Deck boat vs pontoon

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Jake202
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Deck boat vs pontoon

#1 Post by Jake202 » Mon Jun 18, 2012 2:24 pm

Just curious... Which is better. I've pretty much made up my mind on a 1999 Larson deck boat but just wondering if I'm making the right choice.

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Ron Burgundy
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Re: Deck boat vs pontoon

#2 Post by Ron Burgundy » Mon Jun 18, 2012 2:27 pm

Most people here will steer you towards a pontoon because it rides better. Where will you be using it?
-Ron Burgundy, "Stay Classy San Diego"

2005 Fiesta Fish n' Fun 20' 50HP Yamaha 2 Stroke
Fishing and Cruising Florida's Islands

The cure for anything is saltwater – sweat, tears, or the sea. Isak Dinesen

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HandymanHerb
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Re: Deck boat vs pontoon

#3 Post by HandymanHerb » Mon Jun 18, 2012 2:32 pm

Go take a ride on a rough day on both and you tell us, trouble is with a deck boat you still have the planing hull that's going to beat you in bad waves, and they will rock and roll more sitting still when the waves or wakes hit it.

If you want to be able to stand and fish while a boat passes you or want your passengers to be in comfort, get a pontoon 20 foot or bigger and go out and enjoy your weekends.

Now if it's just speed you want, then the deck boat will be faster for cheaper money.
In Memory of John 6x6 Larsen

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ronb
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Re: Deck boat vs pontoon

#4 Post by ronb » Mon Jun 18, 2012 2:33 pm

I just bought my first water craft
2007 South Bay 922CR pontoon.

My deciding factor were
Ease of access when beached, that front gate is really nice.
Less guilt about the weight exerted on the hull when we are beached.
My kids, ages 2 and 3 can roam free and see over (through) the gates when we are under way, on boats they stand on the seats and their heads are over the railing watching the water rushing past/under the boat (NOT SAFE!)

My friends all have boats (not deck boats) but it always felt that we spent more time off the boat than on it. Two weekends ago my friend with the more expensive wake board boat spent more time on my pontoon than his (way more expensive) boat

And I didn't know this until last weekend, but...
I really suck trying to judge the outboard drive depth vs water (churned up a lot of mud)

Plus my lakes aren't exactly huge, we aren't on any salt water (no seafaring for me!) as long as I can pull a tube I am going to be just fine.

-ron
2007 South Bay 922CR
Mercury 90hp Optimax
Fargo, ND

Jake202
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Re: Deck boat vs pontoon

#5 Post by Jake202 » Mon Jun 18, 2012 3:17 pm

Thanks! The larson i have been looking at is a 1999, has a 305 engine. I liked the deck boats because of the fact that they are built like a ski boat, but have the set up on the inside like a pontoon. The guy is asking 11k for it. I have also found a pontoon that i really like, but someone said i was getting a bad deal on it. It is a very sharp looking 2002 premier 22ft party barge. It does not have a trailer but is in a slip at the lake where i would be spending much of my time. has a 2002 Honda 50hp motor on it. I do intend to do some tubing at least so I will be upgrading it if i go that route. The guy is asking 9500. is that a bad deal?

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Ron Burgundy
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Re: Deck boat vs pontoon

#6 Post by Ron Burgundy » Mon Jun 18, 2012 3:53 pm

$9500 seems pretty high for a 10 year old boat with a 50 on the back, and no trailer.
-Ron Burgundy, "Stay Classy San Diego"

2005 Fiesta Fish n' Fun 20' 50HP Yamaha 2 Stroke
Fishing and Cruising Florida's Islands

The cure for anything is saltwater – sweat, tears, or the sea. Isak Dinesen

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serpa4
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Re: Deck boat vs pontoon

#7 Post by serpa4 » Mon Jun 18, 2012 4:29 pm

Ya, does sound pretty high.
I like the toon because the care for the tubes is almost zero compared to a fiberglass hull.
Tubes "probably" are more stable when everyone is on one side of the boat. And, with a 150hp, can do 35-40mph.
I find that crossing wakes in my toon "seem" much more uneventful than my 23 v-hull.
I "think" trolling would be better on a toon also. They tend to go pretty straight were my v-hull would wonder.
If you do low speed boating like under 14 or so, I think the toon would give better mpg also. My v-hull, 23 stingray open bow, would take a lot of throttle to do 10mph and push a lot of water where at 10-15mph, my toon just cruises along.

