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This means the pontoons of a pedal boat are filled completely, without air voids with closed cell foam. This causes the boats be setting on non water penetrating foam pontoons. This type of construction is the best and without a doubt the safest. We have seen too many "self bailing" boats sink with commercial customers on them. So here at direct boats if we don't trust a manufacturer enough to sell their product, it's for a good reason. What is the cheapest pedal boat I can get? Well of course a used boat is the cheapest but hard to find and usually wrought with hidden problems. The next choice is to buy a new one on-line, but beware the cheapest advertised boat prices, make sure to shop the best up front bottom line price, don't accept hidden or estimated freight, taxes or fees that will be charged after you get your boat. Also make sure the web company you choose has sufficient customer service, since small boats ship common carrier not UPS there will simply be more problems when it comes to delivery. As far as the cheapest adult pedal boat a two or three seater with no options is the way. Don't forget to look at the freight costs for your state in the drop down boxes. If you are wanting to buy pedal boats to rent, please save your money and don't buy the cheapest. How do I store my pedal boat? Well if you have a garage or boat house that is a good option. To move the boat to your garage you may want to look at purchasing an optional pedal boat dolly. If you are going to leave your boat on the shore, and the boat is not self bailing, either turn the boat upside down or buy a mooring cover for it to keep water out. Keep in mind on stamped pedal boats, water commonly gets in between the hull(bottom) and deck(top) of the boats. If you do not get the water out before it creates mold the stink may be upsetting to you when you use the boat. It is also hard to dry it out because there is no airflow. If you use a cheap plastic cover it may cause mildew on the outside of your boat trapping moisture. Which boat material is best? HDPE/plastic is tough when it comes to stumps... but it is lacking when it's hull is beached on sand or dirt. Fiberglass holds the top spot by a long shot on that most common occurrence. We have never seen a fiberglass pedal boat get at a high enough speed to crack after hitting a stump. That explains why most commercial customers purchase a fiberglass pedal boat, not to mention a lot of second time pedal boat buyers do as well, after they burn through the hull of their plastic boat in a few years. Of course if you purchase a plastic boat there are ways to protect the boat, you can get roll-n-go shore docking station that will put the boat on carpeted bunks, this extends the life of the boat greatly. How do I transport my paddle boat? Many people use a truck or trailer to move small boats around. We offer a pedal boat trailer specifically designed to hold the pontoons of a small paddle boat. This boat trailer is designed to back into the water so you don't have to lift it. If you want to use a truck to move your boat around just make sure you can lift it. You can put most pedal boats into the back of a full size truck at an angle with the tailgate down. Can I beach a pedal boat without damaging the paddle blades or rudder? Most pedal boats can be beached with a few exceptions, water bikes along with any others that do not have a pontoon style bottom. Most also have kick up rudders, but not all. Make sure you ask on that if you can't tell from the pictures or descriptions. What does self-bailing mean? When it rains the water is supposed to travels through the boat to the water. Some boats are beach bailing, meaning when put the boat on the beach the bow rises up and dumps any out the back. A fully self bailing boat doesn't collect any water in any compartment. Some pedal boats are rotomolded and sealed when they leave the mold, causing them to become self bailing upon molding, then the factory will drill holes to mount things such as drive shafts, handles cleats, bimini tops ect... If these installation points don't create a leak at first, they will over time typically. So we argue that self bailing is not as important as foam filled pontoons in pedal boat construction. With non-self bailing boats it's easiest to cover them with a mooring cover, or turn them upside down, or keep them in a garage when not in use. What is the difference between a pedal boat and a paddle boat? A pedal boat uses your feet to power the boat. A paddle boat uses paddle wheels to power the boat... so most pedal boats are paddle boats as well. I want a trolling motor on my pedal boat which type should I buy? Many people are looking for pedal boats to do many things such as fish or swim. If you want an electric motor added we recommend the type that has the motor built in verses adding a trolling motor bracket. The ability to reach the controls is the main problem with just hanging a motor on the side. The other issue is where to store the battery. There are a few models on the market with motors built in. We suggest that you look at this one because its the most popular well built electric powered pedal boat. On that model you can add a trolling motor bracket or have one hidden inside the unit. Can I use a pedal boat in a River? Well that's a tough question and mainly has to do with current speed and your stamina. Pedal boats are not speed boats therefore a general guide would be if the current is under about 4 miles per hour you should be fine. But if you have a place out of the main current we would advise using it there, or buy one with an electric motor to help when you get tired. I am in salt or brackish water, what do I need? Most pedal boats are used in fresh water and therefore most are designed for that market. If you buy a cheaper pedal boat the pedal drives and other components will rust in a hurry. You can purchase stainless steel mechanisms for the cheaper pedal boats but it doesn't change the fact that many other critical metal components will rust over time. If you buy a self bailing pedal boat and want to leave it tied to the dock you may want to boat bunker system.. If you are not sure about what is best for you just give us a call at 1-877-924-8155. What part of construction is important? Well it mainly has to do with how the boat will be used. In some cases we won't sell a boat because it's not good in any situation but most pedal boats are constructed fine, they just might not have been put in the right environment. An example would be if the boat bottom is scratched up(common) flipped upside down(because not self bailing) and it is constructed of plastic, fairly quick sun fading but most importantly dry rot damage may cause your boat to fail in the worst spot. I want offer pedal boats for public use what do I need? Commercial pedal boat buyers want the highest return on investment. The most important factors that contribute to this determination is; low maintenance, low liability, durable construction, market appeal. We suggest that a self bailing boat is a great option when it comes to both low maintenance and low liability. However, we feel you should mix in some eye catching boats that get customers attention. If you want further advice on which boat mix is right for you call the wholesale department at 877-924-8155. Whats the safest way for my rental customers to board a pedal boat? Beach launching is the safest and cheapest way, however it is hard to push customers off of the beach and keep them dry. If you want to board people from a dock, light weight boats with heavy customers equals high liability. Therefore the lighter the pedal boat, the easier for the boat to tip or list when stepping into it. The best option is our hydrolic pedal boat boarding system.. It will lift any pedal boat just enough to stabilize the boat for boarding and operates fast for high volume locations. The price may appear high, but it is small compared to a lawsuit. What is required to maintain commercial pedal boats? That depends on what type of boats you purchase and where they are used and stored. If you purchase a fiberglass pedal boat a pressure washer works fine on the deck. However if you want to protect the bottom of the boats and keep them from getting dirty, you may want to ask about our pedal boat coral. Based our boat bunker system it provides an on the water storage solution that keeps the bottoms of the boats clean. How much per hour should I charge? We found a range from $8 to $15 dollars per hour is the current going rate for pedal boats. If you calculate 16 weeks of summer and you charge 10 dollars per hour and average %50 usage on ten boats you can really add up some profit. Are water pedal bikes good to rent? We would say they are fine if you don't have weeds in the water. Most water bikes have props that spin with no cover to protect it, therefore weeds easily gum up the prop. You would also want to look at construction and maintenance of a non direct drive prop. |
NO SALES TAX! (except Georgia). Call FREE to speak to an noncommissioned, unbiased boat sales specialist. Call now to speak to one of our live customer service representatives! 1-877-924-8155 M-F 8:30AM-5:30PM EST.
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