Just bought this pontoon from dealer, got home with no straps on back !

[Hellopeople123]

I’ve been a boater for a long time having mostly ski boats . I purchased a new pontoon and this is my first pontoon with a large outboard (250 hp) . The dealership was very thorough there explanation of how everything worked on the boat . He said some interesting things though . He told me I could tow with the cover on the boat and I could tow with the Bimini rails in the up position . I thought that was weird . I refused to travel with the cover on so I stowed it before we left . So going down the road the Bimini covers unzipped twice . Had to get a dog leash and tie it down . The next morning I notice the back of the trailer is not strapped down . Wtf . I thought that was standard safety . I just drove an 1.5 hours with no safety straps on the back . Not amused I sent my dealer a nice message asking why there was no straps on the back of the boat and I was concerned he would sent any customer down the road without them . He said that the manufacture doesn’t put straps on every pontoon . ????? I asked him if the manufacture says I don’t need them ? He replaced with I have some new ratchets it my truck I can mail you if you want . He never responded to the concern . I went and bought straps because it made me feel better . Am I Wrong?

 

[Bondo]

Ayuh,..... Welcome Aboard,...... I agree with you, no straps is an accident waitin' to happen,.....

 

[Scott Danforth]

the dealer didnt ask the manufacturer

transom straps are recommended

 

[matt167]

Per DOT, all loads must be secure. I don't think federally it's stated that boats specifically must be tied down at the stern, but some states I know do.

In any case, all loads must be secure. Not hauling commercially does not give an exemption.

 

[dingbat]

Not to point fingers, but as the owner of the rig, you and you alone are responsible for securing the load and trailer to the tow vehicle.

Never assume when it comes to safety. Had you done your pre-trailering safety checks you would have found the load was unsecured and addressed the issue with the dealer right then and there.

 

[JimS123]

When I took delivery of my last 2 new boats, both dealers had me sign a paper swearing that I would not drive down the highway without transom straps. One boat came with them standard, the other I brought them with me (I got a rebate for not accepting the safety package because I already had all the stuff)

Also, in both cases I bought factory covers that were sold as trailerable. If they weren't marketed that way I would have had a cover custom made locally. No way am I going to travel down the interstate without a cover. So far, in the last 54 years I have not damaged a cover yet. But then again, none were bought at wally.

 

[MRS]

Bought are’s pontoon bass pro 20’ new most say lower level pontoon but they treat us good fixed what needed fixing. Had everything to tow home when I take in for service I always do a walk around before leaving. Even on our trips now I do a walk around before leaving the driveway.

 

[T/O]

I bought a new 20' pontoon from Cabela's last July and noticed there were no transom straps, was told they were not included or necessary. So I purchased a set before I left and put them on myself.

 

[MRS]

I bought a new 20' pontoon from Cabela's last July and noticed there were no transom straps, was told they were not included or necessary. So I purchased a set before I left and put them on myself.

I can’t believe that it would be a lawsuit if something happened on the way home. Here is ours from bass pro before leaving when we first bought it. You can see the straps on the transom.
Plus I think if you are spending 30 grand I would think they would throw in a couple straps.

 

[tpenfield]

I towed my new-2-me 33 foot boat home without transom straps, but don't tell anybody

 

[JimS123]

I did a quick google but couldn't find the right web site. Every state has their own requirements re. trailer brakes, lights, length, width, speed, etc. The last time I saw the chart I believe many if not most states REQUIRE transom tiedowns. Regardless, its simply common sense.

Case in point, many years ago I was rear ended at a stoplight. I was driving a convertible with the top down and people in the back seat. The trailer tongue bent the hitch up and it impaled the car's gas tank. The back part of the broken tongue impaled itself int the blacktop, thus keeping the trailer from moving forward. The transom straps are the only thing that kept the boat on the trailer. If you saw the end result you would see how the straps likely saved the lives of my passengers.

 

[JimS123]

Here's a follow up. Look at the thread below: "think of when towing a boat". If that doesn't convince you about trailer straps, you just are confused.

 

[mike_i]

Check out my post in this forum.

Something to Think of While Towing a Boat

Sad story we can all learn from as we're towing our boats. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/public-safety/story/2022-02-07/wife-of-harbor-police-chief-killed-in-jamul-crash-when-boat-flies-off-trailer-into-cars-path

forums.iboats.com

 

[wooky30014]

Being a retired commercial driver, I know about securing my loads and when I bought my "new" boat this year I had it all hitched up, safety chained, and lights plugged in I saw that no straps were on the back. I always carry at least two ratchet straps, this trip I had three, so the extra one became the dedicated boat strap. The rusty chain and hooks have been replaced and an additional length of chain and hook will be a backup for the winch strap, bolted to the frame and hooked to the bow-eye

 

[Hellopeople123]

here’s the boat I got .

 

[wooky30014]

View attachment 358274here’s the boat I got .

Nice, but no straps on the back and what about the motor bouncin' around back there, transom saver ??

 

[Hellopeople123]

There wasn’t one I bought one on Amazon when I got home .

 

[Hellopeople123]

There wasn’t one I bought this one on Amazon when I got home . What do you think ?

 

[racerone]

Have seen many boats on trailers with straps and bow safety chains that were there for looks only.------Some of them would not stand up to a shock load I think.-----There are few standards and inspections on these things.------Some areas do have periodic blitzes on cottage routes to weed out the really bad set-ups.

 

[wooky30014]

Yeah, that gizmo would hold the engine up but it would still bounce back there. The one I got with mine fits on the rear roller on the trailer and the foot, no stress on the transom, or in my case the bracket.