Monday, August 25, 2008

Used Pontoon Boats - Boat Review, Chinook Pontoon Boats

Chinook “Resort Classic” Series Pontoon Leisure Boat

Hi gang, Rick Ostler here from North American Waterway bringing you Used Pontoon Boats along with news and views from the boating industry. Pontoon boats aren’t for partying and puttering around the lake anymore.

These unique vessels have earned a reputation as some of the most versatile and rugged work boats. Boats that easily adapt to various and sometimes dangerous tasks including fire fighting, commercial recreation, wildlife protection, marina construction, fish and game research and management, and marine demolition or construction.

Pontoon boats, particularly Chinook Boats from Metalite Industries, have earned respect because design specifications can be tailored to payload capacity, work environment and weight demands.

Width, length and buoyancy can all be modified to meet working requirements. And bow and stern shapes can be adjusted to allow for the best utilization of surface space and work requirements.

Each pontoon boat user will begin with a platform that is crafted for its durability and incredible flotation stability. But you can customize almost anything on these boats. From riggings, cleats, tie-downs, steering and enclosures - cabins, tarps or canopies. All based on the simple or complex nature of the enterprise.

Ken Hagman’s firm, Copper Bay Construction, has been a fixture on Idaho’s Priest Lake since 1977. He ties the increased use of his pontoon boats to the demand for greater longevity of marine construction. “We’re using more aluminum framing and composite decking. Because of that, transporting equipment and materials to the site has become much more critical over the years.”

In Hanman’s work, one thing he does is remove damaged boat lifts and he replaces them with fresh equipment. He wanted to make this job more efficient, so Hagman went looking for a large high-speed pontoon boat that could install heavy machinery easily and readily. He chose a Chinook Pontoon Boat that was built to spec by Metalite Industries, a subsidiary of NewMax Incorporated. The 12 x 32-foot boat he chose has a 15,000-lb capacity and carries a gantry crane that can lift and position 8,000 to 12,000-lb boat lifts. His new boat’s speed and size saves him time and labor costs. “With it being 12 feet wide, which is extremely wide for its size, it allows us to deliver and set boat lifts with a two-man crew. As opposed to the old method, a slow moving boat that needed four people to jockey and set the lift in place.”

In fact, Hagman calculates that since purchasing the Chinook Pontoon five years ago, half the cost has been recouped in labor savings alone. And further savings have been realized as fuel costs rise: the boat’s four-stroke engines operate at one-third the cost of powering the large and heavy semi-displacement work boat Copper Bay previously used.

“We’ve been very impressed with the performance of the boat. It’s common to travel fifteen miles over water to get to a job site. Most work boats are semi-displacement vessels that plow through the water at a slow pace.

The Chinook Pontoon work boats incorporate an angular, flat pontoon design that has a higher displacement and better surface planning capability.

The design provides better hydro-dynamics to allow the vessel to plane on the water’s surface, where it can move quickly and more efficiently. We specifically wanted this boat so it would save money in labor costs by getting people to the job faster. We’ve had a lot of competitors, some who come from five hundred miles away, looking at the boat for design ideas for their operations,” he said.

Hagman’s Copper Bay Construction crew is in the process of replacing Priest Lake’s oldest marina. A new breakwater will be installed and a hundred boat slips replaced. The on-shore construction of a bar and restaurant will be the main focus when the marine aspects of the project are completed in the end of 2008

Hagman’s Chinook Pontoon Boat was outfitted with aluminum ramps that attach to the front of the boat. These ramps allow the crew to easily transport and disembark mini excavators. The on-shore work requires the machinery that must be done in the winter months, when Priest Lake, a reservoir lake is drawn down. Standing snow may arrive as early as the end of October and remain on the ground until April. The pontoon boats are still in the water year round. “The aluminum gets cold, but the boat performs well,” he said.

Though Hagman keeps busy throughout the year, when time permits, he’s not opposed to a little fun. “Every summer, we throw a party for our twenty-five employees. We turn the pontoon boat into a floating party. We spruce it up and cruise around the lake, smiling at everybody. We’ve had more than 30 people safely on that boat,” he said.

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