Food to Take on a Pontoon Boat Pontoon-Depot
Food Ideas if You Don’t Have a Grill On-Board
By: PonoonOpedia
There’s a wealth of information online available and on Pontoonopedia about cooking on your pontoon boat, using a grill or BBQ. But what happens when you don’t have a grill on-board? You might need something that you can eat one-handed, that you don’t need to heat up on board, but still tastes delicious… if so I have some great ideas for you that are both tasty and convenient.
I can’t take the credit for most of these, as before I bought my pontoon grill set-up I just used to take pack lunches and small picnics to have when we beached our boat up. To be honest, I am a cheese and ham type of guy, and my family soon became a little bored of that. I asked them to investigate what else could be great food to take on a pontoon boat that doesn’t require heating ,cooking or grilling.
Here’s just some of their ideas which I hope to give you some inspiration if you are looking for pontoon boat food ideas for a party, picnic, or just a day’s fishing on the lakes. Whether it’s a snack idea, something for a lunch or dinner, or party food, you should find something interesting below you can try for yourself.
Food to Take on a Pontoon Boat
So here are those pontoon boat food ideas, in no particular order. If you do decide to use any of these ideas, then I recommend you have the following items at hand:
- Plastic zip lock bags
- Aluminum foil
- Paper plates
- Plastic drink coolers with spouts
- Portable cooler (can keep things hot as well as cool)
- Thermos flask for hot water (or keeping hot dogs warm!)
- 12v beverage warming device (stick it in your mug for a hot drink)
- Garbage bags
Ideas That are Fast & Easy
Some people won’t take bread for sandwiches, purely because bread doesn’t do too well in the heat. They will also worry about taking food with them that needs to be kept cool. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can take a cooler box with you or keep things cold in a bag with frozen water bottles for a few hours.
Handy Hint: Scroll down past the food ideas as I have put together some recommendations on some great gear you can use make the food you take on your pontoon boat even more enjoyable.
Cooler Corn on the Cob
I love this idea, it’s so ridiculously simple yet effective and you can do it before you leave your house really quickly. All you do is buy a cooler box (perhaps like this marine grade cooler on Amazon). Throw the corn in and cover it with boiling water. Then seal the cooler box back up.
Corn on the cob cooked in a cooler! The perfect snack or food to take on a pontoon boat. (Image copyright thekitchn.com)
Bring some spray butter with you, and when ready out on the pontoon boat, open up the cooler. Make sure you bring some tongs because the water is still going to be steaming hot. You can take this approach for a big party of people as well.
Cooler or Thermos Hot Dogs with Steamed Buns
You can use exactly the same idea with hot dogs. Before you leave for the day, quickly boil up some hot dogs, then throw them into a smaller cooler with boiling water covering over them and they will start to cook. You can even use Thermos flasks (you can fit loads of dogs in this 64 oz bottle) for this as well. They will remain warm and cooked for hours and can be eaten at any point during the day.
You can cook hot dogs and keep them warm in a Thermos flask or cooler. License: (Image credit: Creative Commons Uploaded by: Wikivisual)
Once ready to eat, place a bag of bread rolls in the sun for 15 minutes in the sealed bag and you have steamed rolls. Then bring the hot dogs out with ketchup and mustard! Just wow… just wow.
Handy Hint: We also have some pontoon boat grill ideas with meat and vegetarian options.
Chips… But Only Pringles!
If you take chips, make them Pringles. Why? Because you have less mess as they kept in the tube rather than splitting open large chip bags where the crumbs can go everywhere. I hate crumbs on my deck!
Pringles rule… more so when kept in the can.
Candy, Popcorn & Trail Mix Containers
Try filling cylindrical plastic containers that have lids with items like trail mix, popcorn and even M&Ms (from the cooler). These are perfect for placing in the boat cup holders and for passing around to your guests.
Trail mix makes for a health and simple pontoon boat snack option.
The food contents can also be poured out into semi-wet hands without making the rest of the dry goods soggy. This snack idea never fails. Simple, easy, and quick.
Sliced Fruit and Veg
Fruit will help to keep you hydrated on hot day, and it’s easy to pack too, as is sliced veg. We always slice ours up before hand, and then take some form of dip, all wrapped up in aluminum foil and keep in a small cooler box.
Sliced fruit or vegetables can keep you hydrated when boating.
Ideas You Will Need to Prepare Before Hand
Don’t be worried about taking warm food onto your pontoon boat. If you cook something beforehand and put it in an empty ice chest or portable cooler, then it will stay warm all day… just as long as you don’t add ice!
