# Nussy's PonTIN boats



## Nussy (Mar 9, 2011)

Well it's build #3. Here's my blank slate to start with 2-24' pontoons 18" in diameter. Found on Craigslist..a little beat up but it's really hard to find used pontoons....or even a trashed old pontoon boat. 



I plan to cut them in 1/2 and build two similar boats out of it. I figured I can learn on the first one and make some tweaks for the 2nd build and sell the first one. Here's the layout of how I plan cut them up.



Then I'll basically take the 12 foot pontoons and build this. Current plan is 6 foot wide with a deck of 9' long. bow and stern trolling motor setup. I'm thinking 100" aluminum....but I do have some carpet to burn from my last build so we'll see how the budget goes. 



Open to suggestions. Stay tuned.


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## Howard (Mar 9, 2011)

Man, you have to much time on your hands, LOL. Good luck and look foward to see your progress =D>


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## Nussy (Mar 9, 2011)

Howard said:


> Man, you have to much time on your hands, LOL. Good luck and look foward to see your progress =D>



It's still winter here in WI. 14" of ice on the lake. 3" of snow today. At this rate I'll have both done before ice out :LOL2:


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## minicuda (Mar 9, 2011)

very cool i'll be watching this one!


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## Waterwings (Mar 9, 2011)

Looking forward to the build! 8)


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## hsiftac (Mar 10, 2011)

cant wait to see how this goes


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## Outdoorsman (Mar 10, 2011)

I am in Wisconsin... I got first dibs on your first build when you decide to sell it...

Awesome idea...

Outdoorsman.


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## jasper60103 (Mar 10, 2011)

Nussy said:


> Howard said:
> 
> 
> > Man, you have to much time on your hands, LOL. Good luck and look foward to see your progress =D>
> ...



Yea, this winter has been very painful in Mn. The garage is just getting warm enough to start winter projects, LOL. 

Look forward to your progress.


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## Nussy (Mar 20, 2011)

Well I got the first set of pontoons back from my fab guy. Obviously, these are the front half of the 24 footers. I think they turned out pretty good, he said they were a nightmare....hoping the bill didn't double.....I'm supposed to get the other two this week



About all I got done this weekend was I figured out how I'm going to lay everything out. New plan calls for the deck to be 6' x 8'. Found some aluminum decking that I really like only problem is it's 7 hours away....I really want to do it right since this boat will be sitting outside all the time. Guess I'll have to bite the bullet on the shipping. 

I also polished the pontoons up a bit. 

Before



After


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## basstender10.6 (Mar 20, 2011)

good start. this is going to be a cool mod


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## Nussy (Mar 26, 2011)

Yesterday I cleaned up the tubes with a product call ZING. It's pretty nasty stuff(has hydrochloric acid), but it does a really nice job to make aluminum look almost new. Today I spent a couple hours and got the frame installed on boat #1 today. The guy I had cut the pontoons, still doesn't have the 2nd set welded up, so I'm stuck for now. I decided to go with 2" x 1" x 1/8" C Channel. I wanted do do Bassboy's hat design, but this was a little easier and cheaper since I could buy it stock and didn't have to find some one to cut it and bend it. I also ordered the decking this week. I decided to use a product called Last Deck https://www.lastdeck.com. It's powdercoated aluminum decking. It was a little pricey but I think it will be worth it since this boat will sit outside all the time. It should be here in a couple weeks. Here's a pic of where it stands today.


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## hsiftac (Mar 26, 2011)

ive been waitin for some pictures on this one, thank you! this looks awesome and cant wait to see more progress


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## bailey86 (Mar 26, 2011)

one my realitives have a pontoon turned into a dock and cut a hole in the middle of it and droped a stainless steel tube from a washing machine in it and works great for a livewell would there be room for something like that


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## Bugpac (Mar 26, 2011)

Looking good, I think if it was me, I would weld a end across the c channel on each side, I use to build crest pontoon boats 20 yrs ago, seems like we did this to strengthen the deck.


