It’s hard to quell the enthusiasm of becoming a new boat owner, but why should you? Shopping for the perfect pontoon is a lot of work, and it’s an awesome feeling to have completed the process of finding and purchasing your new vessel. Of course you’re chomping at the bit to get to the nearest lake so you can have some well-deserved fun.

Just be sure all your enthusiasm doesn’t get in the way of your better judgment. Otherwise, you might become a focal point at your local lake—and not in a good way. Nobody wants that sort of negative attention. Here are some rookie mistakes you’d do well to avoid when taking your new pontoon boat on its maiden voyage.

Safe & Secure

Before you head out with your new boat on its trailer, make sure it’s secure. That means the boat is strapped into place before gunning it to the lake. Although pontoon and deck boats can be large and appear heavy enough to hold their ground, they can still slide off if they’re not properly fastened and secured, especially in the stern.

Can you even imagine losing your boat on the road? It would be tragic to say the least, but it would also be pretty embarrassing and painfully expensive, so let’s not do that. Then once you arrive at the boat launch in one piece, don’t forget to undo the transom straps so the boat can slide peacefully into the water.

Brake It Up

We’ve all seen the funny videos where trucks get pulled into the lake by their trailers. Yes, it is hilarious, but not when it’s happening to you. Let’s not be that person. Instead, let’s put our parking brakes on before even thinking of getting out of the truck so we can avoid any fiasco of this sort. If you’re not the one backing up the trailer, make sure the driver takes this sage piece of advice to heart.

No Wake Zone

Once you’re in the water, I know it can be tempting to gun the engine full throttle so you can finally feel the wind in your hair. However, boat launches are in no wake zones, meaning that you can only go at a wake-less speed which still allows you to maintain steering while moving forward.

Not only is it incredibly rude to ignore the rules of the no wake zone, but it can also be dangerous for others. The zones are put in place for public safety and are usually well marked. If you’re not sure what they look like, feel free to ask someone at the dock. Boaters are generally a friendly sort of people and they’d be more than happy to fill you in.

Traffic Rules

Lakes are popular destinations in the summer, so be sure to cruise carefully. The general rule of thumb when it comes to boat traffic is that you have the right of way if you’re on the starboard (or right) side. So if another boat is trying to cross your path and they’re coming from the starboard side, you’ll need to give way.

No one is going to appreciate some rookie who cuts people off because they don’t know the rules of boating traffic. Always remember that it is your responsibility to drive safely, so that means that you may have to alter your course occasionally even if you do have the right of way. Just use your best judgment and do everything you can to avoid sticky situations.

Shallow Waters

You’ll also want to exercise some caution when entering shallow waters. All kinds of surprises could crop up here, such as debris, sharp rocks and other invisible hazards. These can all cause serious damage to your actual pontoons or hull if you’re not careful.

Even though pontoons are flexible boats that perform well in shallow water, you’ll still want to be careful. Not only could you risk puncturing one of your pontoons, but you could also accidentally beach yourself and get stuck. Again, this is usually hilarious when it happens to someone else, but it could also easily happen to you if you’re not careful.

One way to avoid any shallow water mishaps is to have a depth finder that lets you know how much wiggle room you have.

Taking A Leap

This is one of my personal favorites—pulling up to the dock after a fun day of boating, thinking you can make the leap from your boat to the dock, only to miss spectacularly. I’ll never forget one occasion where my friend thought it would be cool if he jumped to the dock from our boat from about 5 feet away.

As we idled up towards the dock at a snail’s pace, he leapt to the dock without warning. Soaring through the air, he looked as graceful as a bird of prey in flight. But his foot didn’t quite make it and his shin collided into the unforgiving edge of the dock with all the weight of his body and the force of his pounce to boot.

I’ll never forget the yelp and the splash. He was positive he broke his leg and maybe I would have been more sympathetic if I could’ve stopped laughing. Don’t worry, he was fine with no actual broken bones, but he’ll never live it down. So if you’re edging up to the dock and you think you could make it in one graceful bound, just don’t. Wait until you can reach the dock before stepping out. Oh, and watch those fingers.

Cut The Engine

Lastly, when you’re loading your boat back onto the trailer, don’t forget to kill the engine and trim it up. It’s surprisingly easy to forget your engine is running, especially with how quiet some of the new outboards are. This could lead to some expensive repairs you could easily avoid. Then, if you don’t trim up your engine, you could end up scraping the prop or skeg on the launch ramp as you’re pulling your boat out. So just keep the engine in mind when you’re loading your boat back onto the trailer.

If you follow these tips, you’ll be sure to have a fantastic, mishap-free day on the water with your new boat. Even if you do run into some problems that could have been avoided with some more experience, at least you’ll come out of it with a great story to tell. And don’t beat yourself up too much if that happens because we’ve all been there.