Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Picking up a new boat tomorrow and was wondering if anyone had a list of items to check or recommendations on what to look at closely?

I will of course go through all the mechanicals, lights, fused items, upholstery, hinged lids etc.

Any advice would be appreciated

Where my stealership killed me, was trailer balance.

I didn't know better, and they just hooked the trailer to my truck, and off I went on an 1,100 mile trip home.

The trailer was so squirrely, it was absolutely traumatic.

The cause? They had not placed the bow stop at the correct place on the trailer, and therefore the boat was too far back on the trailer, causing the tongue weight to be just about ZERO.

Your tongue weight should be about 10% of the boat and trailer weight. My boat and trailer weigh about 3,800 pounds, so my tongue weight should be about 380 pounds. You adjust tongue weight as follows:

If the tongue weight is too low (like mine was) you have to move the bow stop forward, so the boat sits farther forward on the trailer. If you can't move the bow stop any farther forward, you have to move the axles BACK. This is really not that difficult, BUT, if you move the axles, be sure to make sure they're SQUARE. Measure from the tongue to the wheel on each side. They should be the same. If it's a tandem trailer, be sure the distance between the axles is the same on both sides. If it's not, your trailer will EAT tires.

If the tongue weight is too high, just do the opposite of the above.

This brings up the next issue:

If your boat plus trailer weight is over a certain weight (in MOST states, that's 3,000 pounds), it has to have tandem axles, and brakes. My stealership sold me a trailer rated at 2,999 pounds, so they didn't have to put brakes on it - but the weight as sold was OVER 3,000 pounds, so they sold me a setup that was ILLEGAL to drive down the roads in Minnesota (where I bought it), Iowa (I went through there), Nebraska (I also went through there) and Colorado (where I live).

They really don't care, once it's off the lot - it's not their problem at that point.

Good tip, Bob. Proper tongue weight is critical! Also, make sure you get a receiver hitch that will carry the trailer level to slightly higher in the front. Is your truck ready to handle it? I added trailering mirrors and rear Air Lifts to the suspension before the first tow, when I bought my current truck. I learned my lesson when I pulled my first new pontoon home from Michigan. They don't trailer like a runabout! Please, do not tow at highway speeds with the playpen cover on! Only if it is an actual "Trailering Cover". The semi or car following you will appreciate not being covered with a parachute!
I think you probably looked at all the obvious stuff before you decided to buy it. But, be sure to ask the dealer if he will be open to re-propping if needed. Make sure you have enough 2 stroke oil, if that's what you are buying. Will he top off the oil and fuel tank? Test drive before signing the X'ed line? Get all you can from him, toss in some lifejackets? Bumpers? EzFenders? (just had to )
Once your out the driveway, you'll think of a thousand things you should have asked or said. Been there.
Good Luck and have fun with it!

Oh yeah, and you want to make sure you have at least two good dock lines. Nothing like watching your brand new boat float away, because you didn't have it on a leash!

Fenders! Those little white hot-dogs you hang between your boat and the dock. Of course, EZ Fenders to hang those fenders.

After we bought our boat, we probably spent $1,000 (easy) on those things we just had to have. Make sure you have Coast Guard required stuff, like a fire extinguisher, signaling device (whistle, whatever), and distress flag.

And I'll reiterate life vests for everybody on board. In colorado, if you're 12 years old or younger, you MUST wear one at all times. For the adults, they have to be OUT and ACCESSIBLE, but not necessarily worn.

Here's one you're likely to miss:

Take a US Coast Guard approved boating safety course. You can do it on line. BoatUS has a good course, which is state specific. You'll learn a lot of very good to know stuff.

Print out the certificate(s) when you complete the course. Mine saved me over $200 a year on insurance for my boat.

Make sure you have tie downs at the stern. Amazing how many people tow their pontoons without those.

How about a water trial for something you just dumped untold thousands of dollars into? Run that engine, check the trim. Are you getting the speed/RPM you anticipated for you engine? Know ahead of time what to expect from the engine. If you've never owned a boat, the dealer should demonstrate launching and retrieval.

I think the dealer should provide equipment for the boat to be water ready: 4 dock lines, 4 fenders, fire extinguisher, and a bag of life jackets. I like to mention even a fender to toss over the bow. Keep your bow from ramming the dock.

No clue where you boat, but a sufficient anchor with enough rode to secure your boat.

Plus everything else others mentioned.

I just picked mine up yesterday. Insist on a test drive and check every switch on the console to be sure everything works. We learned that the kill switch did not work on our test drive. Go forward and backward. Take either a bolt or lock to lock the ball in place while trailering home. We forgot ours. Get a couple of key floats from the dealer.

Look over the trailer and boat very carefully for any manufacturing defects. Our boat had paint chipped or scraped off already on the bow. Our trailer also had rust on the frame. Get touch up paint.

Make sure you know about the warranties on everything!

Make sure the serial numbers on the bill of sale match up with the boat, trailer and motor. We checked ours today and found an error. The sales contract has to be redone so we cannot get boat insured or registered until Monday.

BobG, how do you know if your trailer is balanced? Where do you go to find out?

I used a near by truck stop scale. But you can use any scale under the tongue as long as it reads enough. A 250 pound read out won't help with a 350 pound tongue weight. Mine came in at 500 pounds, 2800 boat, 1300 trailer and 625 outboard plus another 300 guestimate for stowage, fuel and beer! My original trailer jack was rated for 250, it lasted about a year.

If I take my rig to a truck stop, would somebody there be able to help us? Never been there before.

Thanks for all the tips and advice! Pick up in 3 hrs!!!

LadyGT wrote:If I take my rig to a truck stop, would somebody there be able to help us? Never been there before.

I'm sure someone would be glad too!

robertm wrote:Thanks for all the tips and advice! Pick up in 3 hrs!!!

How did it go?