I grew up in central MN in the 70's to mid 80's. On the lakes there were lots of pontoons, and at that time most of them were steel. The pontoons were pointed at both ends like a torpedo, the decks were simple plywwod with some indoor outdoor carpet on them, the railings were more like chain link fence. The motor brackets were adjustable in height with a lever, so the motor could be lifted completely up.
I recall a lot of them with pea green or maroon and white Johnsons on them. The steering console was in the center of the beam, usually towards the rear somewhat, and they ran the cable and pulley arangement, with a wheel spoked like the SS minnow. Nobody ran any real power on them, I recall seeing a pontoon with a 60's white 40 horse Johnson on it once and thought it must really fly compared to the pontoons with the 20 horse Johnson and the other one with the 20 horse Chrysler (with the goofy bulge on the top of the cowl) that were on "our" shoreline of the lake I was on.
This came back to me over the weekend- I was up on Douglas lake (a TVA lake) in Tennesee on vacation this week and that lake has about 75% of the boats on it being pontoons, and Saturday I went fishing at another TVA lake named Boone Lake which is right near Kingsport TN.
While a buddy and I were motoring towards a cove with my 1969 Glasspar to try some casting, I first saw an early 70's rig with aluminum construction and a hardtop, styling looked like a 70's camper. It had a gold and white V4 Evinrude on it.
On the same dock next to it? Oh man! a rusty looking for that matter home made looking rig with a '57 or so 18 Johnson on it- the thing had a hardtop that could have been constructed out of a Sears porch awning, it had real galvanized corrogated tin on it. Had the SS minnow spoked wheel on a stand up "console", just wide enough to hold the steering stuff and I'd imagine the twin lever controls.
Get this- foam floats under it, like someone canabalized a floating dock to build 'er. It had a Tennesse registration on it and a name I don't recall.
No camera! Thing was priceless, I recall diving and swimming off those kind of rigs, albiet with steel pontoons, as a kid.
I recall a lot of them with pea green or maroon and white Johnsons on them. The steering console was in the center of the beam, usually towards the rear somewhat, and they ran the cable and pulley arangement, with a wheel spoked like the SS minnow. Nobody ran any real power on them, I recall seeing a pontoon with a 60's white 40 horse Johnson on it once and thought it must really fly compared to the pontoons with the 20 horse Johnson and the other one with the 20 horse Chrysler (with the goofy bulge on the top of the cowl) that were on "our" shoreline of the lake I was on.
This came back to me over the weekend- I was up on Douglas lake (a TVA lake) in Tennesee on vacation this week and that lake has about 75% of the boats on it being pontoons, and Saturday I went fishing at another TVA lake named Boone Lake which is right near Kingsport TN.
While a buddy and I were motoring towards a cove with my 1969 Glasspar to try some casting, I first saw an early 70's rig with aluminum construction and a hardtop, styling looked like a 70's camper. It had a gold and white V4 Evinrude on it.
On the same dock next to it? Oh man! a rusty looking for that matter home made looking rig with a '57 or so 18 Johnson on it- the thing had a hardtop that could have been constructed out of a Sears porch awning, it had real galvanized corrogated tin on it. Had the SS minnow spoked wheel on a stand up "console", just wide enough to hold the steering stuff and I'd imagine the twin lever controls.
Get this- foam floats under it, like someone canabalized a floating dock to build 'er. It had a Tennesse registration on it and a name I don't recall.
No camera! Thing was priceless, I recall diving and swimming off those kind of rigs, albiet with steel pontoons, as a kid.