Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

I am picking the boat up August 12th.. . Can't wait! 24' sun tracker party barge 2016
Unfortunately I am not getting too much help/guidance on typical things I will need.
I.E. Anchor,fenders, dock lines (type, length), certain tools to keep on board.... Etc,etc.
If some folks on this forum would chime in and help me out that would be great. Looking for particulars on any items. Way too many options and I have zero experience but I want good stuff that will last.
I will make a list of all the desired/necessary equipment and purchase all at once before I get the boat. . All help is appreciated!!!

Box anchor, fish finder for depth and gps speed, battery jump kit if you don't have a spare battery, prop wrench, life jackets.

If your buying from Bass Pro they will have everything you will need...

4 each 1/2" x 15-foot Double Braid Nylon Mooring Lines
4 each 3/8" x 5-foot Fender Whips
4 each 6" x 23" or larger Docking fenders
1 each 3/8" x 100-foot Nylon Anchor Line
1 each 3/8" x 4 or 5 foot plastic coated Anchor Chain with Screw-Pin Shackle
1 each Anchor suitable sized for your boat
Depth Sounder or Fish Finder (GPS is nice if your lake is large enough to get lost on)
Least 4 (or more) Comfortable Zip Life Vest
Least 1 (or 2) Throw-Able Floatation Devise
Paddle
Boat Hook or Paddle Boat Hook Combo
General First Aid Kit
Good Quality Flashlight not some Dime-Store POS
Basic Tool Kit
Roll of quality electrical tape (Scotch brand 33+ Super)

ROLL OF TOILET PAPER !!!

Welcome, and congratulations on your new boat !!!

First, you might want to ask, or verify with your selling dealer if they are providing you a new boat "safety" package, or equipment package. Mine did, and many dealers do on a new boat purchase.

Included with my boat was 8 life jackets ( orange standard type); 1 Type 4 throwable; 100 feet of 3/8" or 1/2" anchor line; 3 or 4 ft of vinyl coated anchor chain with a shackel to attach it to the anchor. Anchor..... my dealer asked me what type of anchor I preferred. As we are on a sizable lake, the best option for me was a 18 lb River Anchor. First Aid Kit; 2 fenders (medium size: 6.5" X 22"), 4 dock lines ( 1/2" dia X 15 ft long). Adjustable length boat hook.

Depending on where you are boating, you might want to have a GPS on board, or paper charts.

I personally believe in having 2 Marine batteries, WITH a switch. Run the boat on one battery, NOT both. If you stop for hours to swim or fish you can switch to the second battery.

I also keep a Prop Wrench on the boat along with a 10" piece of 2 X 4 wood to use to jamb in the prop when using the prop wrench. I also keep a basic tool kit like you can buy from West Marine in a plastic case.

Here's a picture of the River Anchor type that I use:

Extra prop---sometimes you don't break one but over time you will spin the hub-esp if you tow people. Pontoon boat is hell on props--it's like pushing a giant loaf of bread thru the water...

Spun aluminum prop out last week-fortunately I was near home and could motor back to my boathouse. Had my SS prop checked and it was slipping also after 2 yrs since last rehub. Cost about 200 bucks to get both back to new condition including repitching my SS prop

Good luck and welcome to the group!

Short list of what I keep on my toon:
Prop wrench
Extra prop
Bumpers
Rope
Med kit
Toolkit
Drivers
Sockets
Pliers
Test light and multimeter
Good tape
Zip ties
Electrical kit (small) w fuses
Flashlight/spotlight
Rain jacket

I carry some other stuff, but really, have some basic tools, a light, and some stuff to self help yourself and you'll be good. The basics of boat carry is a wide and varied topic that will be dictated by where you operate.

Get a cell phone charging cord that works either USB or the 12 volt receptacle. On some boats, the USB will not charge but, just play music, etc. Make sure yours will charge the phone. Keep the cord/cable onboard at all times - meaning a duplicate, not just one borrowed from the car.

joe20toon wrote:Get a cell phone charging cord that works either USB or the 12 volt receptacle. On some boats, the USB will not charge but, just play music, etc. Make sure yours will charge the phone. Keep the cord/cable onboard at all times - meaning a duplicate, not just one borrowed from the car.

For as much as we rely on our phones today the absolute first thing that I added to our pontoon was a 2nd power outlet and several USB power adaptors as well as extra cords for my phone and the wife's phone too as it used a different plug. To be honest I recently bought a couple more power outlets and plan on installing another so that the front seated passengers can charge their phones too. A 2nd power outlet will be one of the first holes I'll drill for when we bring home the new bow-rider boat too, going to put one over on the passenger dash so the co-pilot can charge up their phone without bothering for mine. On the pontoon I have Blue-Tooth so I use my phone to provide music as well as running a Nav-App or even just Google Maps and/or Speed-App. Guess now I needs to go purchase some extra cords and power adaptors for the new boat... Does it never end?

Thanks Everyone!! Definely some things I wouldn't have thought about. Picking her up on Saturday! Looks like I have my shopping list now as well. Perfect

I don't know where you plan on shopping, but when I "bought big" to equip my boat, two of the big box stores offered a first-time boat buyer 10% discount.

Ask!

Have fun and good luck!

zoom650 wrote:I don't know where you plan on shopping, but when I "bought big" to equip my boat, two of the big box stores offered a first-time boat buyer 10% discount.

Ask!

Have fun and good luck!

This was a given when I purchased my Sun Tracker from Bass Pro and came with a card for future purchases in store.... Today I always keep an eye on www.overtons.com as they frequently offer 10, 15 & 20 percent discounts along with free shipping....