Trailering a Pontoon

[kanop44]

Although I have owned many boats before, this is my first pontoon. I was wondering if it was more difficult to trailer a pontoon in & out of the water than other types of boats. Also, due to the much larger size, is it more difficult to handle your vehicle when towing a pontoon.

 

[Butchkid]

Although I have owned many boats before, this is my first pontoon. I was wondering if it was more difficult to trailer a pontoon in & out of the water than other types of boats. Also, due to the much larger size, is it more difficult to handle your vehicle when towing a pontoon.

Excellent question. I am wondering the same thing. My Pontoon is not going to be delivered until April 1st.

 

[Friar]

Hi - We have had our boat since last August and we trailer it. My experience has been the 14 times we have taken it out (mostly to Lake Grapevine and Joe Pool Lake in DFW area). Admittedly I don't have another type boat experience to compare it to, but I would say all in all it really isn't to difficult to launch and reload. The biggest challenge we have had is when the wind is over about 15 mph and most likely will be a cross-wind to the direction you want to go, especially when reloading. My wife always "drives" the boat on and off and I deal with the trailer and truck. After our first time, we went out and bought walkie-talkies so we could communicate (without trying to yell and scream at each other!) We also realized that we needed to put the bimini(s) down when reloading after the first time since they just compounded the "sailboat" effect in the wind. The third thing I have done is just decided to ignore anybody else around the ramp who might seem impatient. My attitude has become "they can just wait." As far as trailering in general, I just try to stay in the right lane as much as possible and make sure I have lots of clearance when I need to change lanes or make turns. Also, the walkie talkies come in really handy when I am backing the trailer down the launch ramp since I can only use my side mirrors (the rear view mirrow is just full of the front of the pontoon!) It is no wonder that guys with bass boats and ski boats all seem to think they have launching down pat; they have a clear view of their rear over the backs of their boats. Seemed to have rambled alot, but bottom line is that it is not that difficult and gets easier with more practice. Have fun.

 

[goldnrod24]

I hemmed and hawed about whether to buy a float on or crank up trailer. Here's what my research taught me.

Float On (bunk style)

Pros:

- Wide stance for high speed and/or long distance towing

- Necessary for tri-toons

- Simpler to power load

- Can get one with a ladder to board at the bow

Cons:

- Need deeper water to launch than crank ups

- Slightly more expensive than crank ups

- Much harder to get trailer out from under boat for storage or sharing a trailer

- Almost impossible to locate used

Crank Up

Pros:

- You can lower your boat to the ground (for storage or sharing purposes)

- You can beach your boat and usually still get the trailer underneath

- Slightly cheaper than float ons

- Multiple owners can share

- Seem to last forever

Cons:

- Much less stable on the road and highway

- Won't work on a tri-toon

- Narrow wheelbase and smaller tires

- Must be loaded correctly or bad things will happen

- Almost impossible to locate used

In the end, I bought a tandem axle crank up. My boat is stored indoors just a mile from the launch ramp. Another ramp, with docks, is just 3 miles away. I got a great deal on a 24' tandem crankup for $1400. I also have friends who may want to borrow my trailer occasionally and now, they can.

Hope this helps!

 

[ajBenny10]

wow, nice reply goldnrod...that's pretty good way to look at all that info!

 

[kanop44]

Thanks for the thoughtful responses. My dealer offers free trailer rentals and having just bought a new SUV without a trailer hitch, I think I will go ahead and add the hitch. Overall, it will pay for itself saving on fees to have the boat put in and taken out. I'm hoping that it will also add the enjoyment of trailering to other Lakes around Michigan.

 

[TOON'D OUT]

I am new to pontooning and we trailer our pontoon to our community boat ramp which is a five minute drive from our home. The ramp is rarely used which helps a lot. I have had the launched and loaded our TOON three times so far. The last time I had it out was the first solo launch and load. It went great! I kept thinking man.....this is getting easier with practice. For me the slow approach works best.

Cheers!

TOON'D OUT

 

[Clark]

I was surprized how easy it is to back the pontoon trailer down the ramp. Just get it lined up right and it tracks very straight. Loading a pontoon in a cross wind can be hard, I aim a full pontoon width upwind and glide in.

 

[firsttoon]

Hi - We have had our boat since last August and we trailer it. My experience has been the 14 times we have taken it out (mostly to Lake Grapevine and Joe Pool Lake in DFW area). Admittedly I don't have another type boat experience to compare it to, but I would say all in all it really isn't to difficult to launch and reload. The biggest challenge we have had is when the wind is over about 15 mph and most likely will be a cross-wind to the direction you want to go, especially when reloading. My wife always "drives" the boat on and off and I deal with the trailer and truck. After our first time, we went out and bought walkie-talkies so we could communicate (without trying to yell and scream at each other!) We also realized that we needed to put the bimini(s) down when reloading after the first time since they just compounded the "sailboat" effect in the wind. The third thing I have done is just decided to ignore anybody else around the ramp who might seem impatient. My attitude has become "they can just wait." As far as trailering in general, I just try to stay in the right lane as much as possible and make sure I have lots of clearance when I need to change lanes or make turns. Also, the walkie talkies come in really handy when I am backing the trailer down the launch ramp since I can only use my side mirrors (the rear view mirrow is just full of the front of the pontoon!) It is no wonder that guys with bass boats and ski boats all seem to think they have launching down pat; they have a clear view of their rear over the backs of their boats. Seemed to have rambled alot, but bottom line is that it is not that difficult and gets easier with more practice. Have fun.

