How to Install a Rear Platform on a Pontoon Boat

A true pontoon boat has a control cockpit and double or triple flotation-foam-filled pontoons. It resembles a powered catamaran. Unlike the "party barge" -- a deck stretched between and over two air-filled pontoons -- the pontoon boat may have an interior cabin and a rear deck. The rear swim platform for a pontoon boat, not a party barge, is typically a pre-fabricated fiberglass and wood platform attached to the rear deck of the boat. Because the platform is, also typically, wide and flat, you'll need assistance with its installation.

Things You'll Need

  • Adjustable wrench
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Instructions

    • 1

      Tell your assistant to pick up one side of the platform while you pick up the other. Move the platform to the rear of the boat.

    • 2

      Position the platform on the rear of the boat. Mark the location of the mounting holes, found on three sides of the swim platform, onto the rear of the pontoon boat using a china marker.

    • 3

      Drill the mounting holes in the hull of the pontoon boat. Lift one side of the swim platform at a time and spread a thin coat of adhesive marine caulk on the bottom of the swim platform, around the mounting holes.

    • 4

      Spread an additional layer of adhesive marine caulk around the mounting holes drilled in the hull of the boat. Return the swim platform to its position on the hull.

    • 5

      Secure the platform in place with the mounting bolts provided with the platform, without fully tightening the bolts. Allow the caulk to cure. After 24 hours, tighten the bolts fully with an adjustable wrench.