How to Get Water Out of a Pontoon Boat

A pontoon boat has a flat deck platform sitting above the hull. The hull consists of two large tubes called pontoons that taper in at the front of the boat. Some models are equipped with three pontoons. The shallow hull makes it dangerous for the sea because waves as small as 2 feet will wash on to the deck. Pontoons are designed for sailing on lakes, rivers and other calm waters. There are techniques to get water out of a pontoon boat if wakes from passing boats caused a significant amount of water to swamp over the deck.

Instructions

    • 1

      Redistribute the weight on the boat by moving objects and rearranging the passenger seating. Objects to move include ice chests, ski equipment, scuba and fishing gear. Putting all or most of the weight on one side of the boat will cause it to slightly lean, allowing the water to flow off. In rough storm waters, shift the weight to the back center of the pontoon boat.

    • 2

      Turn on the bilge pump if the boat is outfitted with one. Bilge pumps are equipped on many older models, but are seldom on newer model pontoon boats. It is also possible to force water out of the bilge by getting the boat up on plane at high speeds.

    • 3

      Use a large rubber broom and sweep the water off the deck. It may be a good idea to keep two brooms aboard the boat for passengers to use if a large amount of water comes aboard.