Brands to stay away from?

[mjw4856]

I just started looking and I am very confused by the number of brands out there.

Are there any to truly stay away from (ie went out of business)?


Here are a few I like... starcraft, fisher, godfrey, vernado, crestliner..but know nothing about.


What about sweetwater, partikraft, avalon, manitou, sylvan?



Thanks.

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: Brands to stay away from?

I would not shy away from any brand. I feel that all pontoon boats manufactured in the last 20 years or so are engineered well and will give many years of enjoyable crusing if properly maintained. The main difference in brands are the quality of carpet, furniture and ammenities offered.

Choose a boat that meets your particular needs with the features that you prefer and is within your budget and you will enjoy it.

 

[dodger11]

Re: Brands to stay away from?

Let me give some great advice, ask any question no matter how small, from these folks, and read all you can from this site. They know what their talking about and not hesitant to share their knowledge with you.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Brands to stay away from?

I won't name brands but just look at how the boats are made, are the rails and deck thru bolted or screwed on, obvously thru bolting gives you a better boat.

Look at the brackets on the tubes, are they the "M" type that give the most solid boat and how much weld is on them, in general how the boat is put together.

Most people slend all there time top side ogling over the furniture and the CD player and don't stick there head under the console or the deck to see what kind of boat they are actually buying.

And of coarse warranty and read the fine print.Sweet water,Parti craft and Aqua Patio are all Godfrey boat with a diffrent name, Starcraft is a Smokercraft brand, none of the brands you have listed would be on my list of boats to avoid so you are good no matter which one you chose.

 

[joe_nj]

Re: Brands to stay away from?

One rating of boats by brand is JD Powers. http://www.jdpower.com/Boats

 

[triumphrick]

Re: Brands to stay away from?

The only problem with asking a question such as yours is someone is invariably going to mention a brand another member owns...and then the fur flies.

It may be better worded by asking for brands some of our folks here own and are happy with. Also..5150 builds these things, so heed his advice.....

 

[cribber]

Re: Brands to stay away from?

I'd also add if you're buying new, buy from a local dealer who provides service and warranty repair on behalf of the manufacturer. Ask around where you live to find out how they treat their local customers.

 

[OldePharte]

Re: Brands to stay away from?

Oboy - what a question.

As 5150 says, look at construction first. Also look at the motor mounts. Are they sturdy or flimsy.

Another consideration is dealer location. How far away do you want to go for any warranty work? Do spend time online searching for customer complaints and praise. Go to a boat show where you look at a lot of them in one shot.

Definitely do test drives, hopefully in heavy chop, to see how they ride and handle.

Price most likely will be a big consideration, as it will help narrow choices.

I had my selection narrowed to 3, but one was eliminated real quick when I noticed some seating trim pieces coming loose. Not a good sign of overall quality.

 

[boatmor]

Re: Brands to stay away from?

You might be better served looking at older boats that have had a good bit of use to see how they have held up. The main place to look is the log attachment. I mess with older boats so get to see how they have faired. The only boats I have had that were really bad are the Harris Flotebotes, Kayots and some others made by the same company. Look at how their logs fasten on. I will only sell one of those to someone wanting to use it as a dock or to put on their pond. That company made their front water deflectors on the nose cone large and they came all the way to the top of the cone, you can recognize them easily.

U-shaped logs seem to make for a stronger attachment.

I almost didn't write this because of the folks that have those brands, many of whom are happy with their boats. But that is the honest answer to your question.

As has been said look for flaws and weaknesses because that will be your best indicator of overall quality.

 

[cc350]

Re: Brands to stay away from?

I looked at construction. Mine has 16" on center joists all bolted to toons, all railings are bolted good welds heavy carpet and vinyl and a good working layout all fasteners are stainless steel. I figure I'm going to own this pontoon for many years and wanted one that would hold up. As far as power goes, I got as many Hp as I thought would be needed to tube as well as scoot across the lake at a good speed.

 

[Bearfan]

Re: Brands to stay away from?

Love my Bennington, and would not shy away from Manitou. Personal opinion.

 

[Old Machinist]

Re: Brands to stay away from?

A little late to the party here but my 235 Premier Escapade with the PTX system and 225 Honda is a really sweet ride. Way better than my 96 VIP Vallaint 20 ft bow rider!! I do miss the 5.7 Merc and 58 MPH but can live with 45 MPH and hauling my living room with me!!

 

[mjw4856]

Re: Brands to stay away from?

Thanks for everyones help.

I have found 3 and would like your opionons.

1. 2005 Godfey w 60hp big foot merc for 11,900.

2. 2007 Starcraft 206ELITE, 60hp merc 15,990

3. 2007 Crestliner LSi 2285 60 hp 16,400.

Thanks!

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: Brands to stay away from?

I think you'll be happy with any of them.

Assuming they all meet your criteria, and if it was my nickle, I'd go with the Godfrey simply because of cost.

In today's economy, you should be able to negotiate a lower price on any of them.

Good luck and report back your decision.