Deciding on a pontoon boat

[Cberault]

Hello all, I am new to forum. I just got back from the NOLA boat show and I have decided that a pontoon boat would be perfect for me and the family. Before the baby, my wife and I had a pair of yamaha jet skis (GP1300 for me and FX 140 for her). Now I want all of us, including the baby and dogs, to enjoy water sports.
Here's what I want: A 24'-25' tri toon with plenty of power to pull tubers and skiers while having 6-8 people onboard. I really like that South Bay 925 Sport! Any suggestions on a first pontoon boat??
I've never been a mercury engine fan. I am a yamaha fan considering my experience with the PWCs. Again, I am open to suggestions. Is 250-300 hp too much?
I like the ski tow bar, I like the stereo with a sub, but being new to this particular kind of boat, I'm not sure what to look for.
I think buying new-used would be the best option. Are there any dos and don'ts when shopping for a pontoon?

I'm just looking for any suggestions as far as brands, engine, options, etc

Thanks,

CB

 

[The Rooster]

Re: Deciding on a pontoon boat

I bet you liked that 925 Sport, CB, who wouldn't. On a barge that size, with what you're looking to do, 200-225 hp. would probably be minimum. If that was Wendell & crew from Premiere Performance, they'll hang a Yamaha on the back for you since you hate us Mercury people. I'm sure you already know you're looking at some major bucks for a 925 Sport w/ 200-300 hp. Good luck !!!

 

[cwarends]

Re: Deciding on a pontoon boat

I have a Bennington 2013 2550 RSR (25') , ESP package, with Yamaha F250.
Runs 44MPH and with the larger center tune turns and handles great.
Many options available to interior. Take a look at Bernnington, they have (4) models levels with different price points.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Deciding on a pontoon boat

CB, I like your style; go big or go home.:lol: You certainly won't have any problems doing what you've said you want to do with the rig you've described, but just for giggles you might also consider boats in the 22 foot range. Given the size of your typical crew you may find that's big enough, in which case you'd be able to dial back the horsepower and get the same performance as well as have a boat that's easier to tow and handle. Happy hunting and welcome aboard.

 

[Cycleman07]

Re: Deciding on a pontoon boat

South Bay makes a great product and the 925 Sport with a 250 HP hanging off the back would certainly turn some heads. Let us know your final decision!

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: Deciding on a pontoon boat

Warning...I sell Bennington pontoons for a living so I am biased. Take a look at this video link. The boat in the video is a 2013 Bennington R22 with a 250 Yamaha and the ESP tube setup. 44MPH and turns on a dime. We were bored and took it out on the day before Thanksgiving. You don't say anything about the budget. This one is $79,000. I'm not trying to sell you this boat...just giving you an idea of what is possible.

 

[Cberault]

Re: Deciding on a pontoon boat

Thanks for the input!

The South Bay I named I believe is in that $80K range too. I like the idea of dialing back a couple of feet to go lower on power. How much does 3 ft save me on buying a tritoon? Honestly, I am giving myself a $40K budget +/- depending on what I find.

Rooster, hate is such a strong word. I never said I hate Mercury engines. I just preferred yamaha or honda because of a trusted name, but if I can save a noticeable amount and have the same reliability, then I'm game!
I'm coming to y'all for input, I came to the forum to get all experiences good/bad and to educate myself.

What is the ESP tube/package? Is this simply a larger tube in the middle for better turning response? All tubes a standard thickness across all brands? Aluminum mounted underneath between the tubes a must?
With some of these sport toons they don't look like they have large bimini tops? I want enough shade as I do sun.

Thanks again for taking the time to respond!

CB

 

[brotherkicksave]

Re: Deciding on a pontoon boat

We just finished our first year of ownership with our 23 foot Crest Tritoon. We purchased the boat, new, with a double bimini top, additional "filler seat", and a Garmin GPS/fishfinder for $40,000. The boat is powered by a Mercury Optimax 150 and has a ski tow bar installed from the factory. We had the boat on the water sunday. With 7 adults, 3 children, 3 coolers of food/beer, and 23 gallons of fuel (1/2 tank) we saw 29 MPH at W.O.T.

 

[suneshop]

Re: Deciding on a pontoon boat

Check out Crest Pontoons. We ordered a 23' Crest ll tritoon cp3 package with 250hp Optimax 250 pro XS (new 2012) with new trailer for the amount of money you have budgeted.

 

[lakegeorge]

Re: Deciding on a pontoon boat

Buy the Bennington. I don't like our Mercury 150 4 stroke as this is the 2nd one that the dealer has put on our boat and the performance isn't very good and the first one blew up.

We have a 23ft Berkshire and while we love the boat, Forest River has almost no customer support. I don't want to take the time to explain, I'll just say I would never buy from them again.

