How big is my boat?

[asdasc]

My last post got me to thinking, how do they rate pontoon boats?

Mine has 16' tubes, but had a 12' long deck.

Is it a 16' pontoon boat? Or a 12' pontoon boat?

I redecked it and made the deck go back further on the pontoons. Now it is a 15' deck.

 

[bowman316]

Re: How big is my boat?

i would say how ever long the deck is, because the pontoons are below the water. The practical space is only 15, not 16.

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: How big is my boat?

Boats are measured from the bow to the transom (not including motor or anchor sprit). Doesn't matter what the hull type is, mono, catermaran, tri-hull, pontoon. Usually, a fixed (permanent) swim platform is included in the length but a hinged platform is not.

You have a 16ft boat.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: How big is my boat?

Dunaruna, that is very true, but when it comes to buying covers for pontoons, we do not need covers for unimproved parts of the boat, some have 3 or 4 feet of toon in front of the deck, and several feet aft of the deck.

but the boat is the total length of the toon.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: How big is my boat?

US manufactured pontoons are generally measured and advertised tube tip to tube end or transom bracket, whichever extends further. There are three variations here. My deck is full length as is the playpen. Then there are boats that have the deck full length but the playpen leaves about two feet or more out front for fishing chairs. Then there are combinations that leave a couple of feet of pontoon out front before the deck starts and the deck itself may have the same length or shorter playpen. When buying a cover it is generally necessary to specify a Manufacturer and Model number so the custom cover can be properly fitted on the deck/playpen. Generic covers need the same basic specification but they tend to fit a little looser because they may be designed to fit a deck/playpen with a one or two foot variance between makes and models.

 

[VaGent]

Re: How big is my boat?

My '86 Cruiser has a deck 16X8 but the tubes measure exactly 19'-2" from tip to tip. The title states it is a 20 ft pontoon boat. IG&F in VA tells me the length is based on the total length of the tubes rounded off to the next foot. I am guessing based on this topic I would need a cover approximatly 16X8.

 

[Water logged]

Re: How big is my boat?

On my boat the pontoons are 22' 3.5", the deck is 24' 1.25". Is my boat a
22' or a 24'? It is called a Party Barge 22! According to what VAGent was told it should be a 23'

Glenn

 

[bowman316]

Re: How big is my boat?

i think the whole spirit of measuring boat length is to determine how much usable boat you have, which is why transom hooks, or the motor don't count in the measrment.
So I think the standard SHOULD be measuring the deck. But that sounds like it is not the conventional thing to do. Why do i care how long the pontoons are, if i can't walk on them.

 

[freddyray21]

Re: How big is my boat?

a lot depends on whether you are measuring or going by the marketing department. My Searay (not a pontoon) is listed as an SRV 180 which by the marketing department is an 18 ft boat. My boat itself measures 16'7" and it listed as such in the specs. If you measure the outdrive then it's 18'. Yours for cover purposes would be the deck. I suspect for titling and taxing it would be the length of the pontoons.

 

[VaGent]

Re: How big is my boat?

I don't know this for a fact but I suspect it has something to do with the title & tax MONEY they get from all of it. Your boat in VA would be considered a 23 footer based on what I was told by IGF unless your title says otherwise. My title says 20 foot so I have no idea how they come up with the length. My deck is 16 X 8 so why not consider it a 16 footer? I think it would a lot less confusing if they used the deck measurement myself. But maybe that would be too easy for the "guvment" huh? lol