new to pontoons

[floater212]

Does the extra tube (tri-toon ) have more capacity than a pontoon of same size and hp?

 

[Jeff J]

The third pontoon ads buoyancy so a tri would have a higher capacity than a 2 tube boat. I don’t have boats handy to compare placards.

 

[jlh3rd]

Probably....I've got a twin, 25" diameters pontoons, 24'.
Capacity is 12 people. Maybe google a similar tri toon for comparison.

 

[Jeff J]

I think the tag on the 25’ tri at work says 14 people. Some of that has to do with how it is configured. It is more of a weight thing than a number of people thing.

 

[airshot]

Most tags figure 150# per person, how many adults do you know that weigh 150# or less.....probably not many, so use the total weight for persons, gear and motor....

 

[jlh3rd]

not debating the realistic value of a capacity plate. Just suggested using it as a comparison between a twin tube vs a tri-toon .
My capacity plate says 12 people OR 1700 lbs....do the math.

 

[airshot]

not debating the realistic value of a capacity plate. Just suggested using it as a comparison between a twin tube vs a tri-toon .
My capacity plate says 12 people OR 1700 lbs....do the math.

Just shows how inaccurate those figures can be....that equals 140# per person, better give each one a paddle as there is no extra for a motor....or if the averaged 150# each person, the boat would be overweight before they got their paddles ! Most experienced voters would subtract the motor weight and gear, then figure how many passengers with what weight was left.
Years back, I was loading my boat onto the trailer as a DNR officer was doing a safety inspection on the boat next to me. He was telling them they were overloaded with the number of people on the boat. Having 6 adults in a small boat was putting it at its maximum weight not including the four children. The boat owner was arguing that the children did not count because they were sitting on the adults laps so their weight did not count !
Only in America........

 

[DeepCMark58A]

Trust me if the boat holds a dozen people you don't want that many people on the pontoon, let's just say performance drops off from boat performance to people as well.

 

[jlh3rd]

9 is a max comfortable # for my boat....there isn't too much performance even then though
I could pull five teens on two tubes with 4 in the boat and had just enough torque in the 115 hp to make em laugh.

 

[jlh3rd]

Just shows how inaccurate those figures can be....that equals 140# per person, better give each one a paddle as there is no extra for a motor....or if the averaged 150# each person, the boat would be overweight before they got their paddles ! Most experienced voters would subtract the motor weight and gear, then figure how many passengers with what weight was left.
Years back, I was loading my boat onto the trailer as a DNR officer was doing a safety inspection on the boat next to me. He was telling them they were overloaded with the number of people on the boat. Having 6 adults in a small boat was putting it at its maximum weight not including the four children. The boat owner was arguing that the children did not count because they were sitting on the adults laps so their weight did not count !
Only in America........

lol..
genius....like this guy.

 

[Jeff J]

Overweight boats drive about as good as overweight airplanes fly. I used to ferry 240 gallons of fuel in 8 steel caddies on a 23’ tritoon. Usually with one passenger. Sometimes we also hauled 15-20 bags of ice in addition to the fuel. It got a little nerve wracking when the lake was slightly rough. I always slowed down and idled across a wake. Just the fuel alone was 1440 pounds.

 

[jlh3rd]

eh...yea...kinda.
An over-weight airplane can fly ok....but you're putting yourself into a test pilot role as published operating airspeeds limitations do not apply. That can be taken into account and adjusted for, such as when returning to the field immediately after takeoff.
But a CG out of balance , whether overweight or not, can kill you immediately.
Unlike a boat.

 

[Jeff J]

Yeah, have to stay within CG limits. Landing gear has a lot to do with gross weight. Many aircraft can’t land as heavy as they can takeoff and fly with without risking damage.