Convert old pontoon boat to move people in flooded neighborhood

John_Dennis

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The neighborhood next to us is inside a huge flood control reservoir. The streets and even many of the homes have 8 feet of water and will remain that way for several weeks. I am thinking of finding an old pontoon boat and putting a small outboard on it.

I realize that the motor will be very low and hard to use a tiller steer outboard but is it possible?

I am an experienced boater and have a well equipped shop in my garage to convert things

Is this a crazy idea or workable. I have no experience with pontoons


Thanks

John
 

HotTommy

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Food for thought:
  • I wouldn't think of trying without console steering and throttle.
  • Pontoon boats have lots of room for folks, dogs, and stuff.
  • They can be challenging to maneuver in a stiff breeze or fast moving currents.
  • You'll want another person to help spot debris and secure the boat when stopping.
  • The airboat rescue guy on TV said they end up having to resuce many of the outboard rescuers because they hit unseen debris.
  • Perhaps theres a better way you can help out.
 

GA_Boater

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You don't have the boat and motor already, so I don't think rigging something is a good idea.

Better to go to where people are running a rescue operation and lend your body. They need help with unloading boats assisting the rescued. Maybe drive them to shelters. Or volunteer at a shelter and bring some water or food with you.

I applaud your wanting to help and there are many ways to assist.
 

John_Dennis

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The rescuers will go home at some point. This would be for the next 2 months. The water will take at least 3 months to leave the neighborhood completely. There is no current and little wind. The advantage of a pontoon boat is the flat deck after the seats are removed and a very minimal wake. I was hoping that a long shaft sailboat outboard might work
 

ondarvr

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I've done this before with my jet boat.

You would probably be better off with a john boat, while the pontoon boat will carry many people, it's not the best thing for navigating streets and yards with floating debris . You won't be rescuing people after the first little while, it will be taking people and supplies to and from flooded or isolated areas.

​After the first couple of days I was delivering food and hay to the ranchers that didn't want to leave their cattle. As the water recedes the channels change rapidly and you need a boat small enough to manhandle on, off or around the new obstacles, plus be able to launch and retrieve anywhere, even with little or no water.

​The prop boats didn't fair well, they were very limited as to where they could go, and would get stuck in some places when the water dropped and they couldn't back through to the launch. When the water was at it's deepest in the beginning, or when the water was still rising the prop boats worked well.
 

Scott Danforth

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there were pictures on the news showing cars emerging as the water receded and there were propeller marks across the roofs

pontoons are difficult to maneuver in shallow/rapid water and to get people into them without a ladder simply because the deck is 18" above the water vs a jon boat with a small jet or small outboard

many volunteer boats get stranded because street signs, utility poles, cars and buildings are very hard on propellers.

agreed with above, if you want to help, go and volunteer. they will tell you where to be, what to do. most of the time its comforting the injured, helping sand-bag,etc.
 

bigdee

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A jet ski pulling a inflatable raft would seem like a logical choice.
 

John_Dennis

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They are currently able to drive a 25 foot twin engine Offshore boat through the neighborhood with no problem. My concern is that the volume of traffic is a little more than a John boat and it use easy for non boaters to shift their weight and sink them. I agree that a pontoon boat is not an ideal choice but there are often free ones around in our area.
 

GA_Boater

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There is a reason they are free. I wouldn't trust any newly acquired free boat to save lives, starting with my own.

As said several times, you don't need a boat to help.
 

John_Dennis

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There are dozens of people walking to their homes in chest deep sewage filled water and others leaving to go to work in Walmart inflatable toy boats and pool floats. It really is a mess that needs a long term solution. I can fix an aluminum hull or repair an outboard easily enough. Remembe they need a solution for the next 2 Months, not just this week
 

southkogs

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From my experience - you're far better in smaller outboard style boats (row boat / jon boat), unless you've got a legit RIB rigged for ES work. Going around streets and such is the least of your concerns most of the time. It maneuvering close in where people are stranded or need to get to. You run out of room real quick trying to get in close to a porch, roof or rock.

Rescue ops are going to change up in the next couple of days. When it begins to be more relief and recovery, it's actually more important that it's coordinated and handled properly. If you go rogue outside of the joint tasking, in my opinion you're more of a risk than a help. A few lives were lost here in TN for that exact reason in our floods and a couple of other situations.

The consensus is correct, join up with what is already going on.
 

John_Dennis

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The patern here in Texas in these situations is that the local sherif will declare the area unsafe, issue a mandatory evacuation and pull all official help out and leave the residents to their own devices. This neighborhood looks like canal lots. You are correct that this is not an ideal solution. An ideal solution would be a 24 foot flat bottom boat with a 10 horse outboard. I doubt I will be able to aquire one of those. We have about a quarter of a million houses with significant damage. There are at least 100,000 people staying in shelters long term. This is a strange slow moving disaster that is more like the aftermath of war than a natural disaster. These people will be living in their houses continually despite the difficulty getting in and out.

