Watersports on a Pontoon Boat

Your pontoon boat is an amazing entertaining boat with its spacious deck, high sides and comfortable seating. But did you know it’s also capable of towing watersports? Many pontoons are capable of being equipped with towlines for various watersports, and because they’re a very affordable type of boat, they can be more economical and practical for families on a budget compared to a typical motorboat.

So what can you do with your pontoon? White's Marine Center, located in Pittsburg, is proud to be your Missouri pontoon boat dealer. Here are some of our favorite watersports that you can try with a pontoon!

Safety Warning

With any of the following watersports, it’s best that all participants wear a well-fitting life jacket, also known as a personal flotation device or PFD. You never know when you’ll fall into the water and become discombobulated, and a good PFD will help you to stay oriented and afloat until you can swim to safety or be rescued. Also, all participants and the boat operator need to be sober and alert, so do not use recreational drugs or drink alcohol before or during your sporting!

Inner Tubing

Kids, older adults and those who don’t have experience with watersports will love going “tubing.” This term refers broadly to any activity that involves a rider or multiple riders sitting or lying down on an inflatable item of some kind that is towed behind a boat. Big, round inner tubes are the most common choice, and they come in many fun shapes and sizes and patterns. You’ll find models designed for a single rider as well as big inner tubes that can handle several people at once.

You don’t have to worry about maintaining a constant speed or taking turns with as much care when towing tubers as you do with other watersports, so it’s great for those who are new to their pontoons as well!

Waterskiing

This is the classic watersports activity and the one that most people will think of first when you talk about watersports. Waterskiing comes in a few different varieties, from the standard two-ski choice to the more modern and challenging slalom skiing, which involves riding a single ski-type board. Slalom skiing is best left to the experts, but even children can try normal waterskiing and learn it quickly!

Wakeboarding

This sport is more challenging than the previous two and it requires you to be in pretty good shape to do it well. Wakeboards use rubber and plastic bindings to keep the rider’s feet in one place. The rider lays down on the water with their feet on the board, floating on their back, then allows the force of the pontoon to draw them up by the tow line in their hands to a standing position. Wakeboarders then jump and perform tricks on the pontoon boat’s wake (hence the name). Some of these tricks can get pretty complex, like flips and spins, but younger and less experienced participants will need to stick with the absolute basics.

Wakesurfing

This cousin to wakeboarding uses a short board that is similar to a surfboard to allow the rider to surf the wake behind the pontoon boat. At first, many users hold onto a tow rope, just like with wakeboarding, but with some experience, wakesurfers generally let go of the tow rope and use momentum to stay upright. You can perform tricks with this sport just like with wakeboarding, but it does take some getting used to and some expertise to do wakesurfing well.

Time to get a pontoon so you can start towing your friends and family across the water? Visit our dealership in Pittsburg, Missouri, to check out our current stock of new and used pontoon boats for sale. You can also talk to our staff about our financing options. White’s Marine Center proudly serves the greater Kansas City metro as well as the city of Springfield, Missouri.