That’s just the beginning–make sure to read on since there are a lot of preparation steps to think about that you might miss. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"can](\"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/can-pontoon-boats-go-in-the-ocean.jpg\")
<\/picture><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nWe\u2019ll also discuss whether or not a tritoon is safer than a pontoon for ocean use and give you some advice on the best pontoons for the big blue beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Can You Actually Take Your Pontoon Boat In the Ocean?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
People do indeed take their pontoon boats on the ocean–it’s not as common because pontoon boats really are designed for inland waters, but you won’t be the first person to try it if that’s any comfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are 3 things you have to consider when thinking about taking a pontoon boat out in the ocean:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re wondering how to get your pontoon boat on the ocean, this section will talk about what steps you need to consider to keep your pontoon boat from damage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you combine non-reactive metals with saltwater, nothing much happens. But when you combine non-reactive metals with saltwater and electricity, you can experience intense metal corrosion.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Corrosion is the death of a pontoon boat since you are relying on the integrity of your pontoons. It becomes critically important to make sure your pontoon and hull stay safe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Anodes are sacrificial metal parts that attach to the hull or to the motor. They are more reactive than the metal of your boat and will corrode before the rest of your boat. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For saltwater, you should use zinc anodes<\/strong>. In brackish water, you can use aluminum anodes, <\/strong>while magnesium anodes are generally used for freshwater. <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Anodes need to be replaced when they begin to corrode away about 50% or less. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For a pontoon boat, you should have anodes on all of your pontoons (2 or 3) as well as on your motor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are not sure what type of anodes you have on, you might be able to look up the information stamped onto the anode, directly. Check with your dealer or wherever you maintain your pontoon boat to install zinc anodes on your pontoon boat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You might not think about it (before it’s too late), but in order to get your boat into the ocean, you need to submerge your trailer. Your trailer is also made of metal. Unfortunately, metal and saltwater are terrible enemies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Use a galvanized trailer if you are going to be bringing your pontoon boat to saltwater.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even then, some trailers (galvanized or not) are hollow, and if water gets inside it can be difficult to impossible to get the saltwater out. You have to submerge the trailer in freshwater to wash it out in those cases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In any case, it’s important to spray off or submerge at nearby freshwater or otherwise wash your trailer and pontoon boat after being in saltwater.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The truth is that your pontoons are often made of aluminum–and aluminum is very reactive. When combined with saltwater you are bound to experience corrosion–even with proper anode installation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That’s why a common recommendation is to paint your pontoons<\/strong> (without any paint containing copper) to add an additional layer of protection. This is an essential step in protecting any aluminum hull boat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sharkhide (see on <\/strong><\/a>Amazon) is a metal protectant that you should apply to any metal surfaces on your boat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sharkhide will help prevent corrosion, and will additionally keep off any growth from being in the water. You have to apply multiple coats of the stuff to get the best results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sharkhide can be used additional to paint for the pontoons themselves but should be considered an additional protection layer and not be relied on by itself for your pontoons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can’t skip this step–make sure and wipe off the seats, and spray off the hull of your boat after being in saltwater.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Any leftover saltwater can corrode and damage your boat and it’s important to get all the saltwater off. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Your motor is also not meant to have saltwater sitting around in its body so it’s important to spend a few minutes flushing the motor in freshwater after you go in saltwater to ensure your motor’s longevity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is probably the biggest headache of a maintenance step, but it’s also a chance to submerge your trailer–this can help hollow galvanized trailers to remove any excess saltwater. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As is typical with a car, it’s important to avoid using your pontoon boat hull as a ground. Saltwater conducts electricity and so you are inviting a ton of corrosion if you do this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to this, it’s really important to have a solid and protected electrical system that won’t have any stray current which causes corrosion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pontoons are pretty stable boats<\/a> – when handled correctly. When handled incorrectly, a pontoon, like any vessel can capsize in rough water, but when all goes well, they can make it back to port without any major issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus, pontoons can do just fine in rough waters with a bit of common sense and preparedness. Before you head out onto the ocean with your pontoon, however, you need to know how to handle the boat, should the conditions deteriorate rapidly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s what you should keep in mind when encountering big waves:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pontoon boats are incredible for their huge deck size–they’re great for parties. So it can feel weird and irksome to people to have to think about safety equipment. The ocean is no joke, though–make sure you have the following safety equipment so you don’t run into a terrible situation:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many people think that a tritoon is more seaworthy than a pontoon because of its third hull. This is partially true but doesn’t tell the whole story. While, yes, a third hull can give your boat more stability and reduce your risk of capsizing, this extra stability helps only to a point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is because pontoons and tritoons display excellent primary<\/i> stability, but aren\u2019t too great when it comes to secondary<\/i> stability. Pontoons and tritoons sacrifice secondary stability – which is the ability of a boat to right itself at larger angles of heel – in favor of better primary stability – the boat\u2019s ability to stay upright at low angles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ultimately, the big, wide decks that make pontoons and tritoons so nice for hanging