Pontoon Boat

Hello to all. My wife and I like to look for a use 2000 or later Pontoon Boat. We were are thinking of a 24 ft.
We live 4 miles away from a river. We are in SE Pa.
What is the I guess say the amount of people we can hold on there. Is there a guide line?

We have a chance to look at a 20 ft. But no trailer.
We like to hold 15 people safely. Any tips is appreicated.
Thanks TLing

Re: Pontoon Boat

everyboat has a coast guard placard on it. max wt, max hp, max persons, it totally depends on this placard, and how the builder built the boat. beaware that the load distributuion of a pontoon is utmost, the passengers have to listen to the captian, too much weight forward, and the bow will submarine, go under water, and keep going, until the boat is slowed, or weight is redistributed.

Re: Pontoon Boat

I have to 2nd the weight distribution awareness.You need a hard and fast rule about not moving about when heavily loaded.15 people is a minimum 2,250 lbs plus any gear.be careful.
As a pontoon goes deeper in the water its flotation increases at a decreasing rate on a mono hull it usually increases at an increasing rate.
once a pontoon submerges thats the max any additional weight (weight shift) and down it goes.

Re: Pontoon Boat

Really hard to imagine 15 people in any boat. Is this 15 count a hard figure? Or just how many "might" want to go along? Have you considered 2 boats instead of one? Or, for that matter, just renting a 2nd boat on those occasions that it's needed?

Kelly Cook

Re: Pontoon Boat

my Chris Craft 230 Deckboat is rated for 13 people, although not as open as a toon, but in my opinion much safer, and more usable. we've been 7 miles off shore to the reefs in the keys, which is not advisable with a toon, although i have seen toons there on a calm day.

Re: Pontoon Boat

You need to look at people and weight as some have indicated. My 20' pontoon is rated for 10 people but only an additional 1450 lbs. This means that the 10 people can only average 145 lbs each.

I am 235+ and my oldest boy is pushing 145. Two 200+ adults and 3 kids is about right. 2 additional Grandparents for a total of 7 is the max I feel comfortable having on at any one time. The pontoon is much slower and hard to keep everyone in the right place.

Re: Pontoon Boat

My 24 foot pontoon wil hold 14 people and Yes I have sent it under once. The boat will not stay under it will pop right back up...but it is not a fun thing to do. You need to keep the weight for middle to the rear. I had to much up front and when let off the throttle the front nosed dived into the water. But it sill not sink!!!

Just load it right and have fun!

Re: Pontoon Boat

I have a 25' that holds 17. I have had it loaded with 13-14 mix of adults and kids and still felt like I could add a few.

You want the biggest diameter toons you can get. Also length is good so you can spread people out. On our toon, we usually go out with an additional family or two. We send the kids upfront, and we lounge peacefully in the back.

If you were to find a 24'+ with the 23+" diameter toons you would probably be able to do what you want to do. I would encourage you to look at higher HP engines as well. A lot of toons are sold with 40-50hp motors and do fine with a samller load and typically just puttering around. With 13 people, this will be asking that motor to work awfully hard all the time. I recently upgraded my toon from 40 to 90Hp (its max) and it made crusing much more enjoyable.

Re: Pontoon Boat

Do not forget that the weight listed on the placard includes the engine and gear and fuel. A decent engine for a 24 footer is going to weigh close to 400 pounds, if it's a four stroke. Fuel is heavy too at close to seven pounds per gallon.

Also, do not forget-as mentioned, that "persons" rating is at 150 pounds each. Your 300 pound brother in law counts as two.