How to Measure for and Fit a Pontoon Boat Top

Measure the width of the fence.          Measure the area you want to shade.

Most older pontoon boats are 8’ wide, (96”) and the fence varies from 88” to about 94". 
Our 8’ pontoon top packages fit fence 88” to 94”, the frame will “spring” in or out about 6”.


Some people think that a longer pontoon top (10’) is “better” than a shorter (8’) pontoon top but it all depends on the length of the seating in the stern of the boat. You don’t need shade on a sun-deck or in the gate area.  Consideration must also be given to gate placement. In the example below the port fence section must be at least 74” for our 10’ top to fit. 





Mounting position for the 8' Economy Pontoon Boat Top


Mounting position for the 8' Deluxe Pontoon Boat Top



Mounting position for the 10' Deluxe Pontoon Boat Top
To mount any of our pontoon boat tops, you’ll need about 72”-74” of top rail length.  
The most important consideration is that there are no gates in this span.  You’ll want to attach mounting hardware to a straight piece of pontoon fence. The space for the strap or support arm is not critical, it can extend further out from the frame V, the sizes above are a minimum.
Most pontoons have at least a 72” stern area, but you should measure if you have a 16’ or 18’ pontoon.
OLDER PONTOON BOATS
Some older pontoon boats have an unusually small stern area, often only 6’ from the back to the side gates. For these installations you can still use the Deluxe 8’ package. Instead of mounting the front support arms on the fence rail, you can mount them by moving the front adjustable strut from the front to in between the two main supports (the V of the Bimini frame).