Before you begin your used tiny pontoon boat search, here are some very important things that you will want to consider! I highly recommend joining our Tiny Boat Talk Facebook group where you can post your potential buys for the community to review and save you from getting burnt or encourage you to take advantage of a screamin’ deal.
This article goes for any plastic pontoon brand/model. Including but not limited to the Bass Pro Pond Prowler 10, Quest Angler, Bass Raider, Bass Hunter, Sun Dolphin, etc.
First, let’s talk about a few things you need to consider BEFORE you start your search.
Before you buy
Pick a size - 8’ or 10’?
- Place to store size\ brand - what do you want? 10’ or 12’’ and what brand if you care. I like and recommend every single brand out there.
Storage
- Do you have a place to store your boat? You don’t want to store them uncovered, outside in the rain, sun and ice. Make sure you have room inside your garage or a storage unit to keep these plastic boats safe and watertight. I personally have 2 storage units for 2 of my plastic boats.
Transportation
- The best part about these boats is that they are very portable. You can throw them on the roof of your sedan, in the trunk of your van, the bed of most trucks as well as pull on some sort of trailer. I personally pull both my boats on a 5x8 utility trailer from tractor supply
Budget
- What exactly is your goal? Are you just looking for a hull? Do you want some mods already installed and maybe even a trolling motor included? That will cost more money. You can spend as little as $100 on a used hull and up to $3k for a fully modified Pond Prowler with electronics, trolling motor, outboard and a trailer. Figure out what your needs are, as this will help you narrow down your search and identify better deals.
Let’s talk about things to know that you won’t see on the listings and things that you need to look for when you actually show up. Be sure to answer all these questions before handing over the cash!
Registration (big deal)
- My Pond Prowler is unregistrable because the seller’s uncle previously registered it in Georgia and the DMV here in Florida wanted his original registration. The seller was totally uncooperative so I just decided to run it illegally. What am I going to do, not fish? Anyway…
- Read up on boater registration laws for YOUR STATE. Most states treat these the same as a 32 ft twin engine. Ideally you will receive a bill of sale as well as title. Some states don’t require title, which can be tricky when buying out-of-state boats. Be careful and understand what you will need to bring to the DMV.
- These little plastic boats must abide by the same rules, regulations and registration as any other watercraft. Unless your only peddle or paddle driven. If you have a trolling motor, it has to be registered in FL. Stupid but it’s something to keep in mind
- If it’s never ever been registered, you should just need a bill of sale. Checkout my full length video on registering plastic boats, new and used. No registration is no issue, as long as it truly has never ever been registered in any state.
Hull Damage
- This can be small and subtle. I see dents, holes, even drilled holes from a mod that was removed and wasn’t patched up. Deep scratches on the tunes, etc. make sure you flip the boat upside down when looking! If the listing has hull damage, just move on. Why spend all this time and money getting a cool little boat just to start off the bat with an obvious weak point?
Sidewall Damage/ Bad Seal
- Some of these boats get damaged during transport and are sold brand new from department stores with damaged sides. Meaning, the rubber piece that seals the two piece hulls together, that makes it “water tight” can smash against something and break a chunk of the rubber off. This happens on brand new boats, but of course, more commonly on used boats. This isn’t a huge deal but it has to be addressed unless you want to always be draining your toons. There’s repair options out there. However, keep this in mind.
Waterlogged
- This is something that goes unseen and most buyers don’t realize it’s waterlogged until it feels like it weighs more than it should. It begins to get obvious when pulling it around. The boat only weighs about 130 pounds dry, including the seats. If the boat feels abnormally heavy or you hear a lot of water in the toons, try pouring it out there on the spot.
- The foam is supposed to be a special marine foam that doesn’t soak up water, but it WILL soak up water after years of waterlogged pontoons. This will make your boat really heavy, lower your weight capacity and cause you to move slower through the water
Weak Transom
- This is more of a rare issue, but pull on the transom and bow motor mounts. It will have flex and give as it’s plastic with a little wood slab inside. However, if the owner previously ran anything above a 3 horse motor on it, double check. These boats are only rated for 3.5hp max. Lots of folks go over that. Personally, I would go up to 5hp. However, for the purposes of purchasing, check the structural integrity of both motor mounts by pulling on it and feeling around it
Has a legible HIN (Hull Identification Number)
- Lots of these boats are old, lose the HIN,they get scratched off or are no longer legible. It should be on any registration forms and your title. Do make sure it has a HIN in case something weird ever happens. Not a huge deal, try to get a boat with a HIN and save yourself some potential issues down the road. It’s always nice to be able to prove the boat you’re on is actually yours and registered to you if anything ever comes up.
Structurally Sound
- Be sure the foam/ wood is still solid. Doesn’t have an abnormal amount of flex or give anywhere at all around the boat inside and out. It WILL have give, as the hull is plastic. Just make sure it’s not cracking or anything out of the ordinary.
- I only weigh about 150 lbs and I can easily walk all along the gunnels, the bow platform and really put a lot of pressure everywhere no issue. When you put your foot along the gunnels, the thick and sturdy foam should keep the boat from caving in.
Those are the main things you must keep in mind when searching for your first used plastic pontoon boat! Every deal is different. Every boat is different. That’s why you need to keep all these things in mind while on the “prowl” for your boat. Join the Tiny Boat Talk Facebook group to screen your potential buy, BEFORE you hand over the cash!