Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

hey folks! just joined up after buying our first pontoon boat. we had a Regal 1700 ski boat...and with 2 teenage girls,we quickly discovered it just wasnt big enough...so we sold it ,and found a good deal on this 1988 Suntracker party barge..what can I say? 2 teenage girls who always want to bring their friends...so had to have plenty of room.
with that being said..the journey is just beginning...first I had to deal with the floor..pretty sure he used regular PT ply ,which wasnt fully secured,it was bowed and popping up everywhere.
This is what it looked like when we picked it up...

didnt take very long for me to start tearing it apart...easy right? heh...not so much. rusted floor screws ,bolts etc...some of the screws were hard to find,since they were counter sunk and then some!

gonna have to fast forward just a bit...cant find the progress photos of replacing the floor (but I did I swear!) we did keep the carpet..it was in good shape ,and looked like it had been replaced not long ago. so now we have out new furniture set out to place where the Mrs wants it. Now...before the carpet was laid down, we placed the furniture where it needed to be,drilled the holes for the mounting bolts (and every other hole that needed drilled for wires etc) before sealing the top of the deck wood,that way all the screws holes etc get sealed too...
after the carpet was laid down...it aint easy lining everything back to those holes!

ahh..see found one of the floors being torn up photos ....the rest on somewhere ?

You are doing a great job. I know the frustration you may be experiencing, as well as the joys. Stripped screws, rotted wood, and where did that hole go? Mine is also a 24' just like yours. My design is very different and I could only be happier if I could get some relief from all this rain we have been getting in Northern Illinois! I haven't been able to take it on I her maiden voyage because of swollen waters and debris. Hope luck fairs better for you.

lol, yup, the rusted screws were the worst..or was it the heat? most days I have been workin on it were in the 90s .
The only days we had problems with rain were on the ones where I didnt need it to rain..like sealing the deck! Both days! I did it in two parts,sealed all the edges first,then once I had all the sheets screwed down and holes drilled ,I sealed the top surface..rained both days! lol This weekend I got about 90% of the wiring and electronics installed. The wife and kids love the LED strips that flash with the music..think they liked that more than the boat lol Im going to save painting the walls for the winter..some of the sheeting needs to be replaced ,so I'll pull those off this winter,resheet and repaint..thinking of a dark metallic blue to help match the seats.