Hi from foothills NC

[summersled]

Hi, just bought my first pontoon boat. Mine is 2003 21ft Tracker Party Barge needing some repair to the boat and the trailer, due mostly to neglect. It has been a year since it was on the water, so I have plenty of questions.

[LittleRiver]

North East NC OBX area. Fire away. These guys know their stuff... You'll enjoy the forum.

[RcgTexas]

Welcome! The only stupid question is the one you don't ask.

[summersled]

Thanks LittleRiver,
First, What works best to clean the pontoons? The algea came off easily but the water level mark runs the entire length of the toon.
Second, I am replacing the bunk boards and wonder what works best. Whether to carpet them again or not.
Third, Is there a danger in making the boards too slick? Does anyone have experience good or bad with sliders mounted on top of the boards?

[RcgTexas]

I use plastic covers on my bunkboards. They do make it easier to get the boat off and on, but my purpose was to keep my toons off of wet, possibly salt soaked, carpet. I sometimes operate in salt water.

You could make boards too slick I guess, but safety chains and/or straps probably should be used anyway. "Static cling" shouldn't be depended on anyway. IMHO

[LittleRiver]

Thanks LittleRiver,
First, What works best to clean the pontoons? The algea came off easily but the water level mark runs the entire length of the toon.
Second, I am replacing the bunk boards and wonder what works best. Whether to carpet them again or not.
Third, Is there a danger in making the boards too slick? Does anyone have experience good or bad with sliders mounted on top of the boards?

Aluminum brightener from NAPA. Have a water hose ready. You DO NOT leave this stuff on long. Maybe 20 seconds then hose it off. Be careful it will take your breath away. Its acid.

Pictures of what your talking about on the bunk boards. Can't put what your talking about in my head.

ON THT, the hull truth, your not going to get much help with your question on pontoons. Sold the offshore Fountain and I still hang around that sight but its geared to offshore fishing, not party barge so they are not going to get involved much with your post over there. Your already seeing that with the off topic answers.

Take a scrub brush and rubber gloves and scrub the water line right at the same time you spray that brightener on . It will take the water mark off. My was horrable. Had crap as big as oysters growing on the tunes when I picked it up . LOL.

Picture will ready help others understand what your talking about...

[summersled]

Wow, thanks for going above and beyond. I will post some pics soon. I posted this today before daylight and I plan on making haste to NAPA to see if I can buy some of the alum brightener.

[smltooner]

Welcome to the club.....you'll love the Party Barge.

[Gonefishing]

Welcome and ask a way

[summersled]

What a great forum! Thanks for the greetings and the advice. No one recommends carpet so far, is there anyone who would rather have marine carpet on their bunks? Anyone who chose something else then returned to carpet? Unless one of you talks me out of it, I plan on painted wood and bunk slides. I’m anxious to hear others comments before deciding so keep those comments coming.
I visited NAPA and spoke to customers who have used Aluminum Brightener. That is some stout stuff. A fellow customer recommended I consult a local detailer first so more about this later.
While the trailer is out from under the ‘toon, I took it to a machine shop and got the spare tire mounted behind the steps. I ordered replacement lights from Wesbar. Any comments about Wesbar lights?
I replaced the factory tires with 205-14 6 ply tires on single axle. The trailer is 23 inches of the ground, seems high to me, but that was the size of the tires that came off. Brakes seem a little sticky. It has a surge controller. Is there a brake adjustment? How do you experiment with the adjustment?
The date stamp on the Interstate deep-cycle battery is June 2003, it’s held a charge now for 20 days. Lights all the boat lights and radio at the same time. Any recommendations on boat electrical? Speakers are terrible but I didn’t buy it for audio. I like to fish. So I welcome recommendations about outfitting it.
I won’t be using it in salt at all. Freshwater lake cruising and fishing. Wife loves fishing but refuses to “go” in the woods. This boat has no john. What do you guys do?

[LittleRiver]

Most now come with a changing room , top folds up, curtains come down, and you have a privet little room in there.
Rule on the boats while fishing, Guys look forwards, Ladies get in the back of the boat or if its summer, they can swim for a minuet or two.. LOL.
I had a porta Potty. Hate those things but a 5 gal bucket with a flip top bucket seat from Bass pro does the deal for me but we're not all that far from home or the club where we pontoon. I"d guess the most if 7 miles away. If we're out doing the vollyball things with other couples we're usually close to their house if its one of those got to go now things for the ladies

[ROLAND]

first off, WELCOME to the group and congratulations on the new boat.... as for the trailer bunks, I'm still using carpet on our trailer, but about once a month I spray them down with a product called Liquid rollers.... basically a lubricant. You can get it at bass pro shops... and it does making sliding off and back on to the trailer easier..... So far, still don't have any tears or weak spots on the bunks which are 4 years old....

[RcgTexas]

We have a porta potty and you can get a drop down curtain that attaches to the bars of a bimini top for privacy. then fold it away Its about 60 bucks

[wwind3]

Welcome to the forum ! Be careful running everything off one battery---esp an older one. May not have enough to crank an engine after a long day of partying. Carry jumper cables just in case and don't let boats touch when you jump your battery.

[trucky]

The date stamp on the Interstate deep-cycle battery is June 2003, it’s held a charge now for 20 days.

I would say someone got their moneys worth out of that battery. I would seriously consider replacing it before trusting it to start out in the middle of some lake with a storm rolling in. A second battery, as already suggested is a great idea, gives added safety and lets you run accessories without worrying about depleting your cranking battery.

What lakes do you frequent? My work home is near Asheville, NC and I've hit most of the local lakes over time...

Welcome aboard!