A full, sealed, standard case of beer (24 cans or bottles) must be aboard the pontoon at the start of the run and at the finish. It must be accessible, not hidden in a bilge compartment. This is a pontoon. Act like it.

The vessel must be a production pontoon boat or tritoon — a flat-deck vessel supported by two or three cylindrical hulls (pontoons). Custom-built racing hulls with pontoon-style tubes do not qualify. It has to be something you could buy at a boat show. Factory performance packages and aftermarket engine upgrades are allowed.

The case of beer must arrive at the finish line intact. At least 20 of 24 units must be unbroken and sealed — we're accounting for rough seas, not a party. If the beer is consumed en route, the run is void. If the beer goes overboard, the run is void. If the beer is warm, that's between you and God.

The pontoon must be an open-deck design. Bimini tops, convertible enclosures, and windscreens are fine. A fully enclosed cabin converts it into a houseboat, and that's a different conversation we're not ready to have.

PFDs for all aboard, required safety equipment per USCG standards, and a support/chase boat for offshore routes (NYC-Miami, etc.). CG encourages pontoon speed records but does not encourage dying on a tritoon in the Atlantic. There's a difference.