One other point on shapes. Put the front platform rail a ways in from the
bow. We rented a pontoon boat on Kentucky Lake and set off with four
aboard. The other three took their lawn chairs as far from the motor as
possible, while I manned the helm. At drifting speed it was fine, but once
we left the marina and I opened the throttle, it became a submarine.

Dive, Dive, Dive.

The water only came half way back along the deck before I closed the
throttle and let the bow bob back up.

Roger

http://home.earthlink.net/~derbyrm
"William R. Watt" wrote in message
...

MRusson ) writes:

So in a nutshell, a square or rectangular pontoon will be the best
for bouyancy due to its increased surface area, but will require a bit
beefier construction since it will be exposed to hull stresses that a
cylindrical pontoon could absorb. Also, the square or rectangular
pontoon would have to be slightly larger in order to accomodate the
increased weight and offset that weight to add more bouyancy. Am i
understanding that correctly? Thanks a ton!!!!

That's it. Another thing to remember about pontoons is that each pontoon
should be able to float close to the maximum load. You want to be able to
walk right over to the edge of the boat carrying bar-b-que and cooler, and
have it remain level.

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