Pontoons in the wind

How do pontoons handle the wind as far as rough ride, getting wet, etc.? I currently have a 16 ft Alumacraft that will handle anything I want to be out there on so I am wondering other than the obvious "sail" effect everyone talks about, how do they handle rough water when operated in an intellegent manner?
Obviously here in Kansas we get some hellacious winds at times and I am not opposed to being on the water with high winds, I am just looking for REAL WORLD EXPERIENCES from those that actually OWN a pontoon.
I dont give three squats about someones brother's, uncle's aunt that had a son that owned a pontoon and had nothing but trouble with it. I would like to hear from those that actually own a pontoon.:crazy:

I dont know much about small pontoons. we had a 24ft ponton and would handle any type of water in oklahoma. it never seemed to make much differance, it handle the wind and waves with out a problem. It was hard to maintain position in the wind but never worried about it going over and usually stayed pretty dry no matter what.

:popcorn... Ive been wondering the same thing... wouldn't mind getting a second boat:biggrin

We used to take ours out on Milford all the time. Never felt unsafe, but I tend to be a fairly cautious boat driver especially when the waves really get rolling. The ride was very dry.

IMO, most of the pontoon boat horror stories you hear is because people tend to overload them. "Yes, let's load everybody we know onto this boat, each of them with a full cooler of beer, and then take off across the lake... What could go wrong?":crazy:

Having owned a few types of boats, I would say that a pontoon would be the best choice for fishing with kids or bringing the family dog along with you. Just having the deck space can be nice when you have antsy kids and pets. Or if you like to bring a lot of sunbathing babes with you.:yikes But otherwise, I personally do not see any advantage for an angler.

Just this month I purchased my first pontoon. Have always fished out of a boat and currently have an 18.5 modified with a 90 hp etec. Had the pontoon out last weekend and it was like no other "on the water" experience that I have had. Had white caps and it cut through them with no spray or bouncing of the toons.

advantages of my pontoon vs my aluminum boat...

much more stable platform...much more
no stepping up and down to move around the boat (important to me)
able to take more of my kids and grandkids out on the water and do recreational activities
bimini top (was out last Sat and Sun and was very comfortable especially around the 2 oclock hr...gets hot in my boat)


disadvantages
BIG...gotta get use to pulling it
unloading the toon wasn't much of a problem but loading it is something I am going to have to get use to...will probably become second nature once I get more experience
haven't tried anchoring but I know this will be the biggest drawback....will probably end up using fluke anchors
no trolling motor but have concerns about trolling and the wind
boat weighs a little over 2000 lbs...was concerned about the gas mileage but managed to get 14 with my 4.8 v8 (55 to 60 mph)
doesn't respond as well as my aluminum boat...turning and moving over a designated spot
drift fishing...I think its going to work out ok...depending on the number of people and location I will be able to leave the big motor down and not have to worry about the front end swinging

as of now I have no regrets about making the purchase...grandkids and kids will have some good memories...and as I get older fishing out of the pontoon will allow us to do things that I wouldn't be able to do with the boat

I have owned a 21 foot pontoon since 1996, handles the wind really good ride is dry. Fishing out of a pontoon is different if you want to stay in a spot you just about have to anchor and you need bigger anchors than you would on a boat. The pontoon catches a lot of wind. It is great for trolling and drift fishing using a
drift sock. The top is nice in the summer for shade.

Thanks for all of the replies. I am seriously thinking about trading the boat on a 21 foot lowe with a 115 on it so motivation should not be a problem but I do wonder how hard it will be to hold it over a brush pile in the wind.
I will have a 80 lb Terrova with IPilot on the front so hopefully that will hold me fairly steady over the brush. The 55 lb Power Drive I have now has IPilot and I love it. It works a little harder on windy days but I still stay fairly close to where I want to be once I learned to set the spot lock upwind of where I want to be!

I do wonder what type of anchor I will need to hold a pontoon still when I decide to anchor. I dont have much luck getting anchors to bite even with my small boat (yes I let out a 5 to 1 line to depth ratio) so I can only imagine the cussing that will go on trying to get a pontoon anchored up! rotfl
What type of anchors work best for you when trying to get them to bite and hold?

A big thing to consider with pontoon boats is the size of the pontoons themselves. If you can get the boat with bigger ones the better. I've owned one that rode low and anything other than calm days I could take on water if someone wanted to be up front while under way. As for anchoring, the preferred ratio is 7 to 1 and with about 5ft of chain at the anchor to get it to tip over and dig in as your trying to set it.

I would not bet on being able to stay on a sport with and average Kansas wind, I had a 80 lb thrust Motor Guide and it was a real pain. a 10 MPH breeze sailed you around at will almost impossible to stay on a brush pile.

I'm looking for one for the shade and trolling... What size engine would be best on one if i want to get her down to 2 mph... would a 35 push her pretty slow but fast enough to move around a little... if max speed was 15 i would be happy with that for what i want it for... already have a fast boat

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Originally Posted by laltec

I'm looking for one for the shade and trolling... What size engine would be best on one if i want to get her down to 2 mph... would a 35 push her pretty slow but fast enough to move around a little... if max speed was 15 i would be happy with that for what i want it for... already have a fast boat

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Depending on the size of the pontoon and the number of people, 35hp might not get you to 15mph.

IMO, the wind speed and direction would be the biggest factor in whether or not you could troll effectively from your pontoon.

I have owned a 24' pontoon with an aluminum roof for 3 years and love it. It is equipped with a Motor guide 75lb-24 volt wireless that will move it at 3.5 mph.
The 70 HP Johnson will troll down to 2.5 MPH perfect for trolling. top speed with all the batteries and extra stuff on board is 16MPH.
I've been caught out on the lake alone with 4' wakes and never felt unsafe as long as I kept it into the wakes letting the wakes come over the front, quick way to wash the deck off. Just don't get sideways in high wakes, it will rock badly but won't tip over.
If you are around Clinton Lake during the day when the marina is open I'm in slip 711 by the restrooms you can check out my anchor system that will dig in no matter how bad the winds are. PM me if you would like to meet at Clinton for a test ride, BUT IT IS NOT FOR SALE.