Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Wealth of information and useful suggestions here, and I'm sure this will give me many more. I can't justify a trailer and storage when I live 4 miles from the lake and can use the toon year round.

Is there an easy or effective way to clean the toons while leaving the boat in a wet slip? The toons and strakes are getting pretty fuzzy. I can tilt the motor and get it clean from the back of the boat and from the dock. Are there any creative tools or methods to clean in the water? Marina wants $15 a foot to pull and pressure wash. Summer is easy to swim around it twice a month with scrubber and Brillo pads, 60 degree water, not so much. Thanks in advance for any tips!

Get a wet suit, or get a scruber on a stick, that will let you get the outsides, no one rents trailers near you ?, if you could get one and clean it your self and stick it back in the water

The inside is the tricky part. Either have to get wet or lift it somehow. Is there a sandbar where you can get it beached and out on some waders?

HandymanHerb wrote:Get a wet suit, or get a scruber on a stick, that will let you get the outsides, no one rents trailers near you ?, if you could get one and clean it your self and stick it back in the water

I have struck out on trailer rentals surprisingly enough, but I think that may be my only hope. I have the tow vehicle, pressure washer and place to wash it, just no trailer. Can't justify
Buying the trailer for the few times I would use it.

I keep my boat on a lift at our dock. But I still have a trailer for it -- in order to pull the boat out to do yearly maintenance if nothing else. But the empty trailer also comes in handy when I need to run to the lumber store for long pieces of wood -- just strap them down to the bunks on the trailer. You might check with some of your neighbors to see if they have a trailer or if they want to go together to purchase a trailer to share it amongst you all.

Shhh, don't tell anyone but I am developing just such a product. Unfortunately I can't do any further testing this year as my lake is already partly frozen. Take that, Brian!

Jeff:

I'm sorry, but I'm not going to invest $40K in a tritoon and leave it in the water 12 mos. out of the year. Lake Lanier marinas have huge overhead and are simply unaffordable for hull cleaning and maintenance.

My last pontoon boat was replaced @ 27 years, and the upholstery was finally starting to age. The hull is still in great condition, however. The reason my boat lasted so long is that it was kept out of the water in a boathouse and out of the rain.

I'm really glad that I bought a trailer with my new boat for three reasons:

#1 is that I will better maintain my motor and hull since I can easily pull it--without having to borrow a trailer.
#2 is that the better my boat hull is maintained, the more it will be worth used--in case I decide to trade.
#3 is that I like to visit to other lakes, even though we live on the Tennessee River.

We took one 125 mile trip this year running the length of Pickwick. I fully intend to tow our boat to Chattanooga and take 2 days running 200 miles down river home. We will eventually tow the boat to Knoxville and travel down river to Chattanooga. Dale Hollow and Lake Burton are other lakes I'd like to visit again.

You have other great lakes that are within 2 hours of you, including Allatoona, Oconee, Sinclair, Keowee, Hartwell and Lake Burton. The Tennessee River is just 100 miles north of Atlanta. Since Lake Lanier is 10-12' below full pool at most times, a trailer would afford you a pleasurable experience going elsewhere for a change--when your lake's conditions are not good.

Please just don't overlook the benefits of owning a trailer.

Hang around a boat ramp at or near your marina and watch for someone hauling a similar pontoon. Approach them and ask them if they would like to rent the trailer to you for 2 hours while they are boating sometime. Give them your card and tell them to give it some thought. Next time they are going to the lake, ask them to call you. Meet them there, and switch the trailer to your truck after they launch. You clean your toons, and bring the trailer back to their truck when you are done. You get the job done and they make $50, $100.... whatever you agree on while they are boating. Hey, it might work if you have the time.

When I had my PC in a slip, I let my marina use my trailer to haul out other pontoons. They paid me back by giving my discounts on my slip fee and now don't charge me a ramp fee to launch the Party Barge