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Pontoon Boat Maintenance Tips & Tricks

All boats are alike—after all, they’re all designed to keep you above the water, right? Anyone who’s ever owned a pontoon boat, however, knows that there’s more to it than that. A pontoon boat can be a fun, relaxing way to enjoy the water. If you want to go on enjoying the water in your pontoon, here are some key pontoon boat maintenance tips to help keep your boat in top shape.

Cover Your Boat When Not In Use

Pontoon boats are just as susceptible to sun damage as any other boat. It’s important to cover the pontoon when it’s not in use or to keep it stored in a dry, sheltered place if possible. Why all the work? Simple: sun damage. While you can head indoors and get out of the sun, a pontoon can be exposed to a continuous blast of UV rays through the day—including the days you don’t use it. To keep its color and quality, it’s vital to add some sort of protection.

Use The Right Aluminum Cleaning Products

When dealing with most boats, fiberglass maintenance is the name of the game. But it’s important to understand how vital aluminum is to your pontoon—and how to care for this light metal. We recommend a dedicated Aluminum Cleaner to deal with all that aluminum and make quick work of it.

Why a dedicated cleaner? Won’t soap and water do just fine? You’ll want this cleaner for your pontoon boat maintenance, because it has brightening and polishing properties that you can’t get from soap. The appearance of aluminum can be difficult to restore once you’ve lost it. But regularly using an anti-oxidant cleaner will help to maintain its “like new” appearance over time.

Salt Water Is Different Than Fresh Water

Sure, you already knew that—but do you know how salt water affects a pontoon differently than fresh water? Some experts recommend flushing the engine after every use when you use a pontoon in salt water.

Fresh water is generally easier on your pontoon, but that doesn’t mean you’ll be exempt from regular cleaning and maintenance. Experts also recommend that you wax your pontoon every season, depending on the quality of the wax—which leads us to our next pontoon boat maintenance tip.

Remember to Protect

Cleaning is vital to maintenance, but if you don’t leave a layer of protection on your pontoon, you’re just spinning your metaphorical wheels. As stated in the previous tip, it’s important to use the proper wax. We recommend Life Wax, because it contains superior UV filters for the ultimate in marine protection.

It’s important to cover your pontoon. It’s also important to regularly inspect your pontoon, especially after you bring it out of the water and have room to look at those hard-to-spot areas.

Stay Vigilant

Your pontoon boat can be powerful and peaceful, relaxing and reinvigorating. But a pontoon is just like any other boat, which means it requires vigilance if you’re going to extend its life as long as possible. Keep it clean, inspect it regularly, and browse our full collection of boat cleaning products to help keep it protected.

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