Restoring A Vintage Toon

As Tom Wilson and his wife Marlene were coming home from a trip to Lake Powell in southern Utah, an old pontoon in a field caught their eye. It was in rough shape: no furniture, no top, no cables, etc. In fact, it didn’t even have a motor or a trailer. Tom’s first thought was this old 20-foot Odyssey pontoon would make a good floating dock if the price was right – and if the old boat even floated still. He talked to the owner briefly and made him an offer, but the man wasn’t willing to part with it, so the couple continued on their way home back to Idaho.

“We didn’t even get home before he called me back; I guess he just needed a little time to think about my offer,” says Tom with a smile. “So we turned around with a trailer and went back and got it.”

As the owner of Wilson Truck & Auto, the talented mechanic can see potential in trucks, side-by-sides, snowmobiles and in this case, even boats. His wife, however, didn’t quite share his vision, and that was before he started contemplating taking it beyond just a floating dock and kicking around the idea of restoring it as a drivable pontoon boat again.

“Marlene really thought I was nuts, especially when we were towing it back home after picking it up,” says Tom. “She said we looked like the Beverly Hillbillies driving down the road with it behind the truck.”

Getting Started
The first step was to check the welds on the old 19-inch diameter pontoons and he found a couple of cracks that he was able to get repaired locally. Next he stripped the deck and replaced it with marine-grade plywood. At one point the boat had carpet, but despite the age of the pontoon Tom wanted a more modern look. Both Tom and Marlene began researching vinyl flooring when they discovered Corinthian Marine. The AquaWeave with HydraFelt black teak flooring was exactly what the couple was looking for and they were extremely happy with how it turned out.

“A friend of ours recommend Corinthian and she was right, it really freshened up the look of the deck and it was very easy to install,” recalls Tom. “I bought some marine glue and just applied it as we rolled it out and I couldn’t be happier with the results. Plus it’s easy to clean after a day on the water and it looks really nice.”

Ramping Up
Although he admits it wasn’t his original intention to ever go boating with the pontoon, Tom quickly moved past the idea of just a floating dock with plans for full restoration. While Tom was researching different products including furniture, he came across a ramp from Extreme Max Products and knew it would be perfect for when they beached the boat. With the two-logged pontoon the Extreme Max Products Under-Mount Pontoon Ramp easily fits in the center, making it extremely easy to board the boat from the bow when on the shore.

“It’s a dream to get onto the shore and really all pontoons should come with this ramp,” says Tom. “Especially with dogs, it’s just so easy to use. It slides up under the boat and pulls out when you need it.”

Take A Seat
Tom had never really seen or noticed a pontoon boat before so he was a little nervous about selecting the furniture. He ended up going with Marsh Brothers, which made the process very easy.

“Mike Marsh went above and beyond to help me through the online process and he explained in great detail how to order it, and man that was slick,” says Tom. “I was surprised by the variety Marsh Brothers has to offer. I kind of had an idea of how I wanted the furniture to be and on their website you just click on the picture and move it down to where you want it. It was very easy to use.

Through Marsh Brothers, Tom placed an order for the Taylor Made pontoon furniture that has a reputation in the industry for being top-of-the-line. Quality workmanship and unsurpassed comfort are the foundation upon which every piece of Lippert Aftermarket Furniture is built. With more than 35 years of experience building marine furniture for leading OEM pontoon boat manufacturers, Taylor Made and Lippert have developed OEM-quality furniture for the aftermarket customer that was perfect for Tom.

“I knew I ordered quite a bit of furniture, but when all the boxes showed up it felt like Christmas morning,” jokes Tom. “The install was extremely easy as everything fit just like they said it would.”

Naming It
The next step was to recoat the rails and add new aluminum panels that he picked up from his younger brother Ruben at Campbell’s Quality Siding in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He then went with another local company to make the decals and to give the pontoon a name.

“Marlene’s mother who has since passed on loved Boone’s Farm wine, the Fuzzy Navel Cocktail stuff,” said Tom. “So as a tribute to her we decided to name the boat Boone’s Farm Cruiser, and once we got it finished our plan was to do a big toast on the water with Boone’s Farm wine to celebrate, which we ended up doing.”

Just One More Step
Before the official christening, Tom and Marlene took it for a maiden voyage to test the used engine he had picked up locally and make sure everything was running well. The boat had decent speed for a used Force 125hp two-stroke outboard, but he was hoping for a little more.

Tom tried several different props, but the restored boat was just too heavy on those 19-inch diameter pontoons. In order to get a little more lift in the stern, he reached out to Pontoon Water Glide and was sold on what this third pontoon system could do for him.

“David Schaefer at Pontoon Water Glide was great to work with and that guy really knows his stuff,” says Tom. “After putting an aluminum skin below and installing the Pontoon Water Glide I instantly got a 12-mile-per-hour gain, though I wasn’t expecting such a dramatic improvement.”

The Pontoon Water Glide has helped countless restoration projects and other boaters looking for increased performance on their two-logged boats and was especially a good fit to help give Tom that added lift he didn’t know was possible until he contacted the aftermarket company.

“I thought it was something I was just going to have to live with so I’m very glad I reached out to Dave,” says the happy pontoon owner. “Without the Water Glide and its 684 pounds of buoyancy there is no way my boat could handle this many people. Plus the stability, maneuverability and the fuel economy dramatically improved.”

Happy Cruising
While his wife Marlene may not have been completely on board with her husband’s vision to take an old broken-down pontoon in a field and restore it back to an enjoyable cruising pontoon on which they can spend summers boating, she’s happy now.

“I honestly thought he was crazy when we first looked at it in that field, especially when we got it home,” recalls Marlene. “But I trust him and I’m so happy it all worked out. We enjoy getting out and going boating and now that we have one we notice there are quite a few pontoons out on the water but nothing quite like ours.”