How far offshore on a pontoon boat?
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How far offshore on a pontoon boat?
I'm sure this has been discussed here before but I can't seem to find much on it. How far offshore is it safe to take a pontoon or deckboat? In my area, you have to go out 10-12 miles to get to any decent fishing so I
ve always wondered if I should venture that far. I have been out 6 miles on a fairly calm day to a small wreck here and that was OK, Thoughts and opinions?
ve always wondered if I should venture that far. I have been out 6 miles on a fairly calm day to a small wreck here and that was OK, Thoughts and opinions?
Capt. Butch James - "Water and sunshine are the cures for all problems"
2015 Tracker Bass Buggy 16 w/ 40 hp Mercury four stroke
(old) 2000 Sylvan 20' Tritoon
(old) 1993 Tracker 30' Party Hut
(Old) 2011 Tracker Baby Bass Buggy 18
2015 Tracker Bass Buggy 16 w/ 40 hp Mercury four stroke
(old) 2000 Sylvan 20' Tritoon
(old) 1993 Tracker 30' Party Hut
(Old) 2011 Tracker Baby Bass Buggy 18
Re: How far offshore on a pontoon boat?
Regardless of the type/size of boat, it all depends on conditions AND the forecast. When I had a 23' deep v center console, I would only feel comfortable going 10 miles out. Being from Louisiana and knowing weather conditions in the summer, I would always keep an eye on the weather while out as even a small thunderstorm can turn nasty real quick. One time, I was in a 28' Grady White 35 miles out and it turned ugly and was glad to make it back. After that incident, I had a new respect for the sea.
When you say "off shore", do you mean un-protected and truly off shore or do you mean a large bay? Personally, I would never stray but a few miles away from land in a pontoon boat and be prepared to haul ass if the conditions started to look marginal.
When you say "off shore", do you mean un-protected and truly off shore or do you mean a large bay? Personally, I would never stray but a few miles away from land in a pontoon boat and be prepared to haul ass if the conditions started to look marginal.
SOLD - 2009 20' Bentley w/4 Stroke 90hp Mercury
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2014 Xcursion 23RF XS package w/150 4 Stroke Mercury
SOLD - 2011 SouthBay 522CR w/115 4 Stroke Mercury
2014 Xcursion 23RF XS package w/150 4 Stroke Mercury
Re: How far offshore on a pontoon boat?
Some lunatics from Avalon/Tahoe took a 27' tri-toon to the Bahamas.
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"Trine SS Cape" (Trying 2S Cape)
Add a battery: viewtopic.php?t=13546&p=105893#p105893
I'm not a liberal, but I play one on this site.
- Capt Sully
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Re: How far offshore on a pontoon boat?
ya just gotts to know the limits of your pontoon.
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Re: How far offshore on a pontoon boat?
That brings up anpother interesting point. I know some toons are built better than others so I guess the better question is which pontoon would be better at handling 2-4 foot seas say 7-8 miles out? (Gulf of Mexico) I ask this because I'm selling my Tracker and looking for something a little better built. When I see that my toon is rated for a max 75hp engine and lots of other toons are rated for 150's or 200's, there has to be a structural difference there.Capt Sully wrote:ya just gotts to know the limits of your pontoon.
Capt. Butch James - "Water and sunshine are the cures for all problems"
2015 Tracker Bass Buggy 16 w/ 40 hp Mercury four stroke
(old) 2000 Sylvan 20' Tritoon
(old) 1993 Tracker 30' Party Hut
(Old) 2011 Tracker Baby Bass Buggy 18
2015 Tracker Bass Buggy 16 w/ 40 hp Mercury four stroke
(old) 2000 Sylvan 20' Tritoon
(old) 1993 Tracker 30' Party Hut
(Old) 2011 Tracker Baby Bass Buggy 18
Re: How far offshore on a pontoon boat?
