Pontoon Boat Storage Solutions (Tips & Ideas)

Pontoons boats are not necessarily the largest of boats.

This is especially so when using mini or compact pontoons boats.

Pontoons boats are known for having very limited storage options. If your lucky, your seats may flip up or your tables may have storage compartments but besides this your pontoon is unlikely to have many other built in storage solutions.

Whenever you have limited space, you need to put extra thought into how you’re going to manage your space and come up with storage solutions.

You should make sure that every bit of space on your pontoon boat is used effectively.

Wasting space is not an option when you don’t have a lot of it.

Because of this, I’ve created this guide which explains your pontoon boat storage options. I use a wide range of different storage accessories which allow me to effectively manage the space on my pontoon, I’ll recommend you a few.

Pontoon Boat Storage Accessories

Caddycan Portable Multi-Purpose Utility Bag

This is a multi-purpose storage bag ideal for a wide range of different outdoor activities such as camping, golf, RV’s and most importantly, boating. Being designed for the outdoors, it features heavy duty water-resistant liner which is easily removed and washable.

You can use this bag however you’d like. I’ve found that it works great as a trash compartment. I have it tied to the pillar of my pontoons Bimini top and encourage passengers to throw their rubbish into it. This prevents the boat from becoming a trash dump.

You can pick this bag up in a variety of colors and sizes so you can get one that suits your preference.

In This Space Twill Boat Storage

This tote bag can be crunched down when it’s not being used, this makes it easy to store and means that it won’t take up any valuable space when not in use.

The interior is very easy to clean and is also water resistant. Therefore, I use it to store food and drinks. If anything spills inside of it then it wont leak and messy food can be cleaned up easily after use. You don’t need to throw it in a washing machine, just use a wet cloth to wipe the lining clean.

It’s also very lightweight and portable so it’s a good choice for carrying food onto your boat or off your boat for a picnic. Because of it’s portability, a lot of people use this bag to carry their laundry. The uses for this bag are uncapped.

Attwood 11834-1 Waterproof Boater’s Dry Box

This dry box is small and simple yet effective for storing smaller items. I wouldn’t say it’s one of the best storage solutions, though it is a solid product indeed. Attwood is a brand known for their pontoon boat storage accessories.

It is made from a durable plastic, built to stand up against very harsh conditions. It has an O-ring inside lid which should create a tight waterproof seal to keep your stored items safe.

It has a lift-out tray on the inside which allows you to organize small items and make effective use of the space. This is a good place to put stuff like keys and coins.

Despite the product being described as waterproof, some customers have complained that the box is not 100% waterproof. This would defeat the point of the effort completely. Therefore, I’d recommend doing your own diligence before purchasing this product.

The next dry box I recommend will be 100% waterproof so keep reading.

Waterproof Dry Box Pelican Storm iM2500

Now this is one of the best dry boxes on the market right now. The Pelican Storm iM2500 is simply unmatched. It has so many great features, I’ll try and explain a few of them down below.

This is one of the toughest cases you’ll find. The product description describes the case falling from a helicopter and crashing down class V rapids as ‘All in a day’s work’. The case has been designed to exceed military testing requirements.

It has double layers, soft-grip handles. This makes it great for boating conditions as even when the box gets wet, you’ll still be able to secure a strong grip with no slippage.

This case features twin mating hasp holes on the rim of the case. This allows you to secure the case with a padlock if you really needed to. May seem like overkill but it’s always nice to have the option available.

This product is a bit on the costly side so it’s not something that you’d buy unless you had expensive equipment to protect. This is a case that you’d purchase to store expensive goods like camera equipment. This could also be something you use to store your boat emergency kit in. This will ensure that your emergency supplies are kept safe even in the chance of a boat collision or other disaster.

YETI Tundra 45 Cooler

When it comes to the storage of your cold food, a cooler box is required. If you need a cooler box to store your boats snacks then look no further, the YETI Tundra 45 is all you’ll ever need. It also comes in a wide variety of different color options.

YETI dominate the cooler box market with their high quality yet affordable cooler boxes. The Tundra 45 combines versatility with durability. This box can hold a whopping 26 cans with a ratio of 2:1 ice to contents.

With 3 inches of PermaFrost insulation, your goods are kept more than cold enough. Commercial grade polyurethane foam is pressure injected and installed into the walls and lid of the box to keep the ice from melting. A freezer-quality gasket circles the length of the lid. This blocks out the heat and locks the cold inside of the box.

The durability of this cooler is outstanding. The Rotomolded construction is built to withstand even the toughest of conditions. The latches of this cooler are constructed from heavy-duty rubber and made with patented technology, meaning you’ll never suffer from a busted latch. Military-grade polyester rope has also been used for added durability.

Overall this cooler box provides great performance and is extremely durable. I wouldn’t purchase any other cooler box unless it’s made by YETI. I’m a huge fan of their brand and I admire the effort they put into all their products.

Pontoon Boat Storage Ideas

Protect and organize your documents

If you keep your pontoons manual or other documents/paperwork on board, you’ll want to invest in a waterproof document bag. Countless times I’ve heard about people losing important documents because they got them wet. You’d be surprised how many people don’t protect their documents.

