First Pontoon Purchase, new iboat member too

[robelliott]

Team, I have owned boats in the past but am new to the Pontoon world. I'm going to go test one this weekend, and have not had success in getting a survey coordinated because honestly - everyone in the Washington DC area is simply not interested in doing a survey on a 24 ft Pontoon. The people were nice enough, and gave me this advice:
- Examine engine, remove cover, look for leaks/seepage
- Inspect it on the trailer, are the toons damaged? Are they straight?
- Look for any obvious damage
- Go on a sea trial, does it start up, warm up, and throttle up and down appropriately
- Does anything (gears, trim, shift interupter, steering) bind or moan while operating through the range
- After the sea trial pull the outboard cover, inspect for any leakages, seepages, etc....

Can you guys think of anything else? Thanks!

Rob

 

[Malibu Rudder]

After pulling the boat out of the water do you hear any sloshing in the tubes? Since it is warm can you get in the water behind the boat while anchored to see if one tube is sitting lower in the water with equal weight on board? That is all I have given my lack of mechanical knowledge.

 

[MH Hawker]

Take a very close look at the toons for any sign of extra welding and cracks

 

[lakegeorge]

Welcome aboard, Pontoons are really pretty bullet proof. The above advice is very good and you can usually tell by the way something looks if it has been cared for.
Good luck, and let us know how it went.

 

[crb478]

All good advice above. What brand of pontoon and motor are you looking at? Is the motor a 2 stroke or four stroke? Do they have any service records. How mechanical are you, can you do a compression test?