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Re: Deck boat vs pontoon

#8 Post by Jake202 » Mon Jun 18, 2012 5:00 pm

ok so in ur opinion, what would a reasonable amt be for this toon?

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MacToon
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Re: Deck boat vs pontoon

#9 Post by MacToon » Tue Jun 19, 2012 12:08 am

I've spent a lot of time on my friend's 27-foot Eliminator deck boat. It's smooth as can be in choppy water, very stable (and dry) ride. With a 496 HO I/O, it runs close to 70 mph. It has two 54-gallon gas tanks and can burn through them in a real hurry when he's running hot. Great boat and I've enjoyed every minute I've spent on it, but it also cost about $100,000.

I like deck boats and strongly considered buying one, but a pontoon won out for a few reasons:

Wiping down the gelcoat after every day on the water gets old (water spots are a bitch to remove from gelcoat if you leave them for long).
Potential for hull damage when beaching.
Fuel consumption.
Cost.
Furniture on a pontoon is more comfortable for lounging/relaxing.
Double biminis on a pontoon offer more shade/comfort (great for Arizona summers when the temp is routinely 100+)
More storage space on pontoon.


I can pull skiers/tubes behind my 'toon without a problem. It doesn't go near as fast or look as 'sporty' as a deck boat, but it doesn't cost near as much and I don't burn near as much fuel either. I'll still get wherever we're going - it might be 10 minutes later than the 'go fast' guys, but I'll arrive in comfort.

With that said - if I was a young, single guy and wanted a "chick magnet" boat, I would've bought a deck boat in a heartbeat. Being that I'm nearly 50, happily married and way past that stage in my life, it's not a consideration. It's a "chick magnet" to the one "chick" who matters most (not to mention the fact that all the other wives immediately flock to our boat to relax in the shade!)
Mac
2012 Xcursion X-25RL X3
225 Yamaha VMax SHO

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robster
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Re: Deck boat vs pontoon

#10 Post by robster » Tue Jun 19, 2012 5:56 am

I/O engines will nickel and dime you to death on maintenance costs and plus they need to be winterized,the joy of owning a pontoon with an outboard you have much less routine maintenance required. We owned a 21-ft Ebbtide V hull with a Merc. 5.7 I/O for 8 years and I don't miss it one bit ran perfect but lots of routine maintenance,outdrive boots,gimbal bearings, throttle cable boot, trim pump,winterization,NOISE! etc etc. Plus with a tritoon it handles as well if not better than our old V hull,it's QUIET! plus I don't have to wait for our pontoon boat to plane off. The deck boats look a lot better than most pontoons,but the pontoons hold more stuff and people for the same sized deck boat. Get a pontoon with a 150HP plus motor,plus a Tritoon is GREAT for water sports.
The noise of a I/O is what I ended up hating plus waiting the 4-6 seconds for it to plane off not to mention the higher gas consumption.

Cheers,
Robert
2011 Manitou OasisVP Tritoon w/Yamaha 150

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playcat
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Re: Deck boat vs pontoon

#11 Post by playcat » Tue Jun 19, 2012 6:40 am

I will agree the I/O has more more maintenance, but when I needed a new coil, it was down to the NAPA store and $35 bucks with a 5 minute install...good luck finding a fuel filter for a Yamaha for $35 bucks. The last bellows and u-joints lasted 16 years before I replaced them.

The 1993 engine block cracked after the previous owner ran it overheated (supposedly sucked up a plastic bag). I replaced the engine with a NEW factory Volvo 5.0 and had the outdrive rebuilt for...$6000 most of which was labor. I got a quote for a replacement 200 Verado powerhead was $14K plus install.

My I/O is buried under the rear deck, I doubt it is louder than a four-stroke outboard. I leave the engine hatch open when I start it so I can hear it.

Did I waste two weeks getting the carb rebuilt? Yup, only because I thought it was too complicated for me. Now I know the job was a LOT simpler than I thought. I like simple stuff, like me!

Winterizing IS a pain - seems like every time the boat is winterized (had the shop do it to preserve my warranty :biggrin2 ) it had issues for a while. This year, warranty expires :scared and I will store my toon the way my slip neighbors store their I/O cruisers - in the slip using an engine space heater. No more missing great fishing because the barge is high and dry!

