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Food to Take on a Pontoon Boat Pontoon-Depot

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

I also always carry a marine-grade cooler, with the Yeti Tundra being my personal favourite. You can see thearious cooler sizes available on Amazon various cooler sizes available on Amazon.

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.

Cooler Corn

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.

Hot dogs in a Thermos Flask

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

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

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.

Fruit slices

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

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.

Pork Sliders

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.

Taco bags

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.

Chicken wraps

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.

Rolls

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.

pontoon boat snack ideas including kabobs

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.

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How To Protect Pontoon Boat From The Summer Heat

How To Protect Pontoon Boat From The Summer Heat

By: The Ocean Sailing Guide

I am excited about the summer of 2018. This summer brings new memories, adventures, and time spent on the pontoon with family. Now, with the arrival of summer, comes the staunching summer heat, which if you didn’t know, can be dangerous to a pontoon boat. Therefore it is important to know how to protect your pontoon boat from the summer heat.

While owning a pontoon boat is incredibly rewarding and fun, it’s important that you take the time to care and protect your boat, especially in the summer heat. We can all agree that the last thing you want to happen this summer is to find out that some part of your pontoon boat was damaged by lack of protection.

Today, I want to share with you my ideas and thoughts on how to protect your pontoon boat from the summer heat this year. As always, if you have any ideas to share with the crowd, feel free to add your comment below.

Shall we begin?

The Four Step Protection Plan To Help With Summer Heat

It’s important that, before the summer heat gets here, you develop a game plan for how you plan to protect your pontoon boat.

Once the snow has passed and the White Walkers went back home, I know that it’s time to begin getting my Pontoon Boat ready for the ocean blue.

I have developed what I like to call my pontoon protection plan. It’s an incredibly easy process that starts the moment the warm rays come out.

  1. Full-Scale Cleaning

pontoon seating in the sun

Like many other things in life, before you can apply any form of protector to a surface, it needs to be clean. So, what I like to do is take the boat out in the backyard and prepare it for a full-scale cleaning.

In the industry today, there are dozens upon dozens of different pontoon boat soaps, which can be found at your local boat stores, marinas, or even Amazon. The best products, in my opinion, are the ones that care for the gel coat and the surface of the material.

When it comes to the interior of your pontoon, treat and clean it based on the type of material on the inside. For me, I use a high-quality vinyl cleaner and polish from a local boating store. This helps protect the interior material from cracking or flaking.

  1. Apply A Protectant

Once the pontoon is spiffy clean, what I do is apply a protectant to help protect the gel coat and material of the boat from deteriorating or oxidizing, due to the Sun.

Again, there are so many different products on the market today that can do the job. I recommend purchasing a product that is heavy-duty. What you are looking for is something known as polymers.

This is the secret to protecting your pontoon boat, it’s your personal defense mechanism against the Sun. It’s the sunscreen for a pontoon boat.

Do keep in mind, the more you sail, the more you need to clean and reapply a protectant. Remember, this is your baby!

  1. Daily Maintenance

Now, I understand that this process can be time-consuming, and sometimes undesirable. To make it easier for myself, I take the extra step and perform daily maintenance on my pontoon.

So, what I typically do is use some daily maintenance products, also known as pontoon boat guards. These products act as the first line of defense to protect the boat and the original protectant.

My favorite part about using these cleaning products is that they have polymers in the formula. This helps reinforce the protectant, helping to clean the boat from harmful chemicals, and effectively protecting it from the Sun.

Since most of these products come in the form of a spray, it’s easy to use.

  1. Cover Your Pontoon When Not In Use

covered pontoon boatI have talked a lot about the importance of pontoon boat covers and the best ones out there. I can’t stress it enough. You do not want your pontoon boat exposed to constant heat. Otherwise, the sun’s powers and UV rays will expedite the oxidation process.

To protect your pontoon boat from the summer heat, purchase a quality cover that you can use year-round.

Try to get into the habit of covering your pontoon if you are not using it. Every time I come back from the water I take a few minutes to clean off the grime and bacteria, or salt if I was in the ocean. Once dry, I cover the entire pontoon until it’s next use or cleaning.

Most Common Mistakes Boaters Make

If you are want to avoid any damage or expensive repairs, avoid making any of these common mistakes that boaters make:

  • Dish Soap

Unless you intend to clean the dishes on your boat put the dish soap back where it belongs, the kitchen. Why would you use that product on your boat? Don’t be cheap, buy the right product!

  • Laundry Soap

Like that of dish soap, using laundry soap or detergent with water to clean a pontoon boat is a mistake. If you are seriously considering cleaning your boat, use the proper products.

  • Wrong Surface, Wrong Product

It’s important to know all of the materials in and on your pontoon boat. When it comes to cleaning, you need to know what types of materials you are dealing with.

You should also know the environment that your boat is around. For example, if you live close to the ocean, chances are, with the ocean and salt water, there’s salt in the area that can reach your boat.

