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Top 5 Reasons to Own a Pontoon Boat

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
Out here in the open
Mm, motorboatin'
(Pontoon – by Little Big Town)

Now that we have that song stuck in your head, you might be wondering what all the fuss is about. Well, if you’ve lived the song, you know that a pontoon can be loads of fun for the whole family. If not, here are the top five reasons why owning a pontoon is so enjoyable.

5. Storage, storage and more storage.
You won’t find many boats that offer the storage capacity of a pontoon. There’s hidden storage under just about every seat available, and often storage compartments in the flooring too. Pack it full of coolers, food and camping gear, and you’re all set for a weekend on the water.

4. It’s a smooth ride.
Even in rough waters on the lake, you’ll have a smooth and relaxing ride on a pontoon, whether you’re running it hard for speed or simply coasting along. It’s so smooth, in fact, that you could easily bring a grill along to barbecue as you coast.

3. There’s room for… everyone.
Pontoons are incredibly spacious, with seating often available for up to 12 people (or more, depending on how many adults and how many kids you have on board). Even then, there’s still space available for walking, coolers, and to kick back and enjoy the ride (seen #5).

2. Everyone will enjoy it.
Young or old, a pontoon has far more to offer than any other boat available. The flat flooring makes perfect sense so grandpa and dad can easily fish, made especially better by MariDeck Boat Flooring. Meanwhile, mom, grandma and the kids are jumping off the back for a swim. Go for a spin and enjoy the scenery and the breeze, or pull up to a sand bar for a picnic lunch.

1. Embrace family time.
A pontoon offers a great opportunity to reconnect with your family over several generations. Customize your boat to fit the needs of all your passengers and spend a weekend on the water, disconnected from the busy world we all live in (after all, you likely won’t have any cell phone coverage out on the lake).

You Love Your Guests ... Your Messy, Messy Guests

The best boat is the one your friend owns, or so the saying goes — and all your pals know it.

Pontoon boats just scream "party!" Unlike skiing boats or fishing boats, one glance at a pontoon boat conjures up images of kids playing, grownups playing and music playing. Coozie-wrapped drinks. Plenty of food. Suntan lotion. Bathing suits. Sunglasses. Lots of laughing — that's what pontoon boats are all about.

That's why your friends became so much friendlier as soon as you got one.

When the day on the water is over and you head back to the dock, however, your friends pay you a hearty thanks and hit the road — and you're stuck with the mess. As it turns out, a lot of those coozie-wrapped drinks wound up on the deck. So did the food. And the suntan lotion.

If you have traditional boat carpeting, you're left with a matted, smooshed-in mess that's impossible to clean, at least all the way. All that grime and gook has been ground in with flip flops and cooler wheels and dog paws. That's why boat carpeting will never look as good in real life as it does in the showroom.

If you upgraded to MariDeck vinyl flooring, however, you're a few garden hose sprays away from your deck looking like new. Now, we know "like new" is a marketing cliche, but we're using the phrase on purpose here. With very little light, basic maintenance, MariDeck flooring literally returns to its brand new look and functionality.

Once it's been put to the test, boat carpeting simply looks worn, which makes your entire boat look worn. MariDeck couldn't be more of a contrast.

Not only will your guests be safe and slip-free while you're partying on the water, but you won't have to silently hate them afterward while you're on your hands and knees scrubbing after they've thanked you and said goodbye.

Don't Let Boating Season Arrive Without Getting Organized

Winter is no fun for boaters.

It's painful to sit there and stare helplessly at your baby all frozen under a tarp. There's not much you can do except occasionally knock some snow off the Evinrude while you fantasize about the return of the sun.

Stop fantasizing. Get organized.

Winter provides a great opportunity to get your gear in order so you can start the season off fresh — and it will be here before you know it. The more you do now, the more time you'll have on the water when the weather breaks.

This is the perfect time to take inventory of your fishing gear — and anything else you use throughout the season. Start by checking and cleaning your rods. Get into those cork handles with some regular old dish soap. Take the time to lubricate all the moving parts of each rod.

Next, check out your tackle. In the rush of the season, it's easy to just toss everything together after a day on the water. Over the course of the summer, though, that leads to a cluttered, unorganized tackle box. Sort your hooks, get rid of any that are rusty or damaged and replace them with new ones.

Next, use the opportunity to spread out all your lures and plastic baits so you can see what you have. Count them, sort them and get them into containers.

Now it's time to get reacquainted with your electronics. Whether it's fishfinders or navigation, make sure you're updated with the latest software and application updates. Check your wiring, connections and startup capabilities.

See? Don't you feel better now that you're ready to hit the water once the good weather comes back? Instead of starting the season jumbled and unorganized, you'll be neat and clean with everything accounted for and in its place.

All you have to do now is wait out the winter.

What If The World's Greatest Anglers Had The World's Greatest Boat Flooring

A recent article profiled the exploits of Fred Young, Bill Nichols and some of the other legendary names that loom large over the sport of smallmouth bass fishing.

The article, which gives an intimate look at some of Tennessee's greatest freshwater anglers, simply makes you want to fish — but it also makes you wonder about the boats these icons used to hook their legendary catches.

The article revealed that all these fishermen had two things in common: simplicity and effectiveness. Everything from their lures to their tackle boxes were very basic, yet very reliable.

When reading the article, you can't help but think these old timers would have loved MariDeck flooring. MariDeck, after all, is simple and effective — unlike the old-fashioned marine carpeting these super-anglers were probably stuck with for their entire careers.

Marine carpeting looks great — as long as it's on a new boat in the dealer showroom. After just one season on the water, however, it looks terrible, it performs terribly and it makes your boat terrible right along with it.

MariDeck, on the other hand, is built with fishing in mind. Tough and easy to clean, these heroes of the sport would have loved that they could have dropped bait or spilled fish guts all day long without the vinyl surface becoming too slippery to be safe.

They would have loved how easy it would have been to replace their crummy old boat carpeting with vinyl MariDeck. They would have loved how their boat immediately looked newer, better and shinier. They would have been amazed by how much longer their boats lasted and how much better they performed.

Most importantly, the greatest anglers in the history of Tennessee's freshwater lakes would have loved that since MariDeck requires less time for maintenance and cleaning, they would have had more time for fishing.

If fishing had a Mount Rushmore, the faces of Fred Young and Bill Nichols would have to be on it, but you can only wonder how many more fish would have been taken out of those lakes if they had MariDeck.