Pontoon boats
 

We have a new to us 07 Four Winns H190 and it's a great boat and we are enjoying it immensely but, we are considering a pontoon boat (and a Winni slip or valet) for retirement (trailering getting old like us :D )
I know "you get what you pay for" but what are the main differences in the pon/tritoons as far as quality? We are probably going to start out with something in the 20-22 foot range.
What does everyone own and why do you think it is a great boat?

Hello Hillcountry,

Having owned three tritoons on Winni, I'll make the following recommendations for you...

#1. Get a tri-toon, they are way more stable and give a much better ride. Trade in and resale will be better if you ever decide to trade up.

#2. Don't go smaller than 22' and 24' would be better.

#3. Get as much horsepower as you can afford but do not go any less than 115 HP. I never heard anyone complain about having too much power but have heard plenty wish after the fact that they had spent the money on the extra horsepower.

#4. Don't be pressured into buying "what's on the lot". Take your time and build your boat the way you want it with options and a layout that fits your needs. Almost every boat manufacturer's website has a "build your boat" feature which I highly recommend using.

As far as brands and quality difference, I think you will hear differing opinions from everyone...whatever they bought they like and that is understandable. What you should do is go out to the marinas and see the difference for yourself. I personally have owned a Manitou, Premier and currently have a Bennington. Each one of these brands had their strengths.

I will recommend Winnisquam marine as a place you should check out. I have bought three boats from them in the past couple years and can't say enough good about my experience there as well as their service after the sale.

Good luck!

Dan

Thank you! We bought our Horizon 190 from Winnisquam and we like them too.
Those Benningtons look awesome, especially the "performance" models...
we will be checking them all out over time as we will not be buying until my wife retires fully, next year.

By the way, I enjoy your posts and I also shoot .308!
Just picked up a beautiful BAR limited edition lightweight, 18" fluted barrel in this caliber and haven't even sighted her in yet...can't wait!

Thanks again for the "toon" advice!

I had asked a lot of questions about two vs tritoon, We bought a tritoon from Thurstons, We had rented both last summer and found the tritoon handled the lake better, we Have a 150 on our 24 foot tritoon and love it. It is a starcraft with HMS performance package, this is our first boat and really like the way it handles, some old pros on the lake may have more comments.we were also told before we bought that min 23-24 foot is what you should strive for on Winni.

Triton, 24'
 

Got my 24-ft, 150 hp triton from Meredith Marina - good deal and even better service!

I agree with everything ishoot308 stated, but I would also recommend looking at the Harris tritoon. We absolutely love our Harris. They sell them at Melvin Marina. We had our boat built exactly the way we wanted. We also had Ship Shape make us individual seat covers so we we do not have to totally cover it all the time.

I would also echo what has been said. For me, finding the perfect layout / floor plan, Is a big factor, Even subtle differences between brands could be very Important for the way YOU use the boat. Board as many as you can or rent them, you'll quickly find out why or why not you like each setup.For ex; some people hate wasting space outside the play pen, while others will want that space for fishing. Also, most brands will have entry level to extravagant, So I wouldn't rule any out based on what you've seen so far, as they undoubtedly have better versions. Some higher ends will reach around 60g's while others could triple that. Most of the more popular brands are available around the lake. Most Important, Tri-toon, Layout & power. you'll love it. It's a good size investment, get what you want the 1st time, It's worth it to custom order than to buy what they have in stock to save some money, You will regret not getting exactly what you want and do it all again in a year or 2 at a loss.

The Name of Roy Roger's Dog?
 

Very short as pontoons go, my neighbor had a pontoon. It seemed very unstable—never got a ride in it—but while moving at less than headway speed, I heard that a slight change of movement had a guest fall off! :eek:

Yesterday, I got my first ride (with Brewster Academy classmates :love:) in their Tri-toon—just two seasons old. :) I appreciate the Lake Winnipesaukee trend towards Tri-toons and pontoons; especially, as they leave very little wake.

