Advice Please: 20 ft. vs. 22 ft. pontoon boat

[cak56]

My husband and I are looking to purchase a new pontoon boat. We started looking at 20 ft. with a 90 4 stroke Yamaha OB because most of the time,it will just be the two of us on board. One of the salesmen told us to go for a 22 ft. with a 115 hp. Yamaha 4 stroke. The reason for this is where we like to go, Lake Mojave, the water can be choppy. He says the boat will dolphin and not be a good ride. we have had a demo on a 22 ft. with a 90 and a 115 hp. both were fine,but the water was calm. We are looking at Bennington,Sweetwater, and Harris. We will be just cruising and maybe pulling a tube for grandkids. Also we like to cove camp at the lake. Our demo was in the Sweetwater. It is the Bennington salesperson telling us to go to a 22 ft.We do know about tritoons,lifting strakes, underdeck skin etc. We are trying to get in a pontoon that will make us happy, not overbuy or under buy. It is a big and costly decision. Any thoughts? Thank you in advance!

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Advice Please: 20 ft. vs. 22 ft. pontoon boat

The longer the better ride in chop, and a tri toon also has a better ride that a 2 toon. a 22 ft tri will ride a lot better than a 20 ft 2 log and the tri will run faster than a 2 log.

 

[lakegeorge]

Re: Advice Please: 20 ft. vs. 22 ft. pontoon boat

My husband and I are looking to purchase a new pontoon boat. We started looking at 20 ft. with a 90 4 stroke Yamaha OB because most of the time,it will just be the two of us on board. One of the salesmen told us to go for a 22 ft. with a 115 hp. Yamaha 4 stroke. The reason for this is where we like to go, Lake Mojave, the water can be choppy. He says the boat will dolphin and not be a good ride. we have had a demo on a 22 ft. with a 90 and a 115 hp. both were fine,but the water was calm. We are looking at Bennington,Sweetwater, and Harris. We will be just cruising and maybe pulling a tube for grandkids. Also we like to cove camp at the lake. Our demo was in the Sweetwater. It is the Bennington salesperson telling us to go to a 22 ft.We do know about tritoons,lifting strakes, underdeck skin etc. We are trying to get in a pontoon that will make us happy, not overbuy or under buy. It is a big and costly decision. Any thoughts? Thank you in advance!

I would go with the 22ft triton and the 115 hp motor. Most people always are sorry for not getting the larger motor. The Bennington is a great boat, but if you can get the triton & 115 for the same price as a 2 pontoon Bennington then go with one of them.
Most pontoon boats are pretty bullet proof and I wouldn't worry about problems from any of them.

We have owned a Lowe, a Sweetwater and now a Berkshire and never had a problem with any of them. I don't know what kind of price they are asking for but our Berkshire is a 230cl with 150hp and Galvanized trailer with the bp1 triton package, it also has the ski bar, stereo, gps/fishfinder and upgraded Berber carpet and it was just under $29,000 out the door. We bought it last year.

The ride on our triton is so much better in rough water then out 2 toon boats that it's hard to explain.

 

[steelespike]

Re: Advice Please: 20 ft. vs. 22 ft. pontoon boat

With a tri toon you can get away with a smaller motor and added to that the boat will go faster with less throttle.
A 90 will use about 9 gallons per hour at wot.the 115 about 11.5 gph.
More speed saves fuel at a given throttle setting.you can get from here to there in less time.
A tritoon behaves almost like a regular monohull.

 

[wiegs]

Re: Advice Please: 20 ft. vs. 22 ft. pontoon boat

We went with a 22 ft tritoon sweetwater with 115hp merc. We did not test drive because its winter and we got a good deal because it was last year model. I heard good reviews and expect it to meet our family needs. Cruise and pull kids on the tube. With trailer we will have about 27000 invested. I have heard Tritoons handle rough water well. That is why we went with it. Our lakes always seem to get real choppy for wind and boat wake.