Summer Pontoon Protection Checklist For 2018

With the anticipation of summer, I have prepared a little checklist for you all in case you need some help or are just looking for some helpful ideas. I’m going to call it Summer Pontoon Protection Checklist for 2018.

If you can follow the 4-Step process listed above and follow this checklist, your pontoon boat will be in great shape.

  • General Cleaning – Perform a general cleaning of the inside and outside of the pontoon boat.
  • Make sure all electrical outlets and batteries are functioning and working.
  • Inspect all gauges to ensure maximum operability.
  • Review oil and filters to make sure the pontoon is ready for maximum performance.
  • Check all essentials
    • Transmission Fluid, belts, cooling system, etc.
  • Make sure trailer is up-to-date on registration
  • Make sure pontoon is up-to-date on registration
  • Test all lights.
  • Inspect exterior and interior of pontoon for minor or major oxidation.
  • Reseal and add polymer protectant.
  • Purchase daily spray pontoon guard for each use.
  • Purchase quality boat cover designed to protect from UV damage.
  • Have fun!

Enjoy Your Pontoon This Season!

Overall, as a pontoon boat owners, it’s our responsibility to keep track and protect our baby. Your pontoon boat needs protection, like sunscreen, to play and function longer. If you don’t protect it, you risk things breaking down, resulting in a messy situation.

Trust me, this summer, that’s the last thing you want to deal with when you can be enjoying the summer rays on the ocean blue.

Overall, my hope is that with all the information and tips I shared with you in the article, you are properly prepared to protect your pontoon boat from the summer heat.

If you have any methods or ideas that I did not discuss above, feel free to drop a comment below and share with us! After all, we are a community of pontoon boaters!

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Patriotic Pontooning | Pontoon Depot July 4th, 2018

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.

20 BEST PONTOON BOATS

“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.

 

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Protecting Aluminum Boats From Salt Water Corrosion

Protecting Aluminum Boats From Salt Water Corrosion

By: Boating Magazine

In the last 5 years, boaters have bought over 300K boats.

Aluminum boats require special care to prevent salt water corrosion.

They’re light, economical, nearly maintenance-free, easy to repair and almost impervious to damage. The Coast Guard and Navy prefer them for small craft, and many commercial boats are aluminum, as are many recreational craft. Their high strength-to-weight ratio means they can be built lighter and therefore can run faster for a given amount of power, and are easier to trailer. If you’re looking for the ideal boat building material, aluminum could be it. The only problem is that it’s the wimp of the electrochemical schoolyard, being beaten up and corroded away by almost every other metal except for zinc and magnesium.

Want to be a saltwater metal head? Aluminum can seemingly dissolve away in salt water when in the presence of other metals. Builders do everything they can to prevent this, but once the boat is in your hands it’s up to you to keep it alive. Here’s how.

How It Happens

We’re talking about galvanic corrosion. Back in science class you’d say that this is where one metal in an electrically conductive solution (such as salt water) gives up atoms when connected to a dissimilar metal in that same solution. Losing atoms means that the metal is falling apart, or corroding. In the slip aboard your aluminum boat, you’d say that this is where your hull becomes pitted because of a bronze through-hull on a neighboring boat.

The rate of corrosion of a metal on its own is determined by how chemically active it becomes when put in salt water. The more active, the more susceptible it is to corrosion. The less active, the more resistant it is to corrosion. When not in contact with anything else, most marine metals such as aluminum, bronze and stainless steel will corrode away at a reasonably slow rate. No danger there. But connect different metals, one active (aluminum) and the other a lot less active (i.e., a copper penny), in water and atoms will start to flow. And the aluminum will start to fall apart.

The Good News

When not in contact with other metals, aluminum can do quite well in both fresh and salt water, needing only ­bottom paint to prevent fouling. However, to play it safe, the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) recommends that “aluminum vessels shall have a protective paint coating that provides a high [electrical] resistance barrier between the aluminum and the water.”

Above the waterline aluminum does even better. When continuously exposed to oxygen, it develops a film of aluminum oxide so dense and well bonded to the metal that it prevents further corrosion. That’s why many commercial and military craft leave aluminum bare from the waterline up: There’s no need for protective paints, cosmetics aside. As you can see, building an aluminum boat for salt water takes thought. The right alloys must be used, welding must be done just right, and parts must be carefully assembled.

Fiesta, a Florida pontoon builder that bills its boats as “built for use in salt water,” isolates hardware and stainless-steel bolts from the aluminum with nylon washers. Hull compartments have drains with silicone-sealed nylon plugs that can be opened to drain accumulated moisture. They also employ dedicated mounting brackets for sacrificial anodes, and their hulls and extrusions are made from thicker metal.

Better aluminum boat builders don’t allow crevices or joints that collect water, and avoid upturned brackets and channels that trap water. Moisture, including condensation, must drain away, with no sealed or dead air spaces. An emphatic spokesman for Premier Pontoons said, “We are constantly doing pre-emptive detective work to stop corrosion before it starts.”