Do you have the double bimini option like you have pictured? I have and found a unique problem while trailering mine home(first and only time trailering because of weather). Anyway, the front bimini will flap around violently. Anyone else having this issue? When weather warms I will trailer and video to send to Bennigton engineers. Hopefully they will come up with a fix. In the meantime I plan on using a bungie to strap down.

 

[Friar]

"firsttoon" - Yes I have a double bimini and in the stored (or trailering) position, it leans forward unlike the rear one which leans rearward. Before I took it off the dealers lot, they tied it down with rope attached to the forward cleats and said I should always keep it tied down when trailering. I am sure bungee cords would work just as well. I am sure when travelling 60/65 mph there is significant wind force on it, but it does not move around much. However I did noticed the bimini boot cover still flapping a lot, so I added a wide strap wrapped around it for trailering and it works well. It duplicates the strap in the rear which is attached to the playpen cover and wraps around the rear bimini to keep it lifted off of the sundeck when stored. Will attach a picture when I can figure out how to resize it to an acceptable upload size.

 

[firsttoon]

"firsttoon" - Yes I have a double bimini and in the stored (or trailering) position, it leans forward unlike the rear one which leans rearward. Before I took it off the dealers lot, they tied it down with rope attached to the forward cleats and said I should always keep it tied down when trailering. I am sure bungee cords would work just as well. I am sure when travelling 60/65 mph there is significant wind force on it, but it does not move around much. However I did noticed the bimini boot cover still flapping a lot, so I added a wide strap wrapped around it for trailering and it works well. It duplicates the strap in the rear which is attached to the playpen cover and wraps around the rear bimini to keep it lifted off of the sundeck when stored. Will attach a picture when I can figure out how to resize it to an acceptable upload size.

Thanks for the reply Friar. Send the picture to my e-mail. [email protected] How about the rest of the members? Anyone else experiencing this issue? My dealer is located on a lake where there is no need to trailer so their experience is limited with trailering. Do you trailer with the mooring cover? My dealer said not too. Thanks.

 

[skeptic]

Do you all actually use the clips and straps on the playpen cover when trailering?? My dealer told me I could use them but they recommended I didn't because it will eventually rip the clips and straps from the cover. They also told me, Bennington doesn't recommend trailering with the playpen cover on. I believe I read the same thing in the owners manual. When I left the dealer the cover was on and I pulled it to the lake with no problems but this weekend I pulled it home (to get my numbers made) without the cover. I didn't see any difference either way except I felt better knowing I wasn't going to damage the cover. I don't have a double bimini so that wasn't an issue for me.

 

[Friar]

"firsttoon" - Just sent pics to your email.

"skeptic" - Yes I have been using the rear straps/clip when trailering. I was not told there was a potential problem with it and don't recall reading anything about it - guess I have something new to worry about!!

Now this reminds me of another issue I have read about: "trailering with the pontoon cover on or off." There seems to be pros and cons opinions both ways. There are about 9 lakes I can go to ranging from 17 to 90 miles away. I tend to leave the cover on during the trips to a lake and off on the return trip. The primary reason for leaving it on are all the bug guts on the furniture when I travel with it off and no one but me wants to spend time cleaning when we first get to the lake. After the return trip, I can clean after I put the boat back in its storage area.

 

[Wild and Free]

I trailer my boat every weekend. I lay the bimini down in storage position and always had the playpen cover on. Had no issues at all. There were slight marks where the cover flaps on the front corner panels where the cover transitions from the upper rail to the rub rail at deck level. That was on my 07 which had a very durable canvas cover. My new 2011 has a lighter made cover that I will try to travel with it on to see but I am not so sure it will hold up like the heavier one did.

As far as trailering I have 2 2500 Dodge Ram cummins and in the wind it really pulls harder but otherwise it is no problem. As far as backing and oading and unloading its a breeze unless out in the open with a good cross wind and current it can be challenging. But a little practice and most should be able to do it. My wife is a farm girl with lots of trailer experience. She can show up 90% of the guys out there when it comes to backing up a trailer.

It can take a few tries to balance every individual boat to every different trailer. You have to play with location fore and aft on the trailer along with axle position of the trailer to get them to ride nice on the road without having them bounce around because they are not balanced properly.