Tritoon 150hp or 200hp

[20pontoon18]

Hello all, I am getting ready to
place an order on a 24ft tritoon but I still haven’t decided what horsepower engine to get. I’m between a 150 with hydraulic steering and a 200 with hydraulic and power assist steering. I will have anywhere from 4 to 8 people on the boat most of the time, sometimes a few more. I plan to use it for cruising, tubing and fishing on Houghton lake (MI). The cost between the 2 engines is roughly 3k. I don’t know why, but I mainly see pontoons on Houghton lake as compared to tritoons. It is a large lake and can get pretty choppy. Any advise is greatly appreciated!

 

[wahlejim]

I have never heard anyone say they wish they would have gotten less horsepower. And $3000 for 50hp, or a 33% increase is not a bad deal at all. Rule of thumb by me is about $100 per hp increase. I would go with the 200 and not look back

 

[roffey]

X2 I would always go for more HP, just use less throttle. I don't know much about these boats but I do think the extra log is for performance. When on full throttle you ride on the middle log and when turning you lean over to the outside log?

 

[jkust]

Our summer places are on a large lake as well and as seems to be the case most places, pontoons and tritoons have taken over the bowrider slot. We aren't too far from moving on from the bowrider and we will buy a tritoon not a pontoon and absolutely would opt for the larger engine. 3k is a drop in the bucket for the overall cost for the extra power.
I've come to the point where I will always opt for the large engine when given a choice in particular with boats since we keep those for a long time due to such a short boating season and so limited seasonal use up here in MN.

 

[Scott Danforth]

welcome aboard.

depending on the 'toon your looking at, you may want to upgrade to the 300hp. however since your up in Houghton, you may want a chain-saw option to cut thru the ice to get the boat to water....

 

[ahicks]

For the 3k, when talking a new boat like this, I'd likely go for the 200 as well.

Regarding why you don't see many tri-toons, they're really still in their infancy. Haven't been around that long compared to the conventional 'toons. That, and a boat like you're talking about is god awful expensive - until you compare it to something like a nice wake boat anyway!

That's the deal too. Many are replacing ski boats with pontoons (for the extra versatility), and a tri-toon like you're talking about is what it's going to take to get the job done. 300's are a little over the top, but they are fun if you want to see what you look like with your hair blown straight back! -Al

 

[20pontoon18]

Thankyou all for the replies! 200hp is the max rated for the boat i’m looking at and 200 it’ll
be!

 

[Toyelectroman]

Another thing to think about is the power assist. I really wish i would have had that installed, because at full throttle i almost need two hands on the steering wheel to keep my pontoon going straight

 

[QBhoy]

I’d never be in doubt. Bigger engine every time. Especially if I lived in North America with your fuel prices. So jealous !