So this is my first post... In response to a friend/customer who came to this site, and read this thread about a week ago?
http://forums.iboats.com/forum/gene...ities/pontoons/470712-shortening-pontoon-boat
Not understanding why he was upset, I read the thread as well.. then I went back to the shop and finished shortening his pontoon.. It took me a bit over 4 hours, and is exceedingly easy and cost efficient... if you know how to weld. $300.00 for the shortened pontoons, or a minimum of $1200 dollars to get one already the length you want?
Most posts ran the op down, one post apparently from an experienced person stated he would need baffles and and caps and several things my customer was then upset about... why didn't I tell him he needed these things????
In reply to several of the posts, the op of that thread is right.. I can buy BIG pontoons a lot cheaper than little ones here in the midwest.. The folks who run/fish small lakes and rivers want little pontoons, not big ones.
I also lived in the Florida Keys for several years, and owned a 28 foot pontoon that I ran on the ocean several times a week, depending on the wind and swells.. Yes, it normally stayed in around the keys and islands, but often took us out to Looe Key reef for diving trips.. So using a pontoon on the ocean is not only possible, but preferable, so long as the conditions permit.. I would not desire to be out in the pontoon with 14 foot swells, no matter how big it was.
To the task at hand.. shortening pontoons is not difficult, you already have everything you need, provided you do not butcher up the piece you are cutting off. It already has baffles and end cap in it, they only need to be relocated, as do the struts and brackets that attach to the deck. Cleaning the aluminum to weld takes the longest. It does need to be clean and shiny. Some skill in welding aluminum is needed, everything else can be done by any handy person with a little common sense. THe deck boards are usually 4 feet wide. The easiest thing to do is remove one and re bolt the deck in place, then shorten the pontoons 4 feet to match. Cut the old cap out of the back of the cut off section, grind the welds and slide it back into the shortened pontoon, and re weld it. If there was a baffle near the cut in the portion that was removed, i grind the welds, slide it into the back of the shortened pontoon where it needs to go and weld it in place. I usually end up with two baffles closer together, which will not hurt anything.
I have been fishing smaller rivers most of my life.. I can tell you, there are places the river is not wide enough to turn a 28 footer or even a 24 footer to follow the bends.. I fish an 18 footer, and most use a 16 or 17 foot pontoon... they have deck space for the grill, the cooler and comfortable chairs. No need to set up a camp site, you already have one. You can run bank lines all night, without worrying about getting in and out of the boat every hour.. Bait tank right in the front within reach of whoever will be pulling the lines.. A small honda generator will power a pair of 500 watt halogen work lights mounted to the front so there is no worry of hitting a snag in the dark.. and you STILL have enough room for four people comfortably...
Sometimes longer is not better... (Be Nice!) If any of those fellows who replied to that op are still around, well... I think you really need to grow up a little. Maybe try to help someone rather than criticize or belittle them.. if something makes you incredulous, take a step back and think about it, because that feeling means your about to do or say something that will make you look like an idiot. It may well also annoy people LONG after it was said..
OldMech
http://forums.iboats.com/forum/gene...ities/pontoons/470712-shortening-pontoon-boat
Not understanding why he was upset, I read the thread as well.. then I went back to the shop and finished shortening his pontoon.. It took me a bit over 4 hours, and is exceedingly easy and cost efficient... if you know how to weld. $300.00 for the shortened pontoons, or a minimum of $1200 dollars to get one already the length you want?
Most posts ran the op down, one post apparently from an experienced person stated he would need baffles and and caps and several things my customer was then upset about... why didn't I tell him he needed these things????
In reply to several of the posts, the op of that thread is right.. I can buy BIG pontoons a lot cheaper than little ones here in the midwest.. The folks who run/fish small lakes and rivers want little pontoons, not big ones.
I also lived in the Florida Keys for several years, and owned a 28 foot pontoon that I ran on the ocean several times a week, depending on the wind and swells.. Yes, it normally stayed in around the keys and islands, but often took us out to Looe Key reef for diving trips.. So using a pontoon on the ocean is not only possible, but preferable, so long as the conditions permit.. I would not desire to be out in the pontoon with 14 foot swells, no matter how big it was.
To the task at hand.. shortening pontoons is not difficult, you already have everything you need, provided you do not butcher up the piece you are cutting off. It already has baffles and end cap in it, they only need to be relocated, as do the struts and brackets that attach to the deck. Cleaning the aluminum to weld takes the longest. It does need to be clean and shiny. Some skill in welding aluminum is needed, everything else can be done by any handy person with a little common sense. THe deck boards are usually 4 feet wide. The easiest thing to do is remove one and re bolt the deck in place, then shorten the pontoons 4 feet to match. Cut the old cap out of the back of the cut off section, grind the welds and slide it back into the shortened pontoon, and re weld it. If there was a baffle near the cut in the portion that was removed, i grind the welds, slide it into the back of the shortened pontoon where it needs to go and weld it in place. I usually end up with two baffles closer together, which will not hurt anything.
I have been fishing smaller rivers most of my life.. I can tell you, there are places the river is not wide enough to turn a 28 footer or even a 24 footer to follow the bends.. I fish an 18 footer, and most use a 16 or 17 foot pontoon... they have deck space for the grill, the cooler and comfortable chairs. No need to set up a camp site, you already have one. You can run bank lines all night, without worrying about getting in and out of the boat every hour.. Bait tank right in the front within reach of whoever will be pulling the lines.. A small honda generator will power a pair of 500 watt halogen work lights mounted to the front so there is no worry of hitting a snag in the dark.. and you STILL have enough room for four people comfortably...
Sometimes longer is not better... (Be Nice!) If any of those fellows who replied to that op are still around, well... I think you really need to grow up a little. Maybe try to help someone rather than criticize or belittle them.. if something makes you incredulous, take a step back and think about it, because that feeling means your about to do or say something that will make you look like an idiot. It may well also annoy people LONG after it was said..
OldMech
