Why Your Pontoon Boat Nose Dives
There are several reasons a pontoon boat will nose dive, as listed below:
- Too much weight in the front.
- Rough water.
- Water in the toons.
- Damaged toons.
- Trim not set correctly.
- Incorrect engine size for your boat.
Let’s go over each point.
1. Too Much Weight In The Front
The most common reason why a pontoon boat takes a nose dive is that there is too much weight in the front of the boat.
An empty boat will lean more to the rear due to the weight of the engine. Also, the driver is most often located more rear.
The problem is storage, as many pontoon boats have plenty of storage in the front as the rear is often loaded with the engine, gas tank, and driver helm. This leads boat owners to store as much stuff in the front of the boat as possible, such things as tubes and other heavy items that get heavier due to being water logged.
Passengers also tend to be the heaviest things you carry, and having everyone sit in the front is not good and can make the boat nose dive in heavy wakes. You need to evenly space out passengers when the boat is moving, or you can have odd dives and leans when driving.
2. Rough Water
If you operate your pontoon in the ocean or other rough waves, then it’s not uncommon for it to have some nose dive coming off a wave.
Never operate your boat in an area it’s not rated for. A 24-foot pontoon boat is great on the small lakes, but it’s a little thing in the ocean with the large wakes being made by ships.
When you go up on a wave, you will come back down and nose dive, so don’t operate your boat in dangerous waters.
3. Water In Toons
The logs, or toons, of your pontoon can get water in them.
When water is in the toons, it slushes around and can make your pontoon nose dive.
Pontoons can sink, but not as common as other boats.
Water getting in the toons is not as common on newer pontoons as they have water locks, or chambers to keep the water from splashing around and for the whole toon from filling up. They can get still get damaged and hold water, if it’s in the front it will have the pontoon nose dive.
4. Damaged Toons
The logs or toons of your pontoon and made of aluminum, which is strong and light, but also bends and breaks easily.
A rock or a stick can puncture or mishappen your toons and cause all kinds of driving and balance issues.
The boat will need to be taken out of the water and examine for damage and repairs made at a repair shop to fix this if it’s your issue for nose diving.
5. Trim Not Set Correctly
Just about every boat has trim which raises and lowers the nose of the boat.
You must adjust the trim as you drive your boat to suit the water conditions and tow sports.
Having the trim too far down will mean the nose of the boat is down, and it will nose dive at every chance it can, especially with too much weight in the front.
Learn how to trim a boat here:
6. Incorrect Engine Size For Your Boat
Just because you can put a bigger engine on your boat doesn’t mean you should.
Your boat is made to support certain size outboard engines, and going too small or too big can cause all kinds of issues.
An engine too big can cause a rebounding that nose dive the boat. And too small and there is not enough weight in the rear and the boat is too light in the front.
Make sure you have the correct size engine for your boat!