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Triple Tube Pontoon Boat Trailers
Triple tube pontoons have been around for 30+ years. In the past few years everyone has discovered the ride and performance capabilities. Modern pontoon boats have 200+ HP engines, sometimes one on each pontoon and modern tri-tube pontoons can match the top speeds of ski and fiberglass boats. A high percentage of triple tube pontoons are sold without trailers. Moving them presents both the dealer and consumer with problems. Many new owners of triple tube pontoons don’t discover they have a transportation problem until they prepare for winter storage. The dealer will deliver the new boat to the lake, but many local dealers and storage services, especially on smaller lakes, don’t have a way to transport triple tube pontoons. The majority of individuals who need a trailer for triple tube pontoons only need it to get the boat from the lake to the storage facility. There are a lot of poorly designed and cheaply built “storage trailers” to fill this need. You’re not going very far and really don’t even want a trailer.  But you might have a 4000+ lb. pontoon boat that cost you $50,000+. You do need something that will do the job. If you don’t transport your boat often, it may be a good idea to buy the trailer from the dealer who stores your boat. He’ll be the one towing it and if there is a problem, it’ll be his problem. Some manufacturers insist that you buy a trailer with brakes. If you’re going to transport your boat, you need a good strong trailer. Transporting a 4000+ lb. plus triple tube with a big engine is a lot different than towing a 20’ pontoon with a 40 HP engine. Do You Need to Support the Center Tube? There are two types of triple tube pontoons. They are called different things, sport tubes, etc. You need to know what kind of weight the center tube has or carries. Some triple tubes are simply an additional pontoon bolted down the center and as such the weight is just that of the aluminum tube (usually 200 lb.+). The weight of the engine is supported by a traditional transom. This type of tube may or may not be supported. A couple hundred pound tube properly bolted to a strong pontoon undercarriage might not need to be supported.
Another type of center tube is a full length pontoon that has a cut out in the stern that supports the engine. This type of center tube should be supported. You have the weight of the pontoon tube (200 lb.) plus the weight of the engine, which is often several hundred pounds.
What’s the Overall Length? In years past you could determine the boat's length from the model number. HK-22’, SLX-24’, etc. Modern triple tube pontoons can have 3’ to 5’ extending beyond the back of the pontoons. A modern pontoon boat with 22’ pontoons might be 25’ to 27’ overall. For a short haul storage trailer the overhang won’t make much difference. The further you travel, the more overhang can cause weight distribution problems and “bucking”. Unsupported weight, especially 300-500 lb., beyond the back of the trailer frame will cause the frame to flex. To get a trailer to fit, you need to know the overall length of your triple tube pontoon boat.
There are a couple of ways to accommodate triple tube pontoons with extended sterns. Most companies will move you up one size in the trailer frame. Others offer an extended stern option that extends a couple feet beyond the back of the frame and offers additional support for the longer triple tube.
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PONTOON TRAILERS 101  -  FOR EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PONTOON BOAT TRAILERS