Pontoon boat for diving saltwater

[onefastpony]

I live in the Tampa, Fl area and was wanting to get a boat but the CC's are a little out of my price range. Was wondering if a pontoon boat could be set up for diving in the gulf of mexico? I'm not talking going way out, just out to some of the reefs in the clearwater and st pete area.

 

[SkimFisher]

A pontoon boat will not take a wave very well at all. I would barely even suggest you use one in Tampa Bay, let alone in the Gulf. Not to mention they are sssslllloooowwwwww. They're good lake boats - that's about all I'd recommend them for. Are you looking at used CC's? I picked up a used but in great shape 19' Mako CC last year for next to nothing. Lots of repos out there. Big enough for 3 divers, 4 if you stow gear smartly and have small friends.

Not to mention corrosion...there's an aweful lot of AL in those boats. There's a reason you don't see very many pontoons in salt water.

 

[onefastpony]

thanks skim, didnt think it was really a good idea, just checking. Yea, I am looking at some used CC's. just have to talk the wife into letting me spend the money.

 

[Bazooka Joe]

There are an awful lot of pontoons out in the gulf, just go out of the Anclote river and you will see tons of the. Down in cozumel they have plenty of Pontoons rigged up for diving and they make stable platforms. A pontoon is only as fast as the motor and I have seen some seriously fast pontoons I was Lake of the Ozarks and saw a potoon that could do 113MPH. IF there were places close to shore that were worthy of diving a Pontoon would be a good platform. Corrosion is only there because someone did not take care of the boat.

The ability of a Pontoon to run in shallow water would be a great attraction for a dive platform in the rivers Crystal, Rainbow...etc up north.

Now, you could make another choice and go with a fiberglass deck boat, Huricance, RInker, Bayliner. Those handle wave extermely well and make a very stable platform to dive from, although you would prob have to have custom ladder made for it or go with a christmas tree ladder.

Joe

 

[SkimFisher]

I see a lot of J14's out there too...doesn't mean I'd buy one.

Too many bad experiences on pontoon boats. Not for me.

Pony - take into consideration the kind of diving/fishing/whatever you want to do. If a pontoon boat will do it for you - go for it. If not, look until you find something that will. Keep in mind though that many of the days you're going to want to go out will be less than ideal conditions. That doesn't mean 4ft rollers, but it also doesn't mean a moderate chop either.

Best advice to you - if you do end up going with a pontoon (or any other boat for that matter), do your sea trial on a rough day. Every boat is going to perform well in ideal conditions - rough waters separate the men from the boys.

Happy hunting.

 

[Jupiter31]

We dive a lot from our own boat - you can guess the brand based on the name I post under -

One good rule of thumb is to look at boats popular in your area - the reason you don't see pontoon boats in your area - or offshore Miami, for that matter - is they are not suitable for the boating at hand - inland lakes, rivers, fresh water.....sure.

If you see the majority of boats in use, I would bet that you will see a ton of center consoles 21 - 31' - if you plan to go out in the gulf, like in so many other things, bigger is better!

I'd also skip anything w/ a cabin - all they do is take up space, and have little practical purpose on a small boat.

PS To Walke121 We had a Contender 31' w/ twin 250 Yamahas for 10 years - loved that boat; so many good times, took it to the Bahamas for years - it got stolen, and we bought the Jupiter 3 years ago - I like it, but would have zero hesitation about going back to Contender - love the 33' - but even used, in this crap market, they want stupid money for them, so its going to be Jupiter for the foreseeable future!

 

[Nemrod]

I would rather be in a canoe than a pontoon in any sort of blow on open water.

Skimfisher is right, you should be able to pick up a decent 18 to 22 foot cc and assuming it is a decent quality boat would be far more seaworthy than a pontoon. N

 

[Waterskier1]

I have a 44-ft Pontoon Houseboat on Lake Powell. It's the perfect boat for that Lake. But I wouldn't think of taking it out in a large open water bay, much less the ocean or gulf. It has very little free-board, with is good if you want to beach a boat and not have to swim to shore. But it is bad in wind because they have a huge amount of surface area above the surface and virtually nothing below. They are very easily blown around.

That said, I did take a day trip in Bonaire on a 60+ foot catamaran. Some people call those "pontoon" boats. They take that boat all over the Caribbean without incident. But they do check the weather and make sure it will be relatively calm seas, and they they try to take trips they can do in less than 36 hours if at all possible.

 

[SkimFisher]

I know a few people with catamarans that love them for diving. The hull design supposedly makes them very fuel efficient. They generally don't require big engines to push them around either - but I can't say if that's by design or simply a limitation of the design.

Have you looked on New Boats And Used Boats For Sale By Owner And From Dealers at all? Something to keep in mind is that a marine loan is not like a car loan. Depending on the age, condition and cost of the boat you can finance them out to 20+ years. Boats don't lose their value like autos do if they're properly maintained.

If you go used, make sure you have a good marine mechanic give it a head to toe inspection. I can give you the number of the guy I use if you want. Most dealers don't mind if you bring your own guy out to check it out. Be wary of any dealer that does.

 

[Jupiter31]

I think the OP was asking about a pontoon boat - the ones w/ the aluminum pontoons vs a catamaran - a cat can be an excellent dive boat - but a pontoon is a different boat entirely, and is far better suited to fresh water, protected boating.

PS The design of a cat makes it better suited to lower horsepower as they are not designed as much for speed as a mono deep v hull, but will proform well in rougher water