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## Nussy (Mar 26, 2011)

bailey86 said:


> one my realitives have a pontoon turned into a dock and cut a hole in the middle of it and droped a stainless steel tube from a washing machine in it and works great for a livewell would there be room for something like that


I've been kicking around a few live well/storage ideas below the deck but I couldn't think of a good way to do it that didn't involve something custom due to the aluminum plank decking. I was also worried about how deep they could be and stay above the water line. I then thought about a box above deck toward the rear for life jackets, anchor, battery, etc. 



Bugpac said:


> Looking good, I think if it was me, I would weld a end across the c channel on each side, I use to build crest pontoon boats 20 yrs ago, seems like we did this to strengthen the deck.



I used stronger bracing than what Misty Harbor did on my 18 footer. I think it should be real solid, it's only 6 ft wide so the span between the pontoons isn't very far. I threw some plywood on to test the decking and it was really solid, it should stiffen up even more with the aluminum deck. Plus I plan to edge the top with 1"x3" angle(or possibly channel if it fits right) which would also firm it up a bit.


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## bailey86 (Mar 26, 2011)

nussy i was looking around ebay and found these people 
https://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/STANDARD-21-GALLON-BOAT-POLY-LIVEWELL-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem5d2df3253aQQitemZ400202868026QQptZBoatQ5fPartsQ5fAccessoriesQ5fGear i thought it wasn't a bad price


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## bassboy1 (Mar 26, 2011)

Nussy said:


> I've been kicking around a few live well/storage ideas below the deck but I couldn't think of a good way to do it that didn't involve something custom due to the aluminum plank decking. I was also worried about how deep they could be and stay above the water line. I then thought about a box above deck toward the rear for life jackets, anchor, battery, etc.



At the Atlanta boat show the past few years (I didn't waste any money this year, given that there was nothing there), they have had a small fishing pontoon, with dimensions similar to yours. I don't remember if they were electric only, or had a gas outboard, but they had plenty of storage. What they did, was merely build up about a foot above the deck, and place hatches/livewells, etc in the space. It left a wide open platform, with storage underneath the casting decks, without interfering with the water line, and a slightly higher vantage point. 

I believe the raised deck stopped a foot shy of the front, and the trolling motor was mounted on the lower section. The TM was a MK Powerdrive mounted dead center, which, when folded up, extended back into a cubby underneath the raised deck. I don't remember if the cubby had a lid which opened up for deploying, or if the motor had to be slid forward before being tilted down (which was probably why the Powerdrive was used, as it allows that, unlike a scissors style motor).


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## BaitCaster (Mar 28, 2011)

Interesting build - wish my garage was that clean!


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## Nussy (Mar 28, 2011)

Scored these sweet pedestal seats off Craigslist today, $70 bucks for the pair. 



I'll pick up a few more things at Cabela's tomorrow for the build. Decking company said it should ship tomorrow...sounds like I have work ahead for the weekend.


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## 2007NNBS (Mar 29, 2011)

look up www.protatch.com...they have some nice pontoon boats on their website.


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## Waterwings (Mar 29, 2011)

Nussy,

If you want really want to shine those pontoons up, checkout this product: https://www.sharkhide.com/mpinfo.html. Sharkhide is a protectant applied after cleaning and polishing the aluminum, but it lasts quite a long time.

Here's a Tracker tin with the Sharkhide treatment:


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## Nussy (Mar 29, 2011)

There's a few mini toon companies out there that I've seen. I'm stealing the best of their ideas within reason. 

Water wings, I thought shark hide too, but theses pontoons have some "history" and I think the sharkhide polish might accent a few blemishes. I think it looks awesome and I love the idea on a newer boat. The Zing really brightened them up. Not perfect but a definite improvement with little work.