out in the sun are their downfall in big water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But, where tritoons do shine in the open ocean is in the added benefit of the weight of a third hull. As we’ve mentioned earlier, good weight distribution and a low center of gravity are all helpful in keeping your boat upright during a storm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The tritoon’s third hull helps maintain a low center of gravity in the vessel, so it can be helpful as you’re trying to keep control of your boat in rough seas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re looking to take your pontoon out on the open ocean for the first time, it\u2019s actually a great idea to do a test run or two in various bays and intracoastal waterways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These waters are generally sheltered, so they tend to be much calmer than the ocean, so they\u2019re a great first step for anyone looking to get a good idea of how their pontoon will handle in rougher seas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sheltered bays, the Great Lakes, and even the famed Intracoastal Waterway are great places to take your pontoon out for a spin. That being said, the water can get rough in these places in particularly bad weather, so it’s not always smooth sailing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our advice? Take your pontoon out for a spin in nice, calm water in a bay or intracoastal waters to get a feel for how it handles in something a bit less sheltered than a lake or inland river. Then, gradually build up toward cruising around the bay when it\u2019s a bit windier (think 10-15 knots).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even though it\u2019s not a great idea to go out in foul weather, you need to be confident that your pontoon can handle bigger conditions than you\u2019d normally find on a small lake before you ever get out on the ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is because the weather and sea conditions can change rapidly in the open ocean, and you don\u2019t want to get stuck out in water you\u2019re not prepared to handle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even with all<\/strong> this experience–many pontoon owners never go too far from shore where they cannot see the coastline. That should be the maximum distance you should ever consider–even that can be very risky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since pontoons aren\u2019t made to have great secondary stability and they aren\u2019t specifically made for the ocean, there really aren\u2019t any pontoons that are great for open ocean cruising in foul weather. That being said, you can find pontoons that are suitable for cruising in sheltered bays and intracoastal waterways, where your risk of hitting big water is pretty low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The main thing to look for in a pontoon boat for use in a sheltered ocean water environment is that it is adequately protected from the destructive properties of saltwater. Unlike in freshwater, where corrosion happens at a fairly slow rate, the salt in saltwater acts as the perfect conductor for the process of galvanic corrosion to occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This can quickly destroy your boat and cause your maintenance bills to pile up, so using a pontoon that\u2019s painted with special anti-fouling and anti-corrosion paint is critical in saltwater. Luckily, this is a modification you can do to your boat after you buy it, so you don\u2019t need to go out and buy a brand new pontoon just for some corrosion-resistant paint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Other than making sure your boat won’t fall apart after long-term exposure to salt water, you’ll also want to make sure that your pontoon boat is a model that’s ready to take on the ocean<\/a>. Generally speaking, pontoons boats that are really long, really wide, have a lot of modifications<\/a>, or have two decks aren’t great at sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is because all of these features alter the weight distribution and center of gravity of a boat in a way that makes it more difficult to handle in rough seas. Medium width, medium length single-deck pontoons with only the manufacturer\u2019s recommended modifications are likely to be your best bet at sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the end of the day, the seaworthiness of pontoon boats<\/a> really depends on the boat in question. Although some pontoon boats<\/a> can handle slightly rougher seas than others, there aren’t really any pontoon boats that are specifically made for the open ocean. Rather, pontoon boats are designed to cruise on calm lakes and inland rivers but can be taken out into sheltered bays or intracoastal waterways in mild to moderate conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thus, the question, \u201cCan a pontoon boat go in the open ocean?\u201d is best phrased as: \u201cCan my<\/i> pontoon boat go in the open ocean?\u201d and \u201cAm I prepared to take on the conditions that come with the terrain?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" You’ve had your pontoon boat for a while now and it’s served you well. After countless days out on the boat at the local lake or reservoir, you’re starting to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":58,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":48,"label":"Boating"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":{"display_name":"Peter","author_link":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/author\/outsidedecider\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":48,"name":"Boating","slug":"boating","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":48,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":50,"count":19,"filter":"raw","term_order":"0","cat_ID":48,"category_count":19,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Boating","category_nicename":"boating","category_parent":50}],"tag_info":false,"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10963,"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56\/revisions\/10963"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Maintenance Required For Your Pontoon Boat To Go On the Ocean<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Anodes, Anodes, Anodes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Galvanized Trailer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Paint Your Toons<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Apply Sharkhide<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Clean Your Boat With Freshwater Afterward<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Flush Your Motor For a Few Minutes In Freshwater<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Don’t Use Your Pontoon Boat As An Electrical Ground<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How To Handle Pontoon Boats Safely in Rough Waters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Required Safety Equipment For Taking Your Pontoon Boat On the Ocean <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Is a Tritoon Safer Than a Pontoon in The Ocean<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"tritoon](\"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/tritoon-boat.jpg\")
<\/picture><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nWhat About The Bays and Intracoastal Waterways<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"pontoon](\"https:\/\/decideoutside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/pontoon-boat-ocean.jpg\")
<\/picture><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nBest Pontoon Boat for Going in The Ocean<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n