20 to 22 fishing type pontoon with app. 90+ hp.

[Dave-R]

Hello all: Wife and I are trying to find a pontoon boat that will do a little of everything. I just retired, and we are thinking of selling our Bayliner 17' fishing boat with a 120hp outboard and 6hp. kicker. And also sell our 2001 21'Rinker open bow.
We would like to get something to fish with mainly, but also to take to Lake Powell. 22' is about all I want to tandem pull behind the 5th.wheel. The wife is paranoid that the pontoon will not be able to get off the water fast enough, if the weather turns nasty. I found the perfect tritoon for 15000 but it only had a 50hp. Honda. Sure was set up nice had a Yamaha 8hp kicker and remote steering and looked great . Wife insists we need at least a 90hp. Will that much weight mean 25" tubes? Thanks for your input. Dave-R

 

[calvinator]

Re: 20 to 22 fishing type pontoon with app. 90+ hp.

Get a bigger motor from the get go, expensive to swap later! IMO, 50HP just a cruiser.
22"-25" tubes for the bigger motors, speed, and handling.

Here is a reference chart to compare pontoon with your other boats.

 

[WaterDR]

Re: 20 to 22 fishing type pontoon with app. 90+ hp.

Hello all: Wife and I are trying to find a pontoon boat that will do a little of everything. I just retired, and we are thinking of selling our Bayliner 17' fishing boat with a 120hp outboard and 6hp. kicker. And also sell our 2001 21'Rinker open bow.
We would like to get something to fish with mainly, but also to take to Lake Powell. 22' is about all I want to tandem pull behind the 5th.wheel. The wife is paranoid that the pontoon will not be able to get off the water fast enough, if the weather turns nasty. I found the perfect tritoon for 15000 but it only had a 50hp. Honda. Sure was set up nice had a Yamaha 8hp kicker and remote steering and looked great . Wife insists we need at least a 90hp. Will that much weight mean 25" tubes? Thanks for your input. Dave-R

Having a 50 on a tri toon is a real waste IMO. Not sure why someone would do that. Anyway, that toon would be perfectly matched with a 115 or a 150.

 

[Malibu Rudder]

Re: 20 to 22 fishing type pontoon with app. 90+ hp.

I highly recommend a 115 or 150. Either will give you enough power. In my opinion the only thing I do not like about a traditional 2-Toon boat is the amount of time it takes to turn around and get back to your skier or tuber. A Tritoon will help tremendously regarding turns. I believe you will need hydraulic steering if you go with a 150 but please check into this as I am not a professional just sharing some experiences.

 

[archerxx]

Re: 20 to 22 fishing type pontoon with app. 90+ hp.

That chart seems to be very accurate. First time I saw it, have 20 Ft pontoon with 75 Honda and get 22 under perfect conditions.

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: 20 to 22 fishing type pontoon with app. 90+ hp.

I would skip the tritoon with only a 50 HP. Waste of money and you will never be satisfied with it. I would go with a 90 HP 2 log, set up with a trolling motor. It will get you off the water pretty quickly if need be. I have a 20' 2 log with a 90 and it does fine. Good luck on your search and let us know what you decide..

 

[oldjeep]

Re: 20 to 22 fishing type pontoon with app. 90+ hp.

Chart looks pretty good, my dads 20ft fishin barge with a 50HP is good for about 17MPH

 

[Old Screwball]

Re: 20 to 22 fishing type pontoon with app. 90+ hp.

My humble opinion??? get the largest motor your transom will handle legally. You can always go slower. That chart is right on, I have an 18' with a 75hp, largest allowed on my transom. 24.6 mph on calm water, no breeze, GPS speedo. No skiing, lame tubing, and it takes a while to get anywhere. Next 'toon will be a tri with a 200+ hp motor.

 

[WaterDR]

Re: 20 to 22 fishing type pontoon with app. 90+ hp.

I agree the chart is dialed in. I have a 24Ft with a 115 and make 28. Since toons don't plane, they are pretty linear performance wise.

I just can't imagine why anyone would order a tri-toon with a 50. The only upside would be perhaps getting one more passenger on board. But with a 50, the thing is probably even slower with three toons, than with two due to weight. The whole point of a tri-toon is it allows a bigger motor. This is sort of like buying a 4 cyclinder vette.

That 50 is gong to be working its butt off.

 

[Dave-R]

Re: 20 to 22 fishing type pontoon with app. 90+ hp.

End of searching: We found a 2075 FSI Bennington with a 90hp. Yamaha 4 stroke. It's a 2007 with only 93 hrs. Really clean. It's our first pontoon boat, and we are so excited. I am impressed with the boat, seems to be very well made. It also has a huge ski locker in the floor, two live wells, and fishing pole storage. Wife really likes the change room, and roomy feeling on the boat. I'm going to try a troll-a-matic
troll plate to see if the Yamaha can go slow enough for fishing. Thanks for input and information from all. Dave -R.

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: 20 to 22 fishing type pontoon with app. 90+ hp.

Congrats on your new toon. You should see great service from the Yamaha (especially with those low hours) and you can't go wrong with the Bennington. Post some pics when you can..

 

[edthewrench]

Re: 20 to 22 fishing type pontoon with app. 90+ hp.

. Since toons don't plane, they are pretty linear performance wise. .

They don't? What about RPT toons?

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: 20 to 22 fishing type pontoon with app. 90+ hp.

They don't? What about RPT toons?

They crack very badly.

 

[WaterDR]

Re: 20 to 22 fishing type pontoon with app. 90+ hp.

They don't? What about RPT toons?

There are different methods for trying to "lift" toons out of the water, but they don't "plain" really. Then again, if you add enough power to any pontoon, they will eventually plane regardless fo what the tube design is....maybe even fly . Bust at the speeds shown on that chart, there is no planing. That's why the speeds are all linear.

 

[WaterDR]

Re: 20 to 22 fishing type pontoon with app. 90+ hp.

Ruptured Planing Tubes

 

[edthewrench]

Re: 20 to 22 fishing type pontoon with app. 90+ hp.

They crack very badly.

I thought they had that resolved when they redesigned them in 2012.

 

[Silver Eagle]

Re: 20 to 22 fishing type pontoon with app. 90+ hp.

Is it legal to pull any kind of trailer behind a Fifth wheeler. My father-in-law tried to do that In Maryland and was find $400.00 . He had to drop the trailer and tow his Fifth wheeler to his location then return to get his boat.

 

[Water logged]

Re: 20 to 22 fishing type pontoon with app. 90+ hp.

Different states have different laws. Not nice to hijack a thread

Glenn

 

[WaterDR]

Re: 20 to 22 fishing type pontoon with app. 90+ hp.

I thought they had that resolved when they redesigned them in 2012.

They have it taken care of now. In fact, my tubes were replaced and ran all last season with no water in them.

 

[WaterDR]

Re: 20 to 22 fishing type pontoon with app. 90+ hp.

This thread is all over the place:facepalm: