Difference in Saltwater Boating

[tablerockboater]

Re: Difference in Saltwater Boating

Been looking at other boat styles, too, for a couple of years, but the deck/seating is the attraction to a pontoon.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Difference in Saltwater Boating

while the deck and seating may be nice, head out a few times in the bay with 2-3' waves and you may change your mind.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Difference in Saltwater Boating

agreed. Please take the advice of the locals. You did ask for it after all. Pontoon boats really have no place in open water, particularly in a marine environment. Using the wrong equipment in the wrong conditions is a recipe for disaster. We see it all the time down here when the snowbirds underestimate even a simple trip out into a bay or inlet, or act as if they were back home on the local man made reservoir. The Gulf is NOT just a really big lake :/ While you may not care about your own safety that much, the safety of any and everyone on board your vessel must be your paramount concern to you. That means doing things right, or not doing them at all. There's a reason there are "marine grade" products and techniques used on boats the world over. Keeping a boat in a marine environment is easily 2-3 times the expense and labor of keeping one in exclusively freshwater conditions. You have A LOT to learn yet. Do some more research and decide if you really want the trouble and expense of keeping a relatively large marine vessel at all times. I'm not telling you not to, but do realize it will be more work than you think (yeah, take what you imagine and double it). Florida eats boats. Between the UV, heat, humidity, storms, salt, wind, weather and waves, boats tend to get rode hard an put up wet which means you need to know all of the basics, and then some, just to stay on the water safely. Be careful, be wise, be safe. (pontoons + Ocean = BAD)

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Difference in Saltwater Boating

amen

 

[tablerockboater]

Re: Difference in Saltwater Boating

Well, for what I've saved up I could get a couple of nice kayaks.

Funny about there being those pontoon rental places on Lemon Bay. Think they are just there to get dumb Snowbirds in trouble?

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=26.9...=TlkLfbCxTIkwrGrwhYliCg&cbp=12,108.83,,0,7.04

Anyone here been to Lemon Bay/Englewood/Cape Haze/Boca Grande . . . boated there?

 

[JoLin]

Re: Difference in Saltwater Boating

Funny about there being those pontoon rental places on Lemon Bay. Think they are just there to get dumb Snowbirds in trouble?

No, they're there for folks who want to take a bunch of people out in nice weather for a few hours. The fishing stations up here rent 12' rowboats, too. They aren't catering to the dumb.

The point people here are making is that, if you're looking for an all-around boat to own and use in anything less than perfect weather, a pontoon isn't a great choice for your waters. I googled Lemon Bay and thought I was looking at a mirror image of my own Great South Bay. I wouldn't want a pontoon up here, either.

My .02

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Difference in Saltwater Boating

Well, for what I've saved up I could get a couple of nice kayaks.

Funny about there being those pontoon rental places on Lemon Bay. Think they are just there to get dumb Snowbirds in trouble?

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=26.9...=TlkLfbCxTIkwrGrwhYliCg&cbp=12,108.83,,0,7.04

Anyone here been to Lemon Bay/Englewood/Cape Haze/Boca Grande . . . boated there?

yes I have, spent two years in Bradenton, boating from Cape Coral North to Cedar key. most of the time in the ICW from Venice up to Madeira Beach. Make sure you bring fresh fish to feed Beggar and Mooch. if the evening is dead calm (usually late spring thru summer), you can take a pontoon boat out for a short bit. I have been in 6" chop that quickly became 6' seas because the wind changed just a bit. I have seen people on pontoons and certain brands of deck boats that looked like a cork in a washing machine with the boat pitching and yawing in the waves with everyone on board white-knuckling the railings and turning green. the worst time for pontoon boats and deck boats is late fall thru late spring when most of the small craft advisories are in place.

my recommendation would be to join Freedom Boat Club, take a bunch of different types of boats out for about a month and talk to the locals like the guys at the bait shops and marinas before making your purchase.

also, the local craigslists in Florida have kayaks for sale all the time. many people get them new, realize they dont use them, then sell them cheap.

 

[tablerockboater]

Re: Difference in Saltwater Boating

I am not trying to be snippety or disrespectful, but some of what is being said is shocking.

We have gone to Bonita Resort & Club going on 20 years:

http://bonitaresort.us/index.html

There are five pontoon boats that have been moored to the slips in their dock, full-time. They sit in the water, rising and lowering with the tide, and none of them have ever been gooped up.

Yeah, they get replaced with a revolving, sinking fund (sorry about that), but because they are being used by different owners and guests 52 weeks a year. We took a newer one out the last time, with four older ones sitting there. There's two of the newer ones and one older one sitting there in the dock picture linked to above.

They could not be closer to the Gulf, just inside Hickory Pass.

They are not allowed out into the Gulf, only into Estero Bay, and up the rivers feeding into it, past the high-dollar developments.

We have taken those pontoons out many times, in the channels of Estero Bay, to other passes, up the rivers, as far as San Carlos Pass/Ft. Myers Beach. Along the byways we have seen dozens of pontoons, permanent-resident pontoons.

So, some of what is posted here is shocking.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Difference in Saltwater Boating

I am just telling you what I know based on my experiences. I launched my boat nearly every weekend off of 64 either at the Braden River/ Manatee river launch, or at the Kingfish launch on Anna Marie.

