Are all pontoons created equal?

[Capt Josh]

Now I know I may sound a bit naive and the answer is no, but I am new to the forum and a bit overwhelmed. I figured there would be a good resource on here.

Currently looking at pontoons in the 22-24' range (fish type models). There are hundreds of manufacturers. Would like to go the tri-toon route due to the rough lake we are on. Never owned a pontoon though. When talking to boat dealers it can be a bit confusing as they all claim to be made better than the next. I suppose I could make the decision on proximity or service level, but what about boat build?

I am looking at Avalons, G3, Lowe, Veranda, Crest, Suntracker, pretty much any fish models available with dealers in a reasonable distance of Dallas. Feel free to chime in.

In terms of the logs on em, and flooring/ride etc. does anyone have any insight? Some claim their metal is better. I heard another thing about a splash guard? What about this thing called lifting strakes? I am a bit out of my element here and dont want to make a wrong decision

This would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in Advance!! Looking forward to many posts to come.

[HandymanHerb]

Welcome, all you have to do is ask us and we will tell you ours is the best one to have .

Every one you named is good, you need to tell us were you are going to be using it at and I bet we have someone using that lake that can tell you better what holds up, but all you have to do is look under the deck to see the way the toons are made.

If you in a big rough lake, 22 foot would be the smallest, and triple for the best ride,is what I would tell you, by what I have been told by other members, give the guys a while and they will jump in too, but I'm sure their in front of the TV right now, Super Bowl !!!

[Redneck_Randy]

An aluminum deck will be louder then a wooden deck. Lifting strakes will give you a rougher ride. With lifting strakes you ride on top of the rough water, without lifting strakes you you cut through the wave thus having a smoother ride in rough waters.

[Capt Josh]

I will be using it on Lake Ray Hubbard, TX. A little background on the lake is minimal if any cuts, inlets or coves. Very much open water. Almost didnt get a pontoon for this reason, but I am convinced a tritoon is the way to go now. Space for family and I can fish out of it big time.

Good to know about lifting strakes. I think there must be mixed opinions of these as some people say you need em for a better ride?

Last, my concern is a 24' and wind. I believe pontoons catch wind from what I hear pretty back and can be difficult to dock or get back on the trailer. I know a 24' will be more expensive than a 22' and I would assume harder to manuever with a single outboard. Will the ride be significantly better however in a 24' opposed to a 22' as that may trump all??

What about outboards? I am not towing skiers or anyone. Is a 150 on a 22' tritoon sufficient or do I need to go bigger?

Thanks in Advance!!

[Mosnowman]

I know how you feel! I purchased my first boat at age 53 last summer...this forum helped me a lot! I agree with Herb that my boat is better than your boat...opinions...

Here's what I ended up with.....key factor to start with is what is your budget and go from there...also new or used....

I ended up buying a new 25 foot Harris Flotebote tritoon....lifting strakes....rough water performance package at MarineMax at the Lake of the Ozarks. I disagree that the lifting strakes cause a rougher ride...they get you up and planing more quickly. I have a Merc 150 Verado engine that will run me around 35-40 mph...the low end Harris is the Cruiser model running you around $30k for a 25 footer brand new with a 150...rough water performance package...trust me there is no rougher water on earth other than the Bering Sea compared to Lake of the Ozarks on a busy weekend!

In an event....take your time and listen to everyones opinions here more than the dealers....it's definitely overwhelming but when you find the right boat you will know it!

Good luck and welcome!!!

[Redneck_Randy]

The longer the toon is the more wind it catches and a 24 footer will catch more wind then a 22 footer. Yes, wind plays a big part when loading a pontoon. Just pick a ramp if you can where the wind hits you from the front or back and not from the sides.

If you go with a 150 I would suggest you go with the Seastar steering system with the power assist pump. The power assist pump will give you automobile type power steering. Without it, it will be hard on the forearms. I just did this upgrade to my toon and believe me it is worth every penny. If you have young children and plan on letting them drive they will not be able to turn the steering wheel with out the Seastar system.

[steveiam]

Josh, Trent on the TFF has a Nice Tri-Toon and fishes lavon quite a bit.
You ought to Pm him and see if you can meet up with.
He's a great guy and I bet you could get a hands on understanding if ya'll can meet up.

[Bamaman]

Captain Josh:

Pontoon boats and tritoon boats are somewhat generic, but there are differences that make one sell better than others. I believe Bennington is the top seller right now. Other very popular brands are Premier, Harris and Manitou. I personally like them all. There are another dozen brands that I'd be perfectly happy with. You should try to buy a boat locally, if possible, because if you buy 100 miles from home any warranty claim will require 400 miles driving back and forth.

