News — DIY

Average Pontoon Boat Speeds (With 15 Examples)

By: BetterBoat.com

When buying a pontoon boat, one of the major considerations is your top speed. Since pontoon boats are generally not built for speed, skiing and tubing behind one can be difficult unless you take care to select an engine, weight, and pontoon style that will be conducive to speeds required for skiing and tubing.

How Fast Do Pontoon Boats Go?

I scoured the internet for guys who have reported their speeds on forums around the web.  All speeds recorded with GPS, and except where listed, with a light to medium load.

• G3 Suncatcher 22′ V22RF with a 115hp engine and medium load can go about 25 mph (39 kilometers)
  • 22mph (38 kilometers) with a 90hp engine and medium load
  • With 11 people in the boat (max capacity) and a 115hp engine, it gets about 22 mph (35 kilometers)
  • Under perfect, ideal conditions and only one person in the boat, it can hit 31 mph (48 kmph)
• 21′ with lifting strakes and a 90hp engine and perfect conditions gets 36 mph (58 kilometers)
• 18′ Bass Buggy with 60hp engine can go up to 18mph (29 kilometers)
• Suntracker 22′ with a 70hp engine can get 21 mph with a light load (34 kilometers)
• Gigantic 30′ Pontoon with a 115hp will only get around 15mph (24 kilometers)
• 24′ Pontoon boat with a 115hp and a medium load got around 25mph (38 kilometers)
• 18′ Party Barge with a 75hp engine can get around  24mph (38 kilometers)
• 20′ Bass Buggy with a 60hp motor only gets around 13-17 mph (18 to 27 kilometers)
• 20′ Starcraft with a 75hp engine and with no load can get 23 mph (36 kilometers)
• 26′ Crest III with a 90hp engine and medium load can get around 28mph (45 kilometers)
• 24′ 2006 Sweetwater with a 90hp engine can go around 18mph, or 20.5mph with a 115hp engine
• 26′ Tritoon with a 175hp engine and a medium/heavy load can get up to 35mph (56 kilometers)
• 21′ Tritoon with a 90hp engine and only two people on board can get up to 27mph (43 kilometers)

How Fast Do You Really Need to Go?

Your initial response is probably “the faster, the better” but in reality you likely don’t need to go as fast as you think.  While speeds certainly vary according to the tastes and abilities of your riders, consider the following as good average speeds for various water sport activities.

• Waterskiing with two skis – 15 to 26mph is pretty normal (28 to 42 kilometers)
• Tubing with very young kids – My kids really don’t want to go faster than 5 to 10 mph (16kph).  They are 4 and 6 years old.  Most of the time, they feel like idling is a wild ride, but will sometimes get brave enough to hit 11mph.
• Tubing with kids 8 – 10 years old – Depends dramatically on the kid, but most wouldn’t want to go faster than 15 or 20 mph (24 to 32 kilometers).
• Tubing with older teens and adults – Above 25 mph (40 kilometers) is dangerous unless you’re just going in a straight line.  At 20 (34 kilometers), you can get really nice air and have the ride of your life but even this speed can be dangerous with more than one rider.  21 mph is a pretty adventurous ride and will easily knock off riders if you make tight turns.
• Wakeboarding – 13mph to 18mph (30 kilometers) is a pretty average ride. Wakeboarding requires less speed than many other water sports, and going too fast increases the danger dramatically.  The large, solid board strapped to both legs makes this water sport more dangerous at high speeds than some others.
• Slalom skiing – 14mph (22.5 kilometers) is a little slow and 36mph is HAULING (and extremely dangerous)!  A good average speed is somewhere around 22mph (35 kilometers).
• Kneeboarding – Somewhere around 13 to 20 mph (22 to 32 kilometers)
• Barefoot – This blog gives a formula that is helpful for those in the U.S.  Take your weight in pounds and divide by 10.  Then add 20.  So if you’re 200 pounds, you go to 20mph, then add 20, which means 40mph.

If you are new to boating, that is probably a little eye-opening.  Before, you thought you needed as much speed as possible, but as you can see from this breakdown, the optimal speed for most watersports is only 22 mph (36 kilometers).  Just about ANY pontoon boat with a 90hp motor can do that as long as it isn’t loaded down with people.  With a 115, you should be hitting the optimal speed even if your boat is pretty well loaded down with people. For most pontoon boat captains, the real goal is to hit the golden 22 mph (36 kph) mark.  At that point, your fishing/cruising rig becomes a nice watersports rig as well.

