Trailering and Towing your Pontoon Boat

Written by Thomas Holley


Trailering and towering your pontoon boat doesn't have to be a dreaded chore. As a matter of fact, if you follow a few simple tips, not only will you expandrepparttar opportunities you have to visit a wider variety of waterways, but you'll enjoyrepparttar 141036 drive as well. Towing obviously begins with your tow vehicle. It is extremely important that you keep this vehicle in tip-top shape. Change oils and filters more often than you would under normal driving conditions. In must cases, it's a safe bet to do it twice as often as regular maintenance requires. Tire pressure is another thing to check on a regular basis. While it's not a good thing to have overflated tires, its even worse to drive a vehicle with low tires. Don't forget tune-ups, services or your cooling system. All brake lights need to be in working order.

Once you're confident that your tow vehicle is in good working order, move on torepparttar 141037 trailer itself. To reducerepparttar 141038 possibility of swaying, manufacturers recommend thatrepparttar 141039 tongue weight ofrepparttar 141040 trailer (boat included) is 5-7 percent ofrepparttar 141041 total tow package. (Boat, motor, trailer and all your gear.) Make sure you have adequate tie downs on your boat and trailer. If you're traveling from one state to another you may run into different regulations regardingrepparttar 141042 use of tie downs in different states. Make sure you know what they are in your state and any states that you may be traveling through. Again, when towing a boat, it's always smart to err torepparttar 141043 side of safety. Four straps will allow you to conform to regulartions almost everywhere. If you use one strap to tie downrepparttar 141044 bow, two straps atrepparttar 141045 transom and one strap onrepparttar 141046 gunwale, you'll be in excellent shape. Remember to use straps that are weather resistant and as strong as you can buy. Straps with easy lock and release buckles allow you to tighten them and controlrepparttar 141047 slack with a minimal effort. If your boat didn't come with a cover, buy one. It'll not only keeprepparttar 141048 dust and debris off your boat when you're driving but it'll serve to hold everything in place and protect if fromrepparttar 141049 sun. The last thing you want to see are your seat cushions floating downrepparttar 141050 highway behind you. Covers will also reduce wind resistance and thereby increase your mileage.

Once you've determined that your tow vehicle is ready to go, your boat is securely onrepparttar 141051 trailer and your lights are in working order, it's time to hitrepparttar 141052 road. When towing any vehicle, it's important to stay alert while driving. Although you may be very comfortable pullingrepparttar 141053 trailer, other drivers have no idea what kind of an impact their actions can have on your safety. Onrepparttar 141054 interstate system, for example, semi-trucks can create enough of a wind to literally blow you offrepparttar 141055 road. Withrepparttar 141056 added length and weight of your boat and trailer, it's a good idea to take things slower than you normally would without them. The added weight will decrease your stopping distances tremendously so brake early and give yourself plenty of room. The length will affect your turning ability as well as how much room you need to complete lane changes. Overcompensating in these cases is much better than cutting a turn too short or clippingrepparttar 141057 front end ofrepparttar 141058 vehicle you just passed. When someone passes you, flashing your lights when they've cleared your vehicle isrepparttar 141059 safe and polite way to go.

How to Create A Romantic Dinner for Two on a Pontoon Boat

Written by Thomas Holley


Before you pick uprepparttar phone to make reservations for that romantic dinner for two...STOP. Instead of battling traffic, waiting in line for your table and being atrepparttar 141035 mercy ofrepparttar 141036 other diners sitting at your elbow, why not jump onrepparttar 141037 pontoon and head out torepparttar 141038 water? With a little imagination, foresight, and moonlight, you can create a romantic dinner for two that your date will never forget. The most important part of creating this memorable evening is inrepparttar 141039 planning. You don't want to be inrepparttar 141040 middle of dinner and realize that you've forgotten something important like silverware or a corkscrew.

So, let's start atrepparttar 141041 beginning and work throughrepparttar 141042 details. First of all, checkrepparttar 141043 weather. Nothing will ruin your dinner quicker than a storm or rough water. Secondly, dock your boat prior to picking up your date. Trailering and launching can often be stressful and it's important that you and your date are completely relaxed fromrepparttar 141044 moment you step onrepparttar 141045 boat, until you step off. Make sure all of your supplies are loaded intorepparttar 141046 boat prior to arriving with your date. Check forrepparttar 141047 exact timerepparttar 141048 sun is setting and plan to arrive at precisely that moment. Using easy to find outdoor light strings, ensconce your pontoon with dangling icicles of light, (Don't forget to plug them in before you arrive with your date.) a few well-positioned flower petals onrepparttar 141049 deck wouldn't be a bad idea either. There is nothing more romantic than walking your significant other downrepparttar 141050 pier to a softly glowing pontoon enveloped inrepparttar 141051 pinks and blues of a setting sun. When planning your meal, you have several options. Although many boats are equipped with grills, nothing takesrepparttar 141052 fire out of romance quicker than having to cook before you can sit down. For this reason, it's recommended that you consider cooking your meal at home first or picking it up from your favorite restaurant. Keeping it hot or cold is no problem with a thermoelectric cooler. This is a wonderfulproduct sold by Coleman that can not only keep your food at serving temperature but will hold ice and beverages as well. Food umbrellas arerepparttar 141053 perfect way to keep pesky insects out of your meal and can be purchased inexpensively.

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