I’d recommend this Fire and Waterproof Documents Bag.

Keep all your documents nice and safe in one place.

I’d also like to mention that nowadays it’s not difficult to download your boats manual online. This will allow you to keep an electronic copy of you documents which is significantly safer than keep physical document copies.

Cup Holders

If you’ve been on a few boat trips, more than likely you’ve experienced your drink tipping over. It’s very easy for this to happen when boating as any little wake or steep turn can cause a lot of movement on-board.

Not everyone is lucky enough to have pontoon seats with cupholders.

Lucky for us, you can buy cup holders which are installed onto your pontoon’s rails. This allows you to put down your drink without fear of it tipping over and making a huge mess.

I’d recommend the ROBOCUP 12. This is a cup holder designed for outdoor use. It has a clamp-on holder which allow you to secure the cop holder to whatever you like. I’ve found that the railings of the pontoon work best. The rubberized clamps provide a very tight grip which won’t slip

You can find the product on Amazon by Clicking Here.

Tuck Away Shoes

Some people keep their shoes on when on-board, others don’t. I don’t have a policy which dictates what my passengers should do. Though, my family and friends tend to take ours off once we’re onboard simply for the comfort of it.

One thing I cannot stand is shoes being left around the boat. Not only does it look ugly, it can also become a tripping hazard which could lead to accidents. Because of this, I’ve created my own DIY shoe organizer (Leave a comment down below if you’d like me to create a guide on how I made this).

If you don’t want to invest the time/money into a shoe organizer, you could just get a bag which you’ll throw everyone’s shoes into. A waterproof bag would be a better option, this way everyone’s shoes stay dry and don’t get soaked.

Regardless of what solution you take, just make sure all shoes are put together in one place. This will make your pontoon look cleaner, it will make your boat safer and it will also make your pontoon seem roomier.

Hang Up Your Coats

Similarly, to how I feel about shoes, I hate having bits of clothing scattered around my boat. The solution to this is hanging up your excess clothing on coat hooks. This will not only prevent your boat from looking scruffy, but it will also make your boat seem more spacious.

You can also throw other items such as towels and wet clothing onto these hooks. In-fact, I have a section of hooks for towels and wet clothing and a set for dry clothes, this prevents the wet items from drenching the dry clothing.

I’ve seen some people use long nails as clothes hooks, though I would recommend just purchasing some hooks from Amazon as opposed to ruining your boat by hammering a nail through it.

Use Cargo Nets

Cargo nets can be an extremely useful boating accessory.

For something so small and simple, they work very effectively as pontoon boat storage.

I like to use these nets to hold smaller items that I might need to use more often. The net makes them very easy to retrieve whenever needed.

I’m a big fan of the Towever Bungee Cargo Net.

This specific net is very durable and strong enough to withstand tough weather conditions. It also comes in two different sizes, ‘3×4’ and ‘4×6’.

When not in use you can either leave them set-up on your boat or seal them back into the included bag. I personally use my boat often, so I just leave them attached to the back of the seats, though I keep the bag just in case.

Multi-Purpose Furniture

I think one of the best solutions to pontoon boat storage is the use of multi-purpose furniture. Multi-purpose furniture is an extremely efficient use of space as you essentially have two or more functional bits of furniture whilst only taking up the space of one.

If you have a smaller pontoon boat, then you’ll almost have to use multi-purpose furniture to fit in everything that you need.

For example, some pontoon boat tables will have a storage compartment on the inside. This allows you to store extra equipment inside of the table and therefore saves you a lot of space.

Some cooler boxes will have padded seating on top which allows them to act as a seat for your boat as well as a cooler for your food and drinks. I found this one by Wise on Amazon, Click Here to check it out.

Some cooler boxes also act as tables. They will look like and function as tables at first glance however the top can either by lifted or slid open, revealing a cooler on the inside. They’re cool and work great!

Pontoon Boat Storage Blocks

Now when it comes to storing your actual pontoon boat itself.

Successful pontoon storage at home or anywhere else is possible with sturdy and strong grip pontoon storage blocks.

There are high chances of a pontoon boat slipping off because of the shape and curvature of the sides. The best way to avoid this problem is by investing in strong and durable pontoon storage blocks. Pontoon storage blocks are specially designed for holding up the curvature of a pontoon.

They are lightweight and have a good grip on the ground surfaces.

Invest in pontoon storage blocks that are easy to use, will not absorb moisture and take little space when not in use.

Before placing the boat on the storage blocks, make sure that the blocks are evenly spaced to spread the weight of the boat equally.

If you’d like a more in-depth guide on storing your pontoon boat away, let me know in the comments below and I’ll be more than happy to elaborate on the subject.

Conclusion

There are more than enough pontoon storage options available to you. I hope I’ve helped you explore a few of them. Using a combination of them will save you a ton of space!

If you’ve got any other ideas which you’d like to share with the boating community then feel free to leave a comment down below. I’d love to hear about how you save space on your boat or what you think of some of the solutions mentioned above.