Questions/Advice about leaving pontoon in a slip all year long.

[dubya1982]

We bought our pontoon last year and used it all summer and just had a blast. It is our first boat and you guys have helped me a lot with some newbie questions I've had. I need a little more advice.

We have a dry storage unit about 5 miles from the lake that we keep the boat at. It is trailered (of course) parked indoors and locked up. The thing is a pain in the neck to trailer and store after every use because the unit is narrow and it is hard to back it in. It usually takes us a good 20 minutes to get it in there. Add on to that it is usually dark and there is no lighting at the facility and it is a royal pain.

My wife and I have decided to rent a slip at a marina. This will allow us to use the boat a lot more because we won't worry about having to get it out/put it in storage after every use. We can just hop in the car and drive to the marina and go.

I live in Oklahoma and the winters here get cold, but the lakes have never frozen over before. Next year or the year after we may be able to afford a lift. The boat has a snap on cover which we would still use after every outing. We would also still be getting the motor winterized at the end of the boating season.

So my question... Is it bad for a pontoon to be left in the water all year long? Opinions would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Questions/Advice about leaving pontoon in a slip all year long.

It is fine to leave one in all year and a lot do just that. I pull mine in November and bring it home for cleaning and maintenance then it goes back on a wet slip in march.

 

[arntarchie]

Re: Questions/Advice about leaving pontoon in a slip all year long.

Her bottom will get nasty in just a couple of months. lifts are expensive and can be some what of a hassle themselves. we were in 10 months last year with anti-fouling paint on the logs- about 150.00 per log (tri hull) and I didnt even need two hit the bottom with a hose no S*&^. Just pulled into the slip, tied off, pluged in the shore power terned on the AC an enjoyed (have full top) we just love are slip...

 

[MinUph]

Re: Questions/Advice about leaving pontoon in a slip all year long.

Some things to do when leaving it in the water. Plan on more boat time!!!! Make sure you turn off the battery when not in use will save electrolysis if you have an electrical leak. Bottom pain is a good idea it will save work and keep the crud off. Securely tie her up and plan for bad weather. An extra line wont hurt. A slip is a necessity for me as I can't stand the launching and pulling it out. 2 hours wasted each time. Hook it up drive launch, park the trailer. pull her out unhook the rig a waste of time and tends to lesson the use. Slips are drive there, get in and go basically. And don't forget the normal maintenance.

 

[crb478]

Re: Questions/Advice about leaving pontoon in a slip all year long.

Mine is in the water year round, as I live on the lake and do not have a trailer. I tie it up on one side of my pier and have a rope tied front and back, and an additional short rope clipped to the front and back. The bottom will get gunked up but about 20 minutes with a stiff bristle brush and it is clean enough to run through the water easily and get max rpm/mph. I do that three or four times a year in the summer. I usually leave the battery in and crank/run the boat once a month, but if the boat won't start I pull the battery and charge it. I put it back in when the weather warms enough toward boating season. This year was especially cold and the battery went weak so it is now charging. The boat also has a well fitting custom cover. Right now the foot is down in the water since the water never freezes here, but I usually get and oversized garbage bag and put it around the lower unit and the tilt the motor down for around 10 minutes allowing the motor to drain. I then tilt it back up and lock it into position and remove the garbage bag. This year temps got to the low single digits so I played it save and lowered the motor. I have been doing it this way with different boats for over 20 years and have never had a problem.

 

[dubya1982]

Re: Questions/Advice about leaving pontoon in a slip all year long.

Mine is in the water year round, as I live on the lake and do not have a trailer. I tie it up on one side of my pier and have a rope tied front and back, and an additional short rope clipped to the front and back. The bottom will get gunked up but about 20 minutes with a stiff bristle brush and it is clean enough to run through the water easily and get max rpm/mph. I do that three or four times a year in the summer. I usually leave the battery in and crank/run the boat once a month, but if the boat won't start I pull the battery and charge it. I put it back in when the weather warms enough toward boating season. This year was especially cold and the battery went weak so it is now charging. The boat also has a well fitting custom cover. Right now the foot is down in the water since the water never freezes here, but I usually get and oversized garbage bag and put it around the lower unit and the tilt the motor down for around 10 minutes allowing the motor to drain. I then tilt it back up and lock it into position and remove the garbage bag. This year temps got to the low single digits so I played it save and lowered the motor. I have been doing it this way with different boats for over 20 years and have never had a problem.

So during the summer when not in use (about a week to two weeks at a time) I should leave the motor down with the prop in the water?

During the winter when the boat is parked for the season (but still in the water at the slip) I should tilt the motor all the way back with the prop out of the water?

The lakes never freeze here (that I know of) but we have had a brutally cold winter with temps in the single digits several times.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Questions/Advice about leaving pontoon in a slip all year long.

You all ways leave the motor down, in freezing weather especially, if its tilted up water in the LU can freeze and destroy the LU housing. If its down nothing happens. I do the same a few times over the summer i scrub off the toons, its boat use it, a bit of green on the toons is fine they will stand it fine. Dont be afraid to get your toys dirty. Thats when you look at the wife and say. the boat needs to be used more i will be back in a few hours.

