Help...Pontoon Virgin

[MakeTheFinal]

Looking to buy my first pontoon.
Live north of Toronto
Want something in the 16 to 19 foot range.. 5-6 people
This is about cruising..lounging..and swimming
Bennington.Crest..and Legend stand out
Any advice is appreciated on name..motor.. and trailer.
Be gentle with this newbie
Thanks

[capnbill]

Newbie myself to posting on this site, but I have owned a 20 and a 22. I have found generally that 20' and below are 8' wide with smaller tubes while 20' plus and larger tubes with a 8 1/2' width. The larger logs are going to make a huge difference, especially with 5 or six people aboard. The larger logs will not get submerged either by the loading of passengers or conditions of the chop. I suggest the larger tubes, which I believe are 23" diameter to the smaller 17" diameter. I hope I am being helpful!
capnbill

[PlaynDoc]

Welcome, MakeTheFinal....

Just how long is boating season, north of Toronto?

What's your budget? The general consensus around here is to buy the best boat with the largest motor, tritoon if buget allows.

[MakeTheFinal]

Thank you for the advice
Boating season in this part of Ontario cn be May till middle of October
Depends ofcourse on weather and water depth

[HandymanHerb]

Get at least a 20 footer, if on a big lake go for the 22 for a smoother ride.

[ROLAND]

Get at least a 20 footer, if on a big lake go for the 22 for a smoother ride.

have to agree with herb.... I've got a 20' boat and if you're planning on taking out 5 or 6 people on a regular basis I would recommend getting nothing smaller than a 20 footer. The floor plan on my boat is laid out primarily for fishing, but whenever we take out more than a total of 4 it starts to get a little crowded... as for the motor, I would say at least a 75 or 90 minimum and if the budget will allow it, get the biggest motor the boat is rated for, you won't regret that down the road.... if you can get it, get it with 25 inch tubes as opposed to 23 inch tubes... they' will make a difference in the ride... Hope this helps.

[WILD MAN]

Get at least a 20 footer, if on a big lake go for the 22 for a smoother ride.

have to agree with herb.... I've got a 20' boat and if you're planning on taking out 5 or 6 people on a regular basis I would recommend getting nothing smaller than a 20 footer. The floor plan on my boat is laid out primarily for fishing, but whenever we take out more than a total of 4 it starts to get a little crowded... as for the motor, I would say at least a 75 or 90 minimum and if the budget will allow it, get the biggest motor the boat is rated for, you won't regret that down the road.... if you can get it, get it with 25 inch tubes as opposed to 23 inch tubes... they' will make a difference in the ride... Hope this helps.

I agree get the biggest motor you can you might also think about lifting strakes I wish I did when I got mine now it is going to cost me a small fortune to upgrade

[Bamaman]

Time and time again on this forum, general advice is to go for a 22' boat for more room and weight carrying capabilities. They're also much more seaworthy than any under 20' boat. You'll also see a trend suggesting you get power at the upper end of the boat's ratings--the largest engine allowed or one notch down.

These suggestions are from experience.

We live on the lake, and I can tell you that we don't ever see any boat under 20' long. I just hate seeing pontoons go by with small diameter toons piled down with people--and the toons plowing through the water. It seems that the most popular size on this forum is 22'.

It all comes down to how you're going to use the boat. The 22' and a 90 hp would be a minimum for 5 to 6 passengers--preferably the 115 hp.

My next pontoon will be a 22' tri hull with lifting strakes and a 150 hp motor, as we want to do some long distance cruising.

[oldcoot]

Absolutely agree with all of that...we have a 24ft Suntracker...reasonable price and a 90hp...good for the 2 of us or all 12 with kids and grandkids...the thing I really like and believe is we don't have to go "fast"...even with a storm approaching, we have plenty of cover and close on the river or lakes here...we fish from it ALOT....consider where you are going to boat...river,lake,etc....how many...AND how big of a fuel tank you'll need....we have a 19gal and we're ok...I have a 12gal standby incase I need it(I may mount it on top of the other)...alot of things to consider and this is the best place I have found for advise and experience...