I'll be buying a pontoon boat shortly as our cabin renos are almost completed and it's time to get back to spending time on the lake. Looking for a traditional layout, 22' two tube, max HP allowable, with a nice change/port-a-pottie room for the ladies. Objectives are for mostly cruising, floating, bbq and being able to tow around the occassional tube or skier. My research leads me to several pontoon tube designs from various manufacturers, all claiming to be the' best.
RPT (V shaped) by Sylvan, CP2 (V shaped) by Crest, elliptical from Bennington and the "U" shaped from G3. Oh and less I forget the std round.
I do subscribe to the "V" shaped design as it makes sense to provide greater lift, less drag and higher top speeds with less power but Sylvan and Crest don't have the nice rear large change room w/o spending for their top models.
The elliptical shape makes some sense also and Bennington has a good name/reputation.
I really like the G3 LX 22 C but I'm concerned about what I'm reading about with the "U" shaped tubes. Being a narrow 23" wide I suspect they're more difficult to get on plane. Would simply adding lifting strakes be the answer? What about repair/welding with their Maxi-Float foam inside, how's that work?
Any input from you experienced pontooners out there that can shed some real world light on this design thing would be greatly appreciated by this newbie trying to get the facts. Pros and Cons, that sort of thing.
Cheers, Kirk
RPT (V shaped) by Sylvan, CP2 (V shaped) by Crest, elliptical from Bennington and the "U" shaped from G3. Oh and less I forget the std round.
I do subscribe to the "V" shaped design as it makes sense to provide greater lift, less drag and higher top speeds with less power but Sylvan and Crest don't have the nice rear large change room w/o spending for their top models.
The elliptical shape makes some sense also and Bennington has a good name/reputation.
I really like the G3 LX 22 C but I'm concerned about what I'm reading about with the "U" shaped tubes. Being a narrow 23" wide I suspect they're more difficult to get on plane. Would simply adding lifting strakes be the answer? What about repair/welding with their Maxi-Float foam inside, how's that work?
Any input from you experienced pontooners out there that can shed some real world light on this design thing would be greatly appreciated by this newbie trying to get the facts. Pros and Cons, that sort of thing.
Cheers, Kirk