 

[dls322]

Re: Questions/Advice about leaving pontoon in a slip all year long.

Only other advice i would add is to make sure it's secured well and have plenty of bumpers. I also would recommend not keeping anything of value in the boat, since anyone "teens" can break in and take what they want when no one is around. I would also make sure you have an insurance policy on the boat. In case something horrible happens....gas spill (huge fine) or if the boat would break loose and then float into a $100k boat and damage it, you want to make sure you are covered.

 

[OK Toon]

Re: Questions/Advice about leaving pontoon in a slip all year long.

All good advise here. The only thing I could add is to keep a green scouring pad on the boat. When you are out for a cruise, stop and jump in and spend a little time scrubbing the bottom of the toons to get the scum off.

Before we got our lift working, we always left our boat in the water tied to our dock but only in the summer. In the summer, make sure to tilt the motor out of the water to prevent the zebra muscles from building up --if they block the intakes on the LU, you will ruin your motor. In the winter, we always pulled the boat out and just stored it with the cover on. But now that we have the lift working in our dock, we leave the boat on the lift year-round. I still put the cover on in the winter time just to keep the spider poop to a minimum.

What lake are you on in Oklahoma? We are on Eufaula down around Arrowhead State Park.

 

[lakegeorge]

Re: Questions/Advice about leaving pontoon in a slip all year long.

We leave ours in year round, I go out every couple of weeks and run it for around 10 minutes, this keeps the batteries charged and the water pump & impeller moving. I have never had a problem doing this.

 

[HarborRat]

Re: Questions/Advice about leaving pontoon in a slip all year long.

I leave mine in saltwater behind my house all year. Freshwater, no problem at all.

 

[dubya1982]

Re: Questions/Advice about leaving pontoon in a slip all year long.

All good advise here. The only thing I could add is to keep a green scouring pad on the boat. When you are out for a cruise, stop and jump in and spend a little time scrubbing the bottom of the toons to get the scum off.

Before we got our lift working, we always left our boat in the water tied to our dock but only in the summer. In the summer, make sure to tilt the motor out of the water to prevent the zebra muscles from building up --if they block the intakes on the LU, you will ruin your motor. In the winter, we always pulled the boat out and just stored it with the cover on. But now that we have the lift working in our dock, we leave the boat on the lift year-round. I still put the cover on in the winter time just to keep the spider poop to a minimum.

What lake are you on in Oklahoma? We are on Eufaula down around Arrowhead State Park.

We are at Tenkiller. I've never been to Eufaula on a boat, but I've driven through there on 69 many times. It looks like a nice lake. We live near Tenkiller, so that's where we pretty much stay. It's a very nice lake and suits all of our needs.

Did you buy your lift brand new or used? I can't seem to find a reasonably priced one, but I've been looking at used ones.

 

[OK Toon]

Re: Questions/Advice about leaving pontoon in a slip all year long.

I love Tenkiller -- very deep and clear water. Eufaula on the other hand is much shallower and very brown most of the year.

Our lift is very old. Its in the dock that my dad had built back in the mid 80's and it was rigged for his V-bottom boat. It had been hanging underwater for about 10 years so I wasn't sure it would work. Turns out all it needed was new nipples in the front of each tank where the hose connects (it would fill up before, but after about a week, it would leak enough air out that it would sink again). After I got the lift where it would hold air, I then had a buddy make 4 brackets for me. I removed a few bolts on the lift and reattached them with these new brackets. Then I added 16' long 2x4s as bunks and put some carpet on top of them. The lift needs to be move back in the slip about 2' to catch the stern more on the boat since that is where the fuel tank and heavy 90hp motor are. The boat doesn't sit level, but at least its out of the water. Moving the lift will be a pretty big job since it was originally welded into place instead of just bolted in. It's a Hydrohoist and I sent them pictures so show them what I had before I started with any modifications to set it up for my pontoon.

 

[H20Rat]

Re: Questions/Advice about leaving pontoon in a slip all year long.

So during the summer when not in use (about a week to two weeks at a time) I should leave the motor down with the prop in the water?

During the summer, always UP! Motor stays clean, and you don't have a chance of any stuff growing in/on the water intakes. I've seen lower units that were so furry that their water intake was absolutely restricted.

There is absolutely zero benefit for leaving the motor down during non-freezing weather.

 

[dubya1982]

Re: Questions/Advice about leaving pontoon in a slip all year long.

During the summer, always UP! Motor stays clean, and you don't have a chance of any stuff growing in/on the water intakes. I've seen lower units that were so furry that their water intake was absolutely restricted.

There is absolutely zero benefit for leaving the motor down during non-freezing weather.

That makes complete sense. Thanks for clearing it up for me, I'll make sure my engine is always up during the summer.

 

[WaterDR]

Re: Questions/Advice about leaving pontoon in a slip all year long.

As to the motor issue....leaving out of the water I think is also a lot better on the seals. At least, that seems to make sense to me.

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Questions/Advice about leaving pontoon in a slip all year long.

I leave mine down all summer, but i don't have the zebra mussels to deal with and its ran several times a week and scrubbed off a few times a year. Like most things it depends on conditions. I don't think it makes any difference at all on the seals but that is a good question.