Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Hi everyone,

This is a great forum and I'm looking forward to participating. I'm getting pretty close to buying my first ever 'toon or boat.

My situation: Family of six, including my wife and I. Oldest about to head off to military, two teenaged girls and a 7 year old girl. None of us are skiers, not plan to be, but definitely plan to do some tubing. Looking for a boat that will be fun on the water for tubing, cruising, some fishing and general goofing off.

My criteria are: 22', tri-toon, 150hp 4-stroke, strakes, under-shielding, ski/tube pedestal, "playpen" cover, trailer w/brakes, vinyl flooring, ~$35,000 to spend. I know, I know, the dealers all laughed too... The used market is tight, and I love the idea of having a warranty. I'm not useless, but definitely not a gearhead.

But after visiting a boat show, one local dealer, reading as much as possible on this forum and viewing 5,697 BoatTrader websites, I have the following options, in no particular order:

a) 2018 Sun Tracker Party Barge 22XP3 w/Mercury 150: $38630 + tax (no haggle Bass Pro), an hour away from home. I've heard Bass Pro can be hit or miss. I haven't actually seen this boat yet.

b) 2018 Landau 232 Island Breeze w/Suzuki 150: $37100 + tax. Includes all above plus a depth finder. This is after considerable back and forth, and I am considering it his best and final offer. It started out quite a bit higher, and I was surprised to see that the offer came in under Sun Tracker. I really like the people I met and have spoken with at the dealership, and this is confirmed by very strong customer reviews on Google, Yelp, and Facebook. Bad news is they are on the other side of state, 3.5 hrs away (tow speed). There is a service center they contract with 1.5 hrs. away (though they said they would definitely want me to come back for the initial maintenance). This dealership offers test rides.

c) 2017 (new) Manitou Oasis VP w/ Evinrude 150 2-stroke: $39000 + tax. This is the wild card. Seems like a really nice boat at this price point, but still most expensive. It's a 2-stroke and I wanted a 4. I have not seen the boat--it is at a dealership two states away and they would deliver it at no additional cost. This boat looks sharp in pics and gets great reviews. Actually, they all get pretty great reviews. This one includes third toon storage, the others want $1K more for that, and we would not pay for that feature on the other boats. There is NO Manitou dealer in my entire state. Nearest dealership is next state over, 3.5 hrs away (tow speed).

Before I really started looking, I figured I'd be at the $30K price point, planning to buy used. Started looking and talked the missus into $35K. Now I'm struggling to stay as close to that as possible. We are definitely "value" shoppers. We keep our vehicles and things for the long-run, and do not feel the need/desire to "trade-up" every few years--not that there's anything wrong with that.

Thoughts on the boats? On the Mercury/Suzuki/Evinrude? I'm reading that 2-strokes are good for high-end performance and ease of maintenance, but are also noisier, may (or may not) be smoky, may not be great for low speed cruising, and are closer to being on their way out than on their way in...

I've read that it's as important to pick the dealer as it is the boat, and that makes alot of sense. My local dealer seems great but sells Godfrey boats and the closest we can come is a Sweetwater which is still ~$5500 more than the next cheapest option. I'd love to buy from them, but it seems not to be in the cards--they aren't going lower, after a couple of attempts.

OK, what would you do...? And thanks in advance!

It appears you've done your homework pretty well. I was looking for the same specifications two years ago when I bought my tritoon and the used market was very slim. I drove 168 miles to get it but purchased a Lowe SS210 for $28,300 OTD. So far it has been a great boat, I've had to work on the trailer a bit but other than that I'm pleased with my purchase. Post up where your from and others on the board may be able to help direct you a bit better. Good luck in your quest, you and your family are sure to enjoy your new purchase. I wish I would have bought a pontoon when my kids were younger.

Thanks! I'm in No. Colorado. Seems not to be many forum members up here... How often do you need to go to the dealer? I haven't had a chance to look at a Lowe 'toon. More research...

Luckily I haven't had to go, I've done all the service work myself. The problem with buying new is finding a dealer with inventory and in your price range. I was trying to keep it under $30k myself and was finding everything locally in the $34-36k range. I spotted this deal even though it wasn't quite the floor plan my wife wanted and jumped on it for that price new. I found several deals further away from me but as people on the forums will tell you, your local dealers don't like messing with a boat you haven't bought from them, especially when it comes to warranty work.

I'd be looking at "previously owned" boats myself....

[quote="Retired OG"]I'd be looking at "previously owned" boats myself....[/quote]


That was the original plan. The only thing I could find within 100 miles with tri-toons and a 150hp was one dedicated fishing toon. I'm open to fishing seats in the rear, but it will get much more use as a cruiser. Also, I do like the idea of having a factory warranty, especially since I'm new to all this...

Welcome to the forum! I pretty much just bought the boat you describe. It’s a G3 SunCatcher. We got it for approx $39,000 plus taxes etc. Only had it out once, but it will be with us on a lake for four months this year. It has the Yamaha 150 four stroke. It felt great and has a good reputation from what I can tell. The boat is also a Yamaha product. Sounds like you found boats at or below this price. Just wanted to give you an idea.

