New Sweetwater Pontoon

[capteddie]

I am looking at a new Sweetwater 21' with a Yamaha 60HP and the tubes are 23" and I was looking for any feedback that I need to be aware of before I sign on the dotted line.
Let me know both good and bad. I am concerned of the size of the tubes, but that might not be an issue.

 

[rrhodes]

Re: New Sweetwater Pontoon

Not really enough information to advise on. What do you plan to do with the boat? (Cruise, Ski, Tube.. ect.)

Have you test driven it yet?

One of the biggest mistakes toon owners make is not test driving the boats. The biggest regret is wanting a bigger motor.

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: New Sweetwater Pontoon

Should be a nice toy. I have a 20' with 23 in. tubes and had lots of floatation with 6 people on board. That being said, I just upgraded to an '08 with 26 in. tubes, not because of tube size, it was a deal I couldn't pass up. I don't expect to see a big difference in floatation.

 

[capteddie]

Re: New Sweetwater Pontoon

We will use the boat mostly for fishing and tubing and swimming, the boat is rated to have 10 people and we have a 4 stroke 60 HP Yamaha. The engine power is great and the flotation is pretty good, but the most people on the boat so far is 4. Just curious how flotation and stability will be for the full 10 people.

 

[Bamby]

Re: New Sweetwater Pontoon

We own a 24' Odyssey with a 50 Honda and it will handle even 14 people just fine. Goes fast enough to suit us and we're happy with it. But you're speaking about pulling toys, and tubes etc. I think you should seriously think about upgrading to a minimum of a 90 for your use. It would be cheaper to upgrade now before you buy than to do so latter.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: New Sweetwater Pontoon

Read the capacity label very carefully. There are two numbers you need to be concerned about. 1) weight capacity and 2) number of people. Divide the weight capacity by the number of people and you will find that those people weigh about 145 pounds. Put 10 200 pounders on that boat and you would be woefully overloaded.

 

[rrhodes]

Re: New Sweetwater Pontoon

That 60hp is not going to be a lot of fun on a tube. I would try to get at least a 90hp

 

[5150abf]

Re: New Sweetwater Pontoon

Silvertip makes a very good point, the boat is actually rated for weight and they just divide than into people so you may need to count Aunt Sue as 2 people.

The 23'' tubes are fine but the 60 as stated is a little small to pull a tube or anything like that.

Sweet water is a Godfrey brand boat, they have several, Aqua Patio, San Pan and Parti Kraft, they have been building pontoons forever.

They were bought out 2-3 years ago and their quality has dropped a bit since but they are still a decent boat and they should survive the current down turn but don't hold me too that, I haven't heard much about them which I assume is good.

So other than the motor being a little small you should really enjoy the boat.

 

[lakergirltx]

Re: New Sweetwater Pontoon

I have a 2004 Sweetwater, 20ft with a 75 hp Yamaha. It's a great boat and we really love it. Very well made! But the tubing is pretty tame - the kids even act like they're taking a nap at times. If there's already some chop in the water then it's a bit more interesting, but for the most part tubing's more like sight seeing than some kind of water sport. I also agree with the comments regarding weight. Six to eight people is the most I'm comfortable with, and some of them need to be small/light. But you can't go wrong with a Sweetwater, just upgrade on the hp if you can.

 

[mrsafetyman]

Re: New Sweetwater Pontoon

I am looking at a new Sweetwater 21' with a Yamaha 60HP and the tubes are 23" and I was looking for any feedback that I need to be aware of before I sign on the dotted line.
Let me know both good and bad. I am concerned of the size of the tubes, but that might not be an issue.

I had 23inch pontoon. I did not like them especially on lake Erie. Get the 25inch toons you wont be dissatisfied.
Toon size is an issue especially in rolly wavey waters where submarining is more prone. My last 23" toons always went under on large wakes.

 

[mrsafetyman]

Re: New Sweetwater Pontoon

That 60hp is not going to be a lot of fun on a tube. I would try to get at least a 90hp

I have a 24 foot sweetwater Love it has 25" toons and a 70 Yamaha 4 stroke talk about power. Able to waterski and tube no problem

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: New Sweetwater Pontoon

4 year old thread.