new project

fleegerc

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Mar 11, 2015
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Hello everyone. I am brand new to this board and to boating in general. I am very interested in building a partially enclosed pontoon boat for overnight fun. I know this is a major task and wanted to get some advice on some things. I want to ideally buy a 24 foot pontoon and strip it down and build everything myself. I love projects and think this could be awesome to do with the kids. Any advice on where to start? I know the biggest thing would be to get pontoon tubes that will hold enough weight. I would like the enclosure to include murphy beds, a deck, enclosure that is maybe half the length. Maybe a toilet if possible. There are so many things possible but want to be realistic. Obviously I would like to save money where i can. Does anyone have any advice to where to get good used pontoon tubes with the frame that will hold sufficient weight? Should I buy a motor separately? Is a motor, steering column, gas tanks, etc. hard to install on an empty frame? If anyone could guide me in the right direction I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks and I look forward to being part of the community.
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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Welcome aboard.

you will be fighting weight, so get a pontoon with the largest log diameter you can.

the porta-pottys on the market are cheap, so that takes care of the toilet

if I were building an enclosed pontoon with an upper deck, I would do the following:

Find a pontoon with 3 24" diameter logs left outside where the upholstery is shot, however the motor, logs, and deck are in great shape. Strip off the upholstry.

build an aluminum framework, use poly foam as the core, glass right over it. build solid walls up to about 3'. from there use canvase and eisenglas to the hard top that I would build.

the design the bench seating and table to be converted into a bed (like most campers)

S
 

Jeep Man

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Oct 17, 2008
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2,803
Finding used pontoons that are of descent diameter will be difficult. Scott's idea of a tri-toon has a lot of merit, as it will allow considerably more weight, but 3 matching toons will be even harder to find. You did not include your location in your profile so it is more difficult to point you in any direction. One suggestion is to check out Great Lakes Skipper for" factory seconds" pontoons. There are a few other suppliers around that may be closer to your home.
 

HotTommy

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Mar 15, 2013
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Here are some random thoughts that might help.

I live in Alabama and there are several good sized lakes nearby. There are also countless old pontoon boats for sale. I got my two log, 24' fixer upper with a trailer and repairable motor for $1,500. Adding another log shouldn't cost more than another $1,000. ... The hardest part of my search was finding a boat with everything. There are many more without trailers or engines, and either of those can cost $1,000 or more.

Once you remove the furniture, fencing and captain's console, the boat is little more than plywood sitting on pontoons held together by an aluminum frame. As long as the metal part is sound, it won't much matter what the top part looks like for your project. So the uglier the better as long as ti brings the price down. ... Your finished boat will likely be too heavy and bulky to go fast, so you can save some weight for the structure by starting out with a smaller engine. I would think a 50 HP engine would be sufficient. ... I've not before thought about the challenges of an enclosed boat, but one question that occurs to me is how water tight the interior should be. Unless you do a masterful job of sealing the floors, walls, doors, windows, roof, etc., rain or spray will get into the inside. If it can't get out, you'll have a mold problem. Perhaps it would be better to assume that some water will seep in and have a floor that will tolerate it, and lots of ventilation.

When you are trying to minimize the weight of your construction, also keep in mind keeping the boat balanced. I think it would be more comfortable sleeping in a boat that isn't listing one way or the other. That means you'll need to account for the weight of the passengers and where they'll likely be overnight. .... Lastly, leave multiple ways out of the boat. Boats seem more prone to fire than cabins, so have some good fire protection.
 

gm280

Supreme Mariner
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Jun 26, 2011
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14,585
There are amazingly light weight material available for doing this build. However, those also cost big bucks as well. Aircraft honeycomb material that will certainly hold the weight for the floor and would be so light that you could easily carry the entire floor all by yourself. But you better have a large bank account as well. I seen and used 1/2" honeycomb aluminum material that would support your entire build weight without any problem. But that cost is high and I'm sure if you bought it, it would be a special order for the sizes you'd need.
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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Nida core panels would work too (fiberglass honeycomb)
 

fleegerc

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Mar 11, 2015
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Thank you guys. I live in Kentucky btw. I frequent Kentucky and Indiana and am willing to travel some distance to get what i need. I searched craigslist and found some pretty good deals. How hard is it to install a new or different motor? Someone mention the weight balance. Is that a huge deal? Since half of this would be enclosed and the other half would be open the balance wouldn't be right. Is it hard to move the steering column where you need it with the wires and everything?
 

