In past columns I have mentioned our lake being a Corps of Engineers lake and the fact that we only have one marina. That doesn’t leave the average boat owner much of a choice if you want a slip at the marina.

I never thought it was a big deal. When I owned my 22-foot Venture sailboat, I trailered it to the marina. It had a crank up centerboard and was set up trailering. I assume some of you know the routine. Then I sold that boat and bought a Catalina Capri 22 with wing keel. If you are not familiar with keel sailboats, it usually requires a tongue extension (or chains and dollies etc.) to get the boat backed into the water far enough to clear the trailer. With the drama required to load and unload I realized that any sailing would be a really big chore, so I opted for a slip.

After ten years, we sold the sailboat and bought the pontoon. I was really spoiled by that time about leaving the boat in the slip. Not loading the boat in the dark, trailering home, parking, unloading and all the other things one had to do. Oh, and usually the kids would go inside with my wife, and I’d be left doing all the stuff by myself.

It wasn’t like I didn’t have trailering experience. I pulled a trailer with my motorcycle for years. I took my truck and a fifth wheel across the country from Iowa to Seattle and other places. I grew up pulling ski boats, campers, and trailers with eight to ten canoes. I even remember pulling a trailer that came unhooked and the only thing that kept it from rolling down the highway by itself was the safety chains. In reality, I think I’m tired of trailing farther than the five miles from my house to the marina twice a year.

But over the past few years our marina has been increasing the price for the slip. Our season is from April to October. And what started years ago at about $2,000 is now about $4,500. Same slip, same location, no electricity, and no water and not covered. It was such a big jump that a number of the boaters got together and went to the Corps and the operator to see what could be done.

I don’t operate a marina and I’m not going to try and form an opinion about the situation. But when you start looking at the cost of slips, it might give an owner more of an incentive to own a boat that can be stored on a trailer. Even at our marina you can save a few bucks and use the “valet” service. This is where they keep the boat on the trailer but the marina unloads and loads it for you. In many areas there are storage facilities that do the same sort of thing.

Maybe it is time to look at trailering a pontoon instead of leaving it at the lake. But before you go off and buy a boat to trailer, there are a few things you should think about. Trailering takes practice and it isn’t always easy.

So, here is my number one piece of advice. A pontoon is kind of like a sailboat with the sails up when it’s on a trailer. There is a lot of area to catch the wind.

Which means getting the right size vehicle is the key. Towing vehicles need to be big enough to handle the weight. You need to pull the boat out of the water and down the highway. And don’t forget to stop. The bigger the boat, the bigger the vehicle needs to be to stop. A lot of vehicles have the towing capacity for your pontoon’s weight, but they are too short in the wheelbase or too lightweight, which makes them dangerous.

Additionally, short/small vehicles will have difficulty if the boat starts swaying or drops off the edge of the road. Often the small vehicle won’t have enough mass to get it back under control.

Of course, how far you plan to go makes a difference too. Longer distances, and/or bigger boats need bigger vehicles. Make sure you take the vehicle into account before you buy the boat!