Ready to buy, need MUCH advice

[madcatters]

Greetings all -

I've read the forums a bit, haven't quite found the answers I seek, so I thought I'd post here. Please forgive me if the right answers are buried somewhere, I didn't do searches, just popping around.

Our background: Family with 2 boys, 11 & 7. The entire family is fishing crazy, and the main use of our pontoon will be fishing and minor cruising on Lake Norman (North Carolina). We do not live on the lake, but we're about 5 miles from some nice deep water boat launches.

We're going to be buying an older, inexpensive pontoon. No choice, there's only so much money for toys.

Our boating background is minimal... No family or friends boat, we have nobody local to whom we can ask questions. We had a jon boat that we bought last year (1970 boat, 18hp Johnson Seahorse!!!) that did great for fishing, but was too small for the whole family to enjoy, so we want a bigger, more stable boat.. We sold that this spring, along with our camper, and the family decided to use the money to buy a pontoon.

Since we have no one available for questions, can we ask for opinions on the following?

- How much of a pain is it to unload/load pontoons from public boat launches every time you want to use them? Would you think we would quickly learn to hate this? Lakefront property is far outside of our budget.

- What type of trailer is best for a pontoon? I hear mentions of a scissors trailer, but I don't know really what that is. We tow with a 2005 Suburban, with a4wd and a tow rating of about 9k lbs.

- In the price range where we're looking, most of the pontoons are going to need seats recovered... Assuming the seat bases are sturdy, about how much will recovering seats set us back.


My wife keps eyeing up MONSTER sized pontoons. We're big people (I'm 6'6" 330lbs, the whole family weaighs about 700 lbs, and the boys are growing, both will probably be at least high school football linemen sized...so we need t least a medium sized pontoon. What are the disadvantages to the larger ones (say over 24')?

[dockholiday]

Most of the toon are going to be 20 22 24, there are some smaller an larger, but these are the basic sizes. Since you will be fishing mostly the 24 will give you more room and not that much harder to launch an retrieve than say a 20. Think I would look for a fishing type (two fishing seats or four fishing seats). That way if you need to replace the fishing seats it would be much cheaper than doing a boat with the large lounge sofas. If you buy one that needs all the furniture replaced (2 or 3 sofa type seats plus one for the helm) it would be 2k or up to cover or replace the furniture. In my area covering did not seem that much cheaper than buying new furniture.
The bunk trailers are more stable than the scissor type. The scissor type will allow you to put the toon on the ground an pull the trailer out. Make sure the motor is reliable. Since this is your first boat, nothing worse than having to mess with a motor when you are on an outing. Plenty of older model motors out there that don't have a lot of hours on them. Good Luck. Oh, meant to say you can ride in the fishing seats while under way as long as they are inside the fence.
doc

[Bamby]

A pontoon boat is maybe the best versatile boat available for most of us. Like Doc said the 24 ft and under is the most common ones you'll encounter in the used boat market though there are some longer ones available. You'd have no issues whatsoever with towing any pontoon boat with your suburban especially if you have any towing and backing experience. If you intend to tow a lot and store the boat on a trailer a bunk trailer is really the way to go, because the trailer and boat have far better stability on all road conditions.

Maybe reading through this http://www.pontoonhouseboatodyssey.com/ ... s_101.html will be helpful to you in making a wise purchase you'll be happy and content with.

[margaritaman]

If you buy a 24 foot do not buy one where the pontoon logs are smaller than 23", the larger the better. No less than a 90 hp motor with the weight you are loading. A 115 hp and up would be better. We hope the suggestions above helps.

