Ok to leave pontoon on lakebed for winter?

[Hordack]

We keep the pontoon in a covered boat dock. During the winter the TVA drops the level of the lakes and the boat dock will spend the winter resting on the lakebed. Instead of getting the boat out on a trailer and have it sit in the yard all winter, is there any likelihood of causing damage to the pontoons by leaving them on the dried up lakebed until the water comes back up??

 

[Scott Danforth]

not sure where you are, however I know that the ice shoves in WI on lake Winnebago make the news every year when they smash stuff near the shore.


I wouldnt leave it there.

 

[garbageguy]

There are many variables here, so it's hard to say. But you may want to consider the condition of the lakebed it would be resting on, and how fast the water level changes. You wouldn't want to have it stuck so hard that it would not release before the water level rises significantly. Do other people on your lake do this successfully?

 

[GA_Boater]

What is the condition lake bed under the dock? Rocky, I wouldn't do it. Soft mud or sand - Maybe. Like asked above - Are other toons sitting on the bottom all winter? I kinda doubt ice will an issue, these lakes are dropped long before freezing temps and the spring raising is after temps are going up. Also, the level changes are fairly gradual.


Welcome aboard, Hordack.

 

[MH Hawker]

One of my uncles is also on one of the tva bucket lake around danville tn and he has done it both ways

 

[Hordack]

The lake bed is soft and I am in TN. Some people do leaving it there. Some people have the boat lifts at the dock and it rest on the them on the lake bed.

My main concern would be freezing and expansion of any moisture damaging the boat.

 

[GA_Boater]

Is the exposed lake bed pretty dry during the draw down? Our COE lakes go through the same thing and the shallows around docks are high and dry for the most part.

 

[DayCruiser]

The only problems are see is rocks , stumps and water freezing in the water pump inlets after you have raised the motor all the way up. Other than that I would leave it if you are sure the water is coming back up. Boats here have been stranded for years during droughts

 

[jc turtle]

I think that if you have to ask, then you already have your answer. Pull it out and ease your mind.No sense of worrying
about it all winter. Something always happens when it is the worst weather and you can do the least to remedy the
problem. "I wish I had pulled it" doesn't pay the bills when you have a repair to do. Good luck, John

 

[afd2131]

Might be worth grabbing some of those blocks and set those on the lakebed and put the pontoon on those. They arent expensive and would add a little peice of mind.

 

[Miffedone]

Remember the pontoons are evenly supported all over in the water and may not be on the dry riverbed. But otherwise don’t see why it wouldn’t be OK.