Pontoon boat overhaul

[jamesgunter720]

I have a 2006 Bentley 240 Cruise pontoon boat. It is powered by a 2006 Mercury 115hp 4 stroke. I am planning on restoring my boat in the next year and wanted to gather as many ideas as I could to make this restoration worthwhile. My boat has ran and held up great to the 1200 hours that I have put on it since I purchased it new. Of course wear and tear on the carpet and using bleach to kill mildew on the seats has taken its toll. My boat has the common layout with the larger lounging area being at the front and a smaller area for several adults and the helm in the back. One problem that I have found is that passengers in front of the helm create a blind spot. Has anyone tried moving the helm to the front right corner of their pontoon or heard of anyone doing it? I would like to have the captains area there and two other captains chairs to the left in place of the bench seat that is currently in the front and make the rear of the boat a larger sitting area for passengers. I know this has its pros and cons, especially when communicating with passengers behind me. My reasoning is that it would give me much better visibility and allow me to see directly in front of my boat when in shallow waters. I tested the weight distribution out with passengers on the boat having myself and two others in the front with no one in the rear and the boat cruising at 12 mph and found that the boat planed out perfectly. I feel that this would also prevent having too many passengers in the front, weighing down the bow. Thanks to a muskrat, I need to rewire the boat from the engine to the helm, so that cost has to be incurred regardless. Unsure of how hard it would be to replace the steering and throttle controls, seeing as how I would need an additional ten feet. Just a thought that I have had for the last 6 months and I have a good year to continue brainstorming and weighing out my options. I am on my boat almost weekly, and more than in the summer and I want to make the most out of this restoration so that my vessel can last another ten or more years customized to that way I want it. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Jamie