I'm talking Gulf of Mexico and my toon only does 16 MPH on a good day so haulin ass is not an option!BobL wrote:When you say "off shore", do you mean un-protected and truly off shore or do you mean a large bay? Personally, I would never stray but a few miles away from land in a pontoon boat and be prepared to haul ass if the conditions started to look marginal.
Capt. Butch James - "Water and sunshine are the cures for all problems"
2015 Tracker Bass Buggy 16 w/ 40 hp Mercury four stroke
(old) 2000 Sylvan 20' Tritoon
(old) 1993 Tracker 30' Party Hut
(Old) 2011 Tracker Baby Bass Buggy 18
2015 Tracker Bass Buggy 16 w/ 40 hp Mercury four stroke
(old) 2000 Sylvan 20' Tritoon
(old) 1993 Tracker 30' Party Hut
(Old) 2011 Tracker Baby Bass Buggy 18
- HandymanHerb
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Re: How far offshore on a pontoon boat?
Don't do it, you could hit a wind and waves that will slow you to nothing , Not a good ideal, I have been out there 8 miles out in a 21 foot deep well and sometimes the weather sneaks in on you quick, and I had some ruff rides getting in, so no way I'll take a pontoon out there
In Memory of John 6x6 Larsen
Re: How far offshore on a pontoon boat?
I wouldent go very far at all in your boat because honestly its not very powerful and I'm sure not very fast either. I boat in the gulf very often and the farthes I ever went out on my old 24'er was maybe a mile. With my new boat I'll go a lot farther to the first set of oil rigs5-10miles out but were talking 27' tritoon lifting strakes 51 gallons of fuel and a 300hp mercury verado..... That being said I'd try and get any tritoon with LIFTING STRAKES and no smaller than a 150 but as always bigger is better in these conditions!
Ryan, Martha, Ana and Nathan Toler.
(SOLD)1992 24' monark sun spa 240 1996 (rebuilt) Johnson 112
2014 South Bay chassis (IN THE WORKS)
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Crosby Texas
(SOLD)1992 24' monark sun spa 240 1996 (rebuilt) Johnson 112
2014 South Bay chassis (IN THE WORKS)
2006 dodge ram quad cab
Crosby Texas
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Re: How far offshore on a pontoon boat?
I deffinitly wouldnt go no farther than a 1/2 tank of gas! JT
2002 playcraft extreme,26', I/O, 498 ci, 625 hp, 580 ft pounds of torgue, Dart alluminum heads, holly 850 carb, bravo XR drive. GPS 76 mph.
Re: How far offshore on a pontoon boat?
I think it's all about your boat being seaworthy, knowing it's limitations, and your skill and experience. You should not play outside your comfort zone, particularly with guests on board.
I don't have much reason now to press my distance off Panama City Beach further than the hotels disappearing on the horizon. That's about 8-9 miles out. About where the state waters of the Gulf turn into federal waters and the fishing regs get stricter. Cell phone range starts getting a bit sketchy too.
Running back in from a storm is my main issue. Weather built all the way home to port and St. Andrews Pass was rocking and rolling by the time we got in. I used to think nothing of running my Century 26 twenty miles out or so. But then, the boat carried twins and my toon sports a single.
I don't have much reason now to press my distance off Panama City Beach further than the hotels disappearing on the horizon. That's about 8-9 miles out. About where the state waters of the Gulf turn into federal waters and the fishing regs get stricter. Cell phone range starts getting a bit sketchy too.
Running back in from a storm is my main issue. Weather built all the way home to port and St. Andrews Pass was rocking and rolling by the time we got in. I used to think nothing of running my Century 26 twenty miles out or so. But then, the boat carried twins and my toon sports a single.
Michael and Laura
'12 Ford F150 Lariat SuperCrew Ecoboost
'14 Harris Solstice 220, P3 tritoon, Mercury Verado 150, Enertia 14p.
prior boat: '02 Century 2600CC, twin Yamaha EFI 200's, full instruments.
