Arkansas Pontoon Newcomer

[ThomasM]

I'm very excited to be a new member of this forum. I've read a boatload (yeah, I said it) of the posts to try and get educated about my upcoming pontoon purchase. I am a 100% newcomer, greenhorn, newbie, inexperienced boater, whatever you want to call it, so my questions/lingo may not be 100% spot-on. I DO however have a passion for the water, fishing, the outdoors, and having a great time with my wife and two young daughters out on the water.

In short, I'm looking for advice on my purchase. Good, bad, ugly, its all welcome. The one constant that I see in this forum is that there is a HUGE amount of experience in pontoon boating, and that is exactly the audience I need to talk to.

Down to the nitty gritty......I'm looking at purchasing in the next 2-3 months. I am relatively set on a Lowe SF232 with a 115hp Mercury. We will be primarily boating on Beaver Lake in Northwest Arkansas, with options to go to Table Rock and possibly Bull Shoals as well. My aim is to enjoy the outdoors, explore the lake, fish a little, and pull my wife and kids on a tube now and then. I need any and all advice on options that have suited you well in your boating experience, along with opinions on Lowe, the 115hp Mercury. As I haven't purchased yet, I'd love to hear what the group has to say about the value versus need for options such as lifting strakes, a 3rd pontoon log (triton), a 115hp versus 150hp (is it worth it, etc.), quality of boat covers (I'll be storing outside during the boating season, in a barn during off-season), and anything I need to consider or anything you would do different the next time you bought a pontoon.
I know that is a wide swath, but I'm willing to listen, respond to questions, and have a great discussion. Thanks.

[grouser]

Performance upgrades are gonna depend on what YOU want to make the ride like for the tubers,,,, casual and fun? Then the upgrades not needed. Need to be able to scare them a bit, give them a thrill, test their ability ? Then you will need lifting strakes, a third pontoon and the big motor as they all increase the fun factor for the riders. If you think you might outgrow the boat without the upgrades then get them now. Or sell the boat and get what you want later when you know your family's needs,,, others will chime in and hep ya I'm sure,,,, have fun !!! and
Welcome from the State of Jefferson

[smltooner]

Welcome to the club.

[RcgTexas]

Welcome, ask questions, there are no stupid questions. help will come.

[gobeernet]

Welcome. I'm a couple hours south of ya and just picked up my first pontoon. Its a '99 Bennington 22' w/ 115 Merc. Dunno about your year, but the size sounds similar to what your looking for. I'm gonna stay tuned, as I am also interested in "upgrades". 30+ mph would be nice.

[ROLAND]

welcome to the forum...

[Bamaman]

If you're talking about boating on Bull Shoals and the big NE AR/SE MO lakes, you'll want a boat that's very seaworthy.

Try a tritoon with lifting strakes on the toons and a 150 hp motor, and you'll be sold. The 115 hp will work, but the 150 hp is much more motor for the money.

If you're looking at the Lowe, call Jacos Marine in Lawrenceburg, TN for a comparison price. He's one of those dealers other marine dealers dread because of his low pricing. He's just about 2 1/2 hrs. east of Memphis--40 mi. north of Muscle Shoals. People drive 1000 miles to repower their boats with them. For example, he sells the 150 FourStroke Mercury 4 stroke for $10K. Your local dealer might not match Jaco's price, but he might drop his somewhat.

[Chillaxin']

Welcome! Good luck with your purchase.

[Mosnowman]

I was you a couple of years ago....this forum is great for guys like us! A ton of knowledge and advice to avoid newbie problems!

I ended up purchasing a Harris with a 150 Verado motor. I did a lot of research on motor size and felt the 150 was a perfect size for all around water activities. We have a lot of family and when you are running a full load of people on board the 150 is very nice. A lot of folks are happy with smaller motors, but in hindsight I think I would have been disappointed. My dealer made the best comment when I was purchasing...you buy the motor and the boat comes with it. With a full boat I can run just under 30mph...my advice buy the 150 if you can afford it. Just my two cents...I would now like a 250-300...

Good luck and welcome!!!

[Gonefishing]

Welcome

[mrbigs3toon]

I started with a 22ft tritoon with 125 merc. Used voyager. Family with 3 kids we quickly out grew it. Pulled kids on tubes did not take long for them to want to go faster and outside the wake etc. upgraded last summer to 25ft Silverwave 250 Suzuki. Love it, my advice is go with tritoon and 150 hp motor you won't be looking to upgrade anytime soon. As kids grow they will want friends to etc to come along. IMO

[Dude]

I started with a 22ft tritoon with 125 merc. Used voyager. Family with 3 kids we quickly out grew it. Pulled kids on tubes did not take long for them to want to go faster and outside the wake etc. upgraded last summer to 25ft Silverwave 250 Suzuki. Love it, my advice is go with tritoon and 150 hp motor you won't be looking to upgrade anytime soon. As kids grow they will want friends to etc to come along. IMO

^+1000. I lurked on this forum for a long time before pulling the trigger on a tritoon. The advice I got from reading the experiences of others on here was priceless.

I ended up demoing a 115 and a 150. The 150 is the one to have. Almost no penalty on fuel consumption and the price difference wasn't huge either. Especially when you consider you won't be thinking of trading in a few years.

[ThomasM]

Thanks all! All of these posts really help! We're getting closer to a purchase decision. I've now priced the same model with a tri-toon setup with a 150hp and a 2-toon setup with a 115hp. Looking at about $3500 difference. I did take a previous post advice and inquire with Jacos Marine in Lawrenceburg, TN and you're right, they are VERY competitive on pricing. So right now, I have pricing from the Cabela's in Kansas City, the Cabela's in Rogers, AR (where I live), and the pricing from Jacos Marine in TN. In short, I'm down to trying to get the most motor I can for the most reasonable amount. I don't expect them to give it away, but I'm going to try to get as close to my $30-31k range with all the options I want and the 150hp. I guess we'll see how successful I am.........

[curtiscapk]

if you come to KC let me know! Good luck.

[Mosnowman]

You might have MarineMax at the Lake of the Ozarks join the bidding war....I went with them after they gave me the best price. I don't know if the sales guy is still there but he went by the name of "Sarge"...

I paid right at 30k for my new setup...plus trailer price...