Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

In case you're all not familiar with my story I recently bought a lakefront cottage that came with a useable pontoon boat (a very basic 79 Crest). I still have not had the opportunity to untie it from the dock--I've been to my place 3x since the closing and each time has been windy & cold
This is the first boat I've owned that I could not carry so it's all new to me (see my signature).

In the recent "new anchor" thread was mention of rowing a 'toon to shore. I never even considered that, and it explains why there is a faded pair of oars on my boat! (I hope it's not a hint of problems with the motor...) My 'toon has only a fiberglass swivel captains seat, battery & gas tank, a small fluke-style anchor in the front, small navy in the back (but no cleat), and those old oars. That's all.

Mine will only be used on my small inland lake. What items should be considered mandatory?

Contact your state agency for state specific stuff, but the coast guard list includes the oars, a signaling device, and a class 4 (throwable) life preserver, as well as a regular life preserver for each soul on board.

Do yourself a favor, and take a boating safety class. BoatUS has a free on-line course. Very informative. Oh, and it saved me $70 a year on my insurance.

Maybe I should have said "recommended" rather than mandatory. I'm looking for a list of items that every pontoon boat should have on board--other than the legally required items that must be on board.

Or is it just crazy to even ask since some boaters are so over-cautious they carry a spare for everything, while others are either cheaper or assume more risk?

Non-mandatory but what I carry:

Lots of rope. Dock lines, 100' of 1/2 on a spool
Tool kit, wrenches, sockets, drivers, pliers
Electrical wire
Electrical tape
Spare bulbs
First aid kit
Ibuprofen
12v jump pack (much easier than trying to use jumper cables)
Hose clamps
Odd screws, bolts
Collapsible oars x2


I've used everything once except for the oars and hose clamps!

More stuff to consider:

Ice cooler and ice
Radio (news, weather)
Flashlight, batteries
Binoculars
First-aid kit
Insect repellant
Sunscreen (50+ SPF)
Sunglasses
Camera
Non-slip soled shoes
Sun hat

...to name a few.

Cheers!

Nobody so far has mentioned beer; also a bottle of good whiskey (for snake bite only).
Oh, wait, most of Michigan doesn't have poisonous snakes; okay to use the whiskey for other purposes as required.

Lots of beer.

If my motor ever does conk out on the lake I think I'll just let the wind push me to shore. I just can't imagine paddling a pontoon boat!

I'm definitely going to need to add some storage to this old thing. All I have at the moment are 2 cup holders. At least I can take 2 beers with me if I ever get a day nice enough to take her out.

guy48065 wrote:If my motor ever does conk out on the lake I think I'll just let the wind push me to shore. I just can't imagine paddling a pontoon boat!

Oars are useless on a pontoon boat in any wind. I pay attention to the wind direction also. I'm a little more at ease when the wind is blowing onshore vs blowing towards Texas.

My lake is rock wall or rocks in general at the shores and I use my oar to push away if I drift close. About all its good for.

Ron Burgundy wrote:blowing towards Texas

That would be WAY bad!
I carry:

Rum, scotch, tequila, gin. All of them are made from some plant, so it's got to be healthy and good for you, right?

bassn386 wrote:Rum, scotch, tequila, gin. All of them are made from some plant, so it's got to be healthy and good for you, right?

Exactly! We carry Crown (and give thanks to the farmers of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba every time we imbibe), Rum, Vodka, and Tequila. These four should be adequate to cover any requirements.

Now I'm picturing a console with a built-in liquor cabinet. Better make it lockable or my neighbors will frequent my boat while I'm away