 

[Old Screwball]

Re: Advice Please: 20 ft. vs. 22 ft. pontoon boat

Must be a different Lake Mojave, the one I float on is in California / Arizona. We have an 18' Tracker Party Barge with a 75hp Merc. If the water gets bumpy, so does the ride. A longer toon or tri will handle the chop better. For a zillion dollars you can have the fastest, longest boat on the lake. When we bought ours, we set a budget, and tried to hold to under 20', then it will fit in the garage. Very happy with our 'toon. Would rather have a 22' with 200hp, but Oh Well.

Good Luck and Enjoy!

 

[cak56]

Re: Advice Please: 20 ft. vs. 22 ft. pontoon boat

Thank you to all,your advice has been helpful. We are leaning toward the Sweetwater 2286 with a 90 or 115, we know there won't be alot of difference in MPH. Now to get the right price The dealer her as been wonderful, so guess we will be ordering soon!

 

[WaterDR]

Re: Advice Please: 20 ft. vs. 22 ft. pontoon boat

You will likely never say the 22 footer is too big, but you will likely say the 20 footer is too small. It may not sound like much, but there is a big difference in just two feet.

Our last two have been 24 footers....the 22s seems small to me now

22 footers have gotten really popular. The extra space is great and you still have something that is towable for most people.

 

[cak56]

Re: Advice Please: 20 ft. vs. 22 ft. pontoon boat

You will likely never say the 22 footer is too big, but you will likely say the 20 footer is too small. It may not sound like much, but there is a big difference in just two feet.

Our last two have been 24 footers....the 22s seems small to me now

22 footers have gotten really popular. The extra space is great and you still have something that is towable for most people.

Thank you, we have been leaning towards the 22 ft. Price wise it is more,but for resale a better choice. They do seem very roomy and better fit our needs too.

 

[cak56]

Re: Advice Please: 20 ft. vs. 22 ft. pontoon boat

WaterDr. how do you like your LRV? I saw those and fell in love with them when we had our Polaris PWCs. They always intrigued me.

 

[cak56]

Re: Advice Please: 20 ft. vs. 22 ft. pontoon boat

Water Dr. Sorry, I mistook your Yamaha Suv for a Seadoo LRV.

 

[WaterDR]

Re: Advice Please: 20 ft. vs. 22 ft. pontoon boat

LOL....both machines are bizzare. Although, I think an LRV gets a lot more strange looks.

 

[cak56]

Re: Advice Please: 20 ft. vs. 22 ft. pontoon boat

LOL....both machines are bizzare. Although, I think an LRV gets a lot more strange looks.

I know,true. There is a person selling an LRV near me,but I will stick to the Pontoon. We are going to see a Harris 22 ft. today down at the beach. But we are driving the Prius, so no hitch to bring it home...yet.But the dually IS waiting in the garage. This one isn't everything we want,but we needed to look at the Harris before we make a decision. Their boat has a larger weight,motor, and fuel compared to other competitors. Does everybody here know that Costco members have a pre set price? It is pretty good if you don't want to haggle,but we have done a lot of that in prior purchases too. We just like the Yamaha over the Mercury. So here goes. Thank you for your help!

 

[Gvec]

Re: Advice Please: 20 ft. vs. 22 ft. pontoon boat

The reason for this is where we like to go, Lake Mojave, the water can be choppy.

I live in Las Vegas and I am pontoon shopping. Can you let me know what dealers you are looking at (pm me if more appropriate). I will also be going to Mojave often. Thanks!

 

[cak56]

Re: Advice Please: 20 ft. vs. 22 ft. pontoon boat

I live in Las Vegas and I am pontoon shopping. Can you let me know what dealers you are looking at (pm me if more appropriate). I will also be going to Mojave often. Thanks![

 

[WaterDR]

Re: Advice Please: 20 ft. vs. 22 ft. pontoon boat

I know,true. There is a person selling an LRV near me,but I will stick to the Pontoon. We are going to see a Harris 22 ft. today down at the beach. But we are driving the Prius, so no hitch to bring it home...yet.But the dually IS waiting in the garage. This one isn't everything we want,but we needed to look at the Harris before we make a decision. Their boat has a larger weight,motor, and fuel compared to other competitors. Does everybody here know that Costco members have a pre set price? It is pretty good if you don't want to haggle,but we have done a lot of that in prior purchases too. We just like the Yamaha over the Mercury. So here goes. Thank you for your help!

