I want to learn about pontoon boats, know virtually nothing

[capndan]

I've been boating for 30 years, in deep Vs, 16 -20 foot in length. My current boat is an 18' Four Winns IO...15 years old. It's a fine boat, but I'm pushing 66 and I'm finding it harder and harder for me and my friends to get into and out of, and cruising less comfortable than it was. I'm on Keuka Lake, in the Finger Lakes in NY...I'd like to be able to fit 10 people in it, take the kids tubing. 25 mph would likely be fast enough, maybe 30? We are seeing an increasing number of wakeboard boats kicking up some nice wakes.
Until I started reading some of these posts on this forum I didn't even realize pontoons came in different sizes, so any suggestions you have as to the size of my pontoons, and the pros/cons to 2 vs 3 tubes would be great. I don't have a specific budget but would like to keep it in the range of 35K. I have no idea what that buys in a new boat, or a relatively new, say 2-5 year old, boat.
I don't even know what questions to ask.
Thanks,

 

[HotTommy]

My experience is with an older 24' pontoon boat, but here's what I can offer as advice. I routinely have 8-11 people on board, several of them children. I'd be very uncomfortable on anything smaller than 24'. ... As I look at newer boats there are several features that appeal to me (although I have no experience with some of them.)

• I like the fence moved very close to the front of the boat so there is more room inside the fence.
• I like the fence gates not recessed so there is more room inside the fence.
• I like the rear mounted ladder for swimmers. It lessens the consequences of forgetting the raise the ladder.
• I like lifting strakes on the logs so the boat can travel with less drag at higher speeds.
• I would want no less than 115 HP on a two log boat and 150 HP on a three log boat. More HP would be better.
• A four-cycle engine is a must have.
• You may want hydraulic steering with bigger engines.
• I'd want a fuel tank sized for my engine.
• I like lots of shade, so I prefer a boat with a large top.
• Sun does a lot of damage so I'd want a cover that is easy to use and store.
• And because I pull kids on a tube, I'd like a proper ski tow bar.

Pontoon boats can be configured for fishing or cruising and with more or less seating. You'll have to decide on the furniture and floor covering depending on your intended use. ... Good luck.

 

[ahicks]

Have lived on a lake since the mid 70's and have had a pontoon boat nearly that long. For many years we had a ski boat to go with it, until the last one was coming out of the water at the end of the season with the same fuel it was put into the water with. Pontoon was used WAY more often.

I love Tommy's list of wants. Something I would add to that, is that our most popular pontoons were older boats we didn't have to be so careful with. Lawn chair seating for example. Point being, I've been on pontoons sporting seating like you would find in a Cadillac or Mercedes. That's taking things too far. Certainly nice, but hard to justify from a maintenance standpoint. I like vinyl floors, and seats with individual covers vs. a single (very bulky) cover that covers everything. If one or 2 people go for a ride, they can just uncover the console and seats they'll be using rather than the entire boat.

Because our boat isn't trailered, I love hard tops. Lot's of shade, and no maintenance. I see more and more pontoons with 2 fabric tops on them. No doubt that's about extra shade. 5 years ago the double tops were a rarity. Now they're no big deal.

Reduced maintenance is a key priority. You don't want a boat that's a pain to use because it's difficult or expensive to maintain.

My vote, if pulling is a priority, is to go for the tritoon with lifting strakes. With lifting strakes is important! They'll be a lot more efficient on plane, turn better, and carry the weight of a bigger motor much better than a conventional pontoon can.

And a 4 stroke is a must. That would be at the absolute top of my list. I don't know anyone that's had one, and darn few that have ridden on a 4 stroke equipped boat, that went back to a 2 stroke. No oil smell following the boat when going down wind.....

 

[98Shabah]

The reasons we switched to a toon are:
-We needed more room than our 21' I/O provided
-I was tired of cleaning a white fiberglass boat with white seats
-I/Os are a pain to maintain
-Wanted a smoother ride
-Needed more shade (I've had multiple skin cancers cut off me)
-No more wet carpet!

