Used Pontoon Boat

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myadvice · #1 Post by **myadvice** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 4:28 pm

I am considering searching for a small, cheap, used pontoon boat for use in lakes near Pittsburgh PA. (These lakes are limited to either 9.9hp or 20hp motors.)

I have never owned a boat before. Does anyone have any first-time purchase advice that they would share concerning used boats? Is there anything that I should look out for or any brands that I should avoid? Also, assuming that I will have to make some repairs, which are the easiest to make and which should I avoid? Also what kind of regular maintenance does a pontoon boat need?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

#2 Post by **HandymanHerb** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 8:02 am

A 20 footer would be a good size with that size of engine, if the lake small and calm you can go with a smaller pontoon.

Main thing you want to look for is the underside deck to check for rot, you can replace the deck but it is a job that takes some time to do.

Check where the supports meet the toon for weld cracks , with a 20 hp on it you won't have to worry about going fast enough to throw water on top of the toons, but check them anyway.

fishmor · #3 Post by **fishmor** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 11:56 am

walk around and stomp on the deck to see if there are any soft places and look underneath, look for cracks in the metal, and I personally wouldn't buy a pontoon boat without drain plugs in the logs. You can correct for water in the foam floation but it would be a bit of a hassle.
I never use a used boat trailer without first REPLACING the wheel bearings no matter how good they look, they don't cost much and if you have the hub off anyway then replace them. I am rebuilding a 28 footer and not only did I have to replace the bearings but the first hub I pulled was cracked and was too light weight so I replaced the hubs, bearings, wheels and tires.
Here are some pictures.
http://picasaweb.google.com/shootmor
Good luck and keep asking questions