Is it possible to sink a pontoon boat

Pontoons have a terrifying tendency to nosedive if used improperly and this can be due to a number of factors:. While their design gives pontoons a good chance in choppy waters, there are still plenty of circumstances that can make this a dangerous venture. Safely sailing your pontoon in rough waters will depend on your weight load, your engine and ultimately how well you maintain your boat to make the ocean rides as smooth as you can. Brand new pontoon boats can last between 10 and 20 years with proper care and maintenance before any major repairs need doing.

The lifespan of each pontoon will vary based on the brand, previous use and whether you take it out in saltwater or freshwater etc. Power-assisted steering will also improve handling on tricky maneuvers, helping to prevent dents and damage from rocks when beaching your boat. As well as adhering to the above advice concerning maintenance and general good sense, here are some extra tips to keep your pontoon safe and sea-worthy:.

Pontoon boats decrease in value right after purchase. Pontoon boats generally do not hold their value very well, Pontoon boats are lightweight recreational vessels and as such, they need the aid of sturdy yet buoyant tubes or pontoons beneath the deck to remain afloat. Overloading is the biggest cause for pontoon boats sinking.

The problem with overloaded pontoon boats is that they tend to look fine even when they are well over their weight capacity. Because a pontoon boat deck is large and spacious people tend to load more stuff on it, including passengers, than is safe to do. However, when you start the boat and attempt to move off it will quickly become apparent that the pontoon is going to sink. Taking look at the water line against the pontoons is a great quick way to determine if your boat is overloaded.

The water line should never be above the middle of the pontoons. In fact, the lower the water line is, the better. You should also note that the water line at the bow end of the pontoons should be lower than the water line at the stern end. When the water line at the front of your pontoons is lower than the water line at the back of them this means your boat is heavier at the back than the front.

This is how it should be on a pontoon boat. As you will see later, if a pontoon boat is not lighter at the front than the back it can lead to the boat taking a nosedive into the water. One main reason to ensure all the passengers on a pontoon boat party do not all congregate at the bow of the vessel.

Not distributing the weight correctly on a pontoon boat can lead to the boat sinking, especially if the water is choppy. As mentioned above, it is important that a pontoon boat is lighter in the bow area than at the stern. So make sure all your pontoon boat accessories are evenly distributed and not placed too far forward on the vessel. When too much weight is placed at the bow of the boat the pontoons at the front of the boat are forced lower into the water.

The boat literally starts ploughing through the water instead planing above it. The HP of the motors on a pontoon boat are very important and must fall between the minimum and maximum power levels for that boat. A motor that does not have enough HP to power a pontoon boat will be unable to lift the front of the boat out of the water sufficiently for the boat to get on plane.

When that happens the ploughing effect mentioned above starts to occur. The tubes that a pontoon boat sits on are called pontoons. They are hollow tubes that give the boat buoyancy and keep it afloat on top of the water. Go out there and start having fun on the water! Can a Pontoon Boat Sink? Share 9. Related Posts. April 17th, March 11th, February 24th, February 10th, October 9th, Go to Top.