I'm thinking about using the Barth to put my boat in the water. Would I end up submerging my gen(it's in the back)? Things in the back:
bathroom, black water tank, fwd of that-gas tank, parallel to bwtank is gen.

This way I wouldn't have to buy a vehicle to tow boat. The boat is a pontoon boat. Around 3500 lbs w/trailer.
Tere

quote:

Originally posted by Jim and Tere:
I'm thinking about using the Barth to put my boat in the water. Would I end up submerging my gen(it's in the back)?

Ir depends. No two ramps are the same.

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This way I wouldn't have to buy a vehicle to tow boat.

Towing and launching are two different things.

Have you considered a hitch on the front bumper? You can see the boat really well, and once you get the hang of it, it is far easier and more accurate than a rear hitch. You also have the advantage of your traction axle staying the good traction are of the launch ramp.

I grew up on a farm and have launched boats since forever, and a front hitch is the way to go. The two minutes moving the boat from back to front are worth the effort on all but the best ramps.

We pushed airliners that way.

We used to water ski at a lake, and some farmer (not too close to the lake) often appeared driving a farm tractor with a ball on the front loader bucket. Yup, he pushed his boat all the way from the farm to the lake to launch it. Never did find out how far he drove, but it was some distance.

Even though Bill makes a good point about no two ramps being the same, as you are launching a pontoon boat I feel you will be fine on almost any ramp. The thing most people do wrong launching and retrieving is putting the trailer in too deep. On most trailers, when the fender is about an inch submerged you are good to go. You don't want to completely float the boat. You want the front to be slightly stuck on a bunk trailer and use the motor to power off. A roller trailer can be a little trickier, but it the same basic positioning.

On retrieval, you want the same thing, the friction helps center the boat (especially a V hull). Once you drive up to the winch stand, shut er down and lift the motor. Walk forward and hook it up. With a little practice anyone can launch and retrieve like a pro.

While we're on the subject, boats do not turn like an automobile. In a car you turn off the rear wheels as they (typically) don't turn. We all know that when you turn a large RV, the rear wheels will often track inside the front wheel turning radius. A boat, because there is nothing to pin it down with friction, always turns off the center of the boat (assuming no thrusters). This means when you turn, the front and rear are equally offset from the center-line. Many people will abort a docking only to turn too sharp away and have the aft of the boat smack into the dock with force. Think about these dynamics when driving your boat and you will start to have an intuitive understanding of the handling.

quote:

Have you considered a hitch on the front bumper? You can see the boat really well, and once you get the hang of it, it is far easier and more accurate than a rear hitch. You also have the advantage of your traction axle staying the good traction are of the launch ramp.

One more thing, I'm hoping it isn't necessary to qualify Bill's statement about the front hitch "This is just for launch/retrieve, not towing down the road!!!!!"

I once had a trailer with a telescopic tongue. I made it long for launching, short for towing, and removed it so I could close my garage door.

The long extension kept me from getting too deep in the sand. Yes, boondocking boat launching. I got a little tired of water coming into the floor of the back seat of the car.

Jim,
I pull my 18 1/2 foot Crestliner fishing boat. I should have taken pics. One of the first things I did to D-Barth was to make a front hitch. My generator is in the front but there are some interesting ramps on some of the small lakes I frequent. I Minnesota it is finding a place to park the rig after launching. So far I have not used the front hitch because being an Old Farm boy and the room I got no problems. After I launched at the Lake I had 2 folks come up and say "man you back good! Heck I had all kinds of room. The front hitch only has to be able to maneuver the boat. It's not for long term towing. I made it so I can use any lenght receiver hitch. It is hidden behind the license plate and FMCA placard that are on a hinge. I'll take a pic tomorrow if I get a chance.

Tere & Jim: This sounds a little precarious. If you decide to do this, make sure your windshield wipers are in good condition so you can see your way back to the ramp(it's murky down there).....

Thanks for the pointer Carl. Guess what I was doing this afternoon??? Shopping for windshield wipers.

Would you experts out there pls comment on this product.Pontoon Water Glide PWG

There is a pontoon site I'm on and have not run into anyone who actually has a PWG yet which is of some concern.

