Console

The structure that houses the helm: wheel, controls, gauges and switches.

The console is the cabinet the helm lives in. On a pontoon it sits to starboard about mid-deck; on a center console fishing boat it stands in the middle with walkway all around, which is where that boat type gets its name.

Learn the console before casting off: kill switch, horn, bilge pump, light switches and trim buttons, so you are not hunting for any of them at speed or at dusk.

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Put the words to work

Vocabulary is easier at the helm.

The free South Carolina boater safety course teaches all of this in twelve chapters with a sixty question practice exam, and when you are ready for the water itself, one form gets you rental quotes from local operators.

Take the Free Safety Course Check Pontoon Availability