How sea worthy are pontoon boats ?

I live in the Philippines and I am considering having a 32 X 10 foot, SS pontoon boat built. What sea conditions would it be reasonable to operate this boat in ?|||Pontoon boats, deck boats, party boats, etc. No matter what you call them, the big open deck boats riding on two skinny pontoons are not meant for open seas. They are for use in protected waters only, such as rivers or lakes.|||Pontoon boats are the ultimate on flat water.





But there is too much stress in waves. They could break.|||basically been answered but just to clarify. NO.


the design of a pontoon boat is such that it makes a good stable platform on calm waters. however it is not designed for rougher waters.


the sponsons on a pontoon boat, for starters, or not built to be flexed which would happen at sea. the riding of waves, evensmall waves, causes stress on the keels of the sponsons. since they are usually only aluminum with little reinforcement, this stress can cause them to bend, buckle, or fail at seams. once they fill with water, you have lost all bouyancy of your boat.


Also, as already stated, the hull form, or lack of, is not suitable for that type of use. it will slap, and, will be unstable.


if you like the use of a pontoon boat, but want to use it at sea, and having it built, id suggest you look into a catermaran hull form. very similar to pontoons, but uses V hull design and are much more suited to offshore use. faster and more manueverable too. i dont own a pontoon boat, no desire for one, i own a RIB, which has no trouble at all in almost any sea conditions, however if i was to want a pontoon style boat, catermaran power boat hull is what i would opt for,even if i wasnt going to be at sea|||NO, NOT sea worthy ! I have a little 15' Boston Whaler, although it's a great boat, and "Unsinkable", I don't take it in the ocean, it is only 15' long and is considered NOT "SEA WORTHY", as it is classified as only a "Tender" ! It would probably do very well in the ocean in calm conditions but, in the ocean, that can change to deadly conditions REAL FAST, although it is unsinkable, and I always wear my PFD, I would still NOT venture into the open water with it, although unsinkable, it can still capsize, and even with a PFD on, that's NO GUARANTEE that you will survive.|||Pontoon boats are generally used on lakes and rivers where there's not much wave action. The one you're talking about is quite a bit larger than the ones I'm used to seeing, though, and may work well on waves up to 2' to 3' in height. Much higher than that and you'll probably have waves breaking over the deck which may make at least some of your passengers queasy. I'd be interested in finding out how it works for you.