Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Hi everyone, I am going to pick up my first pontoon boat this afternoon. 2016 Avalon 23ft 2385 QF equipped for fishing.I was wondering what the maintenance on these boats are like. What I should do, how often to do it what not to do ect. ect. Thanks

A lot depends what kind of water u r fishing in salt or fresh water. I fish salt water so this is what I do each and every time I am done. Wash outside with soap and plenty of fresh water to include the trailer. Clean all upholstery with 303 cleaner then apply 303 protector. Flush motor with fresh water. Clean all fishing gear with fresh water and rinse live bait tank with fresh water. I also try and remember to rinse my rear wheels of my truck with fresh water. Other then the above I cover mine and put it under the shelter. If I leave it in the water for a weekend or going fishing the next day I will do the best I can on rinsing it off with fresh water. Then will clean it good once I get it home.

Enjoy

If you are in freshwater, the beauty of a pontoon boat is there really is not a lot of maintenance. Here is a brief list off the top of my head of what you are looking at:

1A - Engine. Follow the recommendations by the engine manufacturer (they will be in the manual). You will change the oil every x hours, service the lower unit every x hours, change the impellor (water pump) every x hours, service the shift linkage every x hours, etc.

1B - Engine/Fuel. I dump Marine Stabil in my tank after each fill-up due to ethanol based gas. At the end of the year, I fill it up and put Marine Stabil in the tank (I put more in it when I go to store the boat) and run the engine for a while.

2 - Pontoons. Some people Shark Hide them. Some people clean them with AC Coil cleaner. Some people do nothing. If you keep it in the water, then you will clean the bottoms a couple of times a year (depending on algae growth).

3 - Side/fences. I wax mine twice a year.

4 - Furniture. I wash down with mild soap 3/4 times a year and put 303 protectant on them after I wash them down.

5 - Floor. If you have carpet, you can pressure wash (not too aggressive) and let it sit in the sun to dry out.

6 - Cover. Some wash it annually and re-apply 303 Fabric guard.

I think the biggest thing is to not cover the boat for any long period of time without ensuring the inside is as dry as possible and you make sure the cover will allow it to breath. Moisture + little ventilation = mildew.

Your Mileage May Vary - some people wash more than I do. Some people wax more than I do. My boat sits on a covered lift in a fresh water lake. It all depends on how you use it, how often you use it, how and where it is stored, etc.

Lot's of good threads on here on how to deal with each of the above.

Thanks for the tips guys much helpful. As far as fresh/saltwater goes. I will be running it in both. I live just a few blocks from a boat from on the neches river in southeasttexas and the water is mixed. Also I have a camp on lake Rayburn which is fresh water so I will be running it in both. During the summer I plan on using the boat as much as possible. On the lake and river

I also use my pontoon in salt & fresh water and do the cleaning pending on where I was. For salt I use a pressure washer to rinse, soap & rinse everything after each use. Flush the engine and clean under the cowling as well. I also spray the engine with Fluid Film (http://www.fluid-film.com/ ) to protect against any salt corrosion. Cleaning the deck depends on if water went on or if food or drinks got spilled, I just have vinyl flooring for easy clean up. A pressure washer makes it easy and quick plus it saves water in my region. The next time I'm in fresh water I drop the trailer couple times in & out to get it rinsed real good. Engine maintenance is based on mfg. service requirements. I do change the oil, filter and lower unit more frequently.