[ROLAND]

Madcatters.... I agree with everything you've been told here. All of these people who have responded to your post have alot more experience than I do. Bought my first boat just 5 months ago.. we have a 20 foot pontoon and to answer your question about launching and putting it back on the trailer, it's not that hard. Take my word for it, I've only had my boat in the water 3 times and me and my wife seem to be handling it without too many issues.. its one of those " learn as you go " things. I would recommend that you always use 2 people to launch & retrieve. It can be done with one person, but it's easier with 2. For your family I agree with the other gentleman that posted, nothing less than a 90 hp motor, preferably a 115 for a family of 4, especially if youre going to be buying a larger ( 24 footer ) boat. We only have a 75 hp motor on our boat, but then again, it's mainly just my wife and I, plus our boat is only a 20 foot model. You said you were mainly interested in fishing, if you could find a boat that has vinyl ( not the old kitchen linoleum stuff ) on the decking, I would highly recommend that over carpet. Just think about bait, fish getting on your carpet, not to mention just the foot traffic. With the vinyl decking you can just hose it down, scrub it down with a long handle broom and rinse... takes about 5 minutes to do the entire deck. Lots of options out there and with the economy, some really good boats to be had at reasonable prices.. Good luck with your purchase.

Roland
2010 Bennington 20SFi
Yamaha 75 hp 4 Stroke

[schmir]

I agree with other post so far. Loading and unloading is not a problem. If it is, you will get the hang of it. I would also suggest at least a 90 or next spring you will be looking at selling your to get a bigger motor. Don't make that costly mistake. Get the right boat the first time. I'd look for a fising model boat that has 2 fishing chairs in the front and 2 in the back. You can replace a bass fishing type seat fairly cheap just from walmart. I would like to have vinyl flooring on my boat and we don't even fish that much. You should look for a used boat with the carpet all torn to hell and hopefully get a really good deal on it. Tear it out and do the vinly flooring yourself. I always suggest a on the water test of any boat you buy. Take the whole family too. That boat will ride different with one large guy on it compared to 4. Good luck and get us some pics once you find one.

[madcatters]

Thanks all...

We're not seeing many pontoons for sale with big motors... Most seem to be 40-50 HP. The one we're going to look at has a 75HP on a 24', and that's about the biggest motor we've seen on a reasonably priced pontoon. Perhaps it is a vintage difference, as we are mainly looking at 15-20 year old boats, and the motors seem to be smaller on those than on new boats? We probably will not be able to follow the advice about getting a 90HP+ to stay within our financial limits and pay cash for the boat.

The vinyl floor is pretty good advice. We'll watch for that, and be prepared to replace carpet with vinyl as necessary. Nothing we've looked at so far had that. Question: Wouldn't that be very slippery when wet?

Good to hear that it's not a nightmare loading/unloading. I sure can't afford waterfront property, and boat slips start at $200+ per month on Lake Norman.

The informaiton about the bunk trailer being more stable is great... I have no intention of putting my boat on the ground, so the scissors offer no advantage to me.

And the link to the blog was interesting... I took a couple of tidbits out of there.


Thanks.. we're going to look at one that seems perfect this weekend. It's even got a trolling moter, GPS, and color fishfinder built in.

[ROLAND]

[quote="madcatters"]Thanks all...

The vinyl floor is pretty good advice. We'll watch for that, and be prepared to replace carpet with vinyl as necessary. Nothing we've looked at so far had that. Question: Wouldn't that be very slippery when wet?


Madcatters, you asked about the vinyl decking being slippery.... not at all, in fact the decking has a "textured" feel to it. When I ordered my boat this past winter I knew my wife was wanting this boat mainly for fishing so I ordered it with the vinyl instead of carpet. So glad I did when I see how much mud and crap we track on the boat just from the launch, not to mention the fish / bait, etc. I think you must be picturing the old vinyl flooring they used to use in kitchens. This stuff is nothing like that.. it's designed for use on the water and the nice thing about it is clean up is a breeze... we just get the deck nice and wet with the garden hose, squirt alittle car wash detergent on the deck and then basically give it a good scrubbing with a long handle stiff broom. hose it off and your done.. start to finish no more than 5 to 10 minutes. Most of the boats I've seen come carpeted, but you can get them with vinyl, and if your buying used, you can tear the carpet out and replace it with vinyl. There are several places that sell that material for your deck. Good luck with your boat shopping, better hurry man, summers 'round the corner.

