News — Lakes

Mercury Makes News In Miami With The Loaded Harris!

By: Great Lakes Boating

The demo ride on the Grand Mariner began by uttering the common phrase, “Hey Siri,” and after asking the voice-controlled personal assistant to start the engines, the twin 300 V8s began to purr. How’s that for an advancement in technology! The simplified one integrated system made this Harris a popular choice for journalists during our weekend of testing. Technologies such as CZone digital control and monitoring truly simplify the operation of your pontoon. It gives you complete control of all electrical functions with the touch of a button. We were able to control the lights, stereo and other functions with ease. Plus CZone has a proven reputation for reliability with over 10 years of experience in marine installations.

Other key features on this Harris included Mercury’s VesselView, a multi-function display that has more information and data on boat and engine functions than you’re going to find anywhere else including rpm, speed, fuel flow and efficiency, temperature, trim and more. With direct integration into Mercury’s propulsion systems, VesselView has the ability to control the engine. Features such as trolling for fish, pulling tubers, adjusting skyhook, setting cruise control and others can be easily controlled from the VesselView screens. And if you’re not an expert, don’t worry. VesselView will make you feel like you’re one. And if that’s not enough, VesselView Mobile brings all that power to your mobile device as well as even more ways to stay connected.

MOB

Another new technology we were able to experiment with on this pontoon came from a partnership with FELL Marine, a leader in marine wireless technology. Mercury Marine co-develops exclusive wireless and IOT connected products that seamlessly integrate with Mercury’s SmartCraft suite of digital technology and CZone digital switching, to make boating easier, safer and more enjoyable than ever before.

Utilizing a wearable FOB, in the event of a Man-Over-Board (MOB) situation, the engines turn off and an alarm sounds. Emergency contacts can also be programmed to be contacted after a specific time that you set, and another safety feature we like is the lights on the boat start blinking “SOS” as an added precaution. If it was a passenger who fell over, the engines can be started immediately to return to the location that was automatically marked on the screen.



Assisted Docking

The assisted docking system that is based on aerospace control systems and autonomous-car artificial intelligence, was another exciting announcement Mercury announced prior to the Miami Boat Show. At Lake X, the system was demonstrated on a Boston Whaler 330 Outrage with twin Mercury Verados and Joystick Piloting for Outboards.

Mercury collaborated with Raymarine to incorporate Raymarine’s DockSense system, which uses vision technology to sense and identify potential obstacles on the boat’s course, providing feedback to the Mercury autonomous system to allow the JPO system to respond.

“We’re able to provide a product that makes it simple and easy to dock a boat without hitting anything,” added Pfeifer. “This will ultimately turn into an automatic-docking product.”

It’s the industry’s first intelligent object recognition and motion sensing assisted docking solution, and with DockSense, it continuously monitors the vessel’s surroundings, keeping the autonomous system updated with real-time detection of objects like pilings or another vessel.

As journalists, we each took a turn attempting to run into a nearby dock or seawall, and the system simply overrides you and won’t allow you to do it. As we were just idling and talking, we got within the preset radius of a dock, and the engines automatically revved up and kept us at a safe distance. When we were ready to dock, we simply pressed a button to turn off the sensor on one side and then used the Joystick to perfectly line us up.

The DockSense system includes multiple FLIR machine vision cameras, a central processing module and the DockSense app running on Raymarine’s Axiom navigation display. It’s still being developed, but it does bring some excitement to what we can expect in the future.

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

With Some Changes, Pontoon Boats Make a Comeback in The US!

Pic By: A pontoon boat at the Baltimore Boat Show at the Baltimore Convention Center (Kenneth K. Lam / The Baltimore Sun)

Written By: Baltimore Sun

Back this hitch up into the water, untie all the cables, and rope step onto the vinyl floor, and get yourself a coozie, Let's go….

Long before the pop-country group Little Big Town introduced its No. 1 hit, "Pontoon," pontooning has been a part of the boating community in the United States.

Its roots go back more than 60 years to a Minnesota farmer named Ambrose Weeres, who came up with the crazy idea of putting a wooden platform on two columns of welded steel barrels and spending his lazy summer afternoons fishing on a nearby lake.

But those no-frills pontoons, like Hula Hoops and Silly Putty, seemed to be a fading remnant from a simpler time.

Now, they're making a comeback with a few modern frills.

"It's exploded. Pontoons are selling much better than fiberglass boats," said Brian Schneider, whose Tradewinds Marina in Middle River has been selling pontoons for many years now.

In an industry that was struggling with a weak economy, pontoon boat sales now account for half of Schneider's income in boat sales.

Using the same Minnesota-based boat manufacturer that made the pontoon for Little Big Town's music video, as well as, for Kid Rock's video of the 2008 song "All Summer Long," Schneider said that popularity of pontoons is based largely around the fact "they're almost 100 percent usable space."