This time of year, you have time to order a boat that exactly suits your present and future needs. You can possibly save money over stock units with a bunch of unneeded options. Ordering is no more costly.

Just about all the manufacturers have 3-4 different lines of boats, with the trim and seats being the biggest difference. For example, I have one of the Bennington S models, and it's as nice a boat as I need. They have 24 different S model Benningtons with different seating arrangements and costs Even premium brand boats have models that are often less expensive than many lesser quality boats.

Big lake? By all means, go a 22-24' tri hull with lifting strakes. The strakes get the nose up out of the water with the engine power trim and they add 3-5 mph and somewhat better fuel mileage. If the lake gets rough, you can trim the nose down for smooth riding.

Engine? If you can afford it, go for the 150 hp 4 stroke--Yamaha or Mercury. When you order the motor with the boat, the package will be priced cheaper than if you just bought an engine from your local dealer. Manufacturers buy outboards by the hundreds, and can pass some of their volume discounts to the end buyer. A 150 hp boat needs a stainless propeller. A 22' boat can run okay with a 115 hp, but the real thrill is when you get over 30 mph. Most people on this website will tell you to get the biggest motor for effortless, quiet cruising.

Power Steering? SeaStar hydraulic steering is really needed on any boat from 115 to 150 hp. They steer very easy until you make tight turns in "the 30's." The optional power steering is approximately $2300 more than just a $2K Sea Star steering--about $4300 total. Boats with 200-250 hp simply must have the power steering. Power steering is not worth the money on my 150 hp trihull, as all my tubing will be done at lower speeds.

Carpet or vinyl floors or vinyl with snap in carpets. We hear nothing but nice things about full vinyl floors for fishermen or any other use. People with snap in carpet seldom even put the carpet on their boats.

22' or 24'? You need to see some different length boats to figure out what suits your needs. There's actually little price difference between the two. There's little difference between getting either boat on a trailer--docking's just a little practice.

Trailers? On a 22' or longer trailer, you need a heavy duty tandem axle trailer. Brakes are probably not needed in Texas unless you're in hill country. I suggest pulling this type boat with a pickup truck or V-8 SUV. Pontoons are not heavy boats, but they are not aerodynamic and pull heavier than they actually are.

Prices? Don't let the dealers scare you with inflated MSRP's. There are big, big markups in boats, and an informed buyer quickly can get big discounts. Boattrader.com and footwork is the best way to figure out which dealers are willing to compete for your business with price. And just about every retail market will have a boat dealer that's a little more aggressive to make a retail sale. You've got to figure out which dealer is the leader of the pack.

[ROLAND]

capt. josh.... personally I have a bennington 20 footer that was rigged for fishing from the factory.. just a two toon, but I agree with everyone else.. if you plan on using your boat on a lake with alot of chop, then I would certainly consider a tri toon.... one thing I would certainly recommend since you plan to fish on your boat, is get one with the vinyl decking... it has a little bit of texture to it so it's not at all slippery... and believe me it's great for clean up after dropping bait, fish etc....another rule of thumb is get as much horsepower as your boat is rated to handle ( and your budget will allow ).... we've got a 75 on ours, and that's plenty for us since we don't pull tubes or skiiers.... good luck and have fun boat shopping.... it can be overwhelming..

[PlaynDoc]

my two cents on unloading/docking/loading the pontoon on windy days...

a pontoon of any size wants to act like a parachute in the wind. nature of the beast. i wouldn't think that a 22' would be much less of a hassle than a 24' in the wind. mine's a 22 ft, and it can be a bit nerve-wracking to load the boat onto the trailer during a stiff cross wind.

what i did - and many others, when new to pontoons... go to the lake, midweek, especially if it is windy... midweek there's usually less people in and out of the water, using the ramps.

practice. practice. over and over. practice everything from backing the trailer into the water, to the correct depth for loading.. correct for loading... when i'm loading pontoon in stiff cross breeze, i don't back in 'quite' as much as i would on calm, smooth days. more trailer out of the water = more pontoon touching trailer as you approach and load.

after getting the trailer in the water, back the boat out, enough where you have to adjust speed, distance, left/right, etc. to use the wind and fight the wind at the same time.... until you get it on the trailer, easily. then, do it again. and again... when my boat was new, my wife asked me once.... "how many times are we going to keep doing this", i did it so many times...