Roland
2010 Bennington 20 Sfi
Yamaha 75 hp 4-Stroke.

[madcatters]

We're now the proud owners of a 1992 Grumman that was totally rebuilt in 2008. Seats, floor, console, wiring, electronics all replaced then, and the motor was professionally rebuilt. It came on a 1998 magictilt trailer, with gps/fishfinder, trolling motor, and bimini top.

The guy I bought it from did not maintain it properly during his 2 years of ownership. He NEVER covered the boat, and wonders why his new seats have popped along 3 seams. He also used it in saltwater some of the time, and while he DID flush out the motor (thank God!), he used a regular trolling motor in saltwater. I'll need to replace that soon, but it works for now.

I'm not a speed demon... Our previous boat was an ancient jon boat with a 1957 18hp johnson, so this boat is plenty fast for us. We took it out Saturday, and enjoyed the heck out of it.

The carpet is still in good shape, but between 2 kids and fishing, I'll give it a year or two before we look at vinyl. Right now, my first priority is getting a cover for it. Shopping online for it right now.

Thanks for the posts and the advice. We'll continue reading the forums, and possibly posting more as we learn, and as we find things that we need to learn.

[trott46]

congrats

[ROLAND]

Madcatters: Congratulations on the new boat. I'm sure you and your family will really enjoy it. And you got it just in time for summer. Now we want to see some pics.... what size motor came on the boat?

Roland
2010 Bennington 20 SFi
Yamaha F-75
Pulled by 2010 Toyota 4 Runner

[madcatters]

It has a 70HP Yamaha 2 Stroke. 1989, rebuilt in 2007. It pushed my wife and kids just over 20MPH on their test Sunday, per the GPS.

I didn't take any pictures, yet. These are 2 the previous owner sent me on Thursday before we decided to drive the 200 miles to see it in person. It will probably be 2 weeks before I can get out on it myself, as we're hosting a herd of in-laws for Easter weekend, but when I do, I'll be proud to post pics.

It's not fancy, shiny, or new. I would have liked to follow the general advice and get a larger engine, but I believe that this one will fit my needs just fine. It will tow the kids on a tube, it will float in a foot of water, and it will take me out on the lake with my family to have picnics, relax, and catch fish that are out of reach from shore.

Plus it's paid for!!! Got to love that. Just wish I didn't have to pay $50 a month to park it in a mini-storage.

[curtiscapk]

Nice!!! are those rod holders in the back?

[madcatters]

Yes to the rod holders. A set of trolling rod holders for striper or sea trout (if I was willing to take it out to the intercoastal waterway).

We're still searching for a boat cover. I know the seating isn't in the original configuration, and I'm trying to find out which one to purchase. We're also searching for boat name stickers, and we'll get it named the Madcatter (which we also have on the trailer's license plate!).

[ROLAND]

We're still searching for a boat cover. I know the seating isn't in the original configuration, and I'm trying to find out which one to purchase. We're also searching for boat name stickers,).[/quote]

Madcatter, first of all congratulations on the new boat. From the 2 pics you sent it looks to in really good condition...... you say you're looking for a boat cover, ton's of places to buy them but you might want to take alook at www.pontoonstuff.com They have 3 different types of covers, one which is waterproof. I'm actually thinking of buying one myself in the next week or two and right now, that's the one i'm leaning toward. For a name for you boat, again, tons of places to buy pre-configured decals, I used www.namemyboat.com Prices were reasonable and their product looks great. We had them make us up name deal ( The Looney Toon ) and 2 boat number decals. You design what you want, email it to them and within 2 days or so it's at your house. I'd post a pic of the name decal so you could see thier work, but so far we havent taken any pics since we put it on a couple of weeks back. Well take care of that this weekend... again congrats on the new ride

Roland
2010 Bennington 20 SFi
Yamaha F-75