Patent ID: 7650847

Claim:
A pontoon assembly for stabilizing a watercraft comprising: a base member removably attachable to a watercraft; an elongated pontoon supporting arm having two end portions and having a pontoon attached to one end portion thereof; a pontoon supporting arm supporting bracket moveably attached to said base member and slidably supporting said pontoon supporting arm therein between the two end portions thereof; a linkage movably attached to said base and to other end portion of said two end portions of said pontoon supporting arm, said linkage adapted to raise the other end portion of said pontoon supporting arm to lower and extend said pontoon into an operative position by tilting and sliding said pontoon supporting arm in said pontoon supporting arm supporting bracket and to lower said one end portion of said pontoon supporting arm to raise and withdraw said pontoon into a rest position by tilting and sliding said supporting arm in said pontoon supporting arm supporting bracket; a locking mechanism for locking said linkage in a raised position with said pontoon in an operative position; and a flexible strap for extending around a watercraft, said strap being attached to a reel shaft rotatably attached to said base and said reel shaft having a ratchet and pawl mechanism operatively attached thereto for tightening and locking said strap around a watercraft to hold said base to said watercraft; whereby a pontoon may be rapidly raised or lowered into the water adjacent a watercraft.