The new fuel-injected outboards are really good. Hard to accept hanging $20-28K on the transom, though.

To each his own!
playcat
Boatless for now
Never another I/O
Kerr Reservoir, VA

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badmoonrising
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Re: Deck boat vs pontoon

#12 Post by badmoonrising » Tue Jun 19, 2012 6:49 am

I prefer I/Os, the motors last many years longer than any outboard powerhead ever will. The original I/O in my Starcraft was 33 years old and only had to be repalced then because the owner got sick, didn't winterize it and the piston rings rusted to the cylinder walls.

Yes maintenance is more cramped, but I have 2 boats with the same 3.0 liter Mercruisers and both have been problem free with only carb rebuilds once.

Nickle and dome you to death ? Not really since outdrive boots rarely go bad and if repalced as recommended (5-6 years) will never be a problem.

I/Os biggest advantage is that they required very few special tools to maintain, vs most of today's outboards that must go back to the dealer for repairs (big $$$$).

If you don't want to winterize, you can install a closed cooling kit to any I/O. That being said, winterizing my boat takes less than an hour... :donno :donno
Ed, Cheryl, Ethan and Aspen.
2013 Sun Tracker Party Barge 22 w/90 HP Mercury, "Hellrhighwater 2"
2014 E-350 Extended XLT.
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GregF
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Re: Deck boat vs pontoon

#13 Post by GregF » Tue Jun 19, 2012 8:07 am

Car mechanics like I/Os because it is what they know although boat engines are usually what cars were 2-3 decades ago.
Once you get used to working on outboards you will never go back.
There is something nice about popping the cover off and having everything right there.
I doubt there is much difference in longevity these days either. My 60 4 stroke was still running strong when I sold it. I wasn't worried about the power head at all at 3075 hours. It was all the other stuff that goes bad. I paid $5k for it, ran it for 10 years and sold it for $1500.
All of the maintenance I did on it did not total $1000. (if I ignore a dealer hosing that I write off to experience)
$450 a year ain't bad.

You don't really need special tools until you get into the lower unit and that would be true of an I/O too.
1974 Harris
70 HP 4 stroke EFI Yamaha

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Re: Deck boat vs pontoon

#14 Post by Bamaman » Tue Jun 19, 2012 9:07 am

I've had numerous fiberglass inboard outboard boats and a big engined bass boat. But, getting back to Deckboat vs. Pontoon:

Have you ever noticed that boat salvage yards are just full of fiberglass boats--especially inboard outboard boats? You won't see very many outboard engined aluminum boats junked because they simply don't rot. Half the boat docks on my lake have 1956-1960 model Alumacraft aluminum fishing boats sitting on them.

The wood stringers and transoms in fiberglass boats will rot prematurely. Fiberglass boats simply don't have the life span that aluminum boats have.

Pontoon boats are great values in recreation because they have such a long lifespan (if properly stored and maintained.) My pontoon boat is 26 years old and it's still very serviceable. Greg F's is a 1974 model, and he just re-engined it after thousands of hours.

The deck boats have all the disadvantages of other fiberglass boats, but most of them also have a very rough ride. If it's I/O powered, you'll need to learn to be a mechanic, because dealing with all the outdrive issues will be a real pain in the pocketbook @ $110 per hour. They're fine the first 5-7 years, but I can attest (after 2 blown motors and a sinking) that they can be much more expensive over the long run than an outboard of proper horsepower.
'12 Bennington 24' SSLX Yamaha 150

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ronb
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Re: Deck boat vs pontoon

#15 Post by ronb » Tue Jun 19, 2012 9:22 am

I was curious to know what was a good price also (not that I am in the market...)
So I went to
http://www.nadaguides.com/Boats/
I could not find a 'Party Barge' I think that is a Sun Tracker specific name, so I chose the SunSation Series 210 (I assume 21ft)

Not knowing which options are on the boat, I picked some rather generic ones, they came up with this.
2002_Premier.jpg
2002_Premier.jpg (54.29 KiB) Viewed 13675 times
Suggested Retail: $10,466 (does anybody know what this number means? being that it is 3-4k higher than low and average, is this where most dealers start their pricing?)
Low Retail: $6,670
Average Retail: $7,605

:donno gotta start somewhere...
-ron
2007 South Bay 922CR
Mercury 90hp Optimax
Fargo, ND

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