Delivery and sea trial tomorrow

[BartMan]

Finally getting the pontoon delivered tomorrow. They will take me out on it and show me everything I assume. Do you have any recommendations of what I should look for before I accept it as okay?

I've got to say I am nervous about the trailering aspect, not so much of the actual boating part since I have had other vessels, but they were docked at a Marina and never had to trailer a boat before.

One last thing, any recommendations on a depth gauge? I don't need all the bells/whistles/GPS/Fish Finder etc., but I want a unit that I can install on the helm and is accurate (transom mount).

Sorry for all the questions. I have tons more, but will limit this post to the ones I find most important.

Thanks!
Bart

[Bamaman]

Make sure the engine starts fast when cold, and the gears engage smoothly F-N-R. Make sure when you push down on the throttle (in and F-R) that the rpm's increase as they should.

After warmed up, get'em to do a full throttle "speed test"--looking for the engine to be in the maximum rpm range. (This is to check that the proper pitch prop is being used.) Check before you go out for the redline--noted somewhere on the engine.

Check all the lights and accessories to make sure everything works on the boat. Then, check the trailer to make sure all lights work properly.

If you're just wanting to keep an eye on water depth, you can get a Hummingbird HDR 650 digital depth gauge for $99 at Overtons or many other boating centers--good for depths up to 600'. If you have a aluminum mount on the back bottom edge of a 'toon, it's easy to install. If the mount is not on the 'toon, a welding shop will have to tack one on for you.

If you don't wish to trailer your boat, find a good marina to park it in. In North Florida, a marina is a good value due to your long boating season--8-9 months out of the year.

[jafo9]

everything should be smooth with no binding. steering, shifting, etc.

have fun and take pics and share them with us.

i have a generic hawk eye depth gauge. nothing special, it work fine and fits in the standard helm gauge hole. hopefully your pontoon will have a welded on tab at the rear for such a device. mount it as low as possible and on the opposite side as the rear ladder.

trailering a pontoon is harder than a v-hull. they tend to sit higher on the trailer and act like great big sails at highway speeds.

[dockholiday]

Congrats on the toon...........before you take off ask the guy what is the max rpm for your boat motor (if it is an opti should be in the area of 5800 rpm) So once you are underway and they or you open it up the tach should be reading near what he first told you. Getting really tired of hearing stories of dealers putting a prop they know is not right for the boat just cause they have that one laying around. From there just have them activate anything that has switches. Don't let them rush you in your viewing of the boat, saying we got two other boats we have to take out today or some other excuse. Finally, relax and ask as many questions as you can think of that need answering. Sometimes it's best to make a list prior to them arriving with the boat. Don't be intimidated with the boat, most of the stuff will come naturally handling the boat, and launching will be easier each time you do it.
doc

[lakerunner696]

Make sure all lights and electronics work

[ROLAND]

congratulations on the new boat...make sure you post some pics when you get her home... as for loading onto a trailer... don't sweat it. I bought my first boat about a year and a half ago and one of my biggest fears was loading... won't lie to you, I had some issues at first.. I always had trouble lineing up the toons on the trailer bunks.. that is until I bought a set of 48" trailer guides.. They've really helped me... like anything, the more you do it, the easier it will get..

[scfishnman]

Before asking them to run it a full throttle, determine what the break in procedure is. If you can't check the full throttle RPM now to verify the correct prop size, then get them to agree to replace the prop with the correct size if the RPM is not correct when you check it after break in. Most dealers know what size prop to put on boats that they sell.

[wwind3]

10-4 on the break in procedure New motors store performance data in their 'puters. Dont give them an excuse to void your warranty.

And double 10-4 on trailering and unloading/loading--it is tuff by yourself and impossible in crosswinds unless you have sideboards. I put a piece of tape on my forward fence that is rt above the "v" the bunks make. Helps line up.

[BartMan]

Thanks for all the advice everyone. I just got back and it went very well. CHecked everything you all suggested, but couldn't do the WOT test until after the break in period. He did say he always uses the prop he installed on this type of pontoon w/merc 115. He did say he would replace if not correct, but is highly confident it is the right one.

Went out on the St. John river for an hour or so. The delivery guy backed the trailer down with his truck and then took it home for me. I realized my 7 tab light hook-up needs a 7 to 4 adapter, so hopefully will get that tomorrow and go practice backing up in some big parking lot.