We went with a 21' tritoon that has very little decking outside of the fencing, which gives us maximum usable space. We opted for a 3 log (all 3 are 25" diameter and it has a full length center pontoon, some are just 3/4 length) with lifting strakes and under-shielding. We went for the Mercury 115 Pro XS w/the larger command thrust lower unit, this combination with a light load (2 adults) will hit 35mph, with our full load of 2 adults, 2 teens, 90lb dog, and all our gear, and both bimini tops up it'll do 30mph and cruise comfortably in the low to mid 20s. We didn't go with a "premium" brand for two reasons, 1. cost, 2. weight. We bought the entire package with trailer new for $30k in 2017, which was a steal.

The only downside to a pontoon is towing it.. towing a pontoon boat is like towing a parachute. Also, our 21' is actually just under 28' on the trailer, the 21' is just the size of the deck on this boat, the transom and motor stick out almost another 4', plus the trailer tongue.

 

[capndan]

Thanks for the great input. I'll only be pulling grandchildren in tubes, and as far as towing, probably 10 miles/ year. One thing I've run into trying to get a feel for what things should cost is all of the dealer websites show new and used boats and under price they put "call for price"...

 

[98Shabah]

Oh, on the tube pulling, most (if not all) tow bars that are bolted to the deck are not suppose to be used to pull any inflatables due to the risk of partially submerging the inflatable, which then can damage the tow bar and/or deck it's bolted to. I bought a "Y" cable/tow hardness with the pulley in the middle that connects to the eyelets on the backs of the pontoon logs. Now, I have pulled small kids on 2 person inflatables from the tow bar, being careful not to put too much stress on it, but if i'm going to give a thrilling ride to a teen or adult, I use the Y harness.

It seems that most manufactures don't want their dealers advertising any prices, but some manufactures will let you spec out a boat on their website and give you the retail cost.. For example, my boat spec'd out on the Lowe website was around $36k, bought for $30k (In June). My dad did a little better with the Lowe tritoon he bought, it was $40k retail on the manufacturer website and he got it for $32k (in October). A friend of mine worked a deal at the boat show last year on a $63k Bennington for $10k off their retail price, but ended up backing out because it wasn't really exactly what he wanted.

 

[ahicks]

"Call for Price" = too much. They're embarrassed by their asking price. They want you to call for a chance to con you by trying to convince you how nice it is.

 

[Toyelectroman]

What kind of prop you using to hit 35mph? I thin toon is very similar and the best i can do with a light load is 30mph

 

[98Shabah]

It's a Solas 1531-145-15P. With a light load it hits the top of the max rpm for the motor, 6300rpm.

 

[Toyelectroman]

Ahh that's the difference, your running a 3 blade stainless and i am running a 4 blade aluminum. Also looks like you mercury is rated for higher rpm than mine is

 

[98Shabah]

I had 4 blade aluminum props on my last two boats, (both I/Os that were stern heavy), they really helped get on plane faster and at lower speeds. The prop that came with my tritoon was a Black Max XC pontoon prop, #78114CP1 13P, with it I could only hit the bottom of the max rpm range for this motor, around 5,600rpm (max is 5300-6300).

 

[Starcraft5834]

First boat I had was about 7 years ago.. bought a 15 ft trihull with a 50 hp merc. had it long enough to realize it wasnt big enough to handle the NYS Finger Lakes, then bought a 20 ft cuddy with 3.0 mercruiser, had that for 5 years, then realized it was not big enough to take out more than a few people and not be cramped. this year, bought a new Starcraft 20 ft toon- EX-R. with 115 merc....tons of power and room... also put a little 2.5 merc kicker on it to get us on local lakes with hp restrictions. the toon can do anything a V hull can do with a lot more room... my 2c, we exclusively trailer it too, also bought a galvanized tandom with breaks... capacity is more than double the weight Im towing...i dont want any issues.... this will be the last boat for us... to each his own... the toon is most versatile boat weve had.. with a lot more room...now 6-8 adults and 2 dogs can be a fun experience, you cant do that with V hulls unless you have a really big one...we love it... it's lighter than the old heavy cuddy too

if your going to routinely carry 8+, get a 24 footer... otherwise a 20 ft toon is plenty large enough