I have alaways felt owning a ski and a pontoon is the perfect mix of the best of both worlds.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Advice Please: 20 ft. vs. 22 ft. pontoon boat

I've had a 24' Starcraft pontoon for 27 years with a Yamaha 115 hp 2 stroke. It runs great and pulls skiers well, but it just handles like a pig. And top speed is like you hit a wall--at about 25 mph.

We switched over this year to a 24' Bennington trihull with a Yamaha 150 hp 4 stroke engine. It runs 40 mph GPS @ 6000 rpm's. It's an absolutely stunning boat, including the rear facing sun loungers. A tritoon over 30 mph is pretty impressive running.

All the major toon manufacturers have 3-4 different seat packages at all price points. You can get a S class Bennington for a very good price, and it has the same quality as the really expensive models. I also like Harris, Premier, Manitou and Cypress Cay.

For big water use, 22' or longer is preferred. If you don't pull tubers or skiers, you can get by on a 2 toon boat and 90 horsepower. I personally prefer the 115 hp motor over the 90 @ $1000 difference. If you have a big family, pull tubers/skiers or have young children, go for the tritoon.

But the big trick is to buy or order a boat with lifting strakes on the pontoons. Strakes and 115 hp will get the nosecones out of the water for another 5 mph and much better fuel mileage. A straked pontoon will also ride much smoother and is more seaworthy.

The whole thing is to get a boat that fits your present AND future needs. And get the biggest engine you can afford is the common pontoon owner's best recommendation.

 

[Gvec]

Re: Advice Please: 20 ft. vs. 22 ft. pontoon boat

Baman1,

Do you notice a difference in gas consumption with the tritoon? I would hope that the ease of getting up on plane with 3 toons offsets the larger engine, a bit? Also, I am considering a pon vs tri toon, but my mix will be 75% fishing and 25% toobing. Kids aren't old enough yet and I am a few yers off. Might be a good reason to upgrade in 5 years, but for now my use will be primaily swimming and lots of fishing.

How is the tritoon for fishing? Are electric motors useful on a tritoon, or do they just not have the power to tow that thing around at low speeds?

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Advice Please: 20 ft. vs. 22 ft. pontoon boat

Gvec: I too thought I'd be out of the tubing business, and poof we have an 18 month old and a 5 year old grandkids. Tubing is best done on a 22' tritoon with 115 or 150 hp because they just handle better. (I don't care for and seldom see 20' tritoon boats.)

The fastest and most efficient boat is a 2 toon boat with lifting strakes, but they really need 115 hp or more. The third toon may add 250 lbs. and quite a bit of drag vs a 2 toon boat. But if you carry many grownups, 3 toons (with lifting strakes) is the way to go, even if it's 3-4 mph less than the 2 toon boat with strakes.

Let me throw another thing at you. If you buy a new boat, you can special order one this time of the year exactly like you need it equipped. Nothing more, nothing less. And the dealer could sell it more reasonable because he has no floorplan costs, etc. That adds value.

If you ordered a new boat, it should fit your present and future needs so you don't have to buy another boat in 3 years. Properly cared for and kept out of the weather, pontoons will last 30 years without much reconditioning. They are actually very good values in long term recreational boating. (My Starcraft pontoon is 27 years old and in okay shape.)

Good luck in your decision!

 

[WaterDR]

Re: Advice Please: 20 ft. vs. 22 ft. pontoon boat

Just anothjer quick point.....while pontoons can certainly go plenty fast, my experience has been that no one really wants to travel that fast unless you absolutely have to. Even above 30 mph, wifey is saying "slow down" because her wine is spilling.