Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Hi All,

From Gaspereau Nova Scotia.

Posted a couple times on here already. thought i should say hi though.

Were in the Market to buy our first Pontoon.. finally sell the Chaparral after owning it for 24 years.

Lots of info i see on here. im gonna keep reading!

I have 3 options in mind
Manitou SHP
Sunchaser Express
Sweetwater Tritoon

IM realy swaying towards a Manitou

anyways Have a great day!. Snowing like crazy here today 20cm on the ground already. there talking another 20cm more before its done

Hello and welcome. All three you are looking at are good toons. I also looked at the Manatue and then decided on the excursion x23 RFC which is made by same company as South Bay. Very happy and you will be happy with whatever one you get. It is a big difference form your regular bow rider. I really injured the change myself and the family to.

Hello All,

I am in the process of buying a fish and cruise pontoon. I have narrowed the field down to a Xcursion 23' rfc or a Bennington SSX 22'.
Since I am doing all my homework from the computer here in California (where I spend my winters) I am going to wait on the decision until I get back to Vermont where my lake house is located on Mississquoi Bay in Lake Champlain. The local dealer has counciled me on getting a 23' twin toon, 115hp, with strakes but after reading some of the posts here I am wondering if the 115 hp motor is going to be enough,. Anyway, I am happy to have found this forum and be part of it. Any advice is always appreciated.

2015 Xcursion RFC 23' 115 hp Mercury
2015 Bennington SSX 22' 115 ph Mercury
Swanton, VT

Welcome from the State of Jefferson

Farmer Dre:
You might get better guidance if you were to give a little more details--like what you plan to do with your boat, if your family is into water sports, what size hull, size motor, etc. Also, your choice of boats are not exactly apples and apples.

The Manitou SHP hull is truly a high performance, high dollar hull. Most such boats require very large, expensive engines and premium interior packages usually come with such a machine. I would think that many first time buyers would be after a mid-line boat like a Manitou Oasis model with the VP hull and a 150 hp engine that'd be good for 40 mph and do most anything you want.

The Sunchaser and Sweetwater are not in the class with Manitou's, but they're also not in the price range. You can option either of them up how you like, however.

My favorite boats are Bennington, Manitou, Harris and Premier, but I'd be perfectly satisfied with Cypress Cay, Avalon/Tahoe, Berkshire's family of boats and a dozen other brands.

[quote="Bamaman"]Farmer Dre:
You might get better guidance if you were to give a little more details--like what you plan to do with your boat, if your family is into water sports, what size hull, size motor, etc. Also, your choice of boats are not exactly apples and apples.

The Manitou SHP hull is truly a high performance, high dollar hull. Most such boats require very large, expensive engines and premium interior packages usually come with such a machine. I would think that many first time buyers would be after a mid-line boat like a Manitou Oasis model with the VP hull and a 150 hp engine that'd be good for 40 mph and do most anything you want.

The Sunchaser and Sweetwater are not in the class with Manitou's, but they're also not in the price range. You can option either of them up how you like, however.

My favorite boats are Bennington, Manitou, Harris and Premier, but I'd be perfectly satisfied with Cypress Cay, Avalon/Tahoe, Berkshire's family of boats and a dozen other brands.[/quote

My plan is to purchase 1 boat and hopefully keep it 15 years or so. That's kinda why I think I need to go this route right from the beginning.

We are looking for a pontoon that does a varity of things. I am dead set on a tritoon. I want Pull the kids tubing and skiing. Still cruze and relax. To going from one end of the lake to the other in no time.

I've done a fair amount of research and pricing maybe it just living here in Nova Scotia. But the Manitou is the middle of the road price for what I'm looking for.
23' Aurora RF Shp. And I'm thinking on 175hp Suzuki for power. Both boat and motor are deciently priced. There is a manitou on our lake 21' Shp with a 175 and it's a beautiful craft going up the lake!

I'm open to opinions.
Other options around here at
Lowe
Legend
Sunchasee
Sylvan
Priemer
Avalon
Harris.

Welcome to the club.