New Pontoon Boat Owner - Many Questions

EricJRW

EricJRW

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Joined
Feb 3, 2010
Messages
488
Re: New Pontoon Boat Owner - Many Questions

snakeskinrug said:
I just pulled the tape - haven't run it since. Any idea how to check to see if it's working properly? (I guess I'll find out if I empty the oil reservoir.) Thanks for the info on disabling the VRO - I was wondering if that would be all it took. It seems a bit paranoid to just forget about it, but that seems to be the consensus. It’s almost like switching out my radial tires for steel wagon wheels to eliminate the risk of a blowout, but based on the comments so far I guess I’m coming around to it.

I don’t have a picture of the trailer without the boat on right now, but I found this one that is almost exactly the same (except mine looks like it’s been through a war). Mine just doesn’t have the carpeted bunks on the back. Hopefully this picture will let you see how it works. The winch and cable only change the angle of the V’s on the back axle. The back end moves up and down a lot. The front not so much.

View attachment 150619


Thanks for you help.
Click to expand...

The easiest way to test the alarm is to ground the wire from the over-heat sensor. Disconnect the wire (there should be an in-line lug) and ground the wire. Your alarm should sound. I thought I had a picture of mine, but I don't (no matter how many pictures I take, I never have the right one). The sensor is at the back of the engine, perhaps near the top. It will have a single wire.

That's a very interesting trailer. So to set it on the ground you must also lower the jack? The reason I'm interested in this is at the end of this season I want to set my boat on dry land to so some work. I don't own a trailer, so I need to find something like yours, or at least a "real" scissor trailer.
 
snakeskinrug

snakeskinrug

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May 31, 2012
Messages
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Re: New Pontoon Boat Owner - Many Questions




Eric, thanks for the info. I'll try to test that sensor tomorrow.

As far as the trailer goes, I don't think it would be a good option to put the boat on the ground. I've had the trailer hitch on the
ground before and I don't think the entire length of the pontoon would be sitting on the ground even if you cranked the back all the
way down. I could be wrong about that. I've never had the trailer all the way down before. But then, you'd still have to pull the trailer out by hand. That seems like no fun to me. I suppose you could lower the back down and drive away very slowly. The sound of scraping metal would be horrible but it would slide off. You'd never be able to reverse it though. I'd shoot for the type where the entire stage cranks up and down.

Thanks.
 
newbie4life

newbie4life

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 19, 2007
Messages
410
Re: New Pontoon Boat Owner - Many Questions

I don't have any pictures handy... and the pontoon is at the campground. But, as I look at the picture of your trailer, what about a couple of bouys, laid horizontal and parallel to the trailer's web bracing on each side? They're just gonna 'bump' the pontoon into position as you slowly pull out of the water... Just a thought, depends on how much room you have between the pontoons and the trailer.
 
snakeskinrug

snakeskinrug

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May 31, 2012
Messages
20
Re: New Pontoon Boat Owner - Many Questions

newbie4life said:
I don't have any pictures handy... and the pontoon is at the campground. But, as I look at the picture of your trailer, what about a couple of bouys, laid horizontal and parallel to the trailer's web bracing on each side? They're just gonna 'bump' the pontoon into position as you slowly pull out of the water... Just a thought, depends on how much room you have between the pontoons and the trailer.
Click to expand...

Interesting, I was thinking along the same lines but carpeted 2x4's at an angle so that it slides into place. What kind of bouys were you invisioning?
 
newbie4life

newbie4life

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Jul 19, 2007
Messages
410
Re: New Pontoon Boat Owner - Many Questions

Depends on how much room you have - 2 x 4s carpeted may be better in your case. Just something to gently nudge it into place while you pull it out of the water. Otherwise, my thought was just the air filled bouys from Wal-crap. ;)
 
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snakeskinrug

snakeskinrug

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Joined
May 31, 2012
Messages
20
Re: New Pontoon Boat Owner - Many Questions

BobGinCO said:
I'm about to take that to the next level, by wrapping my 2 X 4's in neoprene (for cushioning) THEN carpet.
Click to expand...

If you don't mind my asking, where to you plan to get your neoprene from?
 
B

Brads Cat'N Around

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Joined
Jul 6, 2012
Messages
7
Re: New Pontoon Boat Owner - Many Questions

I have used a crank-up trailer like in the picture. It had side rollers mounted vertically towards the rear so that when the boat was being pulled out of the water it would pretty much be self aligned. There was probably 3-4 inches play difference between the width between the pontoons and the distance between the rollers. Sorry no pics. It worked very nicely.
Enjoy your new boat.
 
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