REQUIRED TOOLS

The frame and floats assembly for our 8'x8' blunt work platform and swim raft requires a few basic tools, as well as a couple specialized tools. Below we have provided a list of everything that you'll need, as well as part numbers and links to where you can get the specialized tools from McMaster, which is a reasonably priced industrial supplier. Click on the part number to view the item on the McMaster website. Many customers will already have the majority of these tools, if not all of them. These tools (other than perhaps the transfer punch) should be stocked at your local home supply or hardware store as well.

1/2" transfer punch McMaster PN: 3374A41
Center punch McMaster PN: 3451A31
1/2" drive ratchet
3/4", 1/2" drive deep socket
3/8" drive ratchet
9/16", 3/8" drive socket
3/8" drive ratchet extension
3/4" box wrench
9/16" box wrench
5/16" hex-key wrench (Allen wrench) McMaster PN: 7122A25
Electric drill
1/4" drill bit McMaster PN: 8870A27
1/2" drill bit McMaster PN: 8870A45
Countersink bit (optional) McMaster PN: 2846A39 - ALTERNATIVE
Carpenter's square
Tape measure
2 saw horses
4 C-clamps
2 ratchet straps
Steel hammer
Rubber or plastic hammer (optional)
Linesman pliers
Length of stiff wire
TORQUE WRENCH SEE NOTE




STEP 1

Place two of the pontoon main beam extrusions across two saw horses. The main beams are the aluminum tubes that have a "T" shaped cross section with two slots on the top. Position the main beams so that the slots face down and are about 12" on center. Use a square to ensure that the ends are even. Clamp the two frame members to your saw horses.

STEP 2

Place a float on each end of the of the main beams. You may have to adjust the spacing of your main beams. Adjust the positions of the floats so that they are even with the ends of the main beams. A rubber or plastic hammer can be used for this. Place a ratchet strap around each float and the main beams. Double-check that the floats are in the correct position and tighten the ratchet straps.

NOTE:
If you purchased a set of lifting brackets with your boat kit, each float must be placed 4" from the ends of the main beams on either end of the pontoon assembly, not even as shown.

STEP 3

Using a 1/2" transfer punch, go down both sides of both sets of mounting channels on the plastic floats and use the punch with a hammer to mark EVERY bolt hole position through the molded-in bolt holes in the floats. Don't smash it; just give the punch a solid tap. You will have to do this from both the outside set of holes and the inside set of holes. This means that you'll have to go under the pontoon assembly on your saw horses to mark the inner holes. It's inconvenient, but 100% necessary.

STEP 4

Remove the ratchet straps. Before removing the floats, number the positions of the floats on the main beams as shown. Number the floats and main beams on both sides of the pontoon assembly. Label position 1 and 2 on one side and 3 and 4 on the other. This ensures that you don't mix up the positions of the floats after you drill holes. You can use a piece of masking tape to write on or you can use a marker to write on the floats and main beams. If using a marker, lacquer paint thinner will remove the ink after assembly, and the paint thinner will not hurt the plastic or the aluminum. Remove the floats and unclamp the main beams from the saw horses.

STEP 5

Using a standard center punch, make the marks you made with the transfer punch in step 3 more pronounce. This will make the holes easier to drill in the next step.

STEP 6

Using a SHARP (prohibits wandering of the bit) 1/4" diameter drill bit, drill through ONE WALL of each main beam at each marked position. DO NOT drill all the way through both sides of the main beams during this operation. Drill through every marked position on one side of each part, flip it, and drill through every marked position on the other side. After drilling all the 1/4" holes in both main beams, use a 1/2" diameter drill bit to drill through every 1/4" hole. Once again, only drill through one wall at a time for each hole position.

For this operation, you can use a hand-held drill, but we find it much easier and quicker to use a drill press. If you have a drill press, you will need to use a spacer block, such as a piece of 2" x 4" lumber, to make the material surface level. If using a hand-held drill, be careful to keep the drill bit perpendicular to the surface you are drilling through. You can't undrill holes, so take your time.

After drilling the holes, they must be deburred. We like to use a countersink drill bit for this, but a little bit of sand paper or a file will do the trick as well.