Who said anything about skiin'? Floatin' is all I wanna do, well you can climb the ladder just don't rock the boat while I barbeque…

Dan Naleppa of Salisbury is considering buying one of Schneider's pontoons after seeing them at the Baltimore Boat Show.

"It's like you're riding in your living room," Naleppa said while attending the show.

Certainly if your living room is stocked with plush couches and other accoutrements, though Naleppa said the 25-foot pontoon he is thinking about buying will not have a barbeque, minibar or some of the other amenities that seem to find their way on what many consider to be the best kind of party boats.

"They've come a long way," Naleppa said. "They're pretty roomy and they can go fast. I also like the fact that you can ride them year 'round, unlike some of the inboard-outboard motorboats I've had."

While a lot more high-tech than "The Empress" and the other boats that Weeres, who became known as "Mr. Pontoon," built en route to being inducted in Minnesota's Marina Hall of Fame, the modern pontoon industry has seen a revival in recent years. They're cheaper to make, easier to maintain, less than half the weight of comparably-sized fiberglass boats and more environmental-friendly because they typically need smaller engines.

"It seems like they're everywhere now," said Matt Finklestine, who sells pontoon boats in Lake Raystown, Pa. "Nothing is going to be a smoother ride than a pontoon boat because you don't ride on top of the water, you ride in the water. They're light, they're easier to trailer. The fiberglass chips don't break off and it makes it much easier to clean."

According to Finklestine, whose Full Performance Marine sells "everything from jet skis to 45-foot yachts," he has seen a resurgence in the past years. Finklestine said his 15-year-old company has gone from selling around two dozen aluminum pontoons in 2005 to five times that last year. The lakes around central Pennsylvania are among the most popular for pontoon boating.

"The difference between a pontoon and a regular boat is that with a pontoon, you have a lot more room. You can fit on twice as many people and you can pretty much cut the cost in half because they're very easy to make," Finklestine said at the Baltimore Convention Center, where a couple of his company's higher-end pontoons were on display and for sale during the Baltimore Boat Show.

Reach your hand down into the cooler, don't drink it if the mountains aren't blue,  try to keep it steady as you recline on your black inner tube

The basic concept of the pontoon hasn't changed much since Weeres first introduced his boat, it's now a vinyl deck rather than wood attached to aluminum barrels, but pontoons have certainly been upgraded over the years to include everything like woven vinyl flooring for what essentially becomes the best under your feet feel, plus is slip resistant.

The size of the boats haven't changed (typically between 15 and 28 feet long) but they can be custom fit for whatever you need, fishing, cruising, skiing or racing.

The cost depends mostly on the size of the motor used, ranging from $15,000 to $80,000, according to industry experts. Pontoons can go as fast as 55 mph, but most are built to go a lot slower.

"The difference between a 50 horsepower and a 250 horsepower could be $20,000," said Finklestine, whose company typically sells pontoons with 90- to 115-horsepower motors. "A 28-foot fiberglass is more than $100,000, double what a pontoon costs."

Finklestine said pontoons are perfect for someone who "wants to fit a lot of people on the boat, wants some room for his kids to run around on and doesn't care about having the fastest boat on the lake."

Naleppa said he is looking forward to having his pontoon out on the Chesapeake Bay, as well as the Wicomico River and down to Ocean City this summer with family and friends, and was told that a 25-footer can comfortably seat around 10 and as many as 17, about double what can fit on a fiberglass motorboat.

Though mostly used on lakes, some pontoons have now become stable enough to operate on open bodies of water such as the Chesapeake Bay because of advanced technology. Schneider said he took "a gamble" bringing pontoons to local sailing aficionados who might be fearful that the pontoon would capsize in rougher seas.

Schneider said Premier Pontoons' development of a "PTX" center tube "lets the pontoon boats handle like a fiberglass boat." Though he doesn't recommend anything under a 20-footer on the Chesapeake Bay, "they're very stable, you've just got to get the bigger pontoons."

5 mile an hour with aluminum side wood panelin' with a water slide can't beat the heat, so let's take a ride on the pontoon makin' waves and catchin' rays up on the roof jumpin' out the back, don't act like you don't want to party in slow motion, I'm out here in the open Mmmmmmm...motorboatin' on the pontoon!

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

Should I Take a Pontoon Boat Offshore? Ask Sinclair Marina.

By: BoatTest.com

We have received a number of emails from BoatTEST.com members asking if it is advisable to take pontoon boats offshore or out into the Great Lakes.

Unfortunately, in their exuberance to sell boats, some boat dealers are telling customers that their boats are designed to go offshore, and we have seen one dealer’s videos that even quote a boating magazine to support this kind of usage.