My question is not whether it is a good idea, it is more how can I stick a small outboard on an old pontoon boat. I need to use what is available to find a better solution.
 
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GA_Boater

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The patern here in Texas in these situations is that the local sherif will declare the area unsafe, issue a mandatory evacuation and pull all official help out and leave the residents to their own devices.

Misinformation. You are thinking of hurricanes like when Harvey hit Rockport or Ike washed away the Bolivar peninsula and people choose to ride out the storms after the mandatory evacuation orders were given, not during a slowly evolving emergency at this point. There sure are plenty of official responders risking their lives and health pulling people out of flooded areas.

The better solution is for you to stay home and donate to whomever you think is best. You don't have a boat!
 

ondarvr

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And from having done it before, more than once, I can tell you that the situation will change long before you can locate a pontoon boat, then a motor, get it into reliable shape, then start your ferry service. I fully understand your sense of urgency, but unless this boat is in your driveway right now, or better yet, on the scene right now, there are better ways to help.

​Go buy gas and deliver it to where the boats are working, supply coffee and food, a cot to sleep on, greet people getting off these boats and help them find shelter, let them use your phone to contact relatives, etc.



 

John_Dennis

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There are 2 or 3 12 foot John boats owned by local residents. That is it. They are unable to share them because they need them themselves. Occasionally a random army or privately owned 6x6 will carry some people in and out. The rescue is over. They are now trying to learn how to live in a swamp. Again if this was a rescue, I would agree with you completely. If it takes me a month to find and fix a boat it would not be too late. The water will not begin to recede for a week or so and then it will go down an inch or so a day if it does not rain at all.

I have been fixing up boats and selling them since I was a kid to finance my boat habit.
 

ondarvr

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Drive north 200-300 miles, get a big jon boat and a motor, the motor needs to be 100% reliable, not something with an unknown history that you just got running, this means almost new, get a bunch of life jackets, first aide kits, and all the other safety equipment. You could do this in one day. Now go start ferrying people around.

​If you don't get a 100% reliable motor you will become part of the problem and not the solution. If you don't have the funds to do it correctly then support those that do.
 

jetboater

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I agree with the jon boat recommendations---I've owned a number of pontoons ( currently have a 25 footer) and while they hold a lot of people, their manuverability in close quarters is horrible.

And I've never seen a tiller steered one---the motor sits "down" compared to the deck so a tiller handle would likely be below the deck level. Even if it could be rigged up to work, you'd be sitting on the floor in the back of the boat where you couldnt see anything--a bad situation.

If you do get a pontoon, plan on using a regular outboard with a steering wheel on the boat's console, not a tiller.

And you may want to consider adding a RockHopper or other type of prop guard to whatever you get----not cheap---one would run about the cost of a new propeller but you'd greatly decrease the chances of prop damage and being stranded if (or when) you hit some underwater object.
 
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John_Dennis

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I am sorry that I have not explained what I am trying to do more clearly, I was using my phone and was trying to be brief. I have no experience with pontoon boats at all even though we have owned a variety of motor boats from 8 to 36 feet long and did all our own mechanical work and repairs. I am as adamant about boat reliability and safety as anyone, but this is an unusual situation that is already very dangerous and sitting on top of a rickety boat with a less than reliable engine is not appreciably more dangerous.

If you lived on an island a few hundred yards from the mainland and waded across everyday to go to work, and carried your groceries perched on your head when you returned each evening, you would feel any boat was better than what you were doing. If you tied some logs together and made a raft, you could push it along with a stick, better than wading. If you got lucky and got a motor for your raft, you wouldn't be concerned about it leaving you stranded because you still had your previous options of pushing with a stick or walking. If you fell of your raft you would only be slightly wetter than wading.

I have seen small outboards on pontoon boats used as work platforms, I just never paid and attention to what size or whether or not it was a tiller steer. I have no intention of driving this boat. I am going to drop it off at the neighborhood and let them organize some volunteers to operate it. If the motor breaks they can use poles, it would be infinitely better than what they are doing now.

In Texas, boats with title problems are relatively useless because of the difficulty in getting a title and can be acquired cheap or free sometimes. I have my contacts scouring the city looking for a free or cheap boat. My best hope is to find a big aluminum boat with a hole in the hull that my welding buddies can just weld up. This of course would be the simplest solution since even a 2 horse outboard will push an 18 foot john boat in a sheltered area. By the way, these "canals" are 30 to 60 feet wide, maneuverability is not an issue, loading is not an issue, just put the bow against the bank so they can step off.

It seems that if the only boat I can get is a pontoon boat, I will either have to find a motor that can be operated from the helm or let them pole it along.

There is not currently a good solution for any of these folks unless each can purchase their own 14 foot boat with a trolling motor. While there is a lot of help available once they leave their neighborhood, there is little or no help getting in and out.
 
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