Wave damage

[Baja 252]

Being on LOTO, front panel damage is one of my concerns. I've been boating for 50+ years and this is our 4th pontoon, so I know what to do and not to do, but it's still a concern especially with a new boat. If you have experienced LOTO on a summer weekend you know even the best of drivers can still get caught off guard in the washing machine and take water over the front.
I'm not sure I want to tear into our new boat, but I think if I took the front seats out, made a curved form behind the front panel and poured expandable foam about 3/8" - 1/2" thick it would really strengthen the front panels. After the seats are back in you wouldn't even see it.
Anyone ever do anything like this?

 

[Alicedream]

Alice Dream... Really? Beat the captain of the vessel? I don't think so. 40 years of pristine boating and boats and water sports. Not the captain. It is the waves of the sea against this aluminum at the bow. All it took was one at a 45degree. We are on the Florida Gulf Coast and Intracoastal. As I said, boat is going to an inland lake, a beautiful one at that, where I am sure it will be fine. Our tritoon ESP is a shining beauty with Sports arch. We will go back to a fiberglass vessel for the Gulf.

First, I have empathy for what happened to your boat. It sucks. However, These are pontoon boats and all of them are designed the same unless you get a fiberglass version. When you get these boats, everyone knows that you have to be hyper sensitive with the panels when parking, entering and exiting boat, kids, and big waves. Like it or not that is nature of these boats. Bennington builds the best pontoon boats on the market. It is not my intent to rub salt in the wound, but you can't blame this on the design of the boat. And saltwater model only means corrosion resistant not wave resistant. I have also been around and owned boats for 40+ years and understood when I purchased a pontoon that this was the price of admission. Knowing that I would not trade my Bennington for any other boat out there on the market. Good luck with your future boating and sorry about the wave damage to new boat.

 

[lakeliving]

We had ours in the intercostal today and it was hairy at times. A lot of zig zagging and defensive driving. Here is what we have to contend with

 

[TomS]

We had ours in the intercostal today and it was hairy at times. A lot of zig zagging and defensive driving. Here is what we have to contend with

And THAT is exactly why we decided our ESP pontoon just wasn't going to work for us in SW Florida. We've been "waked" quite a few times here, anything from the deck up is totally vulnerable. There are many careless, untrained, and oblivious boaters on these waters, all in close quarters.

One other factor here vs our Northern lake is the variety of boat sizes and types, as pointed out in the pics, everything from little skiffs to superyachts, all in the same spaces. On our lake, everything was 20-25' give or take a bit, so wakeboard boats were the only real threat. Here, you never know what monster's going to show up in front or next to you.

 

[lakeliving]

Luckily we have the St Luce river to play in vs the intracoastal. If we stay down here long term we'll probably make the change to a center console. Not because we don't like ours, but because I like it so much I don't want to see it damaged. Plus it would be nice getting off shore, but then your fuel bill goes through the roof. decisions decisions.

 

[Spoiledrotten]

Snip.... Taking it to Table Rock in May for the summer and maybe leave it up there forever. If the dealer is good up there then we just may keep the boat. It has been a fun boat. Service after the sale.... not so fun. 40 years of boats.

We’re taking ours to TRL in June. Looking forward to that trip.

 

[Spoiledrotten]

We had ours in the intercostal today and it was hairy at times. A lot of zig zagging and defensive driving. Here is what we have to contend with

View attachment 24662 View attachment 24663

Been there. Done that. Love it.

 

[rodsfields]

I just took my 22SSRXP SPS on a 70 mile journey down the ICW from New Smyrna Beach to Cocoa Beach and we must have encountered at least 6 of the big wake boats heading north for the summer. Kept my distance as much as possible, took the wakes at about 45 degrees and found out that the boat handles them better if I don’t slow down too much. I never got water over the bow and some of the wakes were easily 4 feet.

When we did a sea trial on a similar set up he took a good 3-4 foot wake and we stayed dry. There was a two log pontoon behind us that took water over the bow. That’s what sold me on it.

 

[lakeliving]

My worry is jumping the first wave and nose diving into the next!!!!

Recently we went down to Jupiter (past Tiger Woods house) on a friends CC and we got air going through big boat wake!!!

 

[rodsfields]

My worry is jumping the first wave and nose diving into the next!!!!

Recently we went down to Jupiter (past Tiger Woods house) on a friends CC and we got air going through big boat wake!!!

Yes, and I felt that on center consoles as well. I just try to give them as much room as possible and try to keep my bow as high as possible with throttling. Didn’t get wet once. In fact found them a lot more comfortable to ride out in the tritoon than on a V Hull.

Did you see the videos on YouTube of the Avalon CEO taking a trip from Clearwater to Havana on a tritoon with twin outboards? He didn’t take on water til he was in a storm with 8 foot seas. I’m not that brave (stupid). I don’t think I’ll ever go in the ocean with her.”, especially with the crazy water at the inlets.