Sorry, will take pics next time we get out, too much going on today. On a bright note, the trailer only has V's with no guides. I brought her in perfect the first time and stopped two inches from the stops. In other words, beginners luck!

One thing I forgot to ask them, since I boat in fresh water, do I need to run the garden hose to flush the engine everytime?

[bassn386]

BartMan, congrats on the new toon. Once you get familiar with it, I'm sure you and your family will really enjoy the relaxation that comes from motoring slowly around the water.
Regarding trailering and backing up. One tip I learned with my bass boat was to back the trailer into the water until water covered the tops of the wheel covers. It might be slightly different for a pontoon, so experiment to find the sweet spot.
If you don't have much experience backing a trailer, here's a tip that works: place your right hand (or your left hand if you are a leftie)on the bottom of the steering wheel. As you back up, move that hand in the direction you want the trailer to go. For instance, if you want the trailer to move to the right, move your hand that's at the bottom of the steering wheel to the right. Try it in a big open space a couple of times to get comfortable with it. Another tip: make sure the outside mirrors on your vehicle are adjusted so you have good sight lines as you back up, especially if you are doing it by yourself.
Best of luck and I'm sure you'll be back in a month or so telling all of us it's no big deal!

[margaritaman]

Congrats Bart Man. The guides will help you get that boat back on the trailer a lot easier. If you have both an inside and outside guides once you hook up the nose of the pontoons between all four you will always be lined up with the bunks and not go sideways on a windy day.

[rayman]

Congrats Bart Man, I just bought my first pontoon about a month ago we've had a blast because you can entertain a lot people at one time. My issue was the prop when I purchased mine, it came with a 10 pitch which turned to many rpm's. I had to be very careful with the break in! Is your's a 4-stroke? The mercury 115 operating max rpm's are 5800 to 6400 on my 2011! My dealer was great about letting me borrow prop's until I came up with the right one. I finally settled on a 15 pitch which perform's where I need to be! Enjoy your pontoon and be safe. I live in North Central Fl, and have trailered mine to both coast so far it's been great.

[BartMan]

Thanks everyone. The Admiral and I are very excited about our new 'toon. I can see where this can be addictive, I have four different web sites with over $300 added to the shopping cart of things "I have to have."

rayman, yes it is a four stroke. I asked earlier (I know, question buried in a windy post gets buried) about flushing the engine after every outing. I know in salt water most will, but is it necessary in fresh water? Also, do you spray down the boat, including the inside which mine is carpeted after every outing? Not lazy, but against doing unnecessary maintenance. Thanks!

[Kim in FL]

Hi Bartman.
Congrats on your new boat and successful sea trial. I just had mine a week ago and can relate to the shopping for accessories. I bought a "boatload" of stuff before I even took delivery. Waterproof digital camera, fishing gear (I don't even know how to fish!), floatable binoculars for wildlife sightings and a bunch of other stuff. My only excuse is I'm trying to keep the economy going!

Kim

[ROLAND]

Thanks everyone. The Admiral and I are very excited about our new 'toon. I can see where this can be addictive, I have four different web sites with over $300 added to the shopping cart of things "I have to have."

rayman, yes it is a four stroke. I asked earlier (I know, question buried in a windy post gets buried) about flushing the engine after every outing. I know in salt water most will, but is it necessary in fresh water? Also, do you spray down the boat, including the inside which mine is carpeted after every outing? Not lazy, but against doing unnecessary maintenance. Thanks!

Bartman, with regard to flushing the motor after "every" outing... I don't think you need to do it after every outing, but it sure wouldn't hurt anything. I keep my boat in a storage facility so normally on weekends, I'll take the boat out on saturday but instead of taking back to storage, I'll just bring it back here to the house in case we want to go back out on sunday.. On those occassions that I bring the boat home I usually hook up the hose and let it flush thru the motor for 15 minutes or so.. as for spraying down the boat after every outing... I don't, usually give mine a good hand washing about once a month.. but remember for the most part my boat is kept indoors.. oh, almost forgot, usually every couple of weeks I'll stop at a carwash and power wash the toons just to get any lake " crud " off them.. but that's about it.