Launching/Loading a Pontoon question

[Clint KY]

I have a 1648 Jon I fish from but am considering adding a pontoon to the fleet. How hard is it to launch, and more importantly, load a pontoon boat onto the trailer? I am looking at something from 16 to 18 feet so maybe a bit longer than my Jon. Any advice or cautions I should keep in mind?

 

[Johnny]

Clint, I had a 24' toon many years ago . . . and this is THE one boat
that is not advisable to handle alone. (in my opinion).
Trailering it up and down the road made me a nervous wreck.
There is so much sail area that small breezes and gusts of wind will make it
difficult at the least. An 18 wheeler zipping by you at 60mph will make your toes curl.
My brother currently has an 18 footer and experiences the same problems.
BUT - once in the water, it is a fantastic platform for family fun.

If you can, pay attention to the ones that are at your boat launch and
on the water to get an idea of how they handle.

Question - have you ever been on one before ?
How far would you be trailering it from your house to the dock ?
Most toons are 8 feet wide, maybe a little more. I don't know how wide
your roads are up in your area, but, if the standard lanes are 10-12 feet wide,
that means you only have one or two feet on either side of your boat to wiggle waggle
from side to side without hitting anything.
There is a learning curve - in every aspect of the pontoon boats.

 

[Wyatt]

Be sure that the trailer is setup for a single man launch/load and it's really not too big of a hassle. Trailering, yes, a light gust will easily shift the trailer and a semi passing will definitely make the sphincter pucker. Fishing pontoons are the best for family fun.

 

[Clint KY]

Question - have you ever been on one before ?

I've been on one quite a few times but all but one were a rental where I walked out the dock, stepped onto the boat and motored away. The reverse to bring it in: Motor to the dock, step off the boat and go pay the bill.

The one time I was involved in launching/loading was when a friend took me and my wife out and I got the Truck Duty both in and out.

I guess I should go to one of the many public launches around here and sit and watch for one to go out and/or go in.

How far would you be trailering it from your house to the dock ?

I have many launches that I use now - anywhere from 3.5 to 10 miles. I am about 3 miles west as the crow flies of Kentucky Lake and there many public and private launch sites.

I had not considered the wind factor. My Ford Ranger is probably not the best for towing a wind-wagon........Hmmmm?

 

[lugoismad]

Install a sway bar on the trailer. I had similar issues with our popup camper. It was pretty hairy to tow down the highway with our van. Installed a $40 curt sway bar kit, and the issue went away. Hardly even notice it back there anymore.

 

[RiverBottomOutdoors]

Have watched guys struggle to load them in the wind. I think the trailer design helps....seems some trailers load easier than others from what I've seen.