Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Hi Guys,
With the pontoon, I am thinking that it will sit outdoors at a storage yard over the winter. I am going to build a frame and place a silver 20x30 tarp over it. I am in Minnesota, so snow weight is a big factor on the frame material. I am thinking the frame will be 6 feet high and about 20' long, with about 1' extending from "A" frames that will sit in front of the gate and on the back sun deck. Then there will be an additional 3 frames for support in the pontoon. So there should be about 4 feet in between the supports. For the sides, adding t connectors to the main support with pipes going to the sides over the railings. There would be 5 supports per side. So i guess my questions are:

Is 1 1/2 PVC strong enough to support snow if it does stick? I would go out about once a month to check it.
Is adding tee connectors to the top cross frame and glue them still strong?
Will it be strong if glue is not used for some of the connecters (need to take it apart for transportation and storage)?
Am i over thinking this?
What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

Any advice or something that i am missing?

African or European?

I object to any talk about Winter. Its 97 degrees here today and dagnabbit I dont want to think about winter.

Ok in all honesty you should overbuild this structure. Possibly Galvanized Square 4" metal tubing.

I made a frame out of 1" PVC and it bows even without a snow load so I would go with at least 2" PVC I also tried in with 2x4 wood waste of time and money. Here are some photos of my setup now.

I do this with mine.

MH Hawker beat me to it.
I was gonna tell you to look up another thread with his pics in it. His looks well made.

Thanks for the idea guys , I like the way Red has done his, but i am going for more uprights, so i think that 1.5 will be good. Then i am going with ratchet straps on the sides to keep the frame in and also support the tarp.

MH Hawker wrote:I do this with mine.

Well, we know where he stores his golf clubs now...........

Google "Navigloo" ...I bought a used 'toon, and it came with the deal. Excellent product. First time you install it, you might want
to consult a divorce attorney, but second time is a breeze. Supplied tarp looks like it should be good for 5 seasons of heavy winters.
Kind of a well designed Erector set. You can actually stand up inside of it for doing minor interior work during 'shoulder' seasons.

scottm wrote:Google "Navigloo" ...I bought a used 'toon, and it came with the deal. Excellent product. First time you install it, you might want
to consult a divorce attorney, but second time is a breeze. Supplied tarp looks like it should be good for 5 seasons of heavy winters.
Kind of a well designed Erector set. You can actually stand up inside of it for doing minor interior work during 'shoulder' seasons.

I have seen those, but for 500 bones, i think i could give it a try and save a few dollars for more beer.

MH Hawker wrote:I do this with mine.

Mine is sort of like yours but not as high. And I didn't glue mine together at the tee's, I drilled small holes in the plastic after I connected the pipe, then I put nails in the holes. This way I can take the pipe apart in the spring and store them easily.I used 2 inch pipe. Got a nice plastic pipe cutter from Lowe's for $19.95. It will cut pipe up to 2-1/2 inches.