STEP 7

Clamp the main beams back onto the saw horses in the same orientation as before and place the floats back onto the main beams, matching up the numbers you marked in step 4. Place the ratchet straps back over the floats and tap the floats into position so that the holes line up. DO NOT INSERT THE BOLTS YET.

STEP 8

With a 1/2" drill bit mounted in your hand-held drill, start at one end of the pontoon assembly and drill through one bolt hole. Drill all the way through both sides of the main beam on that side of the float. You will be drilling inward from the side of the float. When doing this, go slowly, as your drill bit should only be clearing chips and verifying hole alignment, not drilling a new hole.

Insert one of the 1/2" x 5" hex bolts with a 1/2" flat washer from the outside position, and tap it through the hole with a hammer. We prefer to use a plastic hammer for this. Drill through the next hole and insert a bolt with washer. Do this on both sides of the pontoon assembly until every float has bolts installed through each hole on both sides of the float. DO NOT INSTALL THE NUTS YET.


STEP 9

Remove the ratchet straps and flip the pontoon so that it's right side up. As the float will be heavy at this point, please be careful when doing this. When we build boats at Tiny Pontoon Boats, this is when we remove the pontoon assembly from the saw horses and place it on a couple pieces of scrap carpeting on our shop floor. We find it much easier to complete this step with the pontoon on the floor.

Using a rag, remove any chips from the exposed threads of the bolts you just inserted through the floats. Place 1/2" flat washers over each of the bolts. DO NOT INSTALL THE NUTS YET. Using the included Loctite capsules (blue medium strength Loctite type 242), apply a little bit of the thread locker to each of the bolts. Your kit has 3 capsules for every 4 float bolts, so more than enough is included. The Loctite lubricates the threads, makes the nuts more secure, and is 100% required. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP.

Thread 1/2" lock nuts onto each of the bolts and tighten the nuts until the mounting flanges on the floats start to flex inward. We do not have a torque specification beyond this.


STEP 10

Place the completed pontoon aside and repeat steps 1 through 10 to build your second pontoon assembly. Place your two pontoon assemblies on a flat surface so that they are about 74" apart on center.

CROSSMEMBER PLACEMENT DIAGRAM:

Moving forward, you will need to reference the crossmember placement diagram to the right. If possible, print the diagram or have it handy on a mobile device as you will need to reference it throughout the remaining assembly. The diagram is particularly important to follow if you purchased a railing kit for your work platform, as bolt holes are pre-drilled in the fence panels and must line up with the crossmembers of your frame. The diagram also shows "central hat channels" that have holes for an anchor bracket that is included with the swim raft version of the 8'x8' pontoon platform. If you did not purchase a kit with an anchor bracket, all the hat channels are identical.

NOTE:
If you purchased a set of lifting brackets with your platform kit, the frontmost and rearmost crossmembers are to be placed 4" in from the ends of the main beams, not even with the ends of the main beams as shown moving forward (diagrams and pictures). This allows space for the lifting brackets to be bolted to the pontoon assemblies.

STEP 11

Each hat channel crossmember requires 16 sets of nuts, bolts, and washers for installation. The two end crossmembers are square tubes and each requires 8 sets of nuts, bolts, and washers. For each hat channel on your crossmember diagram, insert 2 square nuts into each main beam slot. For each of the square tube crossmembers, slide 1 square nut into each main beam slot. You will be sliding in a total of 16 square nuts per main beam slot. Position the square nuts in the approximate positions of the crossmembers on your diagram.

FRAME & ACCESSORY FASTENER TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS

Each of the 3/8" diameter bolts for the frame crossmembers and accessories (transoms, lift plates, tie-down plates, trailer winching plates, etc.) require the proper amount of torque to ensure that they are fastened securely and retain full strength. The proper amount of torque for all 3/8" nuts and bolts from this point forward is 55 foot pounds. DO NOT TORQUE BEYOND THIS SPECIFICATION. From this point forward when we say to fully torque or fully tighten a bolt or nut, we are referring to the 55 foot pound specification, and it is good practice to draw a line on the head of the bolt with a marker after to indicate it has been torqued properly. If you do not own or have access to a torque wrench, be careful not to apply too much torque to the bolt heads. If you do not own one, or do not want to purchase one for your assembly, many autopart stores will allow you to borrow one at little or no cost.

