Pontoon Boat Mooring Options

[Bionic Man]

I am about to buy a pontoon boat (20') and am seeking advice on various ways I can moor it at the dock. It will be on an inland lake. I am interested in both "tried and true" methods, as well as those somewhat "out of the box".
Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Pontoon Boat Mooring Options

Bumpers on the dock or drop fenders over the side. Moor on the down-wind side of the dock so the wind and waves have a tendency to keep the rig away from the dock. Stout dock lines are a must as a pontoon is a big target for the wind. Takes a little more technique when docking on the downwind side but you'll get the hang of it.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Pontoon Boat Mooring Options

come in slow, they don't have brakes. don't count on reverse for the brakes.

 

[DJ]

Re: Pontoon Boat Mooring Options

We've been mooring one for seven years now. Good advice so far.

Don't let the bumpers touch the flimsy aluminum sheet metal sides. Make sure the bumpers contact a post or the tubes.

 

[ted655]

Re: Pontoon Boat Mooring Options

I just Googled mooring whips. Nothing new there, I'm sure you've considered them. What was new (to me) was a set of davit looking things. They pivit in a post mount that bolts to the dock. arms reach out to keep boat safe from edge. The neat thing was the covered coil spring that took the shocks.
Sorry I didn't bookmark the site. :'(

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Pontoon Boat Mooring Options

yes that's a type of mooring whip, they can work well, till it gets rough, you still need the fenders, and bumpers on the dock

 

[Bionic Man]

Re: Pontoon Boat Mooring Options

Thank you! I'm reading all these ideas with great interest. Every one has been very educational to me. Common sense, sure, but also very educational to a rookie pontooner. Many of the things you suggest, I would guess, come from personal experience. I would rather err on the side of caution, rather than have to learn from a bad personal experiene with my new boat.

Actually, no, I have never even considered a mooring whip, nor have I ever even seen one, other than in a boating catalog. I'll have to look into that more.

All ideas are greatly appreciated. This is just great!

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Pontoon Boat Mooring Options

the main thing in docking is learning your boat. potoons handle much differently than a v hull of flat bottom boat. practice, practice, practice. set some anchored milk bottles up out in the open water, simulating the dock, now practice coming along side as if at the dock. learn to do it docking on each side of the boat, can be very different.

 

[Mike722]

Re: Pontoon Boat Mooring Options

I was amazed at how much differant it was than my 18' runabout to dock or trailer. The boat catches a lot of wind. I own a place on the lake, so I got a Hewitt lift.

During the day we raise the lift enough to keep the boat in place. At night and when we leave, we raise the boat completely out of the water.

Not sure if you are going to use the public dock or your own, but we enjoy the convenience of the lift.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Pontoon Boat Mooring Options

i saw somewhere last year a bow thruster for pontoons. it mounted under the center of the bow, and folded under out of the way, when under way. worked like the wireless, trolling motor.

 

[Bionic Man]

Re: Pontoon Boat Mooring Options

I absolutely know I am going to do a LOT of practicing, on calm days.

A boat lift is one option I have considered.
1. How easy is it to get the boat onto the lift? I imagine it looks a little scary coming toward a lift and trying to get the pontoon boat onto it with only six inches to spare between the lift supports.
2. Are there any special strategies the captain could use to get the boat on, without dinging up the pontoons when they hit the lift supports? This seems like an excellent place to put some bumpers, but then that would narrow the gap still further. Sounds like landing might be a two man job in windy conditions.
3. Is there room under the lift canopy to stand up when the boat is nearly all the way down, but still resting on the lift supports?

 

[Mike722]

Re: Pontoon Boat Mooring Options

I have a 20' Riveria Cruiser, I am not sure of width. Like I said my lift is a Hewitt lift with 20' canopy and two long wooden joists. It is a heavy duty vertical lift that will take up to a 24'. I believe it is 9.5 feet inside the posts.

My canopy is low and I am going to see if it can be raised a little, but you have to duck to get out when supported. On the other hand, fully raised, the boat is under the canopy and I would not need a boat cover to keep the rain/dust off. I still put the travel cover on during the winter and when we leave for more than a day or two.

The wooden joist on mine are 2-3 feet out in front of the lift's posts so they guide you in. Once in my boat can move side to side without hitting the lifts frame work. The wooden joists touch the inside of the toons before they touch the outside Alum posts.

Our place is down a long narrow cove about 30' between the front of my lift and the boat lift across the cove and the wind and waves do get wild at times. I come in very slow and had no problems learning how to do it, my trailer is a differant story. I still can not get that thing figured out.

We live 10 minutes from the lake so it is nice to go after work at 5pm and be on the water 5 minutes after getting to the lake and leave 5 minutes after boating. Using the boat ramp would take 30-45 minutes in and the same time out.

 

[Bionic Man]

Re: Pontoon Boat Mooring Options

Well that about settles it. I'm going to go with the lift option. I think that joists inside the pontoons will be just what I need to moor without crashing into the lift. That, and plenty of mooring practice.

Now, my only decision is whether to buy an 8 foot wide boat, or one that is 6 inches wider. The difference being to have a gap between the lift posts of 12 inches, or 6 inches. It seems that with the lift joists serving to "lock in" a straight entry, having 6 inches more room once inside the lift is not really an issue.