SuperSecretCIA
02-25-2007, 07:58 PM
Ok guys, so I have a slight case of “Cabin Fever”. I decided to dust off the pontoon boat and at least think about flyfishing. Got to thinking about the Eastern WA Lakes and those warm walks across the sand. Now I have used several different wheel systems to get my pontoon boat to the water with poor results when it comes right down to it. First it was a single wheel on bike forks, then two wheels on two bike forks, but neither version had the wheels far enough apart to be stable. I started thinking back to early eighties when my fishing partner and myself wheeled a 9’ “Livingston” into Nunnally on a wide cart. We had it loaded down with cooler, gear, and float tube. It was pretty easy, but the cart was made of plywood (heavy) and did not brake down for transit.
I finally got tired of waiting for someone to manufacture the perfect pontoon cart, so I made my own. My plan was to make a cart that broke down into small pieces and required no welding or special tools to assemble. After many brain strains, I finally decided on using tent canopy fittings and 1” EMT (electrical conduit). The cart assembles using wire lock pins, but I did use stainless steel bolts with nylon lock nuts in crucial places. Right now I am using tires that are 14” x 4”, but I have designed the frame/axles to have allowance for larger tires if necessary. I use four webbing straps to secure the pontoon to the cart, and also use the same straps to attach my pontoon to the top of my van. Out of pocket cost was around $100, but I had many left over components to be used on other carts. I think you could get the cost down to around $75 and much lower if you had some parts lying around that could be used. I hope this gets some of you motivated and eager for spring.:beer2:
I finally got tired of waiting for someone to manufacture the perfect pontoon cart, so I made my own. My plan was to make a cart that broke down into small pieces and required no welding or special tools to assemble. After many brain strains, I finally decided on using tent canopy fittings and 1” EMT (electrical conduit). The cart assembles using wire lock pins, but I did use stainless steel bolts with nylon lock nuts in crucial places. Right now I am using tires that are 14” x 4”, but I have designed the frame/axles to have allowance for larger tires if necessary. I use four webbing straps to secure the pontoon to the cart, and also use the same straps to attach my pontoon to the top of my van. Out of pocket cost was around $100, but I had many left over components to be used on other carts. I think you could get the cost down to around $75 and much lower if you had some parts lying around that could be used. I hope this gets some of you motivated and eager for spring.:beer2: