Pontoon shallow launch/retrieve

[tall bunks]

As a New pontoon owner I need advice retrieving boat onto my trailer. Launching my 22' in a shallow water boat launch was tough. Wish I knew about the silcone spray when launching for the first time. Walking a 600 lb. Wolverine trailer into a weed filled mucky channel in cold Wisconsin lake water for retrieval will be as much a nightmare as it was for launching that took three people. I have thought about an extended receiver so my van's rear wheels don't get stuck this time. Any suggestions and experience using an extended receiver would be appreciated or any other soultions are welcome. Thank you.

 

[muskiemike12]

Re: Pontoon shallow launch/retrieve

Get a scissors trailer if you will be launching often at a shallow access.

 

[tall bunks]

Re: Pontoon shallow launch/retrieve

Thanks Mike. The Marine dealer where I bought the pontoon strongly discouraged using a scissors for long distances. He had a customer lose a boat when the trailer flipped in strong winds.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Pontoon shallow launch/retrieve

Thanks Mike. The Marine dealer where I bought the pontoon strongly discouraged using a scissors for long distances. He had a customer lose a boat when the trailer flipped in strong winds.

True - everything is tradeoffs. Although you are much more likely to dump/scrape the log on a corner than having a wind push it over. You need to really watch your driving with the scissor. One of the biggest benefits to the scissor trailer is that they make the boat sit so low that you hardly ever have to actually crank the trailer down to launch.

 

[tall bunks]

Re: Pontoon shallow launch/retrieve

True - everything is tradeoffs. Although you are much more likely to dump/scrape the log on a corner than having a wind push it over. You need to really watch your driving with the scissor. One of the biggest benefits to the scissor trailer is that they make the boat sit so low that you hardly ever have to actually crank the trailer down to launch.

I will need the bunk trailer for one more trip this fall for warranty repair if the pontoon can be loaded. Then it will be used on lake property (the one with a shallow landing). Does anyone know what brand scissor to get?

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Pontoon shallow launch/retrieve

You should never attempt to manhandle any boat on a trailer, as they're just too heavy. I can barely push my Waverunner on an aluminum trailer on a flat concrete driveway. Using 3 people to launch a boat is a good way to hurt people.

If you cannot find a deep water "real" boat ramp, you are at a lake where you should not be.

The scissor style trailers are not good for hauling very far, but they are best for putting in at shallow lakes. They should be reserved for boat dealers to move pontoons off the ground and around their lots.

 

[mrdancer]

Re: Pontoon shallow launch/retrieve

Do a search for Surfix bunk slides - they are decent quality and recommended for use on pontoon trailers.

You can have a good trailer shop make an extendable tongue for your trailer - would be safer than an extended hitch. For normal towing/use, the tongue would remain in standard position. For shallow launches, you unhook your lights and safety chains at the launch, pull the bolt(s) that hold the tongue in standard position, then slide the tongue out to the pre-determined length where the next bolt hole allows you to replace the bolt to lock the extension in place. I think I've seen something similar on some sailboat trailers.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Pontoon shallow launch/retrieve

get a couple of sheets of .060" thick HDPE and wrap around the leading edge of the bunks, this will slide on the bunks a lot better and allow you to winch the boat up.

or find a buddy with a 4 wheel drive and back in until the exhaust is under water.

which lake are you on?

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Pontoon shallow launch/retrieve

My launch is shallow, and what I do is once the boat is about half in the water is to unhook the strap and safety chain and play out about 10 feet of strap and tie off a 50 foot rope to the toon and the back of my truck ( I launch by my self ) and then back up a bit at a time and tap the breaks and force the tool to slide back. It may take a time or two but it works fine. Loading is simple it runs up more than enough on the trailer to winch up. And I couldn't power load if I wanted to I am running a 9.9.

 

[gpfishingdude]

Re: Pontoon shallow launch/retrieve

get a couple of sheets of .060" thick HDPE and wrap around the leading edge of the bunks, this will slide on the bunks a lot better and allow you to winch the boat up.

or find a buddy with a 4 wheel drive and back in until the exhaust is under water.

which lake are you on?

That HDPE sounds like what I need near the front of my trailer too. Where can you buy the stuff in sheets like that? Do you wrap it and staple it or use other fasteners? Thanks

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Pontoon shallow launch/retrieve

That HDPE sounds like what I need near the front of my trailer too. Where can you buy the stuff in sheets like that? Do you wrap it and staple it or use other fasteners? Thanks

any plastic supply house. its what they make the bunk slicks out of

 

[tall bunks]

Re: Pontoon shallow launch/retrieve

Do a search for Surfix bunk slides - they are decent quality and recommended for use on pontoon trailers.

You can have a good trailer shop make an extendable tongue for your trailer - would be safer than an extended hitch. For normal towing/use, the tongue would remain in standard position. For shallow launches, you unhook your lights and safety chains at the launch, pull the bolt(s) that hold the tongue in standard position, then slide the tongue out to the pre-determined length where the next bolt hole allows you to replace the bolt to lock the extension in place. I think I've seen something similar on some sailboat trailers.

I checked the Surfix website. Thank you. What size would you recommend? Depending on the size that may be cheaper than the Polyethelene sheet sites that I have seen online.

On the extendable tongue, do I understand correctly that the tongue telescopes from an existing frame mounted hitch or is the tongue all one piece mounted on the truck frame? Is the ext. tongue rated for safe towing at 3000 lbs plus?

 

[tall bunks]

Re: Pontoon shallow launch/retrieve

get a couple of sheets of .060" thick HDPE and wrap around the leading edge of the bunks, this will slide on the bunks a lot better and allow you to winch the boat up.

or find a buddy with a 4 wheel drive and back in until the exhaust is under water.

which lake are you on?

I'm Hancock Lake, WI. The Surfix slide might be a cheaper solution unless the HDPE sheets are available from a hardware store. These commercial sites are expensive and they don't appear to have that thickness (.060). Unless I get an extendable tongue my rear wheel truck won't work well. A guy on the lake with a 4X4 hires himself out. It will still be a challenge. Thanks.

 

[tall bunks]

Re: Pontoon shallow launch/retrieve

My launch is shallow, and what I do is once the boat is about half in the water is to unhook the strap and safety chain and play out about 10 feet of strap and tie off a 50 foot rope to the toon and the back of my truck ( I launch by my self ) and then back up a bit at a time and tap the breaks and force the tool to slide back. It may take a time or two but it works fine. Loading is simple it runs up more than enough on the trailer to winch up. And I couldn't power load if I wanted to I am running a 9.9.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm not comfortable with possibly dropping a new pontoon in shallow water. Going with an extended trailer tongue would be safer and drier.

 

[mrdancer]

Re: Pontoon shallow launch/retrieve

I checked the Surfix website. Thank you. What size would you recommend? Depending on the size that may be cheaper than the Polyethelene sheet sites that I have seen online.

On the extendable tongue, do I understand correctly that the tongue telescopes from an existing frame mounted hitch or is the tongue all one piece mounted on the truck frame? Is the ext. tongue rated for safe towing at 3000 lbs plus?

I would go with whatever your bunk sizes are now. For example, I used the five-inch boards on my 2x6 bunks. I think the wider boards give better support. One advantage of the surfix boards is that they have beveled edges, pre-drilled countersunk holes, and quality stainless screws - all you need is a drill to install them.

For the tongue, it would telescope from inside the existing tongue on the trailer. Another option would be a second tongue welded below your existing tongue - the second tongue would be extendable. Do a websearch for "extendable trailer tongue" and you will get some ideas.