buying pontoon

[njmont]

family use some fishing salt water environment 20 to 25 feet who manufactures the best.

 

[5150abf]

Re: buying pontoon

Welcome to iboats.

I will qualify this by saying that I work there but Bennington is regarded as the best pontoon but there are certainly others that are at the top, right off hand Manitou is a very good boat also, Starcraft and Smoker Craft are good and there is a new company called Silver Wave that is pretty impressive, I'm sure others will weigh in with there favorite.

Tracker and Godfrey(Aqua patio, Sweet water ect, they have several brands) are pretty entry level and I really don't care for Southbay, their construction leaves alot to be desired.

The things to look for in a quality pontoon is through bolted decks and rails, using 3/4 marine ply, M style brackets fully welded and no wood in the furniture and of coarse compare warranties, there are big differences there.

Just go to all the dealers in your area and see what is out there, having a local dealer is very imporatant, a good warranty does you little good if you have to drive 50-100 miles to a dealer, something will grab your eye.

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: buying pontoon

5150 makes some good points but the 'best' depends on you and your use. How much family use? What type of family use? (skiing, tubing, slow cruising, etc.) How much salt water usage? New? Used? Your budget?

Answer these questions and you'll get even better answers. And welcome to the forum.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: buying pontoon

+1 on #2 and #3. State your anticipated uses, new/used? and budget. You'll get more advice if your needs are clarified.

If you're looking at new, prices are all over the place. Many people don't need the expense or quality of a Bennington, Premier or Manitou. $60k boats are common today with hi performance tri-toons and big engines--not commonly needed for most people. Bentley is another good brand of more popularly priced boats.