Zinc or Swim

Engine manufacturers, as well as boatbuilders, attempt to save their aluminum products by attaching sacrificial anodes. As long as the anode is electrically connected to the part, either by direct contact or by wire, it stuffs the aluminum with excess electrons so it loses those rather than the aluminum giving up its own electrons. The zinc? It erodes — sacrificing itself for the benefit of the boat or motor.

Unfortunately, there is no formula to tell you how many anodes you will need and what size. In the beginning, it will be a matter of trial and error. A good place to start is the ABYC’s procedure. Inspect the anodes every month. Go with many small ones rather than a few large ones. If you have the right amount, your “zincs” should be about halfway gone by the end of the season, and replaced each spring. If they are not wearing away, they are either too large (rare) or not making good contact with the aluminum (common). Well-made anodes should have cast-in plates and fasteners to maintain good electrical connection throughout their lives, and they should meet military spec Mil-A-18001J (or higher last letter).

Don’t go nuts with zincs everywhere because aluminum won’t tolerate being overprotected. In mild cases, the zinc develops a crust and stops working. But if things get too far out of balance, you can generate an alkaline solution that will start eating away at the aluminum. An early sign of this is the softening or blistering of the bottom paint.

How Much Zinc?

Use too few anodes, and the fittings are not protected. Use too many, and the anodes erode quickly and may blister paint. A multimeter and a reference electrode help to nail down the right amount.

1. Place a silver/silver chloride electrode in the water near the item that is to be protected.

2. Touch the positive probe to the fitting. Note the meter’s reading in DC millivolts.

3. Connect a sacrificial zinc of the proposed size to the metal part to be protected. Put the zinc in the water and note the new meter reading.

4. Protection is adequate when the new voltage is 200 milli­volts (0.20 volts) more negative than the reading noted without the zinc.

The Trouble with Tanks

Even if you don’t have an aluminum boat, you probably have aluminum fuel tanks. While these can be perfectly safe, the U.S. Coast Guard noticed a recurring problem with leaking tanks. So it asked Underwriters Laboratory to see why. Not surprisingly, UL found that corrosion caused 92 percent of the failures. Most of it was caused by how the tanks were installed.

In general, aluminum tanks should be left bare. Paint can help. But if it’s not properly applied, it wears away, scratches or peels off, and moisture gets under the paint, concentrating and accelerating corrosion.

The most common fittings used in fuel systems are usually made from brass. Screw one of these directly into an aluminum tank and add some moisture, and you’ve got serious galvanic corrosion. Isolate these fittings from the tank by using 300-series stainless-steel washers or adapters.

The tank’s supports must not be moisture-absorbent, such as carpeting is. Suitable materials are stiff neoprene, Teflon or any high-density plastic. Water should drain from all tank surfaces when the boat is at rest; the bottom of the tank must be at least a quarter-inch above the hull to let air circulate and above the level normally reached by bilge water. The European standard says “no less than 25 mm [1 inch] above the top of the bilge pump inlet or the bilge pump automatic float switch.”

A fuel tank should be accessible for relatively easy inspection via a screwed-down, caulked hatch, but that is often not the case. Many builders install tanks so that a saw is needed for inspection or replacement. Too bad.

13 Ways to Prevent Galvanic Corrosion

1. Don’t mix metals, or at least use metals as close to each other as possible in the galvanic series.

2. Bolts should be less active than fittings; they’re small, so loss of metal is more serious.

3. Take all measures to electrically isolate fittings from each other, even on small craft.

4. Securely fasten anodes, and ensure there is firm contact with the metal to be protected.

5. Never paint an anode. Be sure the metal to which it is fastened is free of paint, scale and dirt.

6. Impressed current voltage should never exceed 1,300 millivolts when protecting aluminum.

7. Always repair paint chips and scratches that expose bare metal as soon as possible.

8. Avoid using any lubricant made with graphite aboard a boat made from aluminum.

9. Employ an isolation transformer whenever the boat’s connected to AC shore power.

10. Don’t use an automotive battery charger aboard a boat, especially an aluminum boat.

11. Paint only with primers and coatings specifically designed for aluminum.

12. Wash the aluminum boat down with fresh water after every use to remove built-up salts.

13. Keep hooks, sinkers, bottle caps and other metal debris out of the bilge lest they wreak havoc.

DIY the Right Way
Protecting your aluminum boat and equipment from the rigors of the marine environment.

Adding Hardware
Ideally, you’d use aluminum fittings and fasteners, minimizing the chance of galvanic corrosion, but these are hard to find. Instead use 300-series stainless steel. This works fine if you isolate the fitting with plastic washers or pads and keep the water out with a polysulfide or polyether bedding compound like Star brite polyether Boat Caulk.

Bottom Paint
Interlux and Pettit sell copper-free, aluminum-compatible paint systems backed by excellent application instructions and tech support. It takes lots of prep, plus attention to detail, to do this right. 

Ditch Your Carpet
To prevent hull pitting caused by trapped moisture, replace carpeted trailer bunks with vinyl with DeckRite.

 

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