Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Well, after spending a lot of time on friends boats (non pontoons) we put down a holding deposit (secured pricing) today on a Premier Escapade 250 with a 175hp Mercury Verado. The boat is spec'd with the 30" ptx package, double bimini, full enclosure, pump-out head and a few other things.

We're looking forward to a fun summer of a little bit of everything on it - fishing, tubing, relaxing, maybe some skiing

Now to go get the loan lined up when the banks open Tuesday and then we wait for the boat to be built and shipped.

Welcome to the toon family. You picked a great toon and will enjoy it immensely.

Congratulations! Sounds like a great boat and I know the wait will be tough. Hang in there and you'll be on the water before you know it.

Congrats!!!!!!
Where will you be boating?

Wow, that is a fantastic boat. Is there much price diff in the 225 to the 175hp? Just thinking since you went top of the line might as well go max on the hp. Heard some good thing about the Verado. Either way that is going to be a fine boat. Congrats.
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Forgot to say don't forget the ss prop in the deal, should be cheaper now than later.

The good news is that the lake we'll be wet slipping at doesn't open for boating until March 1st and the slips are available on April 1st. That and a Caribbean cruise should make the wait a little more bearable.

We'll be on Chatfield in CO, small lake but 10 minutes from our house.

And a SS prop is going in the boat, as for the 225HP, we're already pushing a little past our limit for the boat.

You will really enjoy the boat. We have a 250 Escapade, 10 ft beam, PTX, and a 225 Verado. We only have the single bimini. We bought the 10 ft boat because we have a handicapped daughter in a wheelchair and the extra width really gives us some extra room.

Boat handles like a dream. Our Verado has been great so far. Great performance and not nearly as hard on gas as I had feared.

What color did you get?

Congrats. After only a few times out on our new Premier, I wish we would have gotten the full enclosure and the head. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the PTX package and we got the I/O as opposed to the outboard, but in hindsight, a couple more add-ons would have made it a perfect boat for us.

Congrats on the pending toon! Sounds like a beast!

I have a full enclosure and rarely ever use it, but I did buy a thetford portable toilet that has been used just about every trip that I leave in my changing room. VERY handy and cheap!

For a color we're going with the Sapphire colors with moonrock base and pulling the optional panels from the platinum and pewter color scheme. Thought that grayish on blue might look better than dark blue against light blue on the outside.

I'm not sold on the full enclosure personally, but my wife burns within 5 minutes of being on the lake, so it was a requirement for her. And with being on the lake all day some sort of potti was required and the pump out variety is a little nicer.

Congrats ! That is a super nice boat !

sounds nice. PTX is kewl. i know money is always an issue, but i second the opinion that if there is anyway possible to get the bigger motor, do it. the PTX is a blast to drive. nothing like seeing the stares on peoples faces when our 25ft-er goes flying by on plane at 40+ mph. we don't normally drive that fast, but sometimes you gotta blow the dust off the motor. besides, a little WOT really helps keep the algae off the toons.

jafo9 wrote:sounds nice. PTX is kewl. ...the PTX is a blast to drive. nothing like seeing the stares on peoples faces when our 25ft-er goes flying by on plane at 40+ mph. we don't normally drive that fast, but sometimes you gotta blow the dust off the motor. besides, a little WOT really helps keep the algae off the toons.

I'm with you on that. I haven't seen 40+ yet, but when we took ours to be winterized, the dealer told me we were going to have to run it at WOT more this next season so it would break in the engine properly. Oh, yeah! I can do that!

It's always nice to have the bigger motor but....

I've got a 24 foot Manitou with a 175HP Yamaha. I get about 37-38 MPH and have been plenty fast to pull tubes etc. I've got a big three person tube that I normally pull around 20MPH at about 3500 RPM. Plenty of power left in the bank.

So, a 175 may be plenty of engine for you depending on how fast you want to go. We all have a tendency to get a little motor envious here, and to be truthful I wouldn't mind having another 50 to 150 more horses on the back, but balanced out against how I actually use the boat I'm fine with what I have.

That all said, if you think you'll need more speed, GET IT NOW!!. Far cheaper and more convenient than waiting till later.

More power - everyone wants to be Tim "the tool man" Taylor! Myself included!

While I would love to have 200 or 225, heck, even bigger on the back of the boat (I think 250 is the max with the 30" PTX) we've already surpassed "the line in the sand" we had set as far as pricing goes. And since water skiing behind the boat will be the lowest priority thing we do (if we even try it) hopefully we'll be in good shape with 175.

We'll just have to get in good with some of the folks with the wake and ski specific boats out there if we have any issues.

3 months, just 3 months and we'll have the boat. Technically, it'll be here in two but we won't be available to take delivery for a few weeks after that.