# How shallow does a pontoon boat draft?



## OffshoreChris (Oct 13, 2010)

Thinking about turning a pontoon boat into a duck boat/duck blind... Just an idea. What does the average 16-18 foot pontoon boat draft?


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## Number_Five (Feb 14, 2012)

They can draft surprisingly shallow, but I'd ask myself how far I'd be willing to push a beast like that in case I got stuck! Not a bad idea though, big stable platform to shoot and have a dog.

Five


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## flatsmaster14 (Mar 25, 2011)

It will work! I have seen one in Livingston and it was the perfect boat blind. If you could get a tri **** that short I bet it would draft nothing


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## longboat (Apr 14, 2008)

It will all depend on how much weight you put on the thing. Keep it light and it will float shallow. Add a bunch of weight and those pontoons will gain draft quickly. If you plan to carry a lot of weight, you would be better off with a large jon boat, maybe a Big Jon from SeaArk or something like that.

Just remember that a cubic foot of displacement will float about 63 pounds. Measure the pontoons you plan to use, do the calculations and subtract the weight of the boat itself. That should give you a good idea of the draft.


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## ReelWork (May 21, 2004)

Toons will float real shallow. Neighbor has a 25 foot Bennington Tri-**** with a 150 and that thing will float in about 6-7 inches (and that's all in the stern). If you distributed the weight properly, it could probably legitimately float in 5-6 inches. 

The problem I see with toons is they tend to right deep in the stern, even on plane. However to keep this in perspective, I think it could still be shallower than a lot of the boats we run as long as the weight is kept down.


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## justletmein (Feb 11, 2006)

Don't forget to factor in the ten metric **** tons of gear you'll need to camo out a monster like that.


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## Dgeddings (Sep 16, 2010)

their draft is relative to the load they are carrying, most can draft 6" empty but don't forget their displacement hulls, the heavier the load the deeper they draft, as stated above a tritoon displaces more water so therefor will handle a heavy load much better, not to mention a bigger motor so you can get where your going much faster


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## flatsmaster14 (Mar 25, 2011)

Paint it, put a bench seat all the way down one side and a small roof over your back and heads it will be light!


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