Either boating the ICW (which I will admit is a bit more calm) or out in the gulf.

why do you suppose the pontoons at Bonita are not allowed in the gulf. same reason the pontoons and deck boats from CB's in Sarasota are only allowed in Sarasota Bay.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Difference in Saltwater Boating

+1. Of course, you don't have to get a pontoon boat. A nice center console/bow rider/cuddy cabin can serve as a great all around boat for bays, inlets and rivers. That's what most folks in my neck of the woods use for family boats and we usually hit ocean, river and bay all in one trip, every trip. They also offer you a lot more in the way of maneuverability and performance, which is muy importante when the weather picks up. You think a pontoon boat is gonna out run the thunder and lightning storms we get on a DAILY BASIS down here? FL has one of, if not the highest concentration of lightning strikes in the world! And sitting on two giant aluminum tubes in salt water, under such circumstances is less than ideal. Not to mention the fact that pontoon boats take on waves about as well as an elephant jumps rope. It's like taking a steam roller offroading. I suppose you could do it, but it wouldn't work very well, and you'd look more than a little silly in the process. We're not trying to pick on you tablerock. We just want you to fully realize what you're getting into. Here are some cool boat styles that are popular around here.....

Center console: great for fishing and going off shore, but still practical for family trips too.


Bow rider: Another great design. Geared a little more towards families and creature comforts


Cuddy cabin: Great for families with little kids as they are able to get out of the sun.

 

[tablerockboater]

Re: Difference in Saltwater Boating

why do you suppose the pontoons at Bonita are not allowed in the gulf.

We don't intend to go into the Gulf. Perhaps that was not clear in my OP, but I did say "canal, creek, Lemon Bay."

We intend the same usage as at BR&C, except they will not be sitting in the water 365 days a year.

See, if we need a seawall, fancy dock, and lift, that's a whole nuther story.

 

[tablerockboater]

Re: Difference in Saltwater Boating

Here's another picture of BR&C, with even more pontoon boats just sitting in the water at Big Hickory Marina right next door.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Difference in Saltwater Boating

Not going to argue with you. your money, you do what you want. you asked for advise and it was given. if it sits in water, the barnacles get nasty in short order. the people I know that keep their boats in the water year round pull them every 2 months or sooner for a spray and scrape or they have diving equipment and scrape the barnacles with ice scrapers.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Difference in Saltwater Boating

Well they're all connected down here. Most the creeks and rivers near the ocean still have tidal influence, and Lemon BAY is still the Gulf and therefore susceptible to wind, weather and tide. If you're going to live here and own a boat, don't do what the tourists do (i.e. take a pontoon boat out in to open water). Even little 2'-3' waves are enough to ruin your day under the best of circumstances. Do not try to haggle with the sea. You WILL loose each and every time. However, you seem to have your mind made up. Boat at your own risk, but don't you dare call for help when your plan goes awry (and it will). You have been warned! Again, the GULF of Mexico, or Lemon Bay for that matter, is NOT simply a larger version of you favorite lake in the Adirondacks! It's the OCEAN weather you like it or not.



Yankee Snowbirds.............. :/ Good grief!!!! *facepalm*

 

[JoLin]

Re: Difference in Saltwater Boating

Not going to argue with you. your money, you do what you want. you asked for advise and it was given.

+ 1

 

[tablerockboater]

Re: Difference in Saltwater Boating

I'm not trying to be thick, or insist on doing what I want, argue, or try to contradict all this expert advice.

I'm just trying to figure out why what is being said here is so much different than what we've seen for 20 years, as shown in the pics of BR&C and Big Hickory Marina, and what we see canoeing the creeks and canals around our house.

Why are so many people, people who also know the area, doing what appears to be opposite of what is being advised, and why do they not appear to be having all the problems y'all are saying everyone has?

 

[V153]

Re: Difference in Saltwater Boating

Relax TRB. For what it's worth if I were only allowed to own one kind of boat it'd be a poontoon/deck boat. The minivan of boats imo. And I mean that in a good way ...

Not sure where in Englewood you're moving to but some of those canals are kinda skinny? Oh well, under normal circumstances you shouldnt have a problem in the bay. Though it can get purty nasty. As has been mentioned I recommend against venturing very far into the Gulf.

To answer your question: Snowbirds doing the opposite of what's being advised keeps us crackers in the marine business alive. Thank you!

 

[JoLin]

Re: Difference in Saltwater Boating

To answer your question: Snowbirds doing the opposite of what's being advised keeps us crackers in the marine business alive. Thank you!

HEY! That was totally, uh, hmmm...

 

[taggy]

Re: Difference in Saltwater Boating

I take my 21' pontoon out in the Gulf just north of Tampa all the time, as do many others. It's true that pontoons have no business going way out, but we mostly go a mile maybe and enjoy the relative shallow waters. I have been out in 2 to 3 foot seas and it is not a pleasant experience, but you can see those conditions before you get out there.
As far as leaving your boat in the water, barnacles will start growing the first week if not protected. Pontoons are great for relaxing and enjoying the Florida waters. Have fun.

 

[tablerockboater]

Re: Difference in Saltwater Boating

Well, that's better. Maybe I won't have to post more pictures of pontoon boats in the bays, canals, and creeks of SW FL. A guy emailed yesterday and has a little one for us. But no trailer.

As for our canal, we are the last property on it, and it is silted in, so at low tide it is primarily a place for the crabs to crawl about.