How to Build a Pontoon Boat

The Pontoon boat design is quite inexpensive to build compared to other boat designs. It comes with a special kind of shallow draft that reduces the risk of submerging. This is the reason why many big vessels are equipped with pontoon boats for emergency situations. In the United States, pontoon boats are hugely popular as rental boats and vehicle ferries that help ferry people across rivers. Pontoon boats are also preferred for their user-friendliness and the added fun of maneuvering it through most water bodies. Such boats are primarily used for the purpose of fishing and sightseeing. The design of the boat allows the passenger to come extremely close to the water as there is no proper barrier that stands between the passenger and the water. One can also build a pontoon boat the DIY way, which is what we are going to learn going forward.

A Home Built Pontoon Boat
Building pontoon boats on your own is a relatively easy job. You can build the boat using numerous household tools that are cheap as well as easy to get hold of. These materials include closed cylinders of concrete or metal. To be precise, the basic structure of a home built pontoon boat is like a catamaran or a trimaran boat where the platform is used as a dock. All that one needs is sufficient good quality material, hard-work, and a proper layout of the pontoon boat. If the basic parts of the pontoon which are the engine, railing, and tubes are in proper shape, you can also rebuild your existing pontoon boat. Elaborate your pontoon boat to a houseboat by simply adding a Bimini top, which is equally easy.

Before Building the Boat
There are many basic points of concern when you set out to build your own pontoon boat. The eventual destination of a boat is water, hence one must build it near a water body so that it will be easy later on to launch the boat out into a river or the sea.

• Design: It is very important to draw out a well worked plan for the pontoon boat. Taking notes and making a proper checklist of what and how much material you need can save you a lot of trouble during the boat making task.
• Location: Pick a location that is near to the waterfront, because after the pontoon is ready, you will have to drag it to the water and the ground distance will not do a lot of good to your boat.
• Material: While building the pontoon boat, make it a point to choose the right kind of material that should be unbreakable and strong. Materials like PVC pipes, military drop tanks, water drums and barrels will just do fine for the pontoon boat.

My suggestion would be to use the military drop tanks as they are highly aerodynamic, which can also be considered as hydrodynamic. If you don't get the drop tanks, you can still use PVC pipes or water drums. The key is that the material you use for building the pontoon boat must be able to float well.

How to Build a Pontoon Boat
Material

• PVC pipes and fittings
• Timber and screws
• Glue gun, screw gun, nails and hammer
• An oar or a paddle
• Measuring tape
• Meter strapping (galvanized)
• Tow vehicle and trailer
• Jacks (to lift the boat)
• Camping gear
• All the required safety equipment

Procedure

• Place two pieces of PVC pipes (12" diameter) parallel to each other on a flat surface. Seal the ends with the help of a slip cap and glue. You can also use wooden plugs by fastening them with the help of the screws and epoxy.
• Take a pine wood board of 2x4" with the length being approximately 8'. Put them along the length of the pipes on 24" centers.
• Nail the ends of the beams with a band across them. Then place a 2x4" board of 16' on the beams so that it forms a platform. This will serve as the main support system of your vessel.
• The next step is to paint the board with resin so as to make it waterproof. Then take tape and bind along the edges of the platform
• Nail the beams to a treated block (21" long), with the help of coarse thread and hex head screws. Screw the blocks tightly to the beams.
• For the bracing, use 16 galvanized straps, which are 1 inch wide; strap it all over the board from corner to corner. This bracing is done in order to keep the pontoon boat in a proper square shape. Measure and check that the measurements are equal at every diagonal across the opposite corners.
• To secure the blocking, fasten each beam by drilling the strapping with a drill machine and then using tech screws.
• Take a 1x6" treated timber or a good quality lightweight marine grade plywood to install the deck of your pontoon boat. Make sure the material of the deck is not too heavy.
• The prime concern should be the safety of the pontoon, as well as its riders. Take all the safety measures to make sure that nothing unfortunate happens.
• If kids or amateur swimmers are going to ride the pontoon boat, then it is necessary to install the handrails. You can use a PVC pipe of a 3/4 inch diameter to post on the deck with the help of glue slip joint couplings.

Your home built pontoon boat is ready, you just have to lift the boat up with the help of a flat bed trailer. Boating is a popular pastime in the summer season, now that you know how to build the pontoon boat, make sure you adhere to the additional safety measures that are supposed to be present on the boat, such as life jackets, throwback rubber rings, ropes, and other lifesaving equipment. Isn't it easy to build your own pontoon boat?