turning a 40ft pontoon

thejeepster02 · Jun 5, 2005

Hi Folks Along with my 16ft boat, I now have a 40ft pontoon boat which I keep on the ILL river in a slip. It has a 100hp outbaoard and the problem I have is in low throtal coming into the slip, I cant seem to get the rear of the boat around. theres very little room to turn. the other boats have twin screws to help them. I thought of mounting a trolling motor in the back and locking it in facing sideways. then rewiring the controls to the bridge. A 3 position switch with a center off and for. rev. I could then use this as a thruster... any thoughts of a economical solution??

Boomyal · Jun 5, 2005

Re: turning a 40ft pontoon

Sounds like an effective idea to me. Kind of like a bow thruster on the stern. As long as you can control the throttle from the helm I'd say go for it. There's not much else you could do to control a 40 barge in close quarters at low speed.

Dunaruna · Jun 5, 2005

Re: turning a 40ft pontoon

With a single screw there is only one way to effectively control low speed manuvering - use the forward momentum of the boat and then reverse opposite lock, it's an art that takes time to master. Practice, practice, practice. Aldo

roscoe · Jun 5, 2005

Re: turning a 40ft pontoon

A 40' pontoon? Wow. You planning a really big boat party?

thejeepster02 · Jun 6, 2005

Re: turning a 40ft pontoon

Do you think it would be better to mount it on the bow?

Silvertip · Jun 6, 2005

Re: turning a 40ft pontoon

There are a number remote controlled trolling motors available these days -- although they are hardly a bargain. Seems to me one of those mounted on the bow and controlled from the helm would be a real benefit. The problem with that though is that it would have to mounted forward of the pontoons, or deep enough to get below them, otherwise the thurst is pushing against the pontoon and you get no effective thust. Mounting on the front also gives you the option of stopping short of the slip and using the troller to tug you into the slip. Otherwise Dunaruna has the only other non-assisted solution and as he says, it takes practice. Put the nose in, then go hard to port in reverse to suck the stern against the dock.

Boomyal · Jun 6, 2005

Re: turning a 40ft pontoon

Originally posted by the Jeepster: Do you think it would be better to mount it on the bow?

Naw! I like the stern idea. Keeps it more intuitive while your turning. Mounted on the bow you'd have to operate in the reverse of what your doing in the rear.

thejeepster02 · Jun 6, 2005

Re: turning a 40ft pontoon

I never thought about mounting past the toons. any thoughts on how much thrust? 40lb? I agree on practice but I know my kids will be taking it out sometimes also.

rayjay · Jun 6, 2005

Re: turning a 40ft pontoon

The videos below will give you a head start on learning to control your boats. http://www.uspowerboating.com/maneuvers.htm The minimum control speed and approaching a mooring are the two you need to work on now but all are skills any boat captain needs. I have a 35' pontoon houseboat and have had very little problems manuevering the boat since I started practicing the info in the videos. Practice is the key. I used a bouy a a point of reference.

thejeepster02 · Jun 6, 2005

Re: turning a 40ft pontoon

thanks, I think your right...practice. it took me 5 attemts to get it in the slip. by then I was upset with my self and imbarist about the other folks watching...I kept telling myself to calm down. I was worred about hitting the other boat next to me.

Silvertip · Jun 6, 2005

Re: turning a 40ft pontoon

40 pounds would be marginal in my estimation. If you buy new, go with a 55# which is the highest thrust you can get and still use 12V. The difference in price is relatively small and the extra grunt is to your advantage. I disagree with Boomyal on front vs rear mount. Front mount in your situation is far more practical. You are having a problem docking with the gas motor so what would make it any better with an electric on the rear? You have a long rig, pulling the front to the slip/dock would make this a simple task. If you stop short of the slip and then simply pulled in with the troller, mounting depth is not as much an issue as the motor would not be working directly against the tubes as it would be if mounted as a "thruster".

bayman · Jun 7, 2005

Re: turning a 40ft pontoon

Well, for a really low price you could get a paddle or a pole but it doesn't sound like that's what you had in mind

waterone1@aol.com · Jun 7, 2005

Re: turning a 40ft pontoon

Bow and stern thrusters are nice to have, but not required to dock a 40 ft boat. The best advice I could give would be for you to practice without any real pressure. If your marina has an empty area ( unused slips) or if you can get on your boat durring the week (when there are not lots of onlookers) practice it, yes you will make some mistakes, that is normal. Remember, you are not "on stage" and this is not a fashion show....this is a learned skill, it takes time.

ziggy · Jun 8, 2005

Re: turning a 40ft pontoon

i've never operated a large vessel before so i have no advise there. but what dunaruna said. i have used that procedure for years of boating. with practice like stated abouve you will be sliding right into yer slip, slow, smooth, and safely.....

dajohnson53 · Jun 8, 2005

Re: turning a 40ft pontoon

For the heck of it, you might also check out bow thrusters - maybe even for the front and rear. I have no idea if they'd be at all practical on your large 'toon, but I've operated a large boat with bow thrusters and they really help at close quarters especially if there's current or wind complicating things. Good luck.

AntsGrady · Jun 8, 2005

Re: turning a 40ft pontoon

Thats a yacht!!! I didn't know they made them so big. It's a traveling party!! Where's my invitation??

Dunaruna · Jun 8, 2005

Re: turning a 40ft pontoon

Well, I operated a 45ft toon boat every weekend, and my slip is tight. I have a single screw bigfoot (note: BIGFOOT. You need the low down torque of the elephant ear prop). There are 60ft boats with bow thrusters on both sides of my slip, they get into way more trouble than me because they have two sets of controls to contend with and they often get confused and stuff up the docking. The guys that pilot ferries are referred to as 'masters', they don't get that title for nothing, they are trained to think latterally. Some people have it, some don't. When docking the monster, the approach is the key. Plan ahead, get the boat into a position way before the slip, you will often not get a second chance without doing some 'bump' parking. Two things that you must master subconsiously - it steers from the rear AND the helm responds 5 - 10 seconds after you instigate a turn. Get that right and you'll be the toast of the marina

Practice, practice, practice. Aldo

thejeepster02 · Jun 14, 2005

Re: turning a 40ft pontoon

thanks for help. I practiced again this past week end and went from 5 attemts down to three. Dunaruna is correct, im not factoring in the delay of responce. I keep over shoting the slip. then I worry about hitting anouther boat. I will keep working on it!!!

turning a 40ft pontoon

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