Parts of a Pontoon Boat – Labeled Pontoon Diagram

All 10 parts on the diagram

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From the side 6

Pontoons The long hollow floats the boat rides on, also called tubes. Most boats have two; some have a third in the middle.
Deck The wide flat floor laid across the pontoons. Everything else on the boat sits on it.
Rails The railing round the deck, with panels below the top rail. It is often called the fence or the playpen.
Bimini top A fabric canopy on a folding frame. It shades the people under it.
Outboard motor The engine that drives the boat. It hangs on the stern with its propeller under the water.
Lifting strakes Long thin fins fixed along the tubes of faster pontoon boats. They help the boat rise and plane.

From above 4

Lounge seats Long cushioned seats along the rails. Makers call them lounges or loungers.
Helm Where the boat is steered. A console with the wheel and the gauges, and the captain's chair behind it.
Swim platform A deck across the stern, outside the rails. Used for getting into and out of the water.
Ladder A ladder on the swim platform for climbing out of the water.

How this list was compiled: Part names checked on 2026-09-30; a name is kept only when two independent sources use it. (1) Wikipedia, Pontoon boat, text only, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontoon_boat (pontoons, also called tubes; the deck; lounge areas; Bimini tops). (2) Pontoon & Deck Boat magazine, the March 2016 and February 2019 issues, https://archive.org/details/Pontoon_Deck_Boat_March_2016 and https://archive.org/details/Pontoon_Deck_Boat_Magazine_February_2019 (pontoons, tubes and logs, lifting strakes, deck, the playpen rail and fence, gate, Bimini top, helm and helm console, lounges, swim platform, ladder, outboard). (3) Discover Boating, the boat-type page of the National Marine Manufacturers Association, https://www.discoverboating.com/buying/boat/pontoon-boats (pontoons, deck, helm, swim platforms and ladders, outboard engines). (4) An accessory maker's installation guide for a pontoon tow tower, https://archive.org/details/manualzilla-id-5691945 (the playpen rail and railing, the deck). (5) A pontoon maker's site, https://www.manitoupontoonboats.com/ (tubes fitted with lifting strakes). No maker is named. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; own work, no maker's model copied. Licence: own work

How it works

The parts of a pontoon boat, drawn with the bow to the left. The first view is the boat afloat, from the side. The second looks down on the deck, where the seats and the helm are.

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From the side

The boat floats on its pontoons, long hollow tubes, and some tubes carry lifting strakes along their sides. The deck lies flat across the tubes, with rails round its edge. A Bimini top shades the back half, and the outboard motor hangs on the stern.

On the deck

Lounge seats run along the rails. The helm is the console with the steering wheel, where the captain sits. Across the stern, outside the rails, is the swim platform, with a ladder down to the water.

Pontoons are also called tubes; a boat with three of them is often called a tritoon.

Questions and answers

What are the parts of a pontoon boat called?

The floats are the pontoons, or tubes. The flat floor on them is the deck, and the fence round it is the rails. On the deck are the helm and the lounge seats, with a Bimini top overhead and an outboard motor on the stern.

What are the tubes on a pontoon boat called?

They are the pontoons; tubes is the other common name. They are hollow floats that hold the boat up. Most pontoon boats have two, and some have a third tube in the middle.

What is the fence on a pontoon boat called?

The rails, or the railing. People also call the fenced-in area the playpen. It runs round the edge of the deck, with gates for stepping on and off.

What is the top on a pontoon boat called?

A Bimini top. It is a canopy on a frame that gives shade, and it can be lowered when it is not wanted.