"Greg" wrote in message
...

They don't "swamp" and sink.

I have seen pontoon boats "submarine" , where the wave over the front
pushed the bow down and then the momentum drove them well underwater. They
should surface again, but they may not be in one piece, and can certainly be
non running afterwards. Gear and people can be lost overboard.

In the Estero River I get wakes as bad as the waves in the gulf on all but
the
worst days.

Wakes on a river have their limits, and generally come in sets of two.
There is no limit to the size of the waves on an ocean, and they can be
relentless.

On a river, safe ground isn't that far away. A few miles out on an ocean an
you can be in a world of hurt.

Rod

Despite good advice to the contrary folks will do incredibly stupid things in
boats. What's most troubling to me is the encouragement they get from this
forum.

The person asking the question is a pilgrim.

Why provide bad advice to him. Can one "get away with" taking a pontoon boat
offshore? Certainly, usually. Should one tempt fate in such a way? IMO,
no.... particularly with others aboard.

Butch

The best reason not to is that it was never made for that
type of water.
"JDavis1277" wrote in message
...
Despite good advice to the contrary folks will do incredibly
stupid things in
boats. What's most troubling to me is the encouragement
they get from this
forum.

The person asking the question is a pilgrim.

Why provide bad advice to him. Can one "get away with"
taking a pontoon boat
offshore? Certainly, usually. Should one tempt fate in
such a way? IMO,
no.... particularly with others aboard.

Butch

The best reason not to is that it was never made for that
type of water.

Don't confuse the Gulf with the ocean. If someone is simply going a few miles
offshore they are not going to see the pounding waves you see in the ocean
unless there is a storm nearby. In most places in Fla the water will still be
30' deep or so. You can get in a lot more trouble in the great lakes and I
don't see people saying you can't run a pontoon there.
Weather is always a factor on the water, no matter where you run.

You can get in a lot more trouble in the great lakes and I
don't see people saying you can't run a pontoon there.

You can't run a pontoon there.


Nobody runs pontoon boats on Lake Michigan?

Greg,
Actually I don't see a whole lot of pontoons on Lake Saint Clair [the
sixth Great Lake :-)]. I'm sure there's some, but I see a whole lot more
around Ft. Myers Beach in Florida. Probably see more pontoons around here
on inland lakes.
Paul

"Greg" wrote in message
...

The best reason not to is that it was never made for that
type of water.

Don't confuse the Gulf with the ocean. If someone is simply going a few
miles
offshore they are not going to see the pounding waves you see in the ocean
unless there is a storm nearby. In most places in Fla the water will still
be
30' deep or so. You can get in a lot more trouble in the great lakes and I
don't see people saying you can't run a pontoon there.
Weather is always a factor on the water, no matter where you run.

I see a whole lot more
around Ft. Myers Beach in Florida.

It is the perfect boat if you hang out in the bays but there are still plenty
of guys who run out to the artificial reefs in them.
I am not talking about sailing to CanCun or Key West. I assumed we were just
talking about a short ride a few miles out in the gulf on a calm winter day.

Greg,
I agree completely. Furthest out I usually went was about four miles
because that afforded us privacy. Never felt comfortable enough to try
diving the barges which I was told were about ten miles out. In calm seas
they're great, in a three foot chop they're wet and cold. In the bays you
can't get more bank for the buck. BTW - Happy holidays to you and yours.
Paul

"Greg" wrote in message
...
I see a whole lot more
around Ft. Myers Beach in Florida.

It is the perfect boat if you hang out in the bays but there are still
plenty
of guys who run out to the artificial reefs in them.
I am not talking about sailing to CanCun or Key West. I assumed we were
just
talking about a short ride a few miles out in the gulf on a calm winter
day.

As some one who grew up on the Gulf (Treasure Island, Maderia Beach, Reddington
Beach...etc) belive me, the "shallow water" alluded to in the last post can get
you in big trouble as the seas can quickly build into a steep short period
chop. Rea steep. Real quick. Very short period. Granted the squall mabe
lasts a half hour but it's a white knuckled half hour!
Take care
Mike

Previous post=Don't confuse the Gulf with the ocean. If someone is simply
going a few miles
offshore they are not going to see the pounding waves you see in the ocean
unless there is a storm nearby. In most places in Fla the water will still be
30' deep or so. You can get in a lot more trouble in the great lakes and I
don't see people saying you can't run a pontoon there.
Weather is always a factor on the water, no matter where you run.

On 06 Dec 2003 17:47:57 GMT, (Greg) wrote:
You can get in a lot more trouble in the great lakes and I
don't see people saying you can't run a pontoon there.

==========================================

I've spent a lot of time on Lake Ontario and a fair amount of time on
Lake Michigan, and have never seen a pontoon boat on either one, nor
would I recommend it. I've seen pontoon boats on small lakes take
water over the deck from even small wakes.

I'm now living ten miles from the gulf, and certainly there are many
calm days when you could go out on an inner tube but that doesn't make
it a good idea. Things change too quickly and there's always the
unexpected large wake to contend with.