After a Long Day on the Water Helpful pontooning hints from the staff of Pontoon Boat Guide.

When you return to the dock or launch ramp after a long day on the water, overtired children can make the return home somewhat bumpy. Here are a few things you can do to smooth the re-entry process:

1. Make sure everyone has had enough water to drink. Dehydration is always a concern after hours on the water, and a headachy child is a cranky child.
2. Avoid too many caffeinated beverages and sweet treats while you’re out for the day. Kids who get hopped up on sugar or caffeine are fun for awhile, and then somewhere between the lakeshore and home, the crash hits. Crashing kids are cranky kids
3. Don’t put off your evening meal, especially if you’ll be home late. Either arrange a picnic dinner on the boat or plan a fun restaurant outing on the way home. A hungry child is a… well, you get the idea.
4. Try not to blow bedtime. While it’s OK to keep the kids up late on special occasions, try to keep as much of a regular routine as possible if you plan on pontooning frequently. For younger kids, especially, a consistent bedtime is the difference between a happy, curious, energetic child and an overtired, easily startled, crying one.
5. Avoid the post-pontooning blues. Although the voyage is over, the fun doesn’t have to be. Give each child a pontoon boat journal or pontooning scrapbook so they can record their favorite sights, sounds and experiences from the trip before they go to bed. The whole family can look forward to and take part in this activity, reliving the fun together.
6. Give everyone a say in planning the next trip. Take a tissue box or shoebox, cover it with colorful paper and put a slit in the lid. Let the kids decorate it. When you return home from a pontoon boat adventure, have each child write down where they would like to go and what they would like to do on a piece of paper and drop it into the box — one destination and one activity per child. Schedule a drawing to see who “wins!”

Before you know it, you’ll be casting off the docklines again and heading out on your next family adventure. You’ll also have a good sense of what your children love best about these experiences with you.