How Weight (Load) Affects Speed

Prepare yourself for a horrible generalization.  This depends dramatically on the specific boat and the setup, but just as a guestimation aid, for every thousand pounds you add to your boat, you’ll lose about 15% of your speed.  So a 22′ boat with no load may get up to 29mph, but will likely slow down to 24.5mph with 1,000 pounds of people in the boat (5 or 6 adults).

How the bimini Affects Speed

• One pontoon boat captain reported that folding down the bimini took  his speed from 32mph all the way up to 36mph (51kilometers to 58 kilometers).  In my experience, it’s usually much less of a difference than that unless it is an incredibly windy day.  I usually only see a 1 mph difference with top up vs down.

How the Prop Affects Speed

• When you first get your boat, it will likely come with a “safe” prop that is meant to make the motor operate under nice and easy conditions.  Almost everyone will switch out that prop and go with something a little smaller (usually) to get the speed up and push up the RPMs to around 5000 or 6000 depending on your recommended range for your particular motor.

How Dirty Pontoons Affect Speed

• It is not surprising to see a pontoon boat slow down 2 to 6mph if you have algae, barnacles, or other crud on your pontoons.  For those pontoon boat captains who don’t trailer but leave their boat in the water most of the season, this is an important consideration.

For all your accessories and/or vinyl flooring visit Pontoon Depot's shop site.

The Evolution of Black Friday and Cyber Monday

By: www.arcadiapublishing.com

Holiday Mania:

The United States is unique in its annual Black Friday and Cyber Monday traditions. Each year the newsreel rolls with headlines of monstrous crowds storming Wal-Marts and Macy’s department stores across the country while images and videos spill across the internet of people fighting over Barbie Dolls and television sets. So why is it that consumers rush to department stores with their wallets handy the day after declaring all they’re thankful for?

While Black Friday has a long history in the United States, Cyber Monday arrived on the scene many years later. In 2012, with the blessing of online retailers, marketers took Black Friday and gave it a digital spin. No longer did people have to fight the chaos and crowds - they could now do their holiday shopping from the comfort of their homes.
 
So, where did it all begin? How has Black Friday and Cyber Monday evolved into the events we experience today? Surely, you’ve heard the rumors - some reaching all the way back to the early 1800s. Over the years, as people have tried to pinpoint the exact origin of the spectacle, wild stories have come to light. Some are true while others are entirely false. While each has helped to build the perception of Black Friday we have today, only one is the true genesis. With this post, we’re going to dispel the myths and reveal the true history and evolution of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
 
The Myths of Black Friday
 
The term “Black Friday” didn’t originally refer to a shopping bonanza on the Friday following Thanksgiving. On September 24, 1869, the stock market crashed, causing the price of common goods to drop 20 percent and the cost of gold to plummet 60 percent. This happened as a result of two thieving Wall Street financiers, Jay Gould and James Fisk, who together bought up as much of the nation’s gold as possible and sold it at enormous prices. It was a Friday when the plot was revealed, and the market crashed, thus the name “Black Friday.”
 
With the origin of the term “Black Friday” clear, it’s important to identify where this idea for a day of massive sales originated. In some myths, the history of Black Friday takes a dark turn. It is said that during the slave era of American history, “Black Friday” was the day after Thanksgiving when all the slaves on the market were half-price. The concept leaked into department stores nationwide and the Black Friday we know today was born. Fortunately, this version of the story is untrue. 

A common thread of narrative, and the one you’ve likely heard most often, stems from retailers. As the story goes, retailers curiously reported seeing a hike in sales the day after Thanksgiving. After a year of mediocre sales, they took this as an opportunity, offering steep discounts with the hopes of drawing in customers who would spend large sums of money. While this tale isn’t the reason behind Black Friday, it did help to build potential for a day dedicated to shopping. In fact, the history and evolution of Black Friday is far less glamorous than a couple of conniving bankers or thrifty retailers.
 
The Truth about Black Friday
 
Imagine Philadelphia in the 1950s. The city is swarming with people. But this isn’t the normal crowd. They’ve all found their way here in anticipation of the huge Army-Navy football game, which takes place on the Saturday following Thanksgiving every year. Authorities began referring to this day as “Black Friday” because of the chaos the crowds brought to the city every year. This Friday saw an influx of shoplifting, and retail workers were forced to work extra long hours to accommodate for the crowds. In turn, Philadelphia’s department stores and restaurants saw massive spikes in sales.
 