'12 Ford F150 Lariat SuperCrew Ecoboost
'14 Harris Solstice 220, P3 tritoon, Mercury Verado 150, Enertia 14p.
prior boat: '02 Century 2600CC, twin Yamaha EFI 200's, full instruments.
Re: How far offshore on a pontoon boat?
James, I boat out of Fort Myers into the Gulf about 10 miles maximum often, on a good (under 2' waves & 10 mile winds) days only. But, I keep a REAL CLOSE eye on real time radar rain formations on my ipad. My Premier is very well built with 16" OC rails and a reliable 115hp Honda engine and a day (half) enclosure for rain protection ..... But its only a double toon. Due to only having the double toons and only a top speed (26) I am at the edge of the my safety margin. If any surprise mishap would occur, I could be in deep do-do.wijames wrote:That brings up anpother interesting point. I know some toons are built better than others so I guess the better question is which pontoon would be better at handling 2-4 foot seas say 7-8 miles out? (Gulf of Mexico) I ask this because I'm selling my Tracker and looking for something a little better built. When I see that my toon is rated for a max 75hp engine and lots of other toons are rated for 150's or 200's, there has to be a structural difference there.Capt Sully wrote:ya just gotts to know the limits of your pontoon.
Last year I got caught five miles out in my last boat. It was a Sea Cat catamaran. A much better boat for rough water such as the GOM. I did not have the ipad and any rain protection on the cat, just a small T top. A fast moving very strong storm came up out of no where. We headed back toward shore and got more soaked then I have ever been in 50 years of boating. Luckily we made it back to the inside of Red Fish Pass off Pine Island.
Then the first mishap occurred when I tried to switch to my port sponson fuel tank. The tank (s) switch did not work and we ran out of gas. The second problem was when I tried to call Sea Tow and the VHF radio also did not work. By then the storm had passed and it was just a light rain. It was getting dark and there was not another boat around. One of my passengers is 85 and was starting to snake pretty bad. I had a dry coat in storage and gave it to him.
We were able to call Sea Tow via his cell phone and after and another hour they arrived to tow us back to the launch ramp. It took another hour to get back to the ramp and it was dark. Long story short (your welcome) we got the boat back home and never went out in it again. The towing charge was $1,200 and the Sea tow membership paid it.
I bought my present Premier pontoon boat (stole it) via the net about three months later. I installed a new fuel transfer switch in the Sea Cat and sold it. First thing after getting the Premier delivered from WI. I installed the day enclosure and the ipad with its Navionics and satellite weather aps before going out the first time in the Gulf..
Your not a small inland lake (pond) boater like many of the members here. Your boat is not built good enough and has too small power to be playing out much over a mile in the Ocean. Buy a newer pontoon and a larger reliable engine or stay inside the inter coastal. Or your going to poke your eye out... And, get triple toons... I wish that I did.
As Always.... IMHO,
Rascal
Fishing Year Round SW Florida
Gulf Coast & Pine Island Sound
Premier 22' 2012 Cast A Way
115 hp Honda, 15.5 x 13 prop
Sea Star Power Steering
Day Enclosure
Loan Star Anchor Winch
Fixed Mount ipad Air for
Navigation & Satellite Weather
Gulf Coast & Pine Island Sound
Premier 22' 2012 Cast A Way
115 hp Honda, 15.5 x 13 prop
Sea Star Power Steering
Day Enclosure
Loan Star Anchor Winch
Fixed Mount ipad Air for
Navigation & Satellite Weather
Re: How far offshore on a pontoon boat?
i don't have a dog in this hunt, however, this seems like a market for a toon with twins. not necessarily, the high HP go fast twins, but maybe 2 115's or 150's for reliability/redundancy.
2003 Premier Grand Majestic 250 PTX Honda 225 OB (PTX baby!)
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Lewis Smith Lake, Alabama
2002 MasterCraft X30
2007 Yamaha FX HO Cruiser
2005 Kawasaki SXR800
2004 Yamaha SuperJet
1989 Kawasaki 650sx
Lewis Smith Lake, Alabama