Although it was overpowered by lake-boat standards, I was impressed with the smooth and quiet ride—and that we could converse without raising our voices.

To balance the Tri-toon, I seated myself forward, about five feet from the helmsman and passenger. (Not the best arrangement with only three or four aboard). We anchored about an hour for lunch, and had some fun playing the "TV-Trivia" of our generation—long past...

("What was the name of Dale Evan's horse?")

The moderate wind seemed to force the Tri-toon to "kite" back and forth. :confused: The short scope of anchor line didn't help. :(

Speaking of balance, when it came time to leave our spot, we couldn't raise the anchor! :eek2: Standing at the bow with the skipper, I suggested that the anchor line get pulled hard, and secured, and I would move quickly to the stern. That single change in balance pulled the anchor right up! :)

:look:

.

Trivia = everybody knows that
 

Bullet (German Shepard) and Buttercup ( a palomino)
What kind of boat did Roy Rogers own? So we don't start a new non Winni thread, it was a Yellow Jacket, molded plywood, made in TX. Irwin Marine was the local dealer in the 50's.

So I too am looking at a tritoon. All the same reasons as the usual, smooth ride, easy maintenance, more room onboard. The one question I have is how do I figure out how much to pay? My previous boats have been private sales or boat show deals (where I actually knew exactly what model/price I wanted). When I buy cars I can get invoice prices, dealer incentive information, and even what others paid for the same car across the country and locally. I can't find any of that, especially for pontoons which are just now gaining popularity.

Any Ideas? How do I know I'm getting a good price?

On another note, my research on the various brands tells me that (A) you are paying for various styles or layout variations between brands or (B) there are different pontoon styles (oblong with a 30 degree blah blah blah vs. round with an extra .001 mm of aluminum). Its my opinion that these differences are very subjective as some people swear by a certain layout or pontoon design and others swear by an opposite choice. As for quality, each brand has a series in each quality level and as long as you are comparing across adjacent levels there isn't much difference.

I would go on Boat Trader to get a good idea what new and used are going for. You'll quickly learn what is MSRP compared to retail when comparing similar models. Also NADA does give values on boats, Maybe KBB as well, Banks use em', but they seem to be lacking when it comes to options. Read the manufacturers web pages to see variation in builds, Some are structurally superior. Seating material has come along way, Don't buy inferior vinyl, Upgrade the furniture if possible. Don't want to start a hull fight with anyone but round tubes are really the industry standard now, I feel there's a reason for that.

Just throwing this out there, but in my experience I had the best success identifying the dealers I wanted to work with and working within that system. I have found tons of value--quicker repair time, more flexibility, etc.--that makes up for the cost.

Case in point: when I bought my new tritoon from Melvin Village, they swapped my GPS system over from my old boat. At the end of last season I suspected my transducer was on the fritz and a couple weeks ago it appeared I was right. MVM ordered me new cables and a transducer and will swap it out for me while I wait late this week.

Having zero down time and a dealer willing to go the extra mile for me is worth money.

As for buying, I agree with everything above but the length--we have a 20' because of my association's requirements, but bigger would be less fun since most of the time we're nowhere near the 11 person capacity and the 20' with a 150 on the back is a goddam rocket ship! The price difference between the 20 and 22/24 isn't huge, though, and if I were on the south side of the lake (I.e. washing machine), I might look bigger.

Godspeed!

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Head
 

While some of the pontoon/tritoons look very nice, comfortable etc. I will never own another boat without a pumpout head or a windlas. I don't think these options are available in pontoons/tritoons or are they?

Premier
 

I did find a Premier that was beautiful with second deck, slide, enclosed changing room (not the pull up canvas type) with porta pot but no pump out head or windlas. there was no build option so not sure of price but for this I'm sure its outrageous, will stick with traditional v hull, fiberglass, cabin with all the options for now. Maybe in the future they will figure it out.

