Pontoon gate latches are an excellent option for keeping your doors shut and safe when cruising around the waters. They help to prevent the doors from swinging open while moving and any dogs or passengers from exiting the boat prematurely.
Over time, however, many of these pontoon fence gate latches tend to get old, rusty, and in need of replacement. Or, they may even start to break, get loose, and rattle around making annoying ear-numbing noises!
This is where the replacement pontoon gate latch comes into play with marine-grade material and hardware:
Before
The metal on an old door latch tends to rust and looks less than desirable. While still functional in the case of this boat, it’s not as clean or smooth to use. Not to mention the constant rattling around of the loose doors while traveling at any speed.
After
After replacing the gate latch, this new one comes in gray and is made from a nylon molded plastic material which prevents future rusting. It works on both left-hinged and right-hinged gates.
Pontoon Gate Latch Installation
The installation process is straightforward when it comes to this one with a 4-piece design.
- Remove the old latch (if there is an existing latch in the way).
- Unpack the contents of the replacement gate latch hardware.
- Place the open ends of the mounting plate over where you plan to drill the holes.
- Use a small drill bit to drill holes in each of the three locations.
- Increase drill bit size accordingly until your holes are snug to fit the size of the mount.
- Screw in each of the pieces with the handle and mounting holes on the opposite side.
After installation, your pontoon gate latch should be flush with the gate opening:
To Conclude
Pontoon gate latches are an easy fix when restoring an old pontoon boat. With less rattling, your boat rides will be much quieter and more peaceful with a tight door that stays closed. Latches offer quite an improvement for a relatively low cost when compared to other boat restoration projects.