Saturday, April 04, 2009

Pontoon Boats: Not Just For Fun!

By Chris Newman

Anywhere you go where there is water you can see people using pontoon boats for recreational activities. But some are using this floating castle for more than fun, they are using the pontoon for hauling and pulling things. Oceanographers can use a pontoon instead of a larger watercraft making is easier to get father out into the coral reefs of the ocean. This allows them to take photographs they once only dreamed about. Scientists needing to collect data and study animals for research have used the smaller pontoon boats with great success. Smaller fishing companies have used pontoon boats for their fishing crews saving them time and money by using the pontoon instead of a larger boat. With the pontoon they can take several members out at the same time.

A scientist will never get close enough to a whale pod to study their daily ocean habits in a larger vessel, so by anchoring a smaller pontoon with inflated pontoons, they can go out independently and get very close, which allows for up close observation. For the scientist, an inflatable pontoon is a requirement in some instances. When trying to draw closer to a colony of seals or sea lions, most of these animals view a larger vessel as a threat, while if the scientists come gently trolling in a smaller pontoon boat, the seals are not as stressed out or threatened by the noise and commotion. For researching purposes alone, an inflatable pontoon is an invaluable tool.

While studying the water life, scientists will dart dolphins with a tag for monitoring and tracking to gather other data. In order to do this successfully a small craft like the inflatable pontoon boat is preferred. It is not uncommon for the dolphins to swim right next to the pontoon boat making darting and tagging so much easier. There are many animals that are less threatened by a smaller pontoon and dolphins are just one of them.

When a scientist goes to study marine life on a secluded island, a larger sea vessel isn't going to be able to dock safely. The rudders and motor would be torn apart by the rocky underwater terrain, so to solve this problem they will carry inflatable pontoon boats onboard. When a smaller pontoon is needed, they take about ten minutes to inflate and assemble; you can't get much more convenient than that. Once the smaller pontoon is assembled the scientist can then proceed to the island, gather the needed information and troll back to the larger vessel when they are done. This is another perfect example of when a smaller pontoon is needed, and without them some scientists hands would be tied and they couldn't do their job.

Ocean photographers all over the world have found that using pontoon boats in rough waters is easier to handle because they are easier to manager and are lighter. Another example of the use for a pontoon would be in the rain forest when needed to troll through the dense forest going and coming between points of interest. Because of the extreme durability, versatility and rugged design pontoons are being used for more reason than just to have fun. - 2368

About the Author:

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home