Yes, if we lived in Arizona it wouldn't be a big deal, but here we have limited # good weeks of boating so having the boat back on the water in a hurry is my biggest priority.

Pontoon
 

Make sure you get a changing station. We have a porta potty in ours it's a nice convenience for the ladies.

Premier makes one with a cuddy cabin, I think its called the "enforcer" or something like that...not sure about a head however...

Dan

Meh. What happens on the 'toon stays on the 'toon.

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"performance" and a "base" Tri-Toon.
 

Hillcountry,
There were several good threads on 'Toons the past two years if you haven't seen them yet.

I copied this from one of my post last year explaining the difference between a "performance" and a "base" Tri-Toon.

There is a difference between tri-toons and how they handle. I'll use Premier as an example because I have rented at least 6 different 2 and 3 toon boats and just bought one. The "performance" ( PTX ) tri- toons have Lifting strakes and a "faceted" bottom on the center toon; this allows for quick planning and banked turns. These performance toons behave similar to a fiberglass hull and often have 150 to 250 HP engines, or higher.

They also make what I would call a base tri-toon, these have 3 round toons. The center toon on mine stops a few feet from the stern and does not connect with the motor well. These still ride the chop nicely and are very stable. The turns are flatter without much lean, the dogs like this much better. We have a 23' with a 150 four stroke and it moves OK, it works for water sports, but minimal wake of course.

So yes, there are significant differences. Also the motor makes a difference, I liked the performance of a 2 stroke, but the four strokes really seem quieter. You can have a conversation that includes people from one end of the boat to another at "touring speed". And if you don't want to listen to someone, just "go faster"

As others have said, layout is an important factor, I gave up an extra lounger because I wanted 4 doors, one on the helm side makes docking easier for me. Also we liked a straight path down the center so we can carry a kayak.

Happy shopping and hope you have a great summer on "this years" new boat.

Great info! Thanks!

There are some aftermarket windlass options for pontoons, but they are not popular and I have heard mixed reviews.

Depending on placement of a porta pottie in the boat you could install a pumpout fitting.

I am glad someone throw this out there.... Length really plays into when you want to use the boat, and where you are located.

I know where ishoots camp is and he is right, having a 24' is a necessity in that area of your lake, especially if you use it to get people back and forth to your island property.

I know many people on the northern side of the lake that have 20' pontoons and are quite happy with them, and they just don't try and go the the Weirs on the weekends.

I myself am thinking about adding a new boat to my fleet... I thought about getting a bigger sport boat, but I have also thought about keeping my 18' sport boat, and just getting a toon.... Now for me there is no arguing about tri-toon vs. pontoon... It would be Tri-toon all the way, because I want to bring more passengers.... Now what I have learned is that not all tri-toons are the same.... Well some offer significant increase in allowable weight others do not.... And wieght is what it is all about... most face plates on most 22' toons will tell you 11 passengers if not more..... well lets say those 11 passangers where teenage boys at 160#... well that is 1760# and will work with most toons (tri or regular) but once you throw in some bigger line men from the football team... your 11 passengers start to make an issue with the max weight.... Step in the tri-toon.... I have found the extra toon on some models adds as much as 1000# additional person, gear allowance....

Just more food for thought.....

One more note about this: last Saturday, we went to the Weirs on what was an incredibly busy day. I have footage from my GoPro that was mounted on the front gate that, if you watch it, is really pretty smooth for all the chop. My friend, who was alongside us in his 22 or 23 foot bowrider (and is currently waffling on trading it in for a tritoon) said we looked like we were barely moving while he was getting rocked around.

That was a busy day chop, though--not sure what stormy chop would be like (or if you'd even be out there for it).

Cheers!

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I think one of the biggest differences in size / regular tri or performance tri, is not just weight capacity and ride but how wet do you want to get.

