Pontoon Boat Characteristics

The Pontoon Boat, known as a Party Boat by some, has a hull constructed of round tubes (called sponsons) that are attached to the outside, bottom edge of a large flat deck. The deck is surrounded on all sides by a safety railing. The helm station is placed either in the middle of the deck or off to one side. While the bottom of the line version uses lawn furniture for seating, the deluxe models may have built-in, upholstered seating, a dinette table, a roof, a cooler and maybe even a head (toilet).

Powered by outboard, gasoline engines (either the 2- or 4-cycle version) in generally 10 to 100 hp models. A Pontoon boat has a seating capacity of 6 to 12 people, depending on the boat size that ranges in length from 16 feet to 22 feet.

The hull is constructed of 2 or 3 welded, aluminum tubes (called sponsons or pontoons), tapered at the forward ends to facilitate movement and speed. These pontoons are attached to the rigid deck platform by means of an aluminum frame, which forms a deck made out of aluminum, wood or fiberglass.
A special pontoon boat trailer is needed if you are going to be tailoring the pontoon boat.