Update, decking will be here Thursday. Stopped by my fab guy and he's still not sure when the other set of tubes will be done, guess i'll work on what I can this weekend. Also picked up a hatch and some other goodies from Cabelas. We will see what I can figure out for some storage.


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## Waterwings (Mar 29, 2011)

Nussy said:


> ...Waterwings, I thought shark hide too, but theses pontoons have some "history" and I think the sharkhide polish might accent a few blemishes. I think it looks awesome and I love the idea on a newer boat. The Zing really brightened them up. Not perfect but a definite improvement with little work...




Understand, just a suggestion. That's gonna be a great rig when you're done!


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## truckhuntfish (Mar 30, 2011)

i'm not sure how far you want to go with the polishing, but , when i polish the tanks on my semi , they always have rock chips in them , fine sandpaper takes the nicks right out , then you need a polishing wheel on a 8in. grinder , you can make them look like chrome. there is a chrome shop for semis in appleton , can't remember the name , but they should have anything you need for that


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## fender66 (Mar 30, 2011)

Although I'm totally impressed with this project.......I'm more jealous of the clean garage space you have!

Way to go man!


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## Nussy (Mar 30, 2011)

That's funny....the garage just looks clean. Go back to pick 1 of this thread and you'll see what the other half looks like


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## fender66 (Mar 30, 2011)

Yeah sure....you should see mine. On second thought....I don't think I want anyone to see it. #-o


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## 2007NNBS (Apr 10, 2011)

Any updates?


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## Nussy (Apr 10, 2011)

Well I just got back to working on the boat today(I had to get out and catch some walleyes yesterday while the run is on . I got the decking cut, it's a product called Last Deck. Essentially tongue and groove extruded aluminum planks that are powder coated. A little pricey but I'll never have to redeck again and I can simply spray it down with a hose to clean it. 

I fastened the decking down with #8 SS sheet metal screws. I decided to make the deck on boat shorter than I had originally planned because I thought it would get too much weight over the front taper of the pontoons and ride nose heavy. I'm going to put just a aluminum sheet cap over the front section you can see in the pics. The deck will be about 8.5'. I also decided not to go with any storage for this build as this is boat I will sell and didn't think I'd get the return on it to add a hatch and box. Build 2 I'm keeping and will put a little more into it. 




I decided to go with 1" x 3" x1/8" angle for the edge trim. It was about 1/3 the cost of normal pontoon trim and just couldn't justify spending extra. Unfortunately it came a little scratched up so I'll have to buff it up a little when I'm done. I was able to get two sides attached and one corner cap on before I decided to call it a day before a storm rolled in.....plus the Masters is on :LOL2: 





I got the corner cap from Marine East based on the post in the mod section for materials. Thanks to whomever posted the link, I really like them and saved a bundle. 



I also finally got the second set of pontoons back from my fab guy yesterday and cleaned them up this morning. They turned out pretty good, but he said it was a nightmare of a job to weld aluminum so thin. Only cost me a $100 for the entire job which I thought was a great deal. Here's a pic of one tube. It's the back half of the original and I had him just put a flat nose on the front at an angle. 


Should be able to finish boat #1 with only 3-4 more hours work. It goes a lot faster when you don't have to paint anything...


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## fender66 (Apr 10, 2011)

Sweet.....what kind of BBQ pit are you going to mount to it? :LOL2:


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## Nussy (Apr 17, 2011)

Yesterday I was able to get back to working on the boat. I finished up the edging and the corner caps and started on the seat bases... then I decided to cut the underfloor storage box for boat #2 since the scrap of that will be used for the seat base backing to spread the load out across a larger area. 

Since I never cut aluminum sheet before I followed Bassboy's recommendation to a T. Built a guide and used the recommended blade. Worked great!!! Here's some pics.


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## Brine (Apr 17, 2011)

Nice Man. This is a great build. =D>


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## fender66 (Apr 17, 2011)

I want to do that too now. My wife will kill me though!