If it’s food that needs to keep cool, obviously you can use a portable cooling box, or even use individual foil packs or aluminum foil and keep the food out of the sun in a shaded area for a couple of hours.
Chicken Salad on Wheat Thins
You can create this mix in advance of your trip, and then bring it out once everyone is hungry. All you do is get a couple of cans of shredded white chicken, some sliced grapes, chopped almonds, diced celery, dried cranberries, chopped scallions, garlic salt and a little mayo to moisten it up.
Chicken salad can be spread on wheat thins for an amazing pontoon boat food or snack. (Image copyright loveandzest.com)
When ready, spoon the salad mix up onto wheat thins.
Jack Daniel’s Pulled Pork with Slider Buns
Cook Jack Daniel’s pulled pork from Sam’s Club in a crock pot in the morning, and then bring the crock pot on board your pontoon boat. It will keep warm if left covered for quite a few hours.
These are amazing! (Image copyright cheerstothehost.com)
We just slide our crock pot under a seat and leave it there. Then when ready to eat bring it out with slider buns a coleslaw.
Tasty Tacos in a Doritos Bag
This is an easy, delicious and portable idea. Simply make your taco meat mix up the night before and then put it into a sealed container.
Tacos in a bag… simple yet effective food to take on a pontoon boat
When on your pontoon, open up a bag of Doritos and crush them up a little. Then you can add the meat, lettuce, onions and cheese in from your container to tacos in the Doritos bag. They will taste awesome – give the bag a shake up for maximum taco-ness (if that’s a word…).
Grilled Chicken and Steak Sliced Wraps
This is one of our favorites. All you do is marinate some chicken the night before, then grill it up in the morning at home before you go on your boat trip. Alternatively, you can use thin steak slices, they work just as well.
Mouth watering chicken wraps (Image copyright sweetbabyrays.com)
You can then make some really tasty wraps with lettuce, onions, peppers, salsa, black beans, sour cream, guacamole, and virtually anything else that goes with it. It’s a big hit!
Hawaiian Bread Rolls with Your Choice of Fillings
Make some Hawaiian bread rolls. Just slice the entire bread roll horizontally then layer with your favorite deli meats and cheese, mustard mayo or your preferred spread. Then put the layer of bread back on, put back in the cardboard tray, slice them into squares or leave whole for pull apart, slide tray back into wrapper and put in a portable cooler.
Easy to make, easy to store, and popular with pretty much everyone on board (Image copyright anaffairfromtheheart.com)
You can make a few different ones with various meats and toppings. Write on wrapper what they are so that there is something for everyone and they don’t get mixed up.
Snack Kabobs (Vegetarian, Meat, or Mixed)
Break wooden kabob sticks in half and you can create snack kabobs with different fruit and vegetables, including grape tomatoes, olives, chunks of string cheese, slices of pepperoni and more.
Healthy, easy, and popular snack kabobs (Image copyright barefeetinthekitchen.com)
Make sure that you wrap them in aluminum, clearly label them, and leave them packed into your portable cooler box.
How About a Portable Grill for the Beach or Deck?
Even if you don’t want to buy a grill and mount for your pontoon boat, you can still buy portable grills that you can set up on the beach, so you can the cook brats, hot dogs, burgers, and vegetable kabobs.
If you do decide to buy a portable grill then I would also recommend that you take cheese balls, summer sausage, cut up watermelon and cantaloupe. Anything tastes better on whilst on the beach and your pontoon is tied down!
In the past I have used the Smoke Hollow portable grill. It’s affordable, robust, and is easy to transport. It makes the cooking of burgers and sausages ridiculous simple as well as giving an awesome smoky taste to any meats.
Alternatively try wrapping some potatoes, beans, onions, spices, olive oil, and chicken (or other meat) into some aluminum foil. Then throw the foil package onto your portable grill once you are on the sandbar – it’s easy and tastes great.
Use a Portable Refrigerator
Our pontoon boat is very much an extension of our home. What is easy for my home should also really apply to my boat. And that includes refrigeration. I have a small portable refrigerator that plugs into the cigarette lighter port. It keeps food frozen and food cold if we’re out for a few days or a weekend.
The one I have seen pontooners use most on their boat is this wheeled electric cooler fridge. It has tons of room inside, and once on your pontoon can be plugged in so it’s ready to go. You would pack it with food before you leave for the day as it’s also a standard cooler box, then get it connected to the power supply once on the pontoon boat.
