Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Hello

New to the forum and first post. I currently have a small cruiser at Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia. I am going to be selling the cruiser and purchase a new toon. It is just more important to me to have a boat that I can comfortably carry more people then to have a place to sleep. We live only 20 minutes from our slip.

I have narrowed my search down to a Sun Tracker Party Barge 21 Signature Series. It is 21' 11" and length and the max size engine is a 90 horse (which I would get with a 4 stroke). The other boat is the Sweetwater 24 with a 115 four stroke.

Question 1

Opinions of Sweetwater versus the Sun Tracker

Question 2

Would the 2 ft in length and the 25 horse power difference between the Sun Tracker and the Sweetwater make that much difference in power and the number of folks I can seat.

I guess I am saying I really like the Sun Tracker but I do not want to regret the purchase.

Thank you in advance everyone. I have been lurking for a while and thought I would jump in here and ask.

Seems like a great group here.

Thanks
david

Welcome David
Think either would be a good boat for you. I had a San Pan 25' with a 90hp an it pushed it along pretty well. Think Godfrey sell the San Pan, Sweetwater and Aqua patio, I believe. They make a good boat an my San Pan was built like a tank, a really solid boat. The capacity should be on the sticker on each boat stating load cap. and number of passengers. The speed between the two shouldn't be that noticable. 25hp doesn't really help that much when you are plowing through the water. Might get a slightly better ride with the bigger boat. Bottom line just get the one you like the best. Probably get something in the range of 24 to 28mph, just a guess. Good Luck on your choice.
doc

Welcome to the club!

Probably similar speeds would be seen, get the one thats in better shape or you like better!

Love our Sun Tracker and highly recommend the brand.

Hi David.........welcome to the club.
I live on Smith Mtn Lake and have a Suntracker Party Barge 22 Regency edition w/ 60 hp Bigfoot.
I wouldn't trade that boat for anything. Maybe, a bigger motor but wouldn't change the boat.
Are you dealing with Conrad Brothers? They are great people to work with. They have taken real good care of us.
Again, welcome to the club.
Glad to have another SML'er aboard.

Great. Thank you everyone and good to meet you Ted. Maybe we will run into one another one of these days. I have talked to Conrad Brothers. I am looking at both the Regency and the Signature with either a 90 or a 115 Merc. Question on the 22. How many adults can you comfortably seat?

I also looked at the Berkshire today. Nice looking boat. Too many choices out there!

David

I think my toon is rated for 12 people, but 8 is comfortable.

Glad to have you on board!

I have a '09 finshing barge 21 which is the same boat just with different arrangement and furniture. I really like it and have no regrets.

If you are looking at a used Tracker and by chance it has the NV (high performance) logs you can expect higher speeds and better handling than a boat with standard logs. NV logs and a 60 4 stroke will do 28 mph GPS with driver and full tank of gas, about 15 mph with six adults on board (approx. 1,000 lbs). With a 4 stroke 90 you can expect around 39 mph GPS with driver and a full tank of gas. With 6 adults on board it will run about 28 mph and gets on top and handles like a boat. I purchased my boat with a 60 four stroke despite recommendation of the salesman....went back and got the 90.

Tracker discontinued the NV logs on their Signature line of boats for 2010 and increased the fuel capacity. Evidently it was an economic decision based on lack of sales for the NV option.

Thank you everyone. I looked at the boats in person yesterday. Now more confused then when I started. The Sweetwater had a 115 4 stroke yamaha and lifting strakes. Very nice boat...

Now my decision making process begins. I am slow to make a decision for a purchase like this.....Thank you again and stay tuned....

Hi David... don't know how much you know about boats. My experience is very very limited having just bought my first pontoon boat this past winter, but I can tell you boats are like cars. Some come with alot of bells and whistles that aren't really necessary, but are nice to have. Personally my son has a 22 foot bennington. We liked his boat so much when we decided to buy we went with bennington as well, but we went for the slightly smaller 20 footer, minus the bells and whistles, but we did go with a 75 hp 4 stroke, the largest hp rated for this particular boat. One thing I have learned from the fine people on this forum, if you can, put the strongest motor on the back that the boat is rated for. as one person said here some time back, ( paraphrasing here ) " I've heard alot of people say they wish they had gone with a larger motor, but I've never heard anyone say that they had too much motor for the boat". This is a great forum with alot of nice and knowledgable people, so if you have any questions, just jump in... These guys ( and gals ) will help you out in a new york second.

Roland

Hi Everyone

Been a while since I posted. I have been reading daily and have been researching boats all along. Today, I made the plunge and purchased the Sweetwater 2386DC . It has 25" logs and lifting strakes. With a 115HP 4Stroke Yamaha.

http://www.godfreypontoons.com/sweetwat ... l=sw2386dc

Now, I am looking for some warmer weather!

Thank you to everyone for your advice. Tough decision.

Godfrey make a good solid boat, my previous boat was a San Pan. Is that a 2 log boat? just wondering with the strakes. I know suntracker was putting strakes on their 2 log. Congrats should be a great boat for you enjoy.
doc

It has two toons. I really debated on the tri-toon. But I really liked this boat.

DavidN wrote:It has two toons. I really debated on the tri-toon. But I really liked this boat.

That is what counts. Had a 2 log with a 90 for over 10 years and it served me well........enjoy
doc

welcome! and congrats. We have at place at SML too. We exhausted the boat show this weekend, we liked the simplicity of the sweetwater and the suntracker but found the suntracker furniture to be uncomfortable. Now we need to decide new or used. if you hear of any used sweetwater boats for sale, let me know!