Down here, I've seen them pretty often, but more on lakes than the bays. The local boat trailer outfit in Houston has a model, look toward the bottom of the page.
formatting link
The only time I was on one was when the boys were young, and we rented one on Lake Livingston. They're easily driven, don't need much horsepower, and roomy. However, I was uncomfortable with the way the one I rented sort of corkscrewed over the waves at any angle other than 0 or 90 degrees. There was a lot of flex, and I had to wonder how the aluminum structure would hold up in the long run. Our coastal bays can get pretty rough, and I've only seen them out on flat days. That's common in the hot part of the summer here.
The trailer Ted rents twice a year has runners that fit between the pontoons, and a trapezoidal lift mechanism operated by a hand winch.
Launching is easy peasy with two guys: just back in until the pontoon floats off, guy on pontoon backs away while guy in truck takes off. On and off the ramp in 60 seconds flat. Retrieving can be more of a challenge if it's windy ... and it's often windy at Minnewaska.
Being one of those 250HP glitter pushers myself I don't take to much offense at your choosing to classify everybody who owns a nice bassboat as a dickwad, and instead choose to believe you allowed your offense at one person to get the better of you.
Loading a bassboat "may" be easier with a little practice. I think many pontoons are easier if the trailer is designed for it. Bassboat trailers are designed right for the load they carry. Most bass anglers I know are more skilled at backing and loading their boat because they do it a lot more often. I can both power load and float load, because some ramps do not allow power loading. With two guys who KNOW what they are doing it can be accomplished very quickly either way. Literally clear of the ramp in minutes. More power is nice to have though. Since I tend to load by myself I like to power load (where allowed) as it allows me to quickly secure the front of the boat, step off into the bed of the truck, and be on dry ground and then pulling away to clear the ramp for the next person very quickly. Being able to do that is a learned and practiced skill set.
I have also seen more pontoons decide a 3 lane ramp is really a 1 lane ramp than bass boat operators. Then again many family runabout operators and wakeboard operators seem to think the ramp is the loading and prep area. Particularly family run-a-bouts.
Spend a day with a cooler and a lawn chair watching a busy public ramp and see which boaters obstruct more of the ramp and which boaters block the ramp longer on average. Then for a general comparison see if there is any correlation to the percentage of boaters who choose to rig and load their boat on or in front of the ramp instead of in the prep area.
Now I am willing to ceed the point that the guy you encountered may well be a world class dickwad. I would also like to point out that everybody can have a tough time dealing with cross winds and cross currents when loading from time to time, but perhaps a mid week trip to the lake when there is little traffic and an hour or so of practice loading and unloading might be in order for you and your friend. Loading in a cross current or cross wind and lining up straight is a learnable skill.
I have loaded flat bottoms, pad bottoms, pontoons, and even a flat bottom houseboat more than once or twice in a cross wind. As my skills have increased over the years I find that more and more often I get the angle of approach and last second change of thrust vector just right instead of having to make a second or third attempt, and even when I fail to get it right I know it long before I wind up sideways on somebody else's trailer and back off and swing away with no damage.
Another thing to bear in mind if the trailer is designed for the pontoon you were loading, (and from your description it may not be) is that it might in fact be easier since there were two of you to start shallow so the pontoon can self align to the trailer then one of you could slowly back in the trailer further while the other powers forward maintaining alignment all the way until the bow touches the tower bumper.
Perhaps also it might have been more beneficial to be a little more assertive in a different way. Walk up to the guy with the bass rig before he even backs in with your hand up, and ask him nicely to please use the next ramp because your friend doesn't necessarily have the skill set to load perfectly in a cross wind every time, and you wouldn't want to damage his rig. Most of us glitter hogs are very protective of our rigs and will gladly do something to prevent damage. I can almost guarantee the "dickwad" is at home right now telling his friends how some incompetent pontoon driver scratched up his trailer.
I run into jerks, incompetents, ignorant boaters, and just plain unskilled boaters all the time at the ramp, but instead of cussing them I try to improve my own skills and techniques in order to minimize their affect on me. Sometimes I still cuss them.
I do most of my fishing off shore. No such thing as a pontoon out there. Now its big brother, the catamaran, is one seriously nice unit for ruff water.
Johnny's father died suddenly but Johnny was back in school the day after the funeral. As a matter of class curiosity the teacher chose to discuss the matter in class. the question came up as to the cause of death to which Johnny provided the answer as Gonorhea. The teacher, being rather well informed, questioned Johnny's answer, "you mean Diorea, don't you, Johnny?" Johnny's reply, "I said Gonorea and I meant Gonorea! My old man was a sport, not a shit!" Gerry :-)} London, Canada
Then there are those of us, who load our sail boats...without power.
