Accessories to Make Your Pontoon Boat More Enjoyable

Pontoon boats are great party and family friendly boats known for their safety and ability to accommodate large groups for social gatherings due to their wider shape and deck size.  

However, pontoon boats aren’t known for speed. Being that they’re not built to go particularly fast, some may ask if pontoons are actually any fun. Let’s just say that if you’re a speed junkie, a pontoon is probably not the right boat for you. But if family friendly and social gatherings are your thing, the pontoon is a great boat for hosting large groups on the water. 

Due to their versatility and ample deck space, pontoon rides can be a lot of fun, and having the right accessories can help make them even more enjoyable. Think of a pontoon as a giant mobile party deck, and keep the following accessories in mind to make yours more friendly for hosting gatherings.

Boat Tables with Cup Holders

If you’re hosting a group of people on your pontoon boat, you’ll likely have food and beverages on board. For the drinks side of things, tables with cup holders are a must. Simply put, nobody wants to hold their drinks in their hand for an entire boat ride. Cup holders give your guests a place to put down their drinks so they can use that hand for other fun stuff, like taking pictures of their trip.   

Your pontoon boat probably already came equipped with at least one table, but it’s never a bad idea to have extra tables available for additional guests. Seek out boat tables that can be quickly mounted, and removed and stored easily when not in use. Get a boat table kit that includes a table top and mounts that can be bolted to the floor, a wall or on the railing. If you use your pontoon boat for fishing (more on that later), don’t forget to get a separate bait cleaning table.

Bimini Top

If you’re going to host parties or just go for recreational rides on your pontoon boat, you’ll want a Bimini top for shade and comfort. Bimini tops not only provide shade, but they also protect you and your guests (and your food and drinks) from bird droppings, which can quickly ruin somebody’s good time. Make sure you also protect your boat from bird poop and damage from the elements by getting a pontoon boat cover for it.

Bungee Dock Lines

Some people buy pontoons simply because they’re easier to own and operate. And if you want an easy way to tie a pontoon, bungee dock lines are the perfect solution. Not everybody has the dexterity to properly tie marine knots securely. For those people who want the ease of docking, bungee lines are much easier to secure than standard dock lines. These elastic lines allow more play with the motion of the boat while it’s tied up, and usually come equipped with foam pieces to protect the boat from rope chafing. Bungee dock lines easily attach to cleats without the need for mastering complicated knots.  

Bumpers

Speaking of docking, pontoon boats are notorious for getting the corners of the deck dented while mooring. This is where bumpers for each corner come into play. Bumpers are available both as an accessory for boats as well as for the dock to protect the four corners of a pontoon. 

Pontoon Anchor Winch

Another ease-of-use accessory for a pontoon boat is an electric pontoon anchor winch. Pontoons tend to require heavier anchors, so having a winch to deploy and retrieve the anchor adds convenience, as well as ease of anchoring.

Pontoon Door Stops

To keep a pontoon door or gate securely shut, pontoon door stops are a cheap and easy to install accessory. These locks are great for helping prevent sliding items (and children and pets) from falling off a pontoon boat.

Accessories to Make a Pontoon Boat More Fun

Most of what’s been covered so far are general accessories to make a pontoon boat safer or more enjoyable. The following accessories are simply for making pontoon boat rides more fun!

Waterproof Marine Speakers

As mentioned earlier, pontoon boats are essentially floating party decks. But what fun is a pontoon deck party without music? While many pontoon boats come equipped with decent factory speakers, those can be lacking in quality. 

For enjoying music on a pontoon, get waterproof Bluetooth marine speakers with a little more style than boring factory speakers. Bluetooth, of course, so you can create your own pontoon party playlists and DJ from your phone. And waterproof is self-explanatory, but also make sure those speakers are marine-grade speakers meant to withstand humidity, sunlight and saltwater conditions. For nighttime fun, you can’t go wrong with waterproof speakers with LED accent lighting.

Boat Lighting

The speakers aren’t the only thing that could use some fun LED lighting. Make your entire pontoon boat more fun at night with LED lights. These aren’t just great for accent lighting, but they also makes it easier for passengers to climb aboard safely if they’re inclined to go night swimming. And of course, LED lights add to the party atmosphere of your pontoon boat, so they’re a great accessory for added fun. Marine LED lights are safe and easy to install, not to mention more energy efficient, as they don’t drain much out of the battery like other pontoon lights.

Boat Grill

Pontoon boats are surrounded by railing, and so when it comes to entertaining, a rail-mounted boat grill is the perfect accessory for hosting parties. People are going to get hungry, and rail-mounted boat grills are designed to attach safely and securely to your pontoon boat’s railing for cooking up some meals. 

Don’t forget to get a cooler mounting kit to attach a cooler to your pontoon for keeping food and drinks cold. And throw in an inflatable cooler while you’re at it for those who want to enjoy cold beverages out on the water. 

Inflatable Raft

Speaking of enjoying drinks out on the water, while the inflatable cooler is designed to keep the drinks cold, an inflatable raft is made for people to kick back and enjoying those cold beverages. Seeing as pontoons are great for accommodating multiple guests, so is a multi-person float for those who want to chill out on the water with a drink in hand. Or for those who want to float solo and drink, get a one-person raft with a built-in cup holder.

Tow Tubes

We’ve established that pontoon boats aren’t known for speed, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be used for towing tubes. In fact, the wide platform a pontoon boat has makes it perfect for towing multiple tubes safely at slower speeds. Get your friends and the kids on some inflatable tubes and tow ropes tied to the back of your pontoon and cruise them along the water for added fun.

Floating Cornhole Game

If you don’t feel like riding tubes, you can still get some in-water fun with a floating corn hole game. This popular party game is great for some friendly competition in the water. It can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike for some competitive fun right off the platform of your pontoon. 

Pontoon Diving Board

Speaking of off the platform, a diving board is a wildly popular pontoon boat accessory. We don’t need to explain how much fun a diving board can be. However, we should mention that diving boards are known for being ridiculously expensive, so be ready to shell out big bucks for this endlessly fun pontoon accessory. 

Rail-Mount Rod Holders

Put some additional fun into your pontoon trips by installing some rail mount rod holders for anyone wanting to catch some fish. Some flat rail bases are made specifically for pontoon boats, and the anglers in your pontoon party will appreciate having rod holders available to them to get their fishing on.