Pontoon lift off.

[Micahhaase]

OK here is my dilemma....I bought a pontoon a couple months ago and its in great condition except for some trailer issues. The trailer itself is in great shape and the built in ladder is Awesome, but I've come to the time where I must change some of the bunks... one of the boards is broken in half towards the back and one of the middle guide?? rails broke and i just took completely off.. im not sure why these are there other than i can see them out of the water they dont touch the tubes at all.. But I can handle all the changing out wood stuff.

Here is where i have a problem. I live in town and I have NO WHERE to work on the boat at my house.. I house the boat at a local enclosed storage but im pretty sure in my contract it states i cant be working on major repairs for the boat.. First off would I be better to have all the supplies made up and ready and just one day haul the boat to the lake push it off and fix the trailer at that point??? Or is there an easy way to pull the boat off the trailer on dry land even though I have no room here to do it? Anyone done this before any tips I might need?

Thanks in advance

 

[Silver Eagle]

Re: Pontoon lift off.

You could take it to a boat yard and have them lift it off. Then take the trailer home ,fix it and return to have it put back on. Or Just jack up the trailer enough to remove the boards one side at a time. Do you have a couple of auto jacks,The one's Harbor Frieght sells for around $20.00 or so.This way you can take your time and do one section at a time.

 

[Micahhaase]

Re: Pontoon lift off.

You could take it to a boat yard and have them lift it off. Then take the trailer home ,fix it and return to have it put back on. Or Just jack up the trailer enough to remove the boards one side at a time. Do you have a couple of auto jacks,The one's Harbor Frieght sells for around $20.00 or so.This way you can take your time and do one section at a time.

I never even thought about jacking it up and replacing it one at a time.. I could even do that inside the storage its in... I have some auto jacks and some wood.. Another question is this board is like 24"??? foot long how do they connect the 2x4s together to make them tough enough and is there any special wood i should by and does it need treated?

 

[lncoop]

Re: Pontoon lift off.

I would just go ahead and splash the boat and get it all done in one whack. If your barge is a 24 footer it's unlikely your bunks are that long. In any case, measure the bunks and make a note of where each bunk bracket is, then go shopping. I believe 16' is about the longest 2x4 commonly available. You might be able to find longer ones at a real lumber yard, but anything longer that 16'-18' will be tough to manhandle any way. If you end up having to use sections just make sure the ends meet on a bracket (That's where the notation of bracket location comes in handy). You can use treated 2x4s since the wood won't be making contact with your toons. If you need new bunk carpet it can be found on line or at your local marine dealer. Be sure to use SS staples when you attach it to your brand spanking new bunks. Good luck.

 

[Micahhaase]

Re: Pontoon lift off.

I would just go ahead and splash the boat and get it all done in one whack. If your barge is a 24 footer it's unlikely your bunks are that long. In any case, measure the bunks and make a note of where each bunk bracket is, then go shopping. I believe 16' is about the longest 2x4 commonly available. You might be able to find longer ones at a real lumber yard, but anything longer that 16'-18' will be tough to manhandle any way. If you end up having to use sections just make sure the ends meet on a bracket (That's where the notation of bracket location comes in handy). You can use treated 2x4s since the wood won't be making contact with your toons. If you need new bunk carpet it can be found on line or at your local marine dealer. Be sure to use SS staples when you attach it to your brand spanking new bunks. Good luck.

Hey your only about 4 hours away from me if your out taking a leisure drive and you hit Oklahoma City you should stop by and give me some pointers!

 

[lncoop]

Re: Pontoon lift off.

Hey your only about 4 hours away from me if your out taking a leisure drive and you hit Oklahoma City you should stop by and give me some pointers!

I get out that way occasionally. My uncle lives in Lawton and is always after me to come see him. He's a hoot, but we don't go that often because a little of him goes a long way.

 

[Micahhaase]

Re: Pontoon lift off.

Yea I was born and raised right near Joplin, MO... across the border in Kansas... I actually drive to Conway, Ark quite a bit for work.. Not a bad part of the country over there

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: Pontoon lift off.

If it is not convenient to have the boards meet at a bracket, cut a 1' length and screw it to the two ends from the bottom.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Pontoon lift off.

Yea I was born and raised right near Joplin, MO... across the border in Kansas... I actually drive to Conway, Ark quite a bit for work.. Not a bad part of the country over there

Let me know next time you're coming to Conway and I'll buy you a brew. It's 25 minutes from me. It's also less than an hour from Greers Ferry, one of the most pristine lakes anywhere. You should think about dragging your barge and/or family there with you some time.

 

[Silver Eagle]

Re: Pontoon lift off.

When I boat my Pontoon boat The dealer sold me the trailer that he used to haul all of his boats to the water. My boat is also 24 ft long. My boards are only 8 ft long. There 2x4's pressure treated. I have two sets of 8 ft boards. I have had no problem with this. So maybe you don't need boards that long. I'll try to remember this weekend to post a couple of pictures of the trailer empty. It's a 5 starr tandum wheels with 10 inch tire's.If you look down to home made boarding ladder, that's my outfit.

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: Pontoon lift off.

I would not use PT lumber, even covered with carpet. The chemicals will leach through and cause corrosion. Untreated,sealed wood will suffice. A recent post suggested composite lumber. I see benefits with this.

 

[sfy]

Re: Pontoon lift off.

we replaced our bunks a couple weeks ago. we have a 24 footer that had 20 foot bunks on it. luckily our local home depot had the right size in stock, and a local boaters outlet had tons of carpet to cover them with.

it took longer to get all 4 bunks covered at home in the driveway than it did to install them. just went to a local lake, had the new bunks riding inside the boat, unloaded the bunks in the parking lot launched the boat and went to work on the trailer. with 3 of us, 2 power drills, and a couple ratchets we had it done inside an hour.

of course, we did it during the week when it was apt to be far less busy.