deck boat or pontoon ?

[mtpawn]

"First post."
I have been reading the forum for several days. There are some very smart people giving very good advise here. Thanks I can use all I can get!!
We are getting ready to get our feet wet.(first Boat) I'm looking for thoughts and advise between deck boats and pontoon boats. They seem to compare in price for the stuff We want. Also where We might find reviews on different boat models. We have found a "Lowe" deck boat model 224 "Tahiti" with 150 hp johnson that we like a lot. Dose any buddy have experiance with this model or style? I am a big man 300 lbs so I'm looking for room & stability as well as comfort. We will have pre-teen kids and young adults most of the time, so I would like to pull tubes and stuff once in a while as well as fishing several lines at once. Also is there a boating "101" book out there that you would recomend?

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: deck boat or pontoon ?

Read here.
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=138594

 

[drewmitch44]

Re: deck boat or pontoon ?

You could get a deck boat or you could get a pontoon. If you buy a deck boat it will not have the toons. If you get a pontoon boat then you will like it a little more for the room but less for tubing and things like that. But you could eather get a deck boat or get a pontoon boat.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: deck boat or pontoon ?

they both have the + -' s. the pontoon is a flat deck, easier to walk around, wider walk areas. you have to becareful, about load balancing, as get to heavy of the bow, and it will submarine, and not come up, until the power is cut.

the deckboat is an little more cramped, but handles much better in choppy water. i have a 23 ft Chris Craft 230 deckboat, it is very fast for its size. we use it for tubing, skiing, diving.

i have thought about a pontoon, i would like one that the furniture is in the center, and the rails are not cluttered with furniture, so you can have access to all side to fish.

the boat you are looking at is very nice, put as much power on it as you can, max hp rating. you don't have to use it all, but nice to have when needed.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: deck boat or pontoon ?

If you boat on large lakes or bays where there are significant waves, the pontoon boat will be uncomfortable or dangerous to operate. You need a vee hull on that kind of water.

 

[starcraft67]

Re: deck boat or pontoon ?

Maybe I'm the cheapest sonofagun on this board. I say pontoon, unless pulling a skier or a tube is your number one priority. This is not to say a pontoon won't pull a tube, it will. But if what you want is to get the family out with some friends, go fishing, drive around and look at the wildlife, and occasionally pull a tube, get a pontoon. Why? They are less expensive, they are very roomy and stable, hold a lot of weight, and compared to fiberglass boats they are almost carefree maintenance-wise. The thought of paying out the wazoo for some 'glass boat and then spending all my spare time cleaning it or obsessing over little cracks in the finish, etc., is like a nightmare to me. With a pontoon, it's like, "OK, we're going to put the boat in to shore here. Oops, a rock there, oh well, another scratch, who cares?" And if the pontoons get dirty and algae-covered, well, just put on your lifejacket and jump in the drink with a long-handled soft brass brush and scrub away.

 

[Campylobacter]

Re: deck boat or pontoon ?

I've had experience with both, but the Toon had a lot less than 150 hp.

I would guess that your "pre-teens" would be a lot happier with the deckboat. Mine want to spend all the time on the water on the tube, and you can give a tuber a much better ride with the deckboat. My "almost teen" got into wakeboarding last year, and I just don't think that would be an option with the toon.

If the kids are at all daring and you plan on bringing them along most of the time, keep this in mind.

 

[jeeperman]

Re: deck boat or pontoon ?

Welcome to iboats!

Where are you located? saltwater or freshwater?

Not all "deckboats" are cramped.

Mine looks exactly like a traditional pontoon boat from the deck up but is a fiberglass hull below deck.

 

[KCook]

Re: deck boat or pontoon ?

Also consider a 3-log 'toon. That will give you both worlds.

Kelly

 

[steelespike]

Re: deck boat or pontoon ?

The deck boat has the advantages described and no doubt will get from here to there faster on less gas.
The toon however when driven in the 2,500 to 3,500 rpm range can do as well or better mpg & speed than the deck boat driven at the same rpm. perhaps at a slightly slower speed.
The toon has that big flat deck that if your handy you could customize;as an overnighter,or like your patio at home,the skys the limit and what a fishing platform.
If you have anyone with back problems they ride like a limo on pillows.
If you boat where you have wide water level conditions they adapt easily.
our is at dock level in high water and with a rubbermaid step stool 2 easy steps at low level.My 86 year old mom loved it.