Pontoon guides

[Instigator]

Ok Gents
I need to fabricate some guides for my pops pontoon so that it is easier to load for him and my mom.
My dad wants some that bolt to the rear of the trailer and stick above the water line so he can fit between them but he wants them to stick above the water line when loading. I think there is a better way and
I have a few ideas but show me what yours looks like if you have any.
Looking to see if there is a better way than what I am thinking of building for my folks.
I will have 1 week to build it while they are gone on an RV trip.
Post up some pics please and Thank you in advance for the ideas.

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

For pontoons I would do two sets of guide bars. A set at the rear of the trailer that are tall enough to be useful with the trailer fully submerged.

Then a second set of guides in front of the trailer tires to help the pontoon stay on the trailer if it winds up being in too deep and the pontoon wants to blow off the trailer. These would be shorter.

That’s what I would do.

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

Alternatively because it’s a pontoon you could put the guide bars in the middle of the trailer facing out that would be wide enough to allow the pontoon to be properly centered even with a cross wind, either coming from the right or the left.

If you don’t want the guide bars on the outside for space reasons (too wide then to get the trailer into storage), etc.

 

[joecfd1]

I built this trailer for Bennington. Loads very easily with the vertical guides.

 

[LuauLounge]

Appears to check ALL the boxes, nice job.

 

[DLC]

I have the some type of set up Adrenaline built for my toon they work great!

you can add rear outside ones also…

I worry about driving up the ramp to fast and not seating the back half of the toon on the bunks in a heavy cross wind….

my wife usually drives the truck up and off the ramp to the wipe Down area, ….. I’m like just go nice and slow

I built this trailer for Bennington. Loads very easily with the vertical guides.

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[Instigator]

I built this trailer for Bennington. Loads very easily with the vertical guides.

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This is what I was thinking of doing but put the bunk material on the outside as it is for a pontoon rather that an tri-toon. Probably build it with the bunk material on both side and top of the runners so if he misses the correct side of the runners it won't hurt anything. I was also thinking of using Trex decking lumber for the bunk material as well.

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

This is what I was thinking king of doing but put the bunk material in the outside as it is for a pontoon rather that an triton. Probably build it with the bunk material on both side and top of the runners so if he misses the correct side of the runners it won't hurt anything. I was also thinking of using Trex decking lumber for the bunk material as well.

UltimateBunkBoards.com

Better option than Trex.

 

[FlyByWire]

We had Shadow fab these up for us for our 25 Manitou. Night and day when it comes to retrieving the boat.. all the wife had to do was get ‘er close and the guides just kind of handle the rest.

 

[Instigator]

We had Shadow fab these up for us for our 25 Manitou. Night and day when it comes to retrieving the boat.. all the wife had to do was get ‘er close and the guides just kind of handle the rest.



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I was thinking about the same thing but run them further back on the trailer as well.

 

[TCHB]

I built this trailer for Bennington. Loads very easily with the vertical guides.

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That is the way to do it. Works a lot better extended to the back of the boat. Once you get the center toon in it is done.

 

[bk2drvr]

I built this trailer for Bennington. Loads very easily with the vertical guides.

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This looks nice. One comment, those exposed outer steal uprights could ruin your day if the pontoon is not coming in straight and a little fast. That would keep me up at night. May want to consider running bunks down the outer sides.

 

[RiverDave]

I built this trailer for Bennington. Loads very easily with the vertical guides.

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I would suggest the internal vertical guides over the external "pole" style. This is what my toon has and it's super easy.

RD

 

[RiverDave]

This looks nice. One comment, those exposed outer steal uprights could ruin your day if the pontoon is not coming in straight and a little fast. That would keep me up at night. May want to consider running bunks down the outer sides.

It hits the center toon, before it can get touch the outside toons.

RD

 

[joecfd1]

It hits the center toon, before it can get touch the outside toons.

RD

Exactly… It’s 5" away from the outer toons.

 

[ONE-A-DAY]

Is he loading the trailer with it barely in the water, putting the bow on and then backing the truck down while powering on? If you put a toon trailer all the way into the water your making it 100 time harder. Putting boats on trailers for early 50 years went out the window with my first toon until I changed the process.

 

[bk2drvr]

Exactly… It’s probably 8-9’ away from the outer toons.

It hits the center toon, before it can get touch the outside toons.

RD

It would hit the center toon first only if most of the length of the pontoon bunks were out of the water. But you wouldn’t load like that as you would not have enough trailer in the water. If the trailer is backed into the water with say 1/2 or even a 1/4 of the pontoon bunk length in the water then the outer toons can come in contact with the steel uprights if not centered almost perfectly on approach. Every other pontoon trailer I’ve seen has uprights with bunks running along both sides. I don’t think this is a coincidence.

 

[paradise]

Not sure what kind of toon but @ONE-A-DAY has the right idea. We would dip the whole trailer to get the bunks wet, pull it out till the tops of the wheel wells show to get the boat on the bunks. Then slowly back down as the boat comes up. Works 100% every time.

The issue with guides on the toons we’ve had is that the fins on the side of the toons can get caught on top of the guides depending on how deep the trailer is. Then it’s a MFer to get it between.

 

[rivermobster]

Is he loading the trailer with it barely in the water, putting the bow on and then backing the truck down while powering on? If you put a toon trailer all the way into the water your making it 100 time harder. Putting boats on trailers for early 50 years went out the window with my first toon until I changed the process.

This sounds pretty good, but then you HAVE to have 2 Talented people to make it work.

A lot of times I launch and retrieve by myself. Those inside guides look like heaven to me.

Almost like trailering a Stoker!

I REALLY need to learn how to weld.

 

[RiverDave]

It would hit the center toon first only if most of the length of the pontoon bunks were out of the water. But you wouldn’t load like that as you would not have enough trailer in the water. If the trailer is backed into the water with say 1/2 or even a 1/4 of the pontoon bunk length in the water then the outer toons can come in contact with the steel uprights if not centered almost perfectly on approach. Every other pontoon trailer I’ve seen has uprights with bunks running along both sides. I don’t think this is a coincidence.

Mine has it on the outside only.. I really don’t think you could hit those supports unless you were trying to put the boat on sideways.. lol.

 

[ONE-A-DAY]

This sounds pretty good, but then you HAVE to have 2 Talented people to make it work.

A lot of times I launch and retrieve by myself. Those inside guides look like heaven to me.

Almost like trailering a Stoker!

I REALLY need to learn how to weld.

I agree, the inside guides are the ticket when solo. I have bent the one ones on the outside of the trailer rear with a good whack, I took them off eventually.

 

[rivermobster]

Mine has it on the outside only.. I really don’t think you could hit those supports unless you were trying to put the boat on sideways.. lol.

You've never tried to trailer a toon in the current and wind in Parker??

Sometimes I just say F it and go to The Rock House. But again, that takes two people...