A 24' or larger performance tri-toon with lifting strakes and a good captain at the helm will keep you dry even on the roughest of days and the ride will be fairly smooth. Anything smaller than 24', performance or not, you will get wet when rough.

Lifting strakes are a must to get up on plane and not just push through the water. In my opinion your wasting your money on a tri-toon unless it has lifting strakes or your in a very secluded area of the lake and do not plan on leaving it.

Just my opinion and your mileage may vary...

Dan

Interesting comment on the lifting strakes. I'm taking a premier 220 sunsation out for a test ride on Saturday and was thinking about buying it but maybe I'll try to take one with stakes on it.

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If anyone tries to sell you Tri-toon with out strakes, They either have no idea what there doing or they have zero interest in your satisfaction after the purchase. They shouldn't be offered with out them. Now if they give you an honest assessment up front, at least they tried. May sound a little harsh, but when you're paying that much anyway, It should be part of the deal.

A tri-toon without strakes is OK if you have a small motor and are using it on a small lake or pond in my opinion.

Dan

Well, it have a 150 on it and I'm on the west side of winni. It actually looks like that model doesn't even have stakes as an option.

http://www.pontoons.com/boats/level-...ion.php?type=2

Sure it does as it offers the PTX package which is the performance package which has strakes....

Boy, those Premiers are beautiful...I'll have to win megabucks to get into a level 5...:eek:

Look at that! I thought that package was just a larger center pontoon dropped down a bit. I think I'm getting my manufacturers mixed up.

Opinion?
 

Seems to be one's opinion. While lifting strakes will get you on plane at a lower speed, they can contribute to a harsher ride than without. I have a 25' tri-toon without strakes and 130hp and it planes out fine and slices nicely through the chop with no pounding. I really don't see them as a deal breaker.

I agree. I did a lot of research since my post, trying to understand the physics involved better and all the various scenarios, and I came to the same conclusion. While in some situations they would help and in others they would hinder.

I decided after a fairly long test drive Saturday to buy the boat even though it didn't have strakes. Time will tell if it was the right decision.

As I've found out, EVERY manufacturer has the "right" design philosophy--the perfect boat is the one you have.

Congrats, enjoy, and keep an eye out for the Pontoon Parade!

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Anyone ever buy a marina rental tritoon at season's end?
Been looking around and this is a option being offered by a couple of marinas.
The warranty begins when the toon sells so full warranty is included...your thoughts?

Our first boat was a rental and it was great! Just get a readout of usage hours on the motor and go through it like a fine toothed comb--we discovered a little hole in the carpet a week later, which could've been seen with a close look. Good luck!

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My thoughts would be you better get a fairly nice discount to make it worth your while. Just my opinion, but a lot of people who rent boats have little to no experience operating boats and obviously won't treat them as well as if they owned it themselves. Depending on the outboard (with an Evinrude ETEC being the exception), all of the manufacturers have specific break in procedures. Did the dealer break it in before renting it out? As others have said, I would go through it with a fine tooth comb (including the underside of the boat). Not trying to be Johnny Rain Cloud, but look real close and get a real nice discount. The dealer got a season worth of rental fees on it so they should be able to make you a good deal. Kind of surprised they can sell it as new with full warranties.

^^^^I agree with that. You can get a good deal but you better check that thing out. Thurstons had some beautiful Starcraft MX lines last year for a good price. I didn't get a close up look but they had a 200hp rude on the back as well.

One dealer says they keep the new carpeting in storage (not letting the renters use it) so that would be a plus...a far as renters damaging anything on the boat, they hoist them up and inspect them after each use.
I rented a deck boat a couple years ago and watched as the techs/yard hands inspected the entire hull for damage before they gave the okay to the office.
The boat is literally lifted overhead when you return it...
I would imagine they'd love to charge that $1000 damage retainer for the slightest, damage (which is what you agree to in the rental paperwork.)

That's one of the dealers I went to...nice toons!