i'm by no means an expert, but here's what i do when loading against cross winds... i'll approach the trailer with more speed than i would on a calm day - remember, you can't steer a pontoon boat that's not in gear... and, since the trailer isn't in the water as far, it will hit the trailer guides/bunks earlier, reducing the sideways movement that's made by the wind, holding the boat in better position, giving you time to attache the front strap.

i hope this made sense, and i hope it helps...

oh.. if i could have afforded it... lifting strakes, tritoon, vinyl floors, 150hp, under skinning, 100lb thrust trolling motor, 2 batteries, battery charger, live well... I'm working on some of those things now... and, as you'll hear from everyone... "I've never heard someone say they wish they had a smaller motor"..

[Capt Josh]

First off WOW! The response has been amazing. I think I am at home here now I could quote literally everyone's response and it is greatly appreciated.

We will be getting rid of a twin engine center console so we have some working room on features, but I am sure they will all add up very quickly. I will need to pick and choose most likely.

The reason I was drawn to the pontoon is sheer space, lower maintenance (hopefully), and functionality. It will be used the vast majority of time for fishing, but the type I do it is perfect. I can put my dog on there, bring some family and friends if I want and rock and roll. No need for speed and yes, I have seen the vinyl flooring and being able to hose it off opposed to that white fiberglass is a huge selling point.

Some of you on here fish and some obviously dont. Here are decisions I will have to make. Keep in mind zero watersports will be done on it such as towing, boarding or tubing.

-Tri-toon, I believe is a must for my personal scenario.
-22-24' I suppose will depend on price point and model comparison. Will a 24' ride significantly better?
-150 HP 4 stroke.
-Lifting strakes I am leaning more and more towards. Thoughts?
-Interesting on this SeaStar Steering. My non-pontoon right now has tight steering and it is no fun. I am confirming that this seastar steering is a huge benefit, yet I dont need power steering with a 150 HP? What if I dont do either.
-I will need to see if any mods can be done by the factory or aftermarket to accomodate a bigger or multiple livewells if the model I like doesnt have what I need, as well as a larger fishbox.
-I will need a bow mounted trolling motor. This part gets confusing however. When I look at Minn Kota, they mention a Pontoon model, but it doesnt have some of the thrust that some of the other models have. For your fish guys, can you mount a Terrova or PowerDrive 2 on there opposed to the Pontoon model? What are the differences in them pitching a pontoon model? I would assume I would need as much thrust as possible.
-The boat is at a marina so trailering wont be necessary after every trip, perhaps I could save a little on a mediocre trailer. I will have to either convert my currently lift to pontoon runners or sell it and get a different one.
-Last, what's underskinning?

Thanks Everyone!!

[bassn386]

Capt. Josh, I'm going to weigh in here on the lifting strakes. I don't agree at all with Redneck Randy when he says that lifting strakes give you a rougher ride. I've had a two log without the strakes and now I have a 3 log with the strakes. Everyone who rides on my boat comments on how smooth the ride is almost without regard to the water conditions.
I thought the strakes only came into play when you are trying to get the boat up on plane.
I'll take my configuration any day over the old 24' Suncruiser I had. I just go across the top of the waves instead of acting like a destroyer and porpoising up and down through the waves.
Good Luck!

[Redneck_Randy]

My comment of lifting strakes come from taking test drives on the 2nd pontoon we bought (on our third pontoon now) First was a none strake pontoon and the last was on a straked pontoon and the ride was just rougher to me on the straked pontoon.

Options will vary

[PlaynDoc]

underskinning is applying aluminum to the underside of the floor joists. the thought behind this, is to allow water to hit the underside of the boat, when underway, allowing for more efficient movement of water. essentially, the water hits a smooth surface instead of the cross-beam floor joists. some people say it will increase speed and extend the life of the floor.

[Capt Josh]

All good insight. I am going to price two models out on Thursday.

Any other takers on the following:

-Interesting on this SeaStar Steering. My non-pontoon right now has tight steering and it is no fun. I am confirming that this seastar steering is a huge benefit, yet I dont need power steering with a 150 HP? What if I dont do either?

-I will need a bow mounted trolling motor. This part gets confusing however. When I look at Minn Kota, they mention a Pontoon model, but it doesnt have some of the thrust that some of the other models have. For your fish guys, can you mount a Terrova or PowerDrive 2 on there opposed to the Pontoon model? What are the differences in them pitching a pontoon model? I would assume I would need as much thrust as possible.

This should sew it all up!!