HotTommy

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fleegerc,
I've done one boat, so I'm no expert, but here's my opinion. ... I changed to a much larger version of the same engine on my boat. The bad news was that I had to change to engine pod to one that was strong enough to support the newer engine. The good news was that all the control cables could be reused. Changing engines is not a big deal if the control cables (i.e., steering, throttle, shifter, electronics) can be reused. ... . I replaced the console on my boat but I did not move it much. It would not be a big deal to move the electrical wires (just splicing in some new wires). But the steering cable on my boat is thick and and doesn't bend easily. It and the throttle cables are also routed to the console from the engine through holes in the metal deck frame. If you want to move them a lot, you may need to reroute (e.g., drill new holes) and you may need longer or shorter cables. If your new engine isn't compatible with your existing control system, you might need all new stuff anyway. ... If the boat is rear heavy, the nose will be high. If that's the way it has to be, make sure the sleeping arrangements allow people to put their heads toward the front of the boat. It's not comfortable sleeping with your feet higher than your head.
 

fleegerc

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Mar 11, 2015
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I have found a lot of 2 pontoon boats. I can't find one with 3 logs though. Is it hard to install a 3rd tube? I don't want to have to weld anything as I have never done that before. My concern would be that it wouldn't fit on a trailer then. Any ideas on that?
 

HotTommy

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On the next boat you see, look at how the logs are attached to the framework above. Some have flanges that are bolted to the framework. No welding required. .... There are 3-log trailers, but buying a trailer separate from the boat may raise the cost some. I don't know how easy or feasible it is to convert a 2-log trailer into a 3-log trailer. Perhaps someone else here can advise you on that. ... Another issue to consider is whether the trailer is strong enough to carry the somewhat heavier pontoon house boat you have in mind.

This could easily turn into a major endeavor. You are wise to consider ALL the issues that must be addressed before you start spending money. For example, a pontoon house boat has a top that cannot be lowered. That means it will experience a lot of wind drag when it is being towed, so it will have to be strong enough to withstand the speed you intend to drive. It will also have to fit under any overhead obstacles between where it is built/stored and the water. There may also be bridges on the water that it will not fit under. .... If I were taking on a project like this one, I would be looking for it to take at least a year to finish. So right now I would be more concerned identifying all the major issues and establishing a budget than finding the right old boat on which to start.
 

fleegerc

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Mar 11, 2015
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Is there a way to tell if you can easily install a 3rd pontoon log? Or can you add a 3rd log on all of them easily? Also how would you get the pontoon onto the trailer if you bought them separately?
 

1983 ercoa 21'

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Jan 12, 2014
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632
Yes a third log can be added to about any toon and there is two different ways of doing so 1st being one with a transom built into it which is performance enhancing. 2nd being adding one in front of the transom pan already on the took. Which in your case is probably your case would work fine because your just wanting to carry extra weight. Now as to the trailer the older style trailer does not work for a. Tri toon without a major redesign your better of with a bunk style and simply adding a third bunk in the center for the third log.
 

HotTommy

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Mar 15, 2013
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1,025
fleegerc,
I took a good look at my old 2-log boat on its trailer today. There is clearly room for a center log to be slid in place while the boat is on the trailer. You'd need a spacer (e.g., a 12' long 2x4) to raise it up off the trailer to make the top of the log flush with the bottom of the boat, but it looks like it would fit. ... My logs have flanges that are bolted to the cross members that attach the two logs. All you'd need to do to attach a new log with flanges is center it, clamp the flange to the cross members in a few places, and then drill holes for mounting bolts through the flanges at each cross member. Bolt the flanges to the cross members with stainless steel bolts and the job is done.
 

glust

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Jan 23, 2012
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141
I replaced the walls of my 30 foot sun tracker with the swim platform on top. The walls were 3/4 inch solid foam core with a sheet of masonite glued to each side. They then covered the masonite with a vinyl that made it waterproof. Once the walls are don't they are easy to cut out for windows, etc. Aluminum channel was saved and re-used for the frames for the panels and gave a place to mount hinges, etc
 

Illinoid

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Sep 28, 2013
Messages
137
Fleegerc, I bought my trailer separate from my toon...the neighbor of the seller picked up the toon from the barn floor with his scissor trailer, dropped it in the lake and I retrieved it with my new bunk trailer.
 
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