fiberglass vs aluminum deckboats?

[jbb]

My wife and I live on a lake in northern Alabama, and we have just become empty nesters. She is wanting a deck boat but doesn't like the looks of the traditional aluminum pontoon boats. She likes the look of fiberglass boats. Do the fiberglass deck boats plane off at a low cruising speed like aluminum deck boats, or do they behave more like a traditional ski boat with the bow riding up at low speeds? I have a Ranger bass boat, and my wife does not like to ride in it because you have to get up to a fairly high speed to get the boat on plane. We are newbies to the deck boat world and welcome any advice anyone can give us on what type of deck boat to buy. The boat will be used mainly for cruising on a deep,clear lake and occasionally for towing a tube once grandkids show up..... which we hope will not be for a long time!!

[lakerunner]

Welcome

Fiberglass deck boats other than Hurricane and and possibly play craft are nothing more than enhanced bow riders Both wallow at low speed and need power to get on plane. True deck boats are wider and still take a lot of power to get up. If she doesn't like the bass boat then she prob won't like the deck boat either.

[mike]

It sounds like you are not calling apples apples here... A deckboat is simply a normal v hull with a somewhat open top. A pontoon boat has pontoons under it rather than a traditional hull. You can buy a deckboat with either a fiberglass or aluminum hull. You can buy a pontoon boat with either two or three pontoons under it but they will almost always be aluminum. Deckboats ride just like any other v hull, pontoon boats ride completely different (they pretty much just plow thru the water)... It sounds like you should get your wife on a pontoon boat, she may not like the looks but she will LOVE the ride!

[lakerunner]

Get her a ride on one of those $80,000.00 Benningtons

[jbb]

Thanks for the info and the clarification on boat nomenclature. For discussion purposes lets call deck boats fiberglass boats like the Hurricane and Play Craft. I visited their websites, and this is probably what my wife has in mind. Lets refer to pontoon boats as the traditional aluminum boats with pontoons that my wife thinks are unattractive. However she has not seen the Bennington website that you recommended, and I am not sure I want her to!!! If so, your forum is going to cost me a ton of money. Please give me your opinion as to the capability of the Hurricane or Play Craft series of boats in providing a ride like the traditional pontoon boats. If they cannot cruise at low speeds without porpoising or having the bow ride high, I will attempt to steer her to the aluminum pontoon boats.

[lakerunner]

They will wallow in the swells where the toon will cut through them. A performance pontoon will give you low speed comfort and on plane a smooth ride and comfort. There a lot of really plush pontoons besides Bennington.

[tkrein]

okay when they said benningtons are 80,000 that is like the top of the line. they have many ranges and are all great boats mine. butif you want speed and the comfort look at a benni they are wonderfull. I am partial because i own one my self. just tell your wife to take a ride in a pontoon. they are the cream of the crop when you think nice ride you will remember your pontoon ride. if you are close to nd come to bismarck ill give you a ride in a bennington. i bet most people on this forum will help you out. go to your dealer and tell them you want a ride to see if you would rather go with a toon or a deck boat.

[badmoonrising]

Yep, Tracker is just as plush as everything else these days. All depends on whether or not you want to spend a ton more for an equal quality boat or not.

[mikeherb]

What you wife wants in performance is what a pontoon delivers for a hell of a lot less than most deck boats. You owe it to yourselves to test drive a tri-toon pontoon boat with a 150 HP or more outboard (or an I/O configuration if you prefer). Form follows function so a pontoon may not look as sexy as most fiberglass boats but you have to drive one before you judge.

If you going to spend this kind of money it will be worth your time, I guarantee it.

[jafo9]

pontoons, mopeds, fat chicks....

we NEVER would have purchased a pontoon if one hadn't been part of the deal when we got our lakehouse. now we are looking for a better boat. there was never a question whether we would get a pontoon vs some other platform (bowrider, etc.). Rides great and plenty of room to do all sorts of stuff that our friends with traditional boats just can't do. as mentioned above, you can spend 70-80K and get a top of the line bennington. there are lots of cheaper choices. although 80K really isn't all that out of range for a nice boat. Look at a nice MasterCraft wake boat, or a Sea Ray with the same capacity as a pontoon. You'll be about the same price. about the only thing a pontoon really can't replicate is the nice smooth wake for skiing and wakeboarding that a true ski boat can.

realistically there are much cheaper options. i've been very impressed with the Aqua Patios which seem to be a notch above the entry guys but don't quite have the heart stopping price of the top dogs. If i could afford new, that's the brand i'd start with. they have a very nice 24ft model with a triple toon package that can be had around here for 37K with a 150 OB. nothing against tracker (i have one), the AP's just seem nicer for the money. plus tracker only offers triple toons on one model now if i remember correctly.

[gkckak]

ranger has made a new deck boat but have not seen much info on them. Sweetwater, g3, suncruiser, sylvan all make great pontoon boats and also princecraft.