I recently bought an American flag for my pontoon boat but wasn’t 100% certain on how I was going to attach and mount it at the back. I own a Bennington and there aren’t any pre-drilled holes or pole holders anywhere on the boat, so had to figure out how best to do it. 

Where to Mount & Position a Pontoon Flag

To best fly my flag, I’ve used two methods.

The first method and placement for my flag was a little ingenious (I think you might agree) as I used some cheap fender adjusters that I had left over and clipped those to the frame of my Bimini.

Handy Hint: You can see photos below of how other people also use this method in the comments further down the page.

If you have the extra clips it’s a real simple solution, and should take just 5 minutes to set-up, and you can see which ones I recommend in this fender clip guide.

That worked for a few weeks until I went on a fishing trip with some of my buddies. I was finding that it was getting in the way of our fishing rods though. 

The alternative methods I looked into was flying from my anchor light on top of the Bimini, but with that method it was going to get in the way of some of the low bridges I need to navigate in my area, so that wasn’t an option.

The flag mounting method I ended up using was an aftermarket solution from the Taylor Made brand, who you should have heard of – they do great products and accessories for pontoon boats. 

You can see the Taylor Made flag pole kit and mount on Amazon. 

It’s 30 inches high, injection-molded, and uses black nylon mount which I then easily attached to the top of my Bennington pontoon railing. The kit uses a 3/4 inch diameter bright dipped anodized aluminum pole that quickly snaps into the base and features color matched Charlevoix flag clips. 

Go check it out, it’s very easy to use, and unlike DIY solutions using fender clips, bungees, or zip ties looks professional too and seamlessly integrates with the design of your pontoon.

Where & How Other People Have Attached Flags

I had a look around the web to find out how and where other pontoon boat owners have mounted their flags and saw some really good examples in a Facebook group.

I’ve included some of those examples below which should give you some additional information on pontoon flag mounting and placements should you wish to try something a little bit different.

Here’s what other pontooners are saying, including some photos of their flag placement ideas.

“I took PVC and made a short 10-inch pole to hold two flags and then I have a 20-inch stick for when we get to the sand bar, I just strap them to the ski bar on my boat.”

“I zip tied a short piece of 2-inch PVC to the outside of the pontoon rail. My flag is on a six-foot fishing rod so that I can roll the flag on and store in the locker.”

“The best place and position I have found for my pontoon flag and pole is attached to the anchor light on top of the Bimini. I also use zip ties and it works perfectly, plus is dead simple to take down when not in use… or when approaching a low bridge!”

“We have PVC piping which we then slot into the rod holders. As you can see we’ve got loads of flags on our pontoon including the American flag plus some extras that give our boat a little more personality!”

“Our anchor light is on top at the back of the Bimini, so we connected the top of the flag to it and then the bottom to the boat rail. Works a treat and is a great position as can be seen for miles!”

“All I did was to an auto parts store and bought some of those small mini bungee cords. Took those down to the marina and then hooked our thin blue line and skull and crossbones flags tightly around the Bimini poles. Works in all weathers and hasn’t come off, plus is way easier to take off when needed.”

“I found a really easy way to fly my American flag from my pontoon. All I do is use two fender holders on my Bimini top frame. We’ve been flying the flag proud now all season with no problems.”

“The best way to mount a pontoon flag in my opinion is to get an adjustable flag holder then screw that to a wooden block inside of the changing room. Then to give the support the flag needs to hold is straight up in position use 12-inch ¾-inch PVC and a couple carabiners! The bungee keeps it from sagging when we’re moving.”

“I also used fender clips and zip ties and got the idea from someone else. Works great and our flag is now mounted and attached hard and fast at all times.”

“My flag mounting method uses rod holders, with 5-inch flag poles. I find that fishing poles work excellently, and if you have snap-on rod holders you can then place the flag anywhere you like on your pontoon for the best effect.”

“Rather than a DIY option, I chose the easiest possible mounting solution and bought some of the Taylor Made 48-inch solid stainless-steel flag pole and mounting socket. All you do is screwed it into the pontoon deck.”

“We use a very simple placement solution and attach the flag to a fishing pole which is then placed pole in rod holder. If you don’t want to use a fishing pole, instead take a half inch of PVC and it will fit in rod holder and won’t rattle about. I painted the rod holder black also. And then put a little rod holder clip on tap rail to keep flag poles straight.”

“I’ve had luck with three different mounting methods. Either use a PVC pipe in a shorter piece that’s larger and bolted to the stern of the pontoon. I have also used my anchor light on top which has worked well in the past, or you can use the VHF 8 foot whip antenna and attached to that instead.”

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