Dietary Restrictions
If you’re preparing food for a group of people other than your own family, it’s important to consider what their dietary restrictions are. Not everyone’s diet is the same, so here are some things to think about.
Food Allergies & Intolerances
Before you plan and prepare any food for the boat trip, ask the passengers if they have any allergies you need to consider on their behalf. One of the biggest ones you probably already know about are nut allergies, with lesser known intolerances including gluten, beans, dairy and shellfish.
If you get this wrong, it can be very dangerous so always check before hand to find out what the passengers own special food requirements are.
Health Conditions
Older people in particular can have medical conditions that require a healthier approach to food. It could be that they suffer with high blood pressure or diabetes meaning you should be mindful of the types of food that you prepare and pack.
Lower salt food ideas are ideal for those with blood pressure; processed meats will have high salt levels so try not to include those. Diabetes sufferers will appreciate low carb and high protein food choices.
Dietary Preferences
Passengers with vegan and vegetarian lifestyle choices should be made to feel at home with something that is specifically prepared for them. Both of these types of diet have become increasingly popular over the last decade, so make sure you can offer something in this range for your pontoon guests.
The Internet is a great way to find suitable options, and in particular for vegan diets where you might not be familiar with that can and can’t be included in a snack. Take a look at the Vegan Society website for some great ideas that are simple to prepare.
Keeping Your Food Safe to Eat
If you don’t want to spend money on a portable refrigerator, or just have concerns on how you can keep your food safely stored when on a long day’s fishing trip or day’s leisure on the water, then here are some tips.
By following the guidance below, not only will your pontoon boat food still taste great no matter when you eat it, but it will still be safe to eat!
Pack & Store Smart
By far the best way to ensure that you keep your food safely stored when boating, is to only pack stuff that doesn’t need keeping cold in a refrigeration unit.
If you also want to keep your belly feeling full for a long day on the water, it’s essential that you think about foods that are high in protein and have whole grains in them.
Peanut butter sandwiches are a winner here as they tick that box, but also don’t need to be kept cool. As long as they are wrapped in aluminum and kept in the shade, there should be no contamination risk.
On a similar tip, fruit is also a great food idea, in particular apples and oranges. They also contain higher than average amounts of fiber like whole grains do, keeping your passengers feeling full for longer.
Keep Your Food Cool
In the list of food ideas listed above in this guide, there are some options that do need to be kept cool, ideally refrigerated. Now we know that’s not always possible on a pontoon boat, so what can we do?
As previously discussed, a portable cooler box will help, and I have listed a couple of recommendations further up the page in this guide. By using a cooler box with ice packs, you can pack your food with the peace of mind in knowing it will keep safe for hours.
If you don’t have ice packs, then a simple solution such as a frozen water bottle can work just as well when thrown into the cooler box.
Keep Your Food Away from Water
It’s important to protect your food and snacks from the water. Why? Because fish, and fresh water in particular can have bacteria in them which could be very bad for you if ingested.
Pack everything into sealed plastic containers, zip lock bags, or at the very least very tightly wrapped aluminum foil. You don’t want any water to get into the packages or touching the food.
Where you store the food on your pontoon boat is also really important. Have it stashed somewhere away from the sun and water. If you are fishing then you don’t want the food to be close to the area where you are pulling fish out onto the deck.
When it comes to eating your snacks, always wash your hands before handling the food. Those anti-bacterial hand wipes work perfectly for this, as you want to avoid cross-contamination at all costs.
The Best Beverages To Bring Boating | Pontoon-Depot
Summers in Georgia are hot, there are no two ways about it. So don’t you want to stay cool with beverages that will leave you feeling sated and chilled? Whether you’re boating or laying out next to the kiddie pool in your backyard to try to stay cool this summer, these beverages will ensure that you don’t overheat as the weather heats up. Keep in mind to check out the Georgia drinking laws to ensure everyone on the boat stays safe. We also encourage you to read Common Misconceptions About Drinking And Boating to ensure that you know more about BUIs.
At Freedom Boat Club, we want to make sure that everyone stays safe and out of trouble. While every person who comes boating on Lake Lanier wants to have a good time, we also want to ensure that you, your family, friends, and even your dog, Fluffy, abide by the Georgia boating laws. Additionally, no matter what you may be inclined to drink, it’s important that you continue to drink water to stay hydrated. One of the biggest issues that can happen when boating is dehydration and exhaustion, even to people who aren’t drinking. Make sure that you bring plenty of water when you visit us on Lake Lanier.
