Manitou vs. Premier?

[jpayne]

Newbie looking for advise. I have narrowed the Pontoon field down to a 2012 Premier Sunsation PTX 30" or a 2012 Manitou Oasis VP (Have seen both boats and while I might get a few more options with the Premier the Manitou is close and price difference in negligible.) Both will have the same engine E-Tec 150 HO. Also if anybody knows what I have to do to my boat lift to accomodate the Manitou 23-27-23 configuration with the toons that would be great-the dealer explained it but I an not sure I get it exactly.

Thanks for any help...so much info floating around.

[Bamaman]

I returned from the Boat Show last weekend, and I saw exactly what you're looking at. They were very close in every respect. You wouldn't go wrong with either, as they're both premium boats.

The deciding factor, apples and apples, would be the quality of the dealership you're buying from. I would rather purchase a boat close to home. I also prefer dealerships that have been in business awhile--and are going to be there in the future. Boats are a tough business right now, and only the truly good operations will survive.

You didn't give us much information on your lift. Are you talking about a boathouse and a lift suspended by cables? Or, are you talking about a cantilever style lift?

You've got to be careful on lifting these boats out of the water. The VP Manitou has a the middle toon mounted lower than the outer two tubes. I was thinking the Premier uses three equal size toons.

If I was hanging a new tritoon by cables, I'd have a cradle/frame fabricated with long wooden runners to fit the shape of the boat. If using a cantilever lift, you'd have to use a specific 120" lift--and also fabricate runners to fit the bottom of the boat. When you buy such a boat, you've got to have a really good lift to protect that investment--do it right.

That said, I'm sure you will really enjoy your tritoon.

[jpayne]

I have a 10' covered boat slip with a lift suspended with cables. The Premier PTX uses a wider toon in the middle but sits the same height as the outer two. As for the dealers both have been in business for many years....both are near the lake..the out the door price of the Premier boat seems to change depending on which day it is though...this makes me a little skeptical...My wife and I are calling him today to make the final decision which way to go.

[Ray Jr.]

We absolutely love our Premier, but I don't think you could go wrong with either choice.
When we were boat shopping, we ended up choosing the premier for 2 main reasons,
#1 the Premier dealer was GREAT to deal with, (and has been great after the sale as well). the other dealers were terrible, if they treat you badly before they take your money, how will you be treated after the sale?
#2 the seating on the Premier was extremely comfortable, and after a long day on the lake that is a HUGE plus.
Everything else seamed to be very close as far as construction and warranty, with premier having a slight edge in the warranty area.