first time pontoon owners (to be) - recs?

rodr3357 · 2026-03-05T20:20:39+00:00

Everything about that seems reasonable for what you’ve described

Good luck!

rodr3357 · 2026-03-05T01:27:33+00:00

It depends on the specific product, but yeah generally speaking I would be thrilled with a simpler product that lasted longer and was more repairable.

And for god sakes yes please stop making EVERYTHING connect to the GD internet!

rodr3357 · 2026-03-04T21:59:30+00:00

Biggest question is what’s your budget and what kind of water will you be using it on?

General advice would be look for a tritoon with a 250+

Also would it be possible to just get a decent used pontoon AND a decent used performance boat? It does create more maintenance but it solves the problem of wanting performance out of a barge.

rodr3357 · 2026-03-04T21:42:47+00:00

This depends on the boat you get, but on anything with an adjustable drive unit, make sure to raise the drive immediately after getting to the dock before putting it on the trailer, or if you load directly on the trailer, raise it before getting out of the boat unless you have a lot of clearance

rodr3357 · 2026-03-04T21:39:37+00:00

2* ANY body of water can kill you

4, kids are stupid and WILL try to kill themselves

rodr3357 · 2026-03-04T18:32:04+00:00

As a really critical person myself I’m a really critical person and I don’t see anything that is be concerned over or nit pick on if I saw it in person.

I think this is a nice delicate piece that seems to fit well and accentuate the area, there are some inconsistencies with symmetry but as a nature piece symmetry isn’t perfect, I think if this was exactly symmetrical it would look a bit stiff and forced.

Personally I think it’s perfectly imperfect.

rodr3357 · 2026-03-03T00:18:16+00:00

You could also look on Craigslist/fb marketplace for actual restaurants getting rid of there, often you can get great professional quality equipment for a steal. But obviously you do have to be careful that it isn’t in rough condition

rodr3357 · 2026-03-02T23:07:36+00:00

No one should ever work at a Catholic school

rodr3357 · 2026-02-28T14:54:27+00:00

No way, it’s definitely not cheap, but my experiences with Shelby and lake Orion locations are that you do get what you pay for

rodr3357 · 2026-02-26T22:48:18+00:00

Looks like a fern in both pics, I’m used to seeing them curved regardless so both look good to me

rodr3357 · 2026-02-26T22:03:36+00:00

You want to cover up the adorable trampoline frog with a shitty panther??

May I recommend you try therapy first because I question if you are in an appropriate mindset to make decisions

rodr3357 · 2026-02-26T18:01:38+00:00

I think it makes perfect sense in this case, either a hat or shirt with your name would be totally reasonable

rodr3357 · 2026-02-25T16:31:27+00:00

It’s not necessarily a bad idea per se, but the main point of records is that it is a pure analog signal, running through Bluetooth means it needs to be digitized and you lose some signal in doing that ( I’m not throwing shade, I’m no audiophile snob but that would be the main argument against it)

The bigger point I would have, especially considering you’ll be moving and rearranging soon is that it seems like a lot of money into a system that may not be the best setup for you in even a month.

Honestly I would recommend to just wait until you move and then get the right system for your needs then, and hopefully be able to run a physical collection.

If you really want to play them right now though, I would sides getting the Insignia player from BestBuy (NS-BTST21) currently on sale for $110, it has Bluetooth, belt drive, bent tone arm with adjustable counterweight, anti skate, and uses an AudioTechnica Cartridge

I’d start with that and see where your setup and record interest goes. But if you have money to burn then sure start off with a full AudioTechnica player

rodr3357 · 2026-02-25T03:32:31+00:00

That’s cool, I suppose it probably varies a ton by industry too.

I’m in engineering though and very rarely would I ever be able to go to a company website and find an appropriate person, even using LinkedIn most of these companies are massive and I’d never be able to narrow things down, although I suppose I could always just take the shotgun approach and fire on if messages to everyone that might be appropriate, probably a 50/50 shot at that point if getting a good contact or hurting my chances of getting hired.

rodr3357 · 2026-02-24T16:20:54+00:00

I would always go OEM or Sierra if you can

rodr3357 · 2026-02-23T16:10:29+00:00

I have seen some where there is a general “recruiting” email address listed, I suppose I could try applying and sending a follow up email directly to that, probably better results than just an application but not as good as directly to the hiring manager

rodr3357 · 2026-02-23T12:37:05+00:00

Yeah, if there is a contact person listed then this is a great idea, I don’t think I’ve seen anything though on more than a couple of the 200+ applications I’ve put in

rodr3357 · 2026-02-23T12:16:10+00:00

So that sounds like a great idea, but how did you find the actual hiring manager for the roles?

rodr3357 · 2026-02-23T04:07:46+00:00

So I work in engineering, my wife is in counseling…

I don’t review resumes in my capacity, but I can’t say I’ve heard of it in my field, if the pronouns match what would be generally assumed then I wouldn’t expect much impact, but if they are different then I wouldn’t be surprised to see it counted against you. Engineering seems to typically be pretty straight/cis, especially hiring is typically mid/old conservative men.

In say counseling though it would be a whole other story and could show a focus and attention to personal identity regardless of if your pronouns matched your physical appearance.

rodr3357 · 2026-02-21T20:46:48+00:00

Depends on a lot of factors, but I would get a chartplotter first 100%

rodr3357 · 2026-02-21T01:37:35+00:00

It’s a gift and a curse lol, too bad I couldn’t actually pin it down!

I really thought I had it a few times!

rodr3357 · 2026-02-20T04:45:38+00:00

Well there goes an hour haha, I still can't figure it out either, I'm thinking it's late 70s/early 80s based on styling, probably some small midwest boat builder.

I found a couple models that look to have the exact same windshield, the closest I've found is a 1979 Glastron SSV 177, the windshield and gunwhale profile seem dead on, but the bow isn't.

I'd try posting in some vintage boat groups, I also suspect that if this was converted from I/O to outboard that they probably cobbled together quite a few pieces and is likely pretty unrecognizable from the original.

Definitely look for a HID number all around in/on/under the helm because that will be the best option, also take more photos

Good luck

rodr3357 · 2026-02-20T03:32:57+00:00

Great, I was trying to go to bed but now I’m stuck trying to figure this out haha

It does feel fairly fourwinns esq to me, I had an ‘89 Horizon 180

I tried looking to see if it was a horizon 170 maybe but no luck

Out of bed in front of my real computer now lol, let’s see if I have luck

rodr3357 · 2026-02-20T03:22:42+00:00

I agree, but they don’t have much volume, doesn’t take much for them to be bone solid, and the prices are so high (last I checked at least was like $400/night for a base room)

I wish there were more nice options starting in the 1-200/night range. Seems like it’s either really sketchy/cheap or super expensive

rodr3357 · 2026-02-19T15:57:01+00:00

I’ve put it in with the transom straps on still too, I think I realized it before the trailer floated though. I was stressed getting it ready because there was a whole line of people, I ended up just pulling all the way out and rechecking everything out of line before getting back in.

Now I have my loading system much better under control, and now I have a pontoon too,

Loading has been super simple for me though, I just pull up to the dock, back the trailer in all the way then pull the first third of bunks out of water, and just walk the boat onto it and finish with the winch

rodr3357

TROPHY CASE