When you’ve got to go, you’ve got to go. Unfortunately, you don’t always get that level of privacy on a pontoon boat, unless you get the family to hold up some strategic towels. And that’s never popular with anyone!
Thankfully you can now buy a pontoon privacy enclosure, so you and your guests can do what they need to do, in their own time, and with no concerns over being seen.
There are different types of pontoon toilet enclosures including pop-up potty rooms, Bimini drop-down curtains, room enclosure fabric, or you could even make your own as a DIY project.
Below you can see what I recommend as the best pontoon privacy enclosures which you can use to get changed behind, or for storing your portable toilet in.
There are 2 options here:
- A hanging toilet enclosure for pontoons with a Bimini
- A pop-up collapsible toilet enclosure if you don’t have a Bimini
Scroll down to see both options in action.
#1: The Best Pontoon Boat Toilet Enclosure for Your Bimini
If you have a Bimini on your pontoon, then the best option by far is a drop-down pontoon boat portable toilet enclosure. It’s essentially like hanging curtains that you can attach under the Bimini, and just like curtains, move to the side when not in use.
You can buy these direct from your manufacturer, but they will be more expensive. For example, I was quoted over $150 from Bennington for one to fit my own boat.
Instead do what I did and buy a universal pontoon privacy enclosure from Amazon. There’s one available to buy currently which offers great value for money. That’s the Privacy Station from Northstar Products.
You can pick one of these up most of the time when shopping online for less than $90, and it is available in multiple colors to suit your own pontoon including black, blue, green, grey, tan, and burgundy.
It’s 6-foot in height (72 inches) so if you are a little taller than that, like I am, then you will have to duck a little. But it’s hanging under the Bimini directly so not really different to how you would normally have to duck if you’re tall.
It attaches with Velcro to the middle bar of your pontoon Bimini and comes with a zipper running up the middle.
There’s enough room inside for kids and adults to get changed out of swimming costumes or use a portable toilet inside. The internal dimensions when hung come out at 30 inches by 27 inches – so around 2 and a half foot each way.
That’s just the right amount of space for it to work very well as a pontoon boat portable toilet enclosure, and still leave enough room for the guest to move around in when doing their business.
It’s lightweight enough to be folded up under a seat, and the Velcro attachment means you only need to quickly unfold it, hang, and attach which takes around 30 seconds. You don’t have to have it up 100% of the time, only when required.
#2: Collapsible & Pop-Up Pontoon Toilet Enclosure
If you don’t have a Bimini and nowhere to hang your portable toilet enclosure, then you can still get the privacy you need but need a slightly different product.
Basically, it’s a pop-up changing room similar to one you might see on campsites, and in fact, the product I am recommending here is actually a portable changing room that photographers use.
It’s a perfect hack to be used pontoon boat toilet enclosure, and I know many pontooners who use this exact same product due to the low price point and ease of use.
Go take a look at the Fotodiox Collapsible Changing Room on Amazon. Just like the hanging enclosure in option one, this is also very portable and easy to use.
It’s designed the same way that modern one-man tents are, in so far that you take it out of the bag and it literally pops-up into shape. You don’t need anything to hang it from, and it’s relatively sturdy taking up a 3.5 by 3.5-foot floor space, and being 6.3 feet high.
So, yes, it does offer a larger space compared to the hanging pontoon privacy enclosure, but it’s not as stable. If you have a high wind picking up, you will need to weight it down as it works best when there’s nothing to blow it around.
To weigh it down there are small pouches at the bottom of the enclosure that you can add heavier objects into. I’d definitely advise that if you start to see any movement whilst in use.
And being blown around when using a portable pontoon toilet probably isn’t going to be that much fun… for anyone!
But, if you don’t have a Bimini and don’t have anywhere to hang an enclosure, it really is the best option to go for.
#3: Make Your Own DIY Pontoon Boat Toilet Enclosure
I’ve not done this but can’t imagine it would be that difficult providing you have the sewing skills and can get hold of the correct materials.
If it were me making my own DIY enclosure I would look at the one I recommend in option one and try to replicate the materials and construction used there, but possibly going a little larger.
You will need:
- Velco straps
- Heavy duty zipper
- Canvas materials
And then someone who can cut and sew.
You can see an example of where I found a DIY pontoon toilet enclosure on the Pinterest website.
Conclusion
If you have young children or passengers who require frequent trips to the toilet then a privacy enclosure is an essential accessory.
They don’t cost much and are portable enough to be stored and packed away in seconds once you’ve used them.
Handy Hint: If you also need a portable toilet then read this complete guide to pontoon bathrooms.
With enough space to hold a portable pontoon toilet inside, and still give you enough room to get changed out of wet swimming costumes, they come into their own when on a lake with a lot of other boat traffic.
If you have a Bimini, definitely opt for option 1 as it will be far more stable when on the water or on a windy day.
The pop-up version can be weighted down, or you can always ask another passenger to help protect your dignity and privacy if it is started to get buffered about a bit.