Drinks To Try This Summer
Keep in mind that we do not encourage you to drink and boat, but we do want you to have a good time as long as the rules and regulations are followed. In addition to packing snacks galore, try out some of these beverages to enjoy a cool drink as you swim, boat, and stay cool in the Georgian summer. From sangria to non-alcoholic drinks, you’ll find a little something for everyone on this list.
Sangria
However sangria is made, it’s delicious. The fruity freshness such a treat for the tastebuds and is perfect to sip on as you lay back on a pontoon boat and get some sun. Sangria can be made in a variety of ways that involve alcohol and ones that are completely non-alcoholic, so that your children can enjoy the deliciousness of this unique beverage as well. While you can browse the internet for recipes aplenty, we have a few that we enjoy and want to share. There’s one that has star fruit and kiwi to really enhance the summer tastebuds and then there’s the Tropical Sangria that has all of your favorite fruits with a hint of Malibu rum.
Beach Side Punch
While you’re not laying out on the beach in the Bahamas, this Beach Side Punch is a summer classic. Punch is always a refreshing drink, from the days when you’d sip it at school dances to when you need a pick me up while boating. The Beach Side Punch has ripe cherries, grapefruit, soda with a dash of lime, and some vodka. If you’d like to add a little something extra, then rim the glass with some salt. This punch isn’t too sweet and overpowering, but just right to relax on a boat for an extended period of time.
Margarita
A summer’s not complete without trying a new type of margarita. While you may like sticking to the traditional margarita, it’s always fun to play it up a bit and experiment with some new flavors. You can try a light strawberry, grapefruit, tropical, skinny, and the sparkling blood orange margarita. Keep in mind that none of these have to have alcohol and you can always create your own margarita that you think people may enjoy.
Sparkling Summer Limeade
One of our non-alcoholic drinks that we are most excited to share with you is the Sparkling Summer Limeade. Living in Georgia, it’s always delicious to have a sparkling drink that’s delicious and chilled to cool you down on a hot summer afternoon. The limeade is a delicious combination of five different fruits. You’ll add blackberries, kiwi, pineapple, mango, and strawberries. If you’re a fan of blueberries, then we encourage that as well. You’ll add limeade concentrate that’s thawed and either ginger ale or lemon lime soda. It’s a truly delicious non-alcoholic beverage to enjoy while boating.
Pineapple Ginger Sparkler
Ginger sparklers are a great way to spice up spring and summer with some refreshments. The Pineapple Ginger Sparkler has everything you need to have a great boating day and it’s without alcohol. To get the perfect summer drink, all you need are a few ingredients and it’ll serve everyone on the boat. You’ll need ginger ale, pineapple juice, fresh ginger, sliced oranges, and fresh basil. This sparkler is not only delicious, but it’s nutritious too with the ginger, which helps to settle stomachs.
You can always try a variety of Georgian beer that’s native to the Buford or Cumming area. With so many breweries in the area, you’ll be hard pressed to find more delicious beer. Remember to be safe this summer while you go boating on Lake Lanier! We look forward to starting the boating season with you!
Whether you are in Georgia or Arkansas please drink and boat responsibility and have fun & be safe from www.Pontoon-Depot.com
Patriotic Pontooning | Pontoon Depot July 4th, 2018
By: Boating Magazine
Image By: Hlwa.org
Some thoughts on pontoon boating over the Fourth of July.
If there is a category of boaters who are more patriotic than ‘tooners, I have yet to meet them.
At least “patriotic’ based on their displays of Old Glory and related red, white and blue hues.
I learned that the hard way, when my bride and I bought our first pontoon boat. The mid-winter purchase included the balance of the coming season’s membership in the local pontoon-only boat owners’ club where we found the FloteBote for sale. At that time, it was apparent that my wife and I were the youngest members of the modest, senior-dominated club, and the only couple with a toddler in tow, so we weren’t sure how we’d fit in. But we needed a place to dock the boat, since it didn’t have a trailer, and we decided to join – at least for the short term.
After spending the spring rebuilding the ‘toon from the deck up, we learned that the club’s summer social season kicked off each year with a gala July Fourth celebration on the club’s lakefront grounds. The festivities started with a parade of members’ boats, which were decorated and judged in several categories. As new members, we decide the best way to endear ourselves with our new friends, and show off our DIY rehab of the old Harris, was to enter the boat decorating contest.
