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How to Replace Pontoon Floats

The lazy days of summer are perfect for drifting along the river in a pontoon boat. With floats often made from large oil drums, pontoon boats coast through the water at a leisurely pace. As with any boat, parts will wear out from time to time; such is the case with the metal drums -- giving the boat its buoyancy -- that are susceptible to rust and corrosion from continual exposure to the elements. Replacing the floats on your pontoon is a fairly basic procedure.

Things You'll Need

2 inch wide ratchet straps
55-gallon oil drums

Instructions

- 1
  Turn the boat upside down with its underside exposed. Unlatch the ratchet straps on each of the oil drums. The straps keep the drums in place and affixed to the boat. Loosen each strap on each drum. Notice where the straps lay along the drum seams -- the rings around the barrel.
- 2
  Remove each drum from its location on the boat's frame, leaving the straps in place for now.
- 3
  Place the new racket straps at the location of the old straps. Use the old straps as a guide as to how the straps should thread through the boat's frame and lay across the oil drums. You are replacing the straps as the chances are good they are worn too if the drums are no longer useful.
- 4
  Place the new drums back in place as you removed the old ones. Attach the new straps to the drums. Tighten the ratchet firmly, securing the drums to the frame. Align the straps to the drum seams.

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