Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Fantastic weather today so I took her out for the day, and out of the water after. Safe at home until spring. If Accuweather's right, we have very cold weather coming last week of November (highs in the upper 30s, nights in the mid 20s. This week is going to be in the 60s, so I'll have all week to clean and winterize while it's still warm.

If Accuweather's wrong, there's always the Starcraft I would like a few more fishing trips.

time to get out the atv now .

I did all my winterizing about 3 weeks ago. Since then we have had some really nice 70 deg. weekends that made me wonder if I did it too soon.

I just keep my P.O.S. toon in the water. Some of our best tooning days are in the fall and early winter, couple days of near freezing temps and then it warms up to the 70's, thats south Louisaina weather, if you don't like it just wait a few days and it will change. July and August are the worst.

Its snowed the first time on my toon over a month ago... Blaaaaaaa.
It snowed yesterday as well..... about 4 inches..

We haven't had a snowfall of any signifigance in years. Hoping this winter continues that trend. Love all this global warming.

Our Marina pulls its docks the first weekend of November so we had to yank ours also. Here's its been only a couple of weeks and I'm already suffering separation anxiety, of sunshine and beer, of missing sandbars, and bikini babes, and other warm carefree activities. Afraid its going to another long, long winter season for me.

Bamby wrote:Our Marina pulls its docks the first weekend of November so we had to yank ours also. Here's its been only a couple of weeks and I'm already suffering separation anxiety, of sunshine and beer, of missing sandbars, and bikini babes, and other warm carefree activities. Afraid its going to another long, long winter season for me.

And we are having one the best crappie fishing times in recent memory on lake Livingston--of course I cant go till after thanksgiving--hope it is still on

We are having an excellent fall striper season, I'm hoping to get out tomorrow.

We've had the best weather the past two weeks than we had in all of October. 40's at night but high 60's and low 70's during the day. We need rain though since it's been so nice. Unfortunately, they drop our lake so boating is not much of an option this late in the year regardless of weather.

We've had so much rain this spring/summer it's ridiculous. At least all the fresh water kept the barnacles down. Only had to clean a few off this year

Cleaning up leaves today, got the tractor stuck in the mud. Awesome.

So who is headed out this weekend? We plan to do a little riding if the rain isn't too bad. The river is up and I had about a foot of water over my dock yesterday. It should be back down tomorrow and I get to clean off 2 inches thick of mud off the dock. The 32 Party Cruiser has been riding out the high water with some good bumpers and springlines. I almost pulled it out but, I hated having to relaunch this weekend.


I've been doing some modifications to my boat shed. I've got a 40 foot wide 30 foot long shed that has two 30 foot slips with electric lifts. One of these slips I will be extending to a 36 foot slip as soon as I can modify the roof. I built it myself when I was in my 20's, now that I'm in my 40's handling things such as 30 foot long I-beams and 20 foot 2x12 by myself while 15 feet up in the air isn't quite so easy. I moved the more narrow beams and boards I had set up for a V-hull in my 15 foot wide slip to my 10 foot wide slip. Now I have to modify the larger 10 foot beams that I have by adding pulleys for a double pull instead of the single pull that they were set up with. I also have to figure out what kind of cradle configuration I should build to rest the pontoons on. I would love to have an old pontoon trailer, cut the tongue and springs off and just use that for my cradle. Instead I may build something easier. I think if I build two long, flat, carpeted, two foot wide bunks that may do the trick. I know that the trailer bunks are two boards set at an angle so that double the surface area is in contact with the logs. That is for a boat going down the highway under extreme conditions. In the case of the lift however there should be no shock loading, only a dead slow steady lift. I would expect the pontoons to be rigid enough to sit on the bunks immoble without damage. I've seen smaller pontoons lifted with only large nylon straps. That certainly puts too much pressure in too small of an area for the size boat that I am going to try to lift. What do yall think? Any ideas?

This type of lift would be very easy to build. It is designed to lift the deck of the pontoon boat from the underside. I just wonder how strong I would have to make one to lift a 5000 pound party cruiser. The lift motor I have will do it. I had a 6000 pound Grady White on the lift before. If I welded say 4x4 I beam vertically and cut a notch in the top of the I beam for a say two 20 foot long 4x6 to rest horizontally. That may do the trick. I know this little lift at Gander Mountain isn't rated for what I'm wanting to do, but with bigger hardwear it may work.

http://www.gandermountain.com/modperl/p ... rchID=4006#

This system would certainly work but the lift would then be strictly for the lifting of pontoon boats.






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXGaMg5WutI

I sure hope Badmoon had his pontoon shrinkwrapped.

I do mine each year. Well worth it.