Checking your pontoon following the recent weather

In this weeks blog I wanted to do a little bit of maintenance following the recent activity with TC Marcia that hit the Southeast. There are several key areas that should be checked and some areas may need tightening or greasing. This guide covers all brands of pontoons.

Pile Brackets

If you have a piled pontoon we encourage you to check the tightness of the connection to the pontoon, there in most cases 4 bolts per pile bracket, generally these are nylock nut and shouldn’t come loose but with the excessive winds and the highest tides of the year things can work loose. For those that have cable or strut pontoon please check all pontoon connections from the strut and cables.

Boat Lifts and Jet Ski Docks

Those of you that have boat lifts of ski docks we encourage you to check to make sure all lines are secure and have not been worn with the excessive movement. Those that have a hard connection from a boat lift or jet ski dock, we encourage you to check the tightness of any dyna bolts and that all cables are tight. (note: grey jet ski docks with cables should be hand tight only)

Roller and Gangway Pins

The pins that allow pile and gangway rollers to move freely should be checked for any excessive wear, if no visible wear then we recommend giving them a grease with a marine based grease as this is waterproof. This will also stop any annoying squeaking noises.

Gangway Connection Bracket

On the land end of your gangway there will be a right angled bracket connecting the gangway to the concrete mooring block, we recommend checking this brackets bolts to ensure these are tight, whilst inspecting this bracket please grease the two connections, one on either outside edge.

Check For Debris Around Pontoon

With the amount of wind and rain we recommend that you inspect around the pontoon for any logs or debris that is common with storms like the recent one. Typically debris will gather at the rear of the pontoon in the slow moving current areas, this can cause damage to the HDPE black liner that the pontoon is wrapped in. If any damage to this liner is sighted please notify us as this damage or rips can generally get worse over time.

Check Pontoon Fender (If Fitted)

Pontoon fender or the cushion fitted to the leading edge of the pontoon if ripped or damaged can fill with water causing excessive weight and can lead to  it ripping the fender from the front of the pontoon. Please inspect for any signs of damage or water logging, if this is damaged please notify us and we will arrange to have this repaired or replaced as a priority. Aqua Pontoons use and recommend ProFender.