pontoonhazard
Recruit
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2008
- Messages
- 5
In July of 2005 our grandson was jumping into the water from our pontoon to our arms in the water. His finger was caught in the hinge as he jumped. The digit was tramatically amputated. Since this accident, which made front page news here, we have learned of 9 total cases in our rural area. All of these cases were not the boaters fault. They were not doing anything but what these crafts were designed for. There are two types of guards available on the new models. The ball type do not solve the problem. If you have a pontoon or deck boat without these guards please see a dealer and get them installed. If your dealer minimizes this hazard, please go to another dealer. This is important!!!!!!! I am just sharing our experience, with the hope of helping others. I am just a grandmother that had a horrible experience. I want to help others prevent this from happening on their boat. Please dont try to put blame on the boaters. Manufacturers have been dealing with this since the 1980's. They have known about it that long, but didnt start recalls or guard installs until 2001. Ours was a 2000 bought brand new in July 2001. A recall was done in Dec of 2000. Manufacturers instructed dealers to install guards on their inventory. Our dealer did not do it. Thus our grandson suffered terribly. We want folks to know if you have a pontoon without these guards, someone can easily be injured. Thanks for listening.