In later years, Philadelphia officials would change the name to “Big Friday” to avoid any negative connotation of “Black Friday.” Little did they know the name had already stuck. By the late 1980s, the term caught on with the rest of the country. Looping it with the belief that sales increased the day after Thanksgiving, retailers dubbed the Friday following Thanksgiving “Black Friday” and enhanced it with eye-catching discounts. It was an instant hit that transformed this day into a one-day shopping bonanza.
 
Since then, Black Friday has marked the unofficial beginning of the financial holiday season. In 2017, the average shopper spent $1,0007.24 each. Roughly $637. 67 of that was spent on presents, $215.04 on gift wrap, decorations, food, and holiday cards, and $154.53 was spent taking advantage of the seasonal deals.

Since its beginnings, Black Friday has remained steadfast in this country. Retailers continue to find new ways to lure in consumers and as a result watch their sales skyrocket. The popularity of Black Friday also inspired the creation of a series of other retail holidays, like Small Business Saturday.
 
Cyber Monday
 
Cyber Monday is Black Friday gone digital, and is thought to reflect the trend in recent years to digitize virtually every real-world experience. It was born from a collective of online marketing agencies in response to the increasingly popular Black Friday. Every Monday following Thanksgiving tremendous deals take over the web. In recent years, companies have reported their income on this day as much as doubling, and according to Adobe Analytics, more than half of Thanksgiving weekend’s purchases were made from a mobile device.
 
The first attempts at Cyber Monday didn’t draw the attraction online retailers had hoped, but with the ongoing transition from physical shopping to digital, Cyber Monday has evolved into an online phenomenon. Shoppers can avoid both crowds and waking up at an unsavory hour, and still complete their holiday shopping, all from their bed while sipping a fresh cup of coffee.
 
Now that more and more brick-and-mortar stores are closing their doors, it’s safe to say that online shopping has taken the world by storm. Consumers enjoy the convenience and ease of purchasing from their digital devices, securing Cyber Monday a place in the retail landscape for the foreseeable future.  
 
Americans spend around $6.6 million on Cyber Monday. In 2017, Cyber Monday became the biggest online shopping day in U.S. history. Adobe Analytics found that for the first time ever, mobile sales reached two million dollars within a 24-hour period.
 
While Black Friday has roots in American history, its digital companion Cyber Monday is still a relatively new player in the retail game. What these traditions evolve into next is anyone's guess.

For all your accessories and/or vinyl flooring visit Pontoon Depot's shop site.

Let The MADNESS Sales Begin | Pontoon-Depot

Cyber Monday is around the corner and we are having an amazing sale. You get 10% off your entire purchase. Now how's that for awesome?!

As you may know, MariDeck is the industry leader when it comes to flooring for boats. Pontoon-Depot has many different types of MariDeck, for all the various types of applications that you may need for your project. We also have many cool boating accessories, so look around and make sure you take full advantage of this great deal. 

The 10% off your purchase is only good on 11/26/2018 [Cyber Monday]. 

Promo Code: CyberMondaySale

Be on the lookout for more great deals from Pontoon-Depot, so we can help make your time on the water even more enjoyable. 

We appreciate your business, as well as your support on social media. Thank you! 

Safe Boating My Friends!
Pontoon-Depot

Pontoon Tiny House: Considerations Before Building

By: BetterBoats

Intrigued by owning or building a pontoon tiny house?

They could be your answer to low-cost houseboat living. Sounds awesome, doesn’t it? Especially when you can’t afford bigger liveaboard boats, don’t like the idea of marina living or want something more customized than cheaper boat living options.

With the tiny house trend on the upswing, growing interest is spreading across the world. (Check out this pontoon tiny home video.) While they seem practical and break the cuteness scale, there’s a lot to consider before investing in one. So let’s weigh your options.

What’s a Pontoon Tiny House?

Pontoon tiny houses are custom homes designed to fit onto a pontoon base (tubes). You can enjoy all the comforts of home on the water, without the huge cost (and labor) of owning an enormous houseboat.

You can buy one pre-built or have one custom designed, which all depends on your budget, desired size and how you plan to use it.

Investing in a Pontoon Tiny House

You love this idea, and I’m right there with you! But, like me, you still have questions: Is it safe? Are there special rules and regulations involved?

And then there’s the biggest question of all: How much will it cost?

