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Happy Gourmand · 04-10-2014, 10:19 AM

Two years ago, we decided to get back into boating, after a couple years without a boat. As we are both getting age challenged and after my wife's knee and hip replacement, we were having more and more difficulty climbing aboard a fiberglass hulled boat. Not knowing much about pontoon boats, and not knowing if we would even like them, we joined the American Boat club for a year. They have 3 pontoon boats, a couple 21' fiberglass boats and a 24' pocket cruiser. With that many choices, we were able to evaluate what kind of boat we would most enjoy. We used them all, enjoyed them all, but our favorites by far were the 3 Berkshire pontoon boats. Ride, handling, comfort, and above all, ease of boarding clinched it for us. As for ride, they handle the chop in the Weirs "washing machine" area better than any fiberglass boat I've ever owned or been on. In fact, these boats reintroduced us to weekend boating again, something we no longer did in our own boats because of the roughness.
I found the Berkshire boats to be well built, quality very nice. They seemed to hold up very well even in a club environment where they were heavily used by many who treated them as their own, and some others who trashed and abused them.
Personally, the only "fault" I could find is that I thought they were underpowered....for me. The biggest engine is 90HP on the 24 footer. It would get to 23MPH with me alone and a full tank of gas on a smooth lake.
Wanting more, when we decided on a new pontoon boat, I wanted a triple tube boat with a minimum of 150 HP, to be able to cruise at 25 MPH or so but with enough extra oomph to get us and go when I wanted to and to pull the kids and grandkids on a tube.
We looked at a lot of boats, didn't have any prejudices against any of the brands available at the lake. The only boat that didn't impress me in any way was the Bentley. Quality just didn't seem to compare to any of the others we looked at.
We stopped at Winnisquam Marine one day and were offered what we think was the most compelling deal of any we got at the time. We ended up with a 24' Premier PTX with a 200 HP motor and haven't regretted it since.
I don't think you can go wrong with the Premier line of Pontoons, but, I also don't think you can go wrong with a Berkshire either.
Good luck with your decision. See you on the lake.

04-10-2014, 10:19 AM	#10
Happy Gourmand Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Ruskin FL Posts: 1,027 Thanks: 188 Thanked 322 Times in 179 Posts	Berkshire Pontoon Boats Two years ago, we decided to get back into boating, after a couple years without a boat. As we are both getting age challenged and after my wife's knee and hip replacement, we were having more and more difficulty climbing aboard a fiberglass hulled boat. Not knowing much about pontoon boats, and not knowing if we would even like them, we joined the American Boat club for a year. They have 3 pontoon boats, a couple 21' fiberglass boats and a 24' pocket cruiser. With that many choices, we were able to evaluate what kind of boat we would most enjoy. We used them all, enjoyed them all, but our favorites by far were the 3 Berkshire pontoon boats. Ride, handling, comfort, and above all, ease of boarding clinched it for us. As for ride, they handle the chop in the Weirs "washing machine" area better than any fiberglass boat I've ever owned or been on. In fact, these boats reintroduced us to weekend boating again, something we no longer did in our own boats because of the roughness. I found the Berkshire boats to be well built, quality very nice. They seemed to hold up very well even in a club environment where they were heavily used by many who treated them as their own, and some others who trashed and abused them. Personally, the only "fault" I could find is that I thought they were underpowered....for me. The biggest engine is 90HP on the 24 footer. It would get to 23MPH with me alone and a full tank of gas on a smooth lake. Wanting more, when we decided on a new pontoon boat, I wanted a triple tube boat with a minimum of 150 HP, to be able to cruise at 25 MPH or so but with enough extra oomph to get us and go when I wanted to and to pull the kids and grandkids on a tube. We looked at a lot of boats, didn't have any prejudices against any of the brands available at the lake. The only boat that didn't impress me in any way was the Bentley. Quality just didn't seem to compare to any of the others we looked at. We stopped at Winnisquam Marine one day and were offered what we think was the most compelling deal of any we got at the time. We ended up with a 24' Premier PTX with a 200 HP motor and haven't regretted it since. I don't think you can go wrong with the Premier line of Pontoons, but, I also don't think you can go wrong with a Berkshire either. Good luck with your decision. See you on the lake.