Gunner
I am the Sword of my Family and the Shield of my Nation. If sent, I will crush everything you have built, burn everything you love, and kill every one of you. (Hebrew quote)
I thought about specifically excluding you, Yuma Bassman, from the gitgo but figured you've also encountered a few dorks along the way.
I certainly didn't and don't classify everyone who runs a nice bassboat as a dickwad. I run a Ranger myself, though it isn't exactly a bassboat. 681VS Fisherman, V-hull, more suitable to our often lumpy northern lakes and waters.
More like seconds.
It's fun to see reactions at the launch when I'm sitting offshore in my sparklepretty green boat while Mary fetches the (green) truck and matching Ranger trailer, starts backing it. The launch lizards come out of the woodwork thinking, "oh swell, a woman backing a trailer, that ramp will be jammed up until Thanksgiving." "Want some he'p with backing thet trailer, Ma'am?" Big Mary grin: "thank you, I think I can manage." J-turn, zoop zow, the trailer is in straight and hits right depth as I'm incoming to hit the trailer just hard enough to glide up the wet carpeted bunks to bow chock. Hook up, kill engine and tilt up, we're on and off the ramp in well under 60 seconds.
It is indeed. It ain't as easy at age 68 as it was a coupla decades ago, but I can still do it. I can still climb over the bow to walk the trailer tongue to the bed of the truck and thence to the cab with dry feet. I need to have the windows open because I need something to grab when climbing out of the bed. Getting old is not for sissies.
A 2-lane ramp really is a 1-lane ramp for a pontoon if there is significant crosswind. That's why we timed our retreival for a way off-peak time: midday on a weekday in late September. It was not a Sunday afternoon of a holiday or a bass or walleye tournament.
For even more entertainment, bring your lawn chair and cooler to the Spring Park launch on Lake Minnetonka on a summer Sunday afternoon and watch the drunk yuppies. It is a freakin' circus! The Forrest Wood was run on 'Tonka some years ago, winner's purse very big bux. "Tonka is still a premiere fishery though no fun to fish anymore since it has become infested with asiatic milfoil. The bass are still there but the days of throwing spinnerbaits at docks and having a great time are long gone. Now it's deepwater dropshotting and finding just which holes in the 'foil on that 10,000 acre lake harbor keepers.
The best fishin' day I ever had was with my son on Tonka one May day in my old Alumacraft Lunker that Kev has now. We caught and released more decent bass than we could count, couldn't do anything wrong and Kev got one hell of a sunburn. Advent of a thunderstorm and lightning motivated us to punch for the launch, which was a trip in that boat with a 50 Merc pusher. We were trailered up about the time all hell broke loose on that lake.
It was midweek and midday and there was zero traffic when I backed in. Wish you could have been there to show us how to do it better. We'd have bought you lunch and a beer at the Water's Edge. Frosted mug.
The trailer was a rented generic, but a good one. Your suggest approach would work well as a generality, but the crosswind was not trivial. Slowly anything wasn't in the cards.
I didn't have a chance to ask him nicely to wait a bit. Focussed on backing my trailer, I didn't see him coming until he was passing me in reverse on the left. The guy could definitely back a trailer!
I don't think his trailer got any scratches, but if it did he owns them. We were on the ramp, he budged in at his risk. If the pontoon driver was incompetent then an experienced bassmaster should have had sense enough to stay the hell out of the way.
Nope..thats what the areas away from the ramp are for.
Gunner
I am the Sword of my Family and the Shield of my Nation. If sent, I will crush everything you have built, burn everything you love, and kill every one of you. (Hebrew quote)
I am the Sword of my Family and the Shield of my Nation. If sent, I will crush everything you have built, burn everything you love, and kill every one of you. (Hebrew quote)
I learned to sail a bit when I was very young (swimming at 4, copilot 'n swabbie at 7) and have never liked lumpy lakes much. My bestest friend and I would take the 12' styrofoam boat down to Thomas Lake (LRAFB) and weave in between the water moccasins and snags for hours on glasslike water.
One each Atta Boy and Atta Girl on their way, Don. THAT's the way to do it.
It also demonstrates a proper upbringing and is a distinct courtesy.
Good man.
-- Some people hear voices. Some see invisible people. Others have no imagination whatsoever.
Used to be a small sail boat. Don't know if they are still made anymore. About the smallest hulled production sailboat I've seen other than adding a sail and an outrigger to a canoe.
PolyTech Forum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.