Are you thinking about taking your pontoon boat out to sea or on the ocean?
Before you do, take a read of this and then make your mind up as to whether or not it’s a good idea.
I certainly don’t recommend it, so my short answer would be no.
Yes, it can be done, but it’s not safe.
There are people who do take them onto the ocean, and you might even be able to cross to the Bahamas on a perfectly calm and flat sea.
But, if you do, I would say you are a little crazy, so read on to get my definitive answer, with all my reasons as to why you shouldn’t really take pontoons out onto the sea.
Can I Use a Pontoon Boat on the Sea?
Pontoon boats are uniquely designed to be used on the quiet, shallow backwaters of lakes and rivers. But this doesn’t mean that they are slowpokes!
Depending on the power you have available and the design of the hull, it is possible to get speeds of up to 50 miles per hour.
Whilst calmer waters will provide the most fun, pontoon boats are capable of handling larger water areas such as protected bays and bigger inland waters.
But, they are not intended for the ocean!
Why?
Because a pontoon boat sits low on the water, way too low to be taken offshore.
If you do decide to do so, then you put yourself and your passengers at risk. Those risks could come from aspects such as:
- The wake from a sports-fishing boat or larger vessel
- Sudden changes in weather and rough, choppy water
- Large and unexpected waves
Pontoon boats are not designed for manoeuvrability in rough weather, and I’ve previously spoken about how they handle in choppy water. They are designed to be used on lakes where you will never experience the swell that you will encounter on the ocean.
If you were out to sea, then before you have time to react and get back to shore, you could be in a squall with 40 miles per hour wind that has come out of nowhere.
Out on the ocean or open sea, even a mild swell can reach 2 feet in height. You aren’t going to want to try and handle that type of situation in an open-deck boat that is only 10 to 14 inches above the water line.
In the ocean, there’s every chance that you could get swamped by a large wave and get thrown into the sea.
Not only that though.
You can also encounter “wind waves” and currents that pontoon boats are not designed to handle. The stresses that they can put on your boat are entirely different to those you would encounter on an average lake trip.
Pontoon boats are not structurally sound enough to handle being battered by sea waves, and don’t fare well against the stress of ocean swells. In high seas there will be a huge amount of flex in the decking and ribs.
But I Still Want to Take Mine in the Ocean!
You could add a V bow to your pontoon boat as well as adding extra weight into it, and more buoyancy – but if you are considering doing that you might as well have bought a normal boat designed for the sea in the first place.
Taking a pontoon boat into the sea or ocean is dangerous, I make no bones about it.
Even if you are still convinced that it’s something you want to do, then you could even be at risk of being fined by the US Coast Guard.
I’ve seen boat owners being told to get back to shore by the USCG based on the fact they think that the boat is unsafe. If they USCG see you in a pontoon boat on the sea, they might not take too kindly to it.
Conclusion
In simple terms, your pontoon boat should be left to being used on the lakes. That’s what they are designed for and why people have them.
Whilst you might have seen pontoon boats in the ocean when on vacation or near the coast where you live, I would not recommend it at all.
Pontoon boats are very shallow, and ride on top of waves rather than cutting through them. As soon as you hit waves, you are going to get a very rough tide and any wave more than a few inches high will get into the boat and beat you to pieces.
Admittedly, there will be many days when it might be perfectly fine to do so, as long as you are close to shore – but for me, the risks far outweigh the desire to do so.
Pontoons are made for lakes and calm rivers. If you really want to get out into the ocean to fish, then buy a boat that’s built for purpose.
