Pontoon Boat Parts

March 24th, 2010 | in Water Activities Leave a comment

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Are you looking to build your own pontoon boat? Or are you just interested in knowing the various parts that make up these family friendly water machines? Well, if you answered yes to these questions, you are in the right place. Pontoon boats are actually very simple and have relatively few parts.

The Pontoons

The pontoons are the heart of the pontoon boat. The basic design of a pontoon boat is two or more cylindrical floats with a raft-like platform attached above them. Pontoons can be made from a variety of materials. Basically, anything circular and able to float is a good material for pontoons. PVC pipe and metal barrels are popular choices. If you are having trouble finding these materials, check out your local scrapyard. There is bound to be some useful used pontoon boat parts available there.

The Platform

Perhaps the easiest pontoon boat part to make, the platform consists of a flat floor that covers the pontoons and is sturdy enough to hold multiple people and other things which I will go over soon. The platform can be made from plywood, plastic, or sheet metal. Personally, I think plastic is the way to go because it is water resistant and almost immune to decay. However, not very many know how to build with plastic and, in that case, a simple wooden platform will do just fine. Just make sure it is sturdy enough to support the weight of multiple people.

The Fun Stuff

This is what makes pontoon boats so great. What you choose to build on top of your platform is completely up to you. However, the one thing I highly advise you build is a nice, sturdy railing around the platform. You don’t want your buddies falling in the water after having a few drinks. That being said, the rest is completely up to the individual. Some people choose to build a house-like cabin structure where they can sleep or rest. Others like to turn their pontoon boat into a water-worthy backyard deck. Load up the deck with a bunch of chairs, build an awning or a tent, throw a grill on there and you got yourself a backyard party you can enjoy on the water. Still others like to transform their pontoon boat into a fishing platform complete with a fish cleaning stand and a portable stove to fry your fish directly on the lake. The beauty of it, is that you can tailor your pontoon boat to whatever you want.

Propulsion

While a pontoon boat can easily be paddled or ride a current, some people like to equip their boats with a motor. Since pontoon boats are definitely not built for speed, you can get away with a standard outboard motor. However, some boaters have successfully used motors of up to 200 horsepower with no problem. I would not recommend getting a motor that powerful unless you are extremely confident in the construction of you boat. Going too fast on a poorly built boat can cause it to fall apart. And that’s not very fun is it?