Here are my details:
We have a 1999, 22' Crest II pontoon boat w/Evinrude 70hp-4 stroke motor. It sits really low in water-no water in pontoons & @ top speed is bet 16-19mph (loaded w/6people or not) per GPS. I have been told that I have to much weight in the rear in floorplan of boat,ie. location of console more aft than fwd, & gas tank on left rear. So short of adding more weight to right front(not recommended) I was looking into other solutions.

I have several wants:

1) more speed - the manual says the motor should be seeing 5200-5900rpms & I only get 4800rpms. I don't know what the pitch is on the prop nor do I know what size & pitch I should have. I think I can pull someone on a wakeboard @ 17mph or more but if I am going to attempt that it would need to be min 20 & I'd like to see 25mph. I don't want to buy a new motor. The boat is rated for a 70-90hp motor.

2) sit higher in water-I understand with pontoons sitting low & driving slow(or not on plane)you are actually fighting the toons which are creating drag ,pulling you backward as you are powering forward .

3) if I'm going to go faster I want more control.

4) Yes a 3rd center pontoon is an option but I am not leaning that way & haven't spoken with the manufacturer yet on any of this.
A new pontoon is $2500+ labor. My pontoons are 24" in diameter.

Or I could just let the kids buy the fast boat & I'll drive it every so often. This would be the cheapest & easiest of all the options.

FYI There is no water in toons.


port starboard comparison.


Note how high the water line is on port toon.

Thanks,
Tere

I've never seen this product before, but if it could make your boat go on plane it will increase speed and economy greatly. A big if!

Your waterline is incredibly high. I'm assuming this is from when it was sitting without people on board at the dock, is that correct? If so, I'm wondering if the pontoons have water migration into them. That would slow you down big time. Having drain bungs installed on the bottom rear of the toons will allow drainage if that is the case. Hopefully their hollow and not foam filled.

In any case, adding the center pontoon sound like an expensive proposition which is still only going to make a pontoon boat very mediocre as a ski or board puller. I would either go to a deck boat or a nice little ski boat as a separate item. At the end of the day, pontoon boats are barges and not designed for going fast or handling well at speed.

Is that the right trailer?

I'm with Carl. This seems like a lot of eggs to put in a basket on wheels and aim downhill at the water.

The only way I know of to increase rpms is decrease the prop pitch. See if your marina has a used one an inch less pitch that you could try. Find the pitch that gives you proper rpms then buy one.

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. Having drain bungs installed on the bottom rear of the toons will allow drainage if that is the case.

I have an 18 footer/ 9.9 Yamaha 2 stroke and the tubes have bilge pumps. I guess somebody didn't trust the welder or liked to beach the thing at speed ......."speed" 9.9 horse?!
I don't plan to do any p-toon racing and this setup gets a fishing buddy, dog and I around the lake. We even make way in a mild headwind. I am planning on a larger motor, tho'.

no water in toons. Did slosh test; back up on trailer & stop suddenly, listen to see if you hear water. & tap test; tap all over & under & see if you can hear pitch change. They sound hollow everywhere. Don't want to open up toons because air pressure inside is critical & they are sealed. Not confident in opening them then closing up again properly.

This trailer was modified to fit this boat. Trailer is rated @ 3240lbs Gawr front/gvwr3240lbs rear. Boat is 1800 lbs, motor 378lbs. guessing trailer is around 1000lbs.

Noticed today @ 1/4 tank of gas (on port side of boat) that it was almost 2" higher now. The low line shows pontoon w/full tank of gas.

Tere

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Don't want to open up toons because air pressure inside is critical & they are sealed. Not confident in opening them then closing up again properly.

There is no pressure in the tubes, they would have been welded up at ambient air pressure. There is no reason to open the tubes if you are confident there is no water in them though.

Unfortunately that leads me to believe the boat is poorly designed with the pontoons being undersized for the overall weight of the deck and motor. Your big issue is your low displacement due to undersized pontoons sinking you too deep in the water. I'm not sure adding that 700lbs of center pontoon will do the trick, but who knows? Start by getting a marina to prop your boat for proper RPMs.