We had recently organized a Hawaiian-themed party at home, and had lots of tacky Tiki decorations on hand, including bamboo torches, strings of colorful plastic leis, fake palm trees, grass table skirting, and grass skirt skirts. We figured our “Tiki ‘Toon” would steal the “most original” category – if not accolades for best decorated pontoon overall, and got to the docks early that July fourth to get the boat rigged for the occasion.
WHERE TO VIEW 4TH OF JULY FIREWORKS BY BOAT
Other than the questionable decision to mount open-flamed Tiki torches at each corner of a boat surrounded with dry grass skirting and plastic hibiscus flowers enveloping the Bimini top, the craft looked dandy and definitely South Pacific. In fact, we had a cassette of that musical’s tunes set to play as we paraded our boat past the judge’s dock. We were so busy with the preparations that we didn’t notice the themes fellow competitors in nearby slips were adopting for decorating their craft – nor the quizzical glances we were receiving from same.
We motored out and took our place in the formation line of two dozen pontoon boats and noticed that more than one had decided to adopt the patriotic theme of the day. Ahead and behind us were pontoons festooned in all many of red, white and blue, including one that looked like a giant Old Glory, another sprouting more than a hundred little stars & stripes in full flutter, and yet another flying patriotic banners streaming in the morning breeze. But we saw nothing that led us to believe we would win anything but ‘most original’ honors for our dandily decorated craft. We fired up the torches and cued the “Happy, Happy, Happy, Happy Talk” tune on the speakers and had little Ethan do a little belly dance on the bow, wearing a grass diaper with ukulele in hand. We figured the blank looks from the elderly judges was sheer awe of our unique Kon-tiki display, and as we returned to the dock we were sure we had the competition wrapped up and had won entry into the club’s inner circle of senior members.
As we walked to the clubhouse where members and their families and friends were gathering to hear the announcements of the parade winners and get the day’s festivities underway, one of the judges met us with a bewildered look on his face.
“What was THAT all about!?,” he asked. “You guys looked like a flaming duck blind out there! Where are the flags? The banners? There wasn’t one patriotic thing about your boat, not one bit of red, white or blue. Didn’t you read the rules!?”
No we had not. Otherwise, we would have noted that the club’s annual theme – the ONLY acceptable theme – for decorating the boats for the Fourth of July Parade was a patriotic one. There were prize categories for Most Flags, Biggest Flag, Most Use of Red, White and Blue and Most Patriotic boat of all. No “Most Original” and certainly no accolades for anyone who would dare decorate their craft for the day in anything but red, white and blue.
We received a token “Honorable Mention” award some sympathetic soul created at the last minute and were given after the major awards were doled out, which we humbly accepted before slinking back to our boat.
Those events took place more than a decade ago, and despite the initial social setback we endured, we have re-upped our membership annually ever since. In that time, we have learned that many of our more senior fellow club members served in World War II and the Korean War and are proud members of the Greatest Generation. We are equally proud to join them and respect the patriotic theme of “our” boat club’s annual celebration.
PONTOON BOATING SAFETY GUIDELINES & REGULATIONS FROM STATE TO STATE
By: HarrisBoats
Recreational boats create wonderful opportunities for memorable family times, romantic cruising, or parties with friends. But owning a boat also carries certain responsibilities, and smart boat owners should know how to keep their guests safe on the water.
Adhering to marine laws is fairly simple, despite varying guidelines from state to state. The basic principals tend to be the same, so operating with common sense is the best place to start. Consulting the guidelines for the particular state you intend to boat in is step two.
See below for links to boating regulation guides for all 50 states.
THE RULES OF THE WATER
As with any form of transportation, boating carries its own set of rules and regulations for both boat operator and any guests onboard. Standard roadways are governed with state and federal laws, and waterways are protected and monitored in similar fashion. Guidelines that can vary from state to state include:
- Granting right-of-way and passing on a particular side given the situation
- Minimum operator age
- Mandatory life jackets for everyone onboard
- Illegality of operating a watercraft under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Towing restrictions
- Boating license and insurance
Good advice before hitting the lakes is to carefully study your state's requirements and adhere to them fully. Just as automobile drivers can be ticketed or arrested for irresponsible behavior on the road, boat operators can be fined or imprisoned for reckless behavior. Even worse are the prospects of injury or death.
If the full set of guidelines in your state is overwhelming, at the very least make sure to watch your speed, stay alert, lay off the alcohol and keep passengers from getting rammy. Too much fun can quickly turn into no fun.
Click on any state below to read its boating guidelines:
| Wyoming |