This guide can help you with all that. You can read on to find information on state law and permit guidelines, types of tiny houses to consider, costs, transportation, and more.

If you’re as intrigued as I am (mine’s already built in my head!), read this guide to get answers and maybe even get started.

Types of Pontoon Tiny Houses

How do you plan to use your pontoon tiny house? Will it be solely for recreational and entertaining purposes, or do you plan to use it for extended fishing trips? Or both? Either way, there are a few considerations to think about.

Pontoon Tiny Houses for Leisure

If you plan to use it for leisure and fun, consider these optional accessories and features:

• An ample deck for lounge chairs, tables, umbrellas, and accessories (think coolers and grills)

• Extra storage (for those fun accessories above!)

• A portable/hidden clothesline for drying clothes and towels

• Or you can go big and install a stacked washer and dryer, like this Kenmore 1.6 unit(check price on Amazon)

• Ample windows for lots of light

Pontoon Tiny Houses for Fishing

If you plan to use your pontoon tiny house for fishing, there are various pontoon fishing accessories. Some of which may take pre-planning and/or installation during the building process. Consider these accessories and features for a tiny house built for fishing:

• Large deck for fishing chairs, accessories and equipment

• Ask your builder/dealer about installing a trolling motor, like this Newport Vessels brand (check price on Amazon)

• Install a live baitwell or cleaning station, like this Keepalive Tank with aerator(check price on Amazon)

• Specially-installed railing for fishing rod holders

• Downrigger for trolling, like this Cannon Manual Downrigger (check price on Amazon) that comes in six types and sizes

For a better idea, look at these series of custom pontoon tiny homes by, Le Koroc, which come in two designs: Fishing Series and Holiday Series.

Additional Pontoon Tiny House Features and Ideas

Interested in a kit? Check out these clever pontoon tiny house kits and ideas.

Solar power is another option to consider: Check out this solar-powered pontoon tiny houseboat. It’s awesome!

All these options are features you might wanna think about, depending on your needs and plans. But you absolutely need to plan ahead to avoid later regrets.

Building and Customizing Pontoon Tiny Houses

Once you decide how you intend to use your pontoon tiny house and have chosen some of the features mentioned above, you’ll next need to consider these basic underlying features.

Will you float in freshwater or saltwater? Will the house be used year-round or only in summers? These are important considerations before building or buying.

Saltwater vs. Freshwater Materials

Water types are an important consideration.

Plan to sail your pontoon tiny house in oceans? Make sure it’s saltwater worthy. This includes all hardware, electrical connections, plumbing, and even motors, which can all be affected by saltwater brine. Since saltwater causes erosion, you need to ensure your pontoon tiny house is saltwater worthy throughout. To do so, here are a few must-haves:

Use maritime paint and maybe corrugated steel roofing (check price on Amazon) to withstand the elements.

You can even install solar panels for the roof (if there’s room in your budget). Yes, these cost more up front, but save you money in the long-run. Not to mention, it’s these small investments that help protect your bigger investment.

Discuss this with your builder or dealer. Before making the final payment, or signing any final documents, consider having your new tiny house inspected to be certain it’s saltwater worthy. This is crucial if you’re sailing year-round. Your boathouse baby will be exposed to the elements for longer periods, so plan ahead for this to avoid later problems.

How to Choose the Right Pontoon Base

Your pontoon base and tubes will be determined by your pontoon tiny house’s weight and length.

It will also be determined by your budget. Can you afford new tubes or used tubes?

Consider a used pontoon tubes age and condition. Older tubes need to be thoroughly inspected for holes, dents and drainage problems. Generally, also, how it currently floats.

If it fails the test in any of these areas, it’s a major safety issue. This is when you should consider buying new bases for better safety and security. (Not to mention the investment in the house you might’ve already built!)

How Many Tubes?

Two tube or three tube pontoon?

Ask your builder or dealer to determine this. An assessment of your needs, along with the house size and weight, can help the builder/dealer make this call.

And here’s a pre-fab float system to consider: Look at this Pontoonz Modular Float System, created in New Zealand. This is an innovative option you may wanna think about. (For cost, you’ll need to contact the dealer.)

Attaching Your Tiny House to Pontoon Tubes

One overlooked cost is the cost of setting your new pontoon tiny house onto its new base.

Locate someone local who can do it and is willing to do it. But make sure to:

1) Get a quote

2) Ask for proof of insurance

Avoid working with someone who isn’t familiar with this procedure. And especially avoid someone without proper insurance to cover your boat, just in case.