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## Nussy (Apr 17, 2011)

Got a little more done this morning. After messing around for a couple hours yesterday trying to mount the first seat base, I came up with a good idea and it took all of 20 minutes today to mount the seat base. I used the scrap from the box I cut out yesterday. I traced the hole from the seat base and cut it out with a jig saw so that the base fit in the scrap. Then I drilled out all the holes so as to use the scrap as one big washer and support below the deck. 



I was also then able to use this as a template to cut the deck hole. 



Then I attached everything. Yesterday I had problems with the bolts bending. So today I screwed them slowly and everything went fine. Just that that was weird. Wondering if the friction caused too much heat... Here's a pic from below. They are rock solid. 




Just about done. Just need to mount the trolling motor and attach the battery box. Also need to figure out what I want to do with the front section. Wish I would have just made the deck bigger like the plan originally called for. Thinking just a aluminum step or place to mount a tackle box or anchor box, etc.

Here's the pics as it sits today.


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## dyeguy1212 (Apr 17, 2011)

Looking good. You got a nice clean and finished look just by keeping it simple.. I like it!


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## FishinFL (Apr 19, 2011)

This is a awesome looking project. Something like that could be fun here in FL. You are doing a great job. Some of the lakes I fish here have small one man pontoon boats, which this is between a one man and full size. I am taking notes.


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## Troutman3000 (Apr 19, 2011)

Lookin good Nussy. I think that thing is gonn be great to fish off of. Plenty of room to stand and very stable. Do you have any ideas for rod storage?


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## Nussy (Apr 19, 2011)

Troutman3000 said:


> Lookin good Nussy. I think that thing is gonn be great to fish off of. Plenty of room to stand and very stable. Do you have any ideas for rod storage?


Thanks guys, 

This first boat will be pretty plain. Just trying to keep the cost down so I can sell it a little easier and make some of my investment back. I should have it done this weekend. 

Boat #2 will be a little nicer. I live on a small lake and I plan to use the 2nd boat there. It will have the bike seats and adjustable peds. I want to keep the deck clean so that I can pull the seats off and the kids can use it as a swim raft. The plan is for some underfloor storage for the battery, maybe an onboard charger, life jackets, tackle, etc. I was thinking about putting in some flush mount rod holders in the deck that insert at an angle so that they would point off the deck edge(something like this)



.....but I'm not sure how that would work. I'm worried they might get in the way for casting and landing fish. I'm the kind of guy that goes out with 4-5 rods instead of changing baits. Second thought was to have a velcro strip(or bunjee) on the deck and just strap them down. I'm also considering a small railing on boat #2...either corner railings or a just a kick plate of 1x1 Angle to keep things from falling off the edge..


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## Troutman3000 (Apr 20, 2011)

I would worry that just having them on the deck that they would get stepped on. You could make something portable to place in the middle of the deck. I have seen people use the pvc holders screwed to a five gallon bucket for easy transport. That way the bucket, cooler, or whatever container you use can be removed each time. I attached some to my bait tank and I love them. I can still cast from both ends because the rods are in the middle and pointing straight up. 

Something like this attached to a bucket or something.


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## Nussy (Apr 27, 2011)

Finally finished the first boat here's the final pics. It's for sale($2200) if anyone is interested.....









Now on to #2...stay tuned.


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## BOB350RX (Apr 27, 2011)

fender66 said:


> Although I'm totally impressed with this project.......I'm more jealous of the clean garage space you have!
> 
> Way to go man!


+1


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## fender66 (Apr 27, 2011)

Nicely done. What are the round things on the decking?


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## Nussy (Apr 27, 2011)

fender66 said:


> Nicely done. What are the round things on the decking?



Cupholders...you can't go fishing with out a beer right??? I figured one next to the chair and a spare in case out run out. 

Or if you're like me they end up full of lure, splitshots, junk, etc.


