One common question I get asked by new pontoon owners is whether or not there newly acquired boat is going to be fit into their garage.
I personally keep my pontoon boat at home, but it’s on my driveway and sat on the trailer. I simply don’t have a garage space big enough to store my pontoon, and also can’t afford to keep my boat at our local marina.
But just because I can’t fit and store my pontoon in my garage, that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to, but it will come down to a number of factors.
There are also some ingenious ways in which you can make better use of space in order to get your boat safely inside.
Before I get into that, let’s return to the original question on whether or not a pontoon boat can fit in a garage.
As there is no standard height or length for a pontoon boat, there is no generic and catch-all answer to whether it will fit in a garage. There are too many factors to consider including how high your trailer is, whether your Bimini is up or down, and the height, width, and length of your boat, the garage itself, and then the garage doors.
6 Tips on Fitting a Pontoon Boat in a Garage
Here are just some of the things you need to consider when looking to store your trailer pontoon boat in your garage, including preparation and fitting techniques.
1: Measure Up Your Chosen Pontoon Boat
Go to your local dealer if you haven’t bought a boat yet and measure the ones you like with the Bimini in the up position, and then also measure the height when the Bimini is set to the down position on the top of the pen rails.
Obviously if you already own a pontoon boat, you can do the same process.
2: Measure Up the Total Rig Length with Trailer
Most pontoon boat trailers come with a long tongue. The reason being is that they need this clearance space to operate in tight maneuvers. Read more about trailer lengths here.
You need a longer trailer than your pontoon boat to help with turning spaces.
You need to measure the length from the tip of the propeller or furthest rear aspect to the engine, all the way forwards to the top of the ball receiver hitch.
As a real-life example, let’s say you have a 22-foot Sun Tracker (here are example pontoon measurements)
In this example you might be looking at a total rig length of 31 feet once you consider the distance from the hitch to the prop. This is because your motor will hang off the rear of the trailer, and also due to the long tongue of the trailer.
But don’t just stop there.
Once you know your total length I would then recommend that you add another 3 feet on top to give you the total length you should have in your garage.
Why?
Because you need the extra space and breathing room for things like the door inset and to reduce the chances of pushing the motor into the back of the garage wall.
4: Let Some Air Out of the Trailer Tires
By simply letting some of the air out of your tires you might be able to reduce the height of your pontoon and trailer by a few fractions of an inch.
Not too much though, as you don’t want to ruin your trailer tires.
5: Buy a Smaller Pontoon Boat!
If storing a pontoon in your garage is really important to you, and you are still in the decision-making process on what to buy, then consider a compact or smaller boat.
For a list of some of the smallest pontoon boats that money can buy, take a look at these recommendations on smaller pontoons.
6: Get a Bigger Garage!
Enough said!
Best Garage Door Height for Pontoon Boat
As with the garage length, this will depend on the height of your pontoon and trailer, considering the Bimini too.
As a rule of thumb, you should have at least a foot of clearance for safe movement and storage when you back the trailer and boat back in to the garage.
In terms of width (here are example pontoon widths), ideally you need a couple of feet clearance on either side of the pontoon and trailer to the door entry.
You can get away with a foot clearance on either side, but speaking from experience, even 12 inches makes backing up into the garage very difficult and doesn’t leave much margin for error.
Tips and Tricks for Storing a Pontoon Boat in a Garage
Alright, you’ve measured your garage and either your pontoon boat or the one you have your eye on, and it looks like it’s just a little too tight. Don’t worry!
There are actually quite a few tricks of the trade I can share with you so that you can fit the boat in your existing garage.
Boat Cradles or Stands
Opting for a boat cradle or boat stand instead of keeping the pontoon on the trailer in the garage can save you some serious space.
However, that does mean moving the pontoon on and off the trailer to the cradle or stands as you need it, so this is really only a good plan if you plan to keep the boat in the garage for extended periods of time.
Buy a Smaller Trailer
Here’s a pretty obvious solution: buy a smaller trailer! Although this may not be an option for everyone, a more compact trailer could mean fitting your pontoon comfortably in your garage.
Remove the Motor
Your pontoon motor may just be putting your boat over the maximum length by a few inches. By removing it and safely placing it in the boat or on the side of the garage, you can skip building a whole new garage!
Keep the Doors Open
Even though it’s certainly not ideal, you may be able to keep your pontoon in the garage if you keep the doors open.
But note that this is not recommended if you live in a theft-prone neighborhood, have valuables in the garage, or live in an extremely cold climate.
Your Garage and Garage Doors Still Aren’t Big Enough?
If you find that you don’t have the room to back your pontoon and trailer into your garage, and you can’t keep your boat at a marina then there are some other options.
The most obvious one is to invest in a decent pontoon cover to keep the weather off and keep your pontoon on the trailer outside your house.
If you think about the costs and ease involved, it is way cheaper than having a custom-built larger garage installed, so worth considering!
Handy Hint: Read my advice on how you can prevent your pontoon boat and trailer from being stolen from your driveway.
