Newbie Pontoon Advice
Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 8:58 am
Hi all, just joined the forum. Excited about getting a new pontoon but I am new to this style of boat and I could do with some advice.
First some background. I am located in the western suburbs of Detroit. I am a long time boat owner, primarily great lakes with fiberglass fishing boats up to 26'. The wife and I have just moved into a lakeside home on a small 1000 acre lake and are now looking for a dock and hoist to go along with a pontoon. I am comfortable with fiberglass boats but have no idea whats important construction wise with pontoons. I have seen information on multi-chambered and foam filled logs; through bolted decks verses self tapping screws etc. What is important and what is meaningless promotional material?
We have decided we need an 18-20' fishing pontoon, there will be only us two plus dog most of the time, we want space for up to 6 adults on rare occasions, we foresee mostly have one other couple when we have guests (4 people). The smaller the better so 18' is the preferred size. We have narrowed our search to:
Qwest Adventure 818 VX Fish or 820 VX Sport Cruise
Bennington 188SF or 188SF3
Southbay 220F
SunTracker Fishing Barge 20'
All models with a 50 or 60 HP 4 stroke. Dealers for all are reasonably close to us. We prefer the Qwest for layout but like Bennington as a manufacturer. Bennington has positive reviews for quality but we find very few opinions on Qwest commenting on the construction and design quality. Owners seems to like all the boats we have listed. Dealer is going to be a big part of the selection and we have only experience with the Southbay dealer. We have not looked at the hoist or dock in any great detail yet.
Our plan is to not to purchase a trailer but have the boat delivered to our lake and rent a trailer if needed for service. Our budget is $25K for boat, $10K for dock and hoist. We are going to start going to the local boat shows to make our final selection, in order to prepare myself I could use advice on:
1) What do I need to look for construction and design quality wise for pontoons, hoists and dock.
2) Are there any other models I should consider?
3) Recommendations on good dealers in the Metro Detroit area.
Thanks
First some background. I am located in the western suburbs of Detroit. I am a long time boat owner, primarily great lakes with fiberglass fishing boats up to 26'. The wife and I have just moved into a lakeside home on a small 1000 acre lake and are now looking for a dock and hoist to go along with a pontoon. I am comfortable with fiberglass boats but have no idea whats important construction wise with pontoons. I have seen information on multi-chambered and foam filled logs; through bolted decks verses self tapping screws etc. What is important and what is meaningless promotional material?
We have decided we need an 18-20' fishing pontoon, there will be only us two plus dog most of the time, we want space for up to 6 adults on rare occasions, we foresee mostly have one other couple when we have guests (4 people). The smaller the better so 18' is the preferred size. We have narrowed our search to:
Qwest Adventure 818 VX Fish or 820 VX Sport Cruise
Bennington 188SF or 188SF3
Southbay 220F
SunTracker Fishing Barge 20'
All models with a 50 or 60 HP 4 stroke. Dealers for all are reasonably close to us. We prefer the Qwest for layout but like Bennington as a manufacturer. Bennington has positive reviews for quality but we find very few opinions on Qwest commenting on the construction and design quality. Owners seems to like all the boats we have listed. Dealer is going to be a big part of the selection and we have only experience with the Southbay dealer. We have not looked at the hoist or dock in any great detail yet.
Our plan is to not to purchase a trailer but have the boat delivered to our lake and rent a trailer if needed for service. Our budget is $25K for boat, $10K for dock and hoist. We are going to start going to the local boat shows to make our final selection, in order to prepare myself I could use advice on:
1) What do I need to look for construction and design quality wise for pontoons, hoists and dock.
2) Are there any other models I should consider?
3) Recommendations on good dealers in the Metro Detroit area.
Thanks