Camperizing a 18'

[Yellowfellow]

Got a chance of picking up a project 18 foot Pontoon boat with a recently layed new deck which is the main reason I was considering to buy it. A blank canvas so to speak.

Anyways my idea is to enclose the front 10 feet and use that for sleeping/living area (useing cotts and plastic patio table and chairs, stakeable and light) and the rear 8 feet for fishing.

The idea of anchoring down in a nice little bay at night to camp out and then troll durring the day seems like a dream weekends.

Any ideas or suggestion would be great.

[HandymanHerb]

Welcome to the Club, it would be to front heavy unless you add another pontoon, and that would be a lot of money to spend on an 18 footer, or so I would think, let see what the other guys have to say about it.

[Mrtoler]

I was thinking the same thing about being heavy in the bow, even if you had a four stroke motor gas tank and batteries in the back its not going to be enough to off set the weight of a ten foot cabin.... What you could do is add a center tube maybe 20-22' long and let it stick out in the front a bit and do a rounded front porch like area to help even it out... Center tubes range from $900 on up depending where you get them

[HandymanHerb]

On my 20 footer if two people sit on the very front, it will go under water if I slow down to quick, pontoons don't like weight up front

[Yellowfellow]

Thanks all for your posts and I look forward to more.

I should have said a bit more about my enclosure.
My idea is to make a the enclosure frame of conduit ( I have endless supply of used ) and cover it with standard Bimini material.

I am expecting that the frame will still weigh a bit as I would build it so there would be enough strenght to support the enclosure when in transport.
Lake is 45 minutes close and we have a 90km's /55mph speed limit.

Does that change anyone's view?

[HandymanHerb]

If you going to be sleeping on the front your going to have a slant with just people weight, you be better off just going with a tent off the bimini and sleep in the middle and then remove the tent sides to fish, and how big is the lake, a 18 foot is better for smaller lakes, that are not rough.

[Yellowfellow]

The intent is just 2 people and a small dog for the sleeping and camping part but there would be more people onboard fishing durring the day but then they can sit farther back.

The lakes in my area are all small electric producing dams.

Here is my favorite

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kanan ... erial1.jpg

[HandymanHerb]

They sale a tent that mounts to your front fence, that might work for you and can be taken down quick for fishing

[Yellowfellow]

As much as I go on about the camping part I like the idea of being able to get out of the elements when the conditions are less favorable to my old decaying body.

I picture it with a big mother of a top line Minn-Kota on the front with a propane heated enclosure so I would only have to get off my lazy boy captians chair is to set the hook and drag it in.

Rain or shine I could fish and be comfortable.

I thinking the only heavy thing would be the consel and chair the rest of anything would be plastic and stackable patio furniture or/and army cotts.

[HandymanHerb]

If that is the case your going to have to go bigger, a 22 footer with a full enclosure then you could open front and back, but I guess you could have one made for an 18 footer, but you going to have to keep the weight centered on the deck

[Yellowfellow]

If that is the case your going to have to go bigger, a 22 footer with a full enclosure then you could open front and back, but I guess you could have one made for an 18 footer, but you going to have to keep the weight centered on the deck

I thinking have a small zippered door on the front so I could set-up the troller or/and have in-out beach axcess, the back I was thinking a full clear zippered door.

The enclosure itself would be 35% clear window plastic and 65% bimini material