 

[Hossbot]

My wife and I purchased our first pontoon boat after renting a couple others and realizing how much we loved them. We picked up a 1988 Lowe that started life as a 24', 2 tube boat. The previous owner installed 28' tubes a few years ago and added a 3/4 length 3rd tube and extended the dec/railing another 4'. Its fully under-shielded. Its got a 2001 75HP four stroke that tops out about 25 MPH which is fine for us now. It has a changing room and toilet (which at first we thought was "nice", but now can't imagine not having it.). We picked it up for $6,000 and had it in the water the next day with a perfectly running and maintained engine (PO had all service paperwork from local marine shop). The only thing I don't like about this boat is the previous owner went with a baby blue theme.

Our main use is for family/friend all day fun. We were looking at 24' boats until we came across this 28'. It still has a deck on the front we want, but interior space of a deckless 24' boat.

For our use, we pulled off all furniture from console forward. So we have a simple large open space we can configure as needed per trip. For example, we have a tent that fits in the open space as we spend the night on it sometimes. Other times we have various deck/lawn furniture. I don't currently fish, but friends do and it has fishing rod holders, removable captains seats on the front deck, etc. We also have plenty of room for BBQ, cooler, floaties, etc.

I installed a folding stainless steel ladder on the front deck as well as have a ramp, as we love to beach it and hang out on shore for a time then find another place. We haven't yet towed any tubes, but do plan to with a Y harness. We don't plan to tow fast or whip the tubers. Might need a bigger engine if we get into that someday.

As for towing, I've noticed little difference between the 24' I rented and this 28' one. I tow with an F250 Diesel. Have towed quite a bit on the freeway with it. Not had any issue with wind or anything, although I'm used to towing a 36' travel trailer which really catches the wind.

I don't have much experience loading/unloading v-hulls, but the pontoon boat has been a breeze every launch.

One feature I recommend when you get one, is to get a trailer that has steps and a hand rail on the tongue. These generally sit pretty high and its super nice being able to easily get in and out both at home and at the boat launch. Our doesn't have them so I will need to fabricate some and weld them on.

Attached is photo of it day after we got it, before we pulled off front railing, fishing chairs and front furniture.

 

[Gemstone1]

Capndan....

We are on our 1st pontoon, I wanted a cruiser, wife wanted a pontoon, we settled on a Starcraft tritoon, with a 150 Yahama (so I could ski). Brand new, with no crud growing on the pontoons, we could reach 41 mph....way faster than I ski... at 28-30, so we are both happy. Love the boat, we are 5 minutes from the slip, and except for Tues and Wed, we use the boat daily. I had to get a 100' ski rope to get back behind the prop wash and the wide wake, another 10' would be great, but it works.
IMO, more motor is better than less motor, altho' when we are not skiing, we just put at 5-8 mph.
Shop around, there are many different layouts/brands to choose from. With your price point, you should be able to get a great boat, new to 2 years old. I'd be cautious of a used motor if the previous owner ran ethanol blend fuel.

Regards
Gemstone1

 

[capndan]

Update on my situation...I am purchasing a 24' Premier. It has a Merc 4 stroke on it. It is two years old, but only ran one year on the water. The motor has 100 hours on it. It was a rental in 2018, sat on the lot all of 2019. The marina who sells them ran it a year as a rental. The wife and I took it for a test spin. I think it will fit our needs just fine. Tri-toon, BTW.

 

[NYBo]

Nice! Morgan Marine?

 

[capndan]

Yes, Morgan. It's amazing to me that they are the only folks still selling new boats on Keuka Lake.

 

[dragontattoo]

Thanks all for your responses. i was having similar questions and your answers were helpful to me.