Find a reputable company or individual. It’s worth the hassle to be worry-free and you’ll sleep better, too!

Legal Questions and Guidelines

State Laws and Permits

Just like regular boating, houseboat laws and permits vary from state-to-state. Even in each country.

Certain bodies of water, such as lakes and reservoirs, frown upon houseboat living, regardless of it being a pontoon tiny house. Although smaller than some yacht-like houseboats, they’re still considered houses in the eyes of the law. So restrictions vary.

Before building or buying, check with governing state authorities to verify precisely what’s allowed and what permits are needed. If you can’t have your tiny pontoon houseboat in the closest, most-convenient waters, it may not be worth pursuing.

To check your local laws, here are two places to start:

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — information on regulatory permits, and more, for each state.

• United States Coast Guard (USCG) — helpful information for each state.

Check these sites for your state information, then check with the governing offices to ask any additional questions.

Insurance Costs

Houseboat insurance, big and small, varies from state to state. (Not to mention from agency to agency.) But, you’re required to buy it.

Your costs will be determined by many factors, like size and investment.

If you’re unsure who to contact for insurance quotes, check with the United Marine Underwriters for advice.

Additional Building Costs

If you’re handy with DIY projects, build a pontoon tiny house yourself. It may help protect your wallet.

But whether you plan to hire a builder, buy a custom-designed tiny home or use a kit, there are additional costs to consider.

When planning a budget, you need to determine costs for many areas, not just basics.

As with any newly-built house, you’ll have these initial building costs: Foundation, walls, flooring, roof, heating and air. (These costs can vary greatly depending on what you choose.)

Then you’ll need to purchase appliances, such as sinks, a shower and a toilet.

And then there’s decorating: Paint, cabinets, hardware and mirrors.

You’ll need special furniture: Hidden bed/storage beds, chairs with storage and folding tables.

Then there are annual costs: Yearly maintenance, as well as fees, permits and storage costs.

Oh, and then there’s this…

Transporting Your Tiny House

You new tiny boathouse will need to be transported, whether it’s on the base yet or not. You’ll have to transport it to the base to be attached, and you’ll have to transport it to its final destination. (Geez… so much to think about!)

So, like I said before, locate a reputable company who can transport it for you, including a transportation quote and proof of insurance.

Then, you’ll need to transport it to either a storage facility, dock or it’s base to be attached.

And it’s best to keep that transport company in your contact list to transport your pontoon tiny house to a service provider for maintenance or repairs. (Hopefully not, but it’s best to plan.)

Transportation costs and fees can all add up, so get quotes first to include in your budget.

Inspecting Your Pontoon Tiny House

Just chock it up. You may not want to pay those few final inspection costs, but it could protect your investment. And even protect lives.

First Inspection

When having a tiny house built, you’ll need it inspected for proper building codes, laws and permits—just like a regular house. Don’t forget about saltwater compliance inspections, as I mentioned earlier. If you’re not doing the building yourself (or hiring it out), ask your dealer about the final inspections. Are they included? Who’s responsible for handling it?

Check the fine print in your contract. Once your tiny house leaves the dealer, you may have no recourse if proper codes haven’t been met.

Second Inspection

Before transporting your tiny house, have it inspected to make sure it’s properly attached to the bases/tubes. If it isn’t, it can become damaged during transit. And you sure don’t want any problems on the water.

Inspecting Each Phase

A smart option is to pay licensed inspectors for each building phase up until the point of base attachment. Safety is never worth saving just a few pennies.

Storing Your Pontoon Tiny House

You might need tiny house storage, either temporarily or in the winter. So start your search to locate a storage facility who can (and will) safely store it.

Most likely, they’ll need the weight and size before providing a quote. Once you get a quote, ask for proof of insurance. (Yep. I’m a broken record, but you can’t forget!)

If you can’t locate a viable storage facility close by, you’ll need to consider transportation costs to a neighboring city for storage.

This is a big deal, because safe, secure storage can protect your investment and give you peace of mind.

Pontoon Tiny House Ownership

This is an awful lot to consider before building, or buying, a pontoon tiny house. But when you consider that it’s truly a house (even though it floats), there are many costs and considerations to think about.

Who knows? Thorough planning, research and a simple financial plan can guide you on your way to tiny houseboat living on your pontoon.

Won’t that all be worth it?

For all your accessories and/or vinyl flooring visit Pontoon Depot's shop site.