Are pontoons good on rivers or just lakes?

Question

I am thinking of buying a pontoon but I am stumped...I don't am not sure whether they are made for rivers or lakes...I go up to the Yugiohany River everysummer and rent a boat and see several pontoons...but I want to be able to go on the 3 rivers in Pittsburgh...but are they made for rivers? Please help thanks.

Answer 1

pontoon boats are great for all water except the ocean. the only thing you should be sure of is the size of the pontoon boat you decide to buy as they require plenty of space to turn around in. if you will be on narrow rivers more often than not, then i would take pontoon length into consideration.

Answer 2

Pontoons are not good in choppy water, or water that has big swells, or fast moving currents. I have my boat in a salt water river that opens up into a bay, and I know of a few pontoons that use this area on calm days.

Answer 3

Check this link. Lots of good information

http://www.pdbmagazine.com/fusetalk/foru...

Answer 4

Pontoons are good for rivers and lakes. The thing that you need to be careful is not to get on a shallow or extremely swift river. I can't remember what the 2 rivers that join in Pittsburg are like but I think they are ok.

When it comes to lakes they are great not very good for the Great Lakes because of their vast size and storms.  I have used one on the Inland waterways along the ocean but never get out into the ocean itself.

The advantage of pontoon boat is the usable floor space and not having that tipping feeling when you walk around. Good luck, you will love it.

Answer 5

You should be OK with a pontoon boat up there (I use to live on the Mon). However, there are a few times you'll want to be careful with a pontoon:

- The first 24-36 hours after some heavy rain. It's not uncomon for the Corps to open up the spillways to accomodate the rain. This leads to faster flowing rivers & added debris.

- Stay clear of the 'no boat' areas near the lock & dams. Pontoon boats typically don't have much in the way of top speed. As you get closer to the spillway, the water velocity increases (on the upper side) and can quickly overcome the max speed. On the lower side, you can also get caught by the turbulence and get pulled into the spillway.

Neither of the above warnings are meant to be alarmist -- just respect the waterways and warnings, and you should be fine. I highly recommend taking a USCG Auxiliary boating safety course. There are plenty in the Pittsburgh area that can fill you in to the specific areas of concern/caution. It's been too long since I went boating up that way.

Best of luck!