Speed. A pontoon can not serve your purpose if all you want is speed. Keep in mind that this only applies to bad weather or wind conditions. Throttle a little forward as you head towards the open water, with a gentle hand on the speed of the boat. 5 Tips For Docking A Pontoon Boat In The Wind. Plenty of pontoon boats are made to react to the wind and be light so that they can attain higher speeds. Before, I owned a 16' Crestliner. The wind speed and direction is a major factor in ensuring you have a safe and comfortable experience. Not long ago, floating docks weren't safe to use in hurricanes. Boating activities must be planned and approval given prior to any boat trip taking place. After leaving the boat launch, maintain slow-no-wake speed for a safe and legal distance from the launch. This does not make them ideal for any activity that involves a high level of speed. Otherwise, in normal conditions, a pontoon is a safe option. Larger boats may obviously be able to go out in rougher conditions due to their sheer size. ... Ponteen Boats and Wind Re: Ponteen Boats and Wind ... Never been out in a real bad storm, but most inland lakes you should be pretty safe. A rule-of-thumb for estimating wind speed is to look for white caps, which generally begin to appear at wind speeds approaching 20 miles per hour over calm water. Pontoon boats are not designed for high speed – they’re made for relaxing cruising down the lake or river, a slow and satisfying fishing session or a nice towing tube ride. S. steelespike Supreme Mariner. One common issue with a pontoon boat is speed. I was laying flooring, so was on my knees most of the time, but got caught out a few times when standing, when it hit the pontoon. Pontoon boats generally have a top speed of about 30 miles per hour. 1. This can hinder movement in the dock if winds are strong, so be mindful of that. Speed. Pontoon boats are not for racing, and most of them are not capable of accelerating much. Even in the shelter of other boats, I would guess the wind speed was 40-50 mph. There is no minimum age to operate a boat. The Safe Boat Operation for Vessels under 6 meters policy further defines the responsibilities within the University for safe boat operation, and should be read in conjunction with this code of practice. However the personal watercraft regulations and boating safety … code of practice. Pontoon boats can get more expensive engines or even more than one to increase their speed but this can get highly expensive. If possible, working with the bow into the wind is the safest position for the boat in windy conditions. Joined Apr 26, 2002 Messages 19,070. Now, storm-engineered floating dock systems survive Category 4 hurricanes, but that doesn't necessarily make them safe. Please call the FWC's Boating Safety Section at 850-488-5600 for annual updates to this information or questions regarding boating safety course requirements. For the last one, you might need quite a bit of acceleration going on. Feb 11, 2011 #4 Okay, I've owned my pontoon boat for a year now. Never allow passengers to ride on gunwales or seatbacks or outside of protective railings, including the front of a pontoon boat. Boat length Wave height Boating conditions; 3.5 metres: 1.0 metres: heavy going, limit of safety for this sized vessel: 3.5 metres: 0.8 metres: speed reduced, water comes aboard, care required "Protected" waters just a quarter-mile wide by a half-mile long have churned into 8 … A sudden turn, stop or start could cause a fall overboard. And follow all boat … Docking a Pontoon boat in the wind can prove a challenging task, particularly if you consider the size and weight of the average Pontoon. The information below relates to smaller boats around the 15-30 foot mark. 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