STEP 12

Place a 2" x 2" square tube crossmember across both ends of your pontoon main beams and place the side of the tubes with the larger holes upward. Position the two square tubes so their edges are even with the ends of the main beams. Align the square nuts at the end of the main beams with the holes in your square tubes.

NOTE:
If you purchased a set of lifting brackets with your platform kit, the square tube outer crossmembers must be placed 4" from the ends of the main beams, not even with the ends as shown.

NOTE:

Crossmembers have "A" written on one end. Be sure to place the marked ends of the crossmembers on the same side of the boat (doesn't matter which side). When the hole pattern is machined in each crossmember, this is the end that is referenced on the machine cutting the holes. Placing the "A" end of all the crossmembers on the same side of the boat ensures perfect alignment of all the mounting holes.

STEP 13

Locate the 3/8" x 3/4" socket head cap screws (bag may say "Allen bolts) and place a 3/8" lock washer and 3/8" SAE flat washer on 16 of the bolts. To install the bolts and washers, you need to make a special tool from a length of thick wire, such as a coat hanger or a piece of welding wire. When we build boats at Tiny Pontoon Boats, we use 3/32" diameter aluminum TIG welding rod. This special tool is for inserting the bolt assemblies through the ends of the square tube crossmembers.

Using a pair of pliers (we use lineman pliers), bend a hook on the end of your length of wire, and then bend the hook in the opposite direction. This tool is used to hold the socket head cap screw bolt assembly.

STEP 14

Adjust your wire tool's hook so that it can hold the socket head cap screws. Using the wire tool, insert bolts with washers into the ends of both square tube crossmembers and line up the bolt assemblies with the innermost holes first. Use a 5/16" hex key wrench to loosely thread the bolts into the square nuts below. Work from the inner holes out and loosely install bolt assemblies into all 16 of the square tube bolt holes. Double-check the alignment of the square tubes with the ends of the main beams, use a carpenter square to ensure that one of the square tubes is square with one of the main beams, and tighten all the bolts. A great way to get extra leverage on your hex key wrench is to use a box wrench.

STEP 15

Loosely bolt a standard hat channel crossmember (no holes in the center of the crossmember) on either end of the platform. The two hat channels are to be butted against the square tubes. For this, you'll be using the 3/8" x 7/8" hex bolts, 3/8" lock washers, and 3/8" SAE flat washers. Leave the hat channel bolts finger tight for now.

STEP 16

Referencing your crossmember placement diagram, loosely bolt the next two outermost hat channels onto your platform. If you purchased a kit with an anchor bracket, select standard hat channels (no central bolt holes).

STEP 17

Referencing your crossmember placement diagram, loosely bolt down the three remaining hat channel crossmembers. If you purchased a platform kit with an anchor bracket, the remaining crossmembers will be labeled "Central Hat Channel" or similar and have 4 holes in the center. If your kit has the anchor bracket, verify that your center hat channel is positioned properly and tighten the bolts fully on ONLY the center hat channel. If your kit did not include the anchor bracket, double check the placemet of all your hat channels, fully tighten all the hat channel bolts, and your project is complete! If your kit includes the an anchor bracket, move onto the next step.

A great way to verify that you have tightened every bolt is to draw a line on the head of each bolt with a marker after it's been fully tightened.

STEP 18

Locate the bag of hardware labeled "Anchor bracket hardware" or similar. The bag will contain 3/8" x 1 1/4" hex bolts, 3/8" SAE flat washers, and 3/8" flange lock nuts. Insert a 3/8" x 1 1/4" hex bolt with 3/8" flat washer through each of the center bolt holes in the three central hat channels. Align the hanging bolts with the holes in your anchor bracket and use the flange lock nuts to fasten the bracket into position under your platform. Fully tighten all the anchor bracket nuts and bolts.

Fully tighten all the hat channel crossmember bolts on your platform.

STEP 19

Install the pin shackle from your hardware kit onto the pin tab on the bottom of the anchor bracket. The nut on the shackle doesn't have to be tight as the cotter pin prohibits it from falling off. Install the nut and the cotter pin on the clevis pin. Bend the ends of the cotter pin so it can't fall out.

YOU'RE DONE!

Assembly of your 8'x8' pontoon platform is now complete! You did a great job, so pat yourself on the back!