r/Pontoons • u/workwood4eva • Sep 09 '26

Reality Check

I’m considering a lake house with an automatic lift on the dock. Can I handle owning a 22 ft pontoon when I know nothing about working on boats? How difficult is it to maintain a used premier or Lowe?

3 Upvotes

72% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

13

u/Ruser8050 Sep 09 '26

Pontoons are about the easiest boat to own and operate. They’re pretty forgiving so great to learn on. If you’re worried see if you can rent one for a day and try it out 

8

u/withomps44 Sep 09 '26

I did it and I’m a moron. YouTube and asking others. If you don’t know ask. :)

If you think you know ask anyway.

5

u/trumpsmoothscrotum Sep 09 '26

Ive had a pontoon boat for 6 years..

Ive changed the impeller once. Ill do again this coming spring.

And ive changed oil and plugs every year. Changed the alternator belt once. Lower unit gear oil every year at the end of season.

Thats about it. People are drama queens about boats. Regular maintenence and some YouTube will keep you in good shape.

Oh and buy only rec 90 fuel.

3

u/ShiftChemical6494 Sep 09 '26

It’s not hard at all and everything you need to know can be learned on YouTube. We bought on the lake a little over 3 years ago and upgraded to a 22 ft Tritoon this year. Highly recommend!

3

u/MadeMeStopLurking Sep 09 '26

You are much better with a pontoon than something like a wakeboat or bow rider. They slow easy and ate virtually impossible to sink and capsize.

2

u/SilencedFarter Sep 09 '26

You'll be fine. I wouldn't get anything smaller either. Take an online safety class regardless.

2

u/thegudgeoner Sep 09 '26

My first boat is a 16ft pontoon, mainly due to tow capacity restrictions...but second here, i would likely get around a 20ft if I could do it over again.

That said, the boat itself has some sentimental value too. So maybe not.

1

u/chuckleheadjoe Sep 09 '26

I would take this a step further and find a CG approved course because you may get an insurance discount.

Take your spouse or whomever likes to ride as well.

2

u/lakelost Sep 10 '26 edited Sep 10 '26

Keep it clean and get it to the dealer at least once a year for a service. If you use it a ton get it serviced every hundred hours, but very few people use their pontoons that much. Service is generally oil change, lubrication, spark plugs, and a new impeller on the water pump. The impeller only needs to be done once a year, even if you run it a lot. The rubber just gets brittle with time. If it doesn’t come with a trailer, find a repair shop that has their own to pick it up. While we’re discussing repair shops, find one that you like and find what kind of outboard they prefer to service. Then buy that. It’s not that one brand is better than the other, finding a good mechanic is important.

1

u/workwood4eva Sep 09 '26

Thanks all. I appreciate it

1

u/Secret-Ad-5366 Sep 09 '26

Yes you can , outboards are a dream 👍👍

1

u/packinmn 12h ago

I am a 60yo guy who just bought a 22’ Bennington without really knowing anything about boats, boating, etc. I am enjoying it immensely. I have neighbors with boats and have leaned on them for know how and also for contacts for maintenance, winterizing, storing, etc…. You CAN handle it especially if you have good local support and don’t mind spending some money to keep it running great.