1st time pontoon owner, many questions

[chuckinnc]

I bought a 24' pontoon for my small farm pond last week. My plans are to leave it on the water all the time. Here in western NC sometime it can freeze
the pond real good, I hope to leave it in the water but not sure if this will hurt the pontoons?
Also there is a aluminum round plate with about a 2" dia hole in it mounted in the middle of the deck just after you walk in the front gate, it looks kind of like a mount for a large umberela but the hole is not seep enough to hold one.
I Bought it without motor or controls or a trailer, the guy cut all the wires loose form the console, there is a bundle of wire that go thru a hole in the floor but I can't see where they come out, I need to run some for a trolling motor, so how do run the wires? It looks like the boat would have to be out of the water to do this?

 

[12Kennygee]

Re: 1st time pontoon owner, many questions

The plate is probably for a table or possibly for a post for a chair,but most likeley the table.
As far as freezing almost ALL aluminum pontoons have multiple chambers per tube, with a plate / wall/cap between sections.
If the ice gets to thick it could possibly damage the toons as it squeezes it together, but living in Texas we don't have that problem, so no actual experience.
I don't know it it would be safe or pracital to possibly use some "heat strip" that is used on pipes to keep them from freezing . Make sure You Have a GFI in circuit if You go This route.
As for the trolling motor I guess it will depend on where You are going to mount it and where the battery/batteries will be located.
Depending on wind/weight on board will determine size of motor I would think a 40 would be very minimum ,no wind 1-2 on board. I would recommend 60 to 70 lb 24 volt or a small 10 hp kicker. Good Luck

 

[5150abf]

Re: 1st time pontoon owner, many questions

That is unfortunate about the wires, why people do stuff like that is a mystery, those wires go down to the top of the tube and then trhough out the boat so ya, you are gonna have to get it out of the water to figure out what goes where.

As far as a troller you will have to wire that yourself, I doubt the factory had any provisions for it, super simple, just 2 wires and a battery.

With the ice and the tubes it depends, I am from way northern Indiana and our ice gets to be pretty thich and you wouldn't want to leave a toon in here, if it gets more than aninch thick I think you would start having problems btu I don't know for sure.

Maybe get a couple carpet runners and pull it onto shore for the winter with a tractor.

 

[steelespike]

Re: 1st time pontoon owner, many questions

Wires for the trolling motor would have to be heavy.How heavy would depend on the power of the motor.Batteries close to the motor would allow slightly smaller gauge wire.If you have a power source a bubbler would hellp keep water around the toon from freezing.