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## fender66 (Apr 27, 2011)

Nussy said:


> fender66 said:
> 
> 
> > Nicely done. What are the round things on the decking?
> ...



I'm like you! #-o :mrgreen:


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## Nussy (Apr 27, 2011)

Well I got started on #2 today, Frame mounted and the storage boxes are done and installed. They are simply .063 aluminum sheet cut and bent into a box. Then I took 1x1x1/16 angle to secure the corners since I'm not much of a welder. Just riveted the angle to the sheet. I'm really happy with how they turned out. I'll probably run some silicon down the corners to keep them water tight. Since they won't hit the water, I'm not too worried.










Next up decking and hatches.


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## reedjj (Apr 27, 2011)

What about something like this that you could just put on the boat when you wanted to. It could even carry the Trolling motor batt.

https://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_10209975_151006001_151000000_151006000?hvarAID=shopping_shoppingdotcom


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## Troutman3000 (Apr 28, 2011)

Looks Awesome!


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## Ictalurus (Apr 28, 2011)

Nussy said:


> Finally finished the first boat here's the final pics. It's for sale($2200) if anyone is interested.....
> 
> 
> > Does that include a trailer? :LOL2:
> ...


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## Nussy (Apr 30, 2011)

Ictalurus said:


> Nussy said:
> 
> 
> > Finally finished the first boat here's the final pics. It's for sale($2200) if anyone is interested.....
> ...



I thought that was a pretty good price. Here's a similar boat new going for $4195....The only thing used on this are the pontoons themselves. 
https://www.pondking.com/pontoon-boats/pond-king.asp

Haven't had it on the water yet. Weather in WI has been pretty bad this spring.


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## Nussy (May 1, 2011)

Well, I got boat #2 almost complete. Deck on, Hatches Installed, Seats and Pedestals, Edge Trim. All that's left is some wiring, and maybe some cleats, handles and the motor. Also thinking about adding a short railing.


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## fender66 (May 2, 2011)

Very nice. I'm quite impressed.


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## Ictalurus (May 2, 2011)

[/quote]I thought that was a pretty good price. Here's a similar boat new going for $4195....The only thing used on this are the pontoons themselves. 
https://www.pondking.com/pontoon-boats/pond-king.asp

Haven't had it on the water yet. Weather in WI has been pretty bad this spring.[/quote]

Nussy, they look great. I would have no idea on the prices, just wondered what the trailer would look like for those.


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## Nussy (May 2, 2011)

Yeah, I've been thinking about trailers. This would work for boat one. 





but I'd have to have bunks for boat 2 because of the storage. For me it's not a big deal because it's just going to sit at the lake I live on. If I need to move it a standard snowmobile trailer or flat bed would work.


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## Derek (May 3, 2011)

The boats look awesome. Maybe someday when I live on a lake


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## devilmutt (May 24, 2011)

Looks good Nussy.

:beer: This Bud's for you. 

https://www.youmail.com/community/greeting/budlight_beer_-__mr_homemade_pontoon_boat_maker


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## Nussy (May 24, 2011)

devilmutt said:


> Looks good Nussy.
> 
> :beer: This Bud's for you.
> 
> https://www.youmail.com/community/greeting/budlight_beer_-__mr_homemade_pontoon_boat_maker



That frickin' Awesome!!! Wish I could figure out how to save the actual audio file.


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## truckhuntfish (May 24, 2011)

you should haul one of those down to madison on june 25th for the tinboats fishin tournament


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## Nussy (May 24, 2011)

truckhuntfish said:


> you should haul one of those down to madison on june 25th for the tinboats fishin tournament



The problem is I don't have a trailer to haul them anywhere our I would have considered it.


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## devilmutt (May 25, 2011)

Nussy said:


> devilmutt said:
> 
> 
> > Looks good Nussy.
> ...



If you use the Droid Market for your cell you can find the Real Men of Genius soundboard.


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