. It also makes rafting easier. I met the owner/inventor over the weekend at the sailboat show in Annapolis. Super-nice fellow! I have no affiliation.

http://new.theboatloop.com

It comes in three different sizes. We got the 4'-8', but could likely have done fine with the 3'-6' model.

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sjhorner9475 said:
My wife saw one at West Marine, bought it and was so proud to show it to me telling me docking would be so much easier. How many times in 2 years has it been used? Zero, never, nada, zilch! :cool:
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Apparently I stink at docking!!! We use ours every time!!!
 
I don't know if we stink, but we are new to pontooning, and our boat is new, and wind can make docking challenging. The Boat Loop changed the game, especially for my wife. The addition of the loop makes grabbing cleats so easy, plus you retain all the functionality of a standard boat hook.
 
I jinxed myself and had to bust out the boat hook to free my fishing lure from a dock recently!! I'm happy I had it aboard.
 
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