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Pontoon must haves, list them out

tecthis

tecthis

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I searched around a bit but didn't find anything on this topic.

What are some items that you "must have" on the boat with ya?

Here are some items i have on the boat, aside from the usual, horn, life vests, whistle, etc

Spot light

Jump Starter Pack (i'm always afraid i'm going to drain the battery while floating around listening to music)

Paddle. Wont get me too far, but has a hook on the other end i use to dock

iPad. used for pandora streaming

Extra rope

thanks,

Alex...
 
Ha ha ha - Beer. This is actually a good topic to start for new boats/boaters.

Tecthis - You might want to consider a Blue Sea 7610 batter combiner/isolator: http://bluesea.com/c...9/products/7610

I had the same worries about draining the main battery while in a cove with the music on, and not being able to start the motor when we want to leave. Spinzone convinced me to put this in, along with a second battery, and I've had no worries since. I have a 12V digital meter that plugs into the cigarette lighter socket, to verify it is working. Instead of buying a new battery, I was "fortunate" enough to have one die in my car last winter. I kept it instead of trading it in, and it works fine at 80 degrees. It doesn't work at 0 degrees, but I only use it for the stereo, and have run it for hours without draining the battery in the summer temps.

Some of my "must have" items:

This is the meter I mentioned above: http://www.amazon.co...l battery meter If you don't put in a second battery, this is a good thing to have to see how low your battery is anytime you are curious. Do not let it get down to 12 volts though (a 12V battery is essentially dead at 12 volts)

Boat Hook (be sure to get the 3-piece pole): http://www.amazon.co...oping boat hook This is the one I bought, and it is VERY sturdy.

Kayak Paddle (both paddles connect to stretch about 8 feet - useful for many things besides paddling): http://www.amazon.co...ds=kayak paddle I have this one and it also is very sturdy.

Fenders/Bumpers and ropes.

Anchor (two is better, almost a must) and ropes. Get one large one and a small one. Our large one is a chore to pull out of the mud, but I have to use it when it is windy when the smaller one won't hold.

More ropes.

Spare towels

One more rope

Spot light

Spare prop and tools to change it (I need to do this)

Rags, plastic bags, zip ties, duct tape, basic tools, a couple large carabiners, a small spray bottle of 303, and a few ice cream pales to hold it all in.

Throwable rope (rescue item)

At least a half dozen noodles! Epoxy a cheap koozie on the end of a couple of them. You'll see why.

One koozie each of every color you can find so kids can remember which drink is theirs (and drunk adults).

Orange emergency flag (figure out ahead of time how you will raise it - duct tape and zip ties are options).

Life jackets and a throwable, obviously

Extra sunscreen. Leave this in the boat.

Some old extra baseball caps and old/cheap sunglasses for the forgetful people.

A 1-gallon dry bag. I put my phone, wallet, keys, gps, etc in this, and no worries if it drops in the lake when you board and disembark. We saw a lady drop her cell in the lake in the 1-foot gap between their boat and the dock. Unlucky shot.

A whistle or a can of "air horn".

One more extra rope

Rear-view mirror (I still haven't decided which one, but this is a must have if you pull tubes).

A couple eye-glass string-things. A friend jumped in one day and he nearly lost his prescription eye glasses for good.

An assortment of red solo cups.

I'm sure others will think of more.
 
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small first aid kit, spare fuses of the correct size. I also keep 4 VERY LARGE trash bags on board. If you get caught in a spring or fall downpour the rain can be very cold, these make good make shift rain coats and can keep you fairly warm on the trip in. Steve
 
GPS/fish finder (built in volt meter, speedo, depth sounder, miles travel and location) depending on the size of the lake/river.

Extra fuel (1 gallon) don't trust the fuel gauge!

Flair Gun ( if boating in a remote area)

RiverBill
 
VHF two way radio, in case you lose cell coverage. I think it's madatory on some bodies of water ...... PLUS all of above ...... especially the throw ring !!!
 
To add to the list:

Binoculars - to spot friends across open water so you don't have to go a mile or two out of the way to see if it is really them.

Waterproof totes - We keep extra towels and other things we must keep dry in there.

A basic tool set - Need I say more on this one?

Knife - You never know when you might need to cut rope, electrical wire, etc . . .

Spare key to the boat - There are plenty of places to hide one where only you know where it is.

If I remember anything else I feel pertinent to me, I will add it.
 
Thanks for the advice on the voltmeter you plug into the auxillary power outlet (aka cigarette lighter). I put a second battery in the boat last year and was mulling over swapping in multi-gauges this year for 100's of $ just to get a voltmeter in the dash (seriously Team Bennington, the gauge package on my 20SLi is dissapointing). I didn't know something like that existed for monitoring the batteries. Much cheaper than installing new or multi-gauges and avoids the hassle of putting new holes in the helm/IP. Now, if anybody has a slick solution like that for monitoring water pressure and or oil pressure in the outboard motor, I'd be all set!!!!
 
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Please keep in mind, the S is a base model economical package. This is an entry model that is built to keep budget as low as possible. Blaming them for this is like me blaming them my R does not have Q seating .... Just my 2 cents .... Keepin it real !!!! LOL !!!!
 
Here's my water pressure guage next to the GPS.
gallery_1200_147_34850.jpg
 
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On a side note, my Garmin 100 has a voltmeter which I monitor when sitting engine off with radio on and start as needed to charge battery. There is a tranny lockout switch on controls so I can bump up above idle to charge battery.
 
cwag911 said:
Here's my water pressure guage next to the GPS.
gallery_1200_147_34850.jpg
Click to expand...
How does one go about installing one of those? Is it expensive to do? Seems like a smart idea!
 
Hey Derrick, I bought the guage on Ebay (it was Honda branded), It came with all the parts to install it (hose, hardware and fittings). I just had to cut the hole with a holesaw, run the hose into the motor and find where to put the fitting. Then I hooked the light to the existing lights. Piece of cake. B)
 
SEMPERFI8387 said:
On a side note, my Garmin 100 has a voltmeter which I monitor when sitting engine off with radio on and start as needed to charge battery. There is a tranny lockout switch on controls so I can bump up above idle to charge battery.
Click to expand...
I have the Garmin 100 too, and what I especially LIKE about the 100 is you can set a voltage alarm point.

But, the voltage readout is only in tenths of a volt. That's not granular enough when the motor won't start just a few tenths down from a full charge. It also uses a lot more power than the aftermarket one I left the link to (which is more important to me because I have a nearly dead house battery).

It's also usefull in your car to diagnose whether you have a battery or alternator problem.
 
Yeah, that's why I bought a jump box ..... Just in case.

I'll carry it on/off during weekends. I may mount a solar panel if I can do it so it does not look half assed.

I might mount it on c-channels so I can slide it out during week and slide it in while we are using the toon.

I just can't bring myself to mount it to rear of toon, it's too new. Maybe in 5 years or so ....

Course probably will have traded up by then ......
 
You are not mistaken. It was VERY difficult to drill that first hole to mount the second battery box. There was lots of double checking, making sure the changing room would close all the way, making sure it was where I would ALWAYS want it, etc, etc.

I also have a jump box (which is nice to have in the van for trips during the winter). What are the odds of three boat batteries going dead on the same day???

Now that I've said that, it will happen for sure.
 
I have a portable solar panel. I use it to keep the lift battery charged but can also take it on the boat in case we want to stop. I wired up a quick release plug with a fuse for the lift battery and just use the 12 volt outlet for the boat. The nice thing is the panel can be plugged in while lift or boat are in use.
 
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What is the average power output of that solar panel, and how big is it physically?
 
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