Pontoons boats are designed for use in protected waters, where the sea state is such that the bow with its flat and wide deck forward will not bury itself in a wave. Simply put, pontoon boats were not designed to go offshore. However, this is not to say that there are not some times when they can venture out safely.

Pontoon Boat Caveat

Boat owners should never exceed the conditions for which a specific boat was designed. So, it is not the body of water that is so important, but rather the sea state.

On nice days, when the marine weather forecast calls for light zephyrs, pontoon boats are fine for venturing a few miles offshore on the Great Lakes or other large bodies of water. Keep in mind, conditions can change quickly. And remember, often the most difficult aspect of an offshore passage is running the inlet. Going out at slack tide may provide no difficulty, but coming in with a swift ebb or flow could be problematical and dangerous.

Low Freeboard is a Problem

In a light chop – say 1’ or so – a pontoon boat is more comfortable than any monohull for the simple reason that it has two or three narrow hulls slicing through the waves instead of one big, wide hull. But the pontoon boat’s weakness is its low freeboard and its wide foredeck. Those skinny hulls don’t have much dynamic lift or buoyancy to keep the pontoon foredeck above the waves when the wind starts blowing, in a confused sea state left over from a previous blow, or running an inlet with standing waves.

Pontoon Boats Are Vulnerable

So, if the waves are expected to be above 2’ or so high, stay in protected waters. Pontoon boats are especially vulnerable to stuffing the bow and being difficult to control running down-sea compared to a well-designed monohull with its greater freeboard forward. If a pontoon boat ships green water it can become difficult to handle, is easily susceptible to damage, and is vulnerable to capsizing despite its great initial stability. They are simply not intended for this kind of sea condition and to take one there is irresponsible.

The buoyancy of pontoon boats is limited by the size of their air chambers, which are two or three tube-shaped pontoons, and typically run from 24” to 28” in cross-section diameter. Obviously, the larger-diameter pontoon boats have more buoyancy. Tri-toons, with three longitudinal pontoons, are even more buoyant, which is why they can be used for towing sports at high speeds.

Pontoon boat owners must also realize that twin-toon platforms will rack in any kind of rough water condition. The athwartships structures between the pontoons are essentially designed to support the plywood deck, rather than to keep the pontoons in rigid position.

Captains Have Responsibilities

As with any boat, who you have onboard – and how many people – also determines seaworthiness. Fewer is better than more, physically fit are better than children or elderly. Remember, the reason to go boating is to have fun, and to keep the vessel’s passengers comfortable and safe.

While pontoon boats are very versatile, rougher seas are their biggest weakness and it’s important not to confuse the high form stability and smooth ride with rough-water capability.

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

Get Your Pontoon Boat Ready for the Season: Springtime is Upon Us!

By: Pontoon-Depot, Amy Cabanas

Pic By: PontoonPedia

Spring is 10 days away!

What could be better than starting off the FIRST DAY OF SPRING with Pontoon-Depots’ favorite season …. Fishing! 

Pontoon boats are great for fishing, family get togethers and of course having a party with friends. Though, bear in mind, you’ll need to make sure you have everything you need before the season starts or the party begins. First, you want to ask yourself a few questions before getting out on the water. What do we need to have fun, yet be safe. Additionally, you want to be ready for the season in general with any new items to make your life easier on the water or more fun. Either way make sure you check everything off your list so that you can have as much fun as possible.

Considering making a new pontoon boat purchase, be sure you understand that the size does matter. Sixteen to nineteen-foot boats are best for small bodies of water. Twenty to twenty-two-foot boats are best for lakes & rivers, and twenty-three to twenty-seven-foot pontoons are the best for rough water and they can accommodate up to fifteen people. This is great news if you are close to the ocean and you have a big family or a large circle of friends.

Whether you enjoy fishing, sunbathing, or water sports, all of these are awesome options when you own a pontoon boat. But it’s also key to make sure everyone is safe and having fun. For lounging & sunbathing you may want to consider a larger deck and a super cool sound system, these are all accessories Pontoon-Depot can help you with. For those of you with big families and large parties, don’t forget that storage should be top on your list for food and drinks. Also, make sure your pontoon is equipped with lots of seating. And lastly, for those of you who enjoy water sports, make sure you have easy access for your pontoon boat into & out of the water.

With all this being said, durability of your accessories, seating and flooring will be important. If you have a pontoon boat already but it’s in need of some upgrading, consider the newest woven vinyl flooring over the old school traditional boat carpeting. I promise you that you will be much happier with it, when it comes to mold, general cleaning, and mildew, oh, and it’s also slip resistant!!

Above all things, make sure to look for a warranty that covers most parts and labor for everything on your boat, including the electronic components, that are most prone to weather-related failures. 

If you check all these boxes, you’re sure to have a great boating experience with your pontoon! 

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