First off, Great job, You've done exactly what you should do. Prices must be better up here, Most brands have a tri-toon around 35k. I'm surprised that the Godfrey dealer especially won't compete, They should be able to. I think all those are good choices for you but I would go look at each one in person, You may love 1 helm, floor or furniture and hate the other. The smoker craft line, Sylvan, Starcraft and Sun Chaser, should all be able to get what you're looking for. Some off you're thinking on the 2 stroke is a little out dated, but personally I prefer a 4 stroke, but if the boat I wanted had a 2 i'd buy it. All the motor brands are fine, I wouldn't hesitate to buy any including Suzuki if you have local maintenance.

Welcome to the club.
Good luck with your search.

I have a Sun Tracker Bass Buggy18 w/ 60.

I bought my boat from Boat City here in Louisiana. It was closer than Bass Pro. That being said, I think being close to a dealer is important. I had some warranty work done, (minor cosmetic stuff) and take it back once a year for it's annual physical. Don't want to break down in the swamp LOL. An hour away is not too bad and Bass Pro seems to know what's going on. My experience has been if you buy it from somewhere different than you get it serviced, you wait time for service is slower. The dealers tend to take care of their customers 1st.

Once thing with Sun Tracker is make sure the price includes the trailer. Apparently, that's an optional add on. I personally like my Sun Tracker and have had it for over 2 years now. The 10 year bumper to bumper transferable warranty is great especially if you go to sell it later on. Even with my 60, I can tow a tube quite well (better than I can stay on it ) GPS says I can go around 21 mph which is good for me.

Good luck and good boating.

Jack

Welcome. Found myself in a similar situation and ended up buying a very lightly used boat from one province over (I'm Canadian). We've got an evinrude Etec and the newer ones are neither loud or smokey. Good on gas, good weight to power ratio etc. Given the choice, a locker in third toon is also very useful for gear, fishing rods, anchors etc. For that reason, and because I really like them, I would probably go with the Manitou.

In terms of dealer quality and service, I too have read a lot about the importance of your relationship with the dealer. Personally, because the boat came from out of province, we've used the local dealers to manage our boat for regular service and a few issues. I'd say it's been in twice for brief periods in the four years we've owned the boat and only once for regularly scheduled engine maintenance (another perk of the two stroke evinrudes). To complicate things, the Premier dealer only reps Merc in my city and the Evinrude dealer only sell Manitou. That being said, they've both been very accommodating. If it's a crisis your stuck with what you've got for wait times and if it's not a crisis plan to get the work done in a lower demand time.

I agree with the previous poster. See all the boats if possible. Make sure the seating fits you and is comfortable. If you can get a test drive all the better. Pick the one you like the best. That being said, there are a LOT of good boats out there. There may be a wrong decision among the ones you describe, but I suspect there's at least two right decisions!

All good things you have done. Excellent research also. If you haven’t yet check out the excursion’s made by Southbay I have one 24 foot 115 4 stroke Yamaha. Fishing center in the rear plenty of seating and plenty of power for pulling a tubes. It was 32,000 out the door.

Per your comments on Sun Tracker....

You are correct that Bass Pro service can be hit or miss. If you have your sites set on Sun Tracker, I would do a dealer search and see if there are any non-Bass Pro/Cablea's dealers near you.

After the first year of shaking things out, your main concerns would be having the engine serviced or worked on. In my experience, after the first year then most of the expensive issues you may have are related to the engine and controls. With that being said and prior to making a final decision on what to buy, I would look for local boat shops that do warranty work on the engine that you get.

Looks like you have done your homework. Have you spent time doing dealer searches for all the major brands in your area (i.e. there is a Bennington Dealer near Fort Collins)?

I am big on choosing the right dealer that is as close as possible. It is likely that nothing major will go wrong but if it does, hauling someting 2-3 hours one way can lead to major heartburn....especially if you pick it up and get it back home and find out they didnt fix your problem.

Good luck!

After what some friends have gone through with Bass Pro in the last few years, I wouldn't let them wrap my boat. It appears to be like buying an airplane from Walmart.

" My criteria are: 22', tri-toon, 150hp 4-stroke, strakes, under-shielding, ski/tube pedestal, "playpen" cover, trailer w/brakes, vinyl flooring,"

Welcome to the forum!
Was looking at the same little over 3-years ago and ended up with a LOWE SS210 RFL (w/back launcher) for little under 35K OTD tax & license. Trailer is a galvanized 2-axle with disk brakes since I boat in salt water primarily. Plus the dealer has a good reputation and gave me a straight forward quote couple hours after I called. Motor is a 150HP Mercury which is so easy to service yourself for oil, filter, plugs, lower unit,etc. Just brought it in to service the Impeller,check belts and hydraulic steering. Have now 204 hours on it and added the Mercury Vessel View module to monitor most engine data via an app on my phone.
I'm very happy with this toon and it is a great family toy everybody enjoys. Be aware of all the new friends you suddenly have once this shows up in your driveway
Safe Boating to all!