How do you refloat a pontoon boat?

Answer 1

The short answer is... Divers with lift bags... attach them to the boat, and slowly, and carefully (with emphsis on the slowly and carefully), inflate these bags till the boat breaks free from the bottom, and comes on up. Depending on water depth the bags will expand quite a bit, so even though a big bag at each corner may lift it, if it is deep, then several big bags with less air in them are used so that they don't over inflate as they rise, but still have the lifting power to get the boat to the surface. Once on the surface different bags which have completely closed valves are normally strapped to the vessel and it is slowly towed to a barge or crane, or in some cases a launch ramp if you can get the trailer in deep enough to recover it. No, I don't do this work, but there are plenty of folks who do in the marine salvage business. I must stress again, Kids and adults alike, "don't try this at home" alot of people die every hear in diving accidents, some of which are when something they are attempting to recover gets away from em and either tips, tilts, drops on em, or does a runaway accent to the surface dragging them with it, and giving them a Pressure injury.