 

[Cycleman07]

Re: Deciding on a pontoon boat

Buy the Bennington. I don't like our Mercury 150 4 stroke as this is the 2nd one that the dealer has put on our boat and the performance isn't very good and the first one blew up.

We have a 23ft Berkshire and while we love the boat, Forest River has almost no customer support. I don't want to take the time to explain, I'll just say I would never buy from them again.

Ive had a few questions for them since owning my boat and they have been fantastic. Maybe you just had a bad experience. Bennington is not the end all of Pontoons. Just because something cost a lot of money doesnt make it the best. Im not saying they dont have a good product but the lovefest is hard to understand. I have a friend with a 60K Bennington that is envious of my South Bay. It all depends on your taste. Amongst the nicer manufacturers Benny, Harris, Berkshire/South Bay, Manitou, etc. there is very little difference.

 

[lakegeorge]

Re: Deciding on a pontoon boat

Ive had a few questions for them since owning my boat and they have been fantastic. Maybe you just had a bad experience. Bennington is not the end all of Pontoons. Just because something cost a lot of money doesnt make it the best. Im not saying they dont have a good product but the lovefest is hard to understand. I have a friend with a 60K Bennington that is envious of my South Bay. It all depends on your taste. Amongst the nicer manufacturers Benny, Harris, Berkshire/South Bay, Manitou, etc. there is very little difference.

Actually, I have had more than one bad experience with them. My boat has been at the dealer for a Month and a half trying to get a mooring cover. Ours was stolen just before Christmas, the 1st mooring cover that Berkshire sent was to small, the 2nd one is so tight that the dealer wants to have their canvas guy cut it in half and add 3 inches to it to make it fit better.
It will be over 2 Months before we get it back, that's not good service.

I called Forest River 2 times and got voice mail & never got a return call back. I e-mailed them and got the auto message that they would respond wothin 24/48 hr's guess what that was 2 weeks ago and no reply.
I won't even go into the 2 Months that we waited for our motor as Mercury had no parts to build it and we were never told of the delay when we ordered our boat. When the dealer put it on our boat and took it out for a test ride it blew a 3" hole in the side of the block. I've only had one problem with the 2nd motor and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will run ok.

I love the quality of the Berkshire as stated above, but not the service.

 

[Cycleman07]

Re: Deciding on a pontoon boat

Actually, I have had more than one bad experience with them. My boat has been at the dealer for a Month and a half trying to get a mooring cover. Ours was stolen just before Christmas, the 1st mooring cover that Berkshire sent was to small, the 2nd one is so tight that the dealer wants to have their canvas guy cut it in half and add 3 inches to it to make it fit better.
It will be over 2 Months before we get it back, that's not good service.

I called Forest River 2 times and got voice mail & never got a return call back. I e-mailed them and got the auto message that they would respond wothin 24/48 hr's guess what that was 2 weeks ago and no reply.
I won't even go into the 2 Months that we waited for our motor as Mercury had no parts to build it and we were never told of the delay when we ordered our boat. When the dealer put it on our boat and took it out for a test ride it blew a 3" hole in the side of the block. I've only had one problem with the 2nd motor and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will run ok.

I love the quality of the Berkshire as stated above, but not the service.

Ouch...that does not sound pleasant at all. Im sorry you had trouble on the cover. The motor part is a Mercury issue though not a Forest River issue. My point really is that everyone thinks that Bennington makes the best pontoon boats and that subjective to say the least. The better manufacturers all build the boats with 16" crossmembers, through bolts, stainless hardware, etc. and most offer the same warranties or real close.

 

[lakegeorge]

Re: Deciding on a pontoon boat

Cycleman, I agree, Pontoons basically are bullet proof and I would compare mine to a Benny anytime. I think some of my problems also lie with the dealer, I'm just frustrated that it's taking so long to get this resolved.
This is our 3rd toon and they all have been excellent as far as quality goes, the first was a Lowes, then Sweetwater and now Berkshire.

 

[Capt Sully]

Re: Deciding on a pontoon boat

The motor part is a Mercury issue though not a Forest River issue. My point really is that everyone thinks that Bennington makes the best pontoon boats and that subjective to say the least.

Cycleman, I'm with you and a very Happy owner. :hail:

 

[WaterDR]

Re: Deciding on a pontoon boat

If you are looking for a more high-powered, sporty type of toon, check out JC Toons.

 

[Cycleman07]

Re: Deciding on a pontoon boat

If you are looking for a more high-powered, sporty type of toon, check out JC Toons.

I second this. JC actually owns the Trademark on Tri-Toon and invented the concept. They make a very quality product as well. They utilize the U shaped pontoons and seem to perform really well. You wont necessarily get all the bells and whistles you will on some of the others but if you want a boat that will last a life time and out perform most all others look at JC.

 

[Silver Eagle]

Re: Deciding on a pontoon boat

Did you ever look at a deck boat. They are fast have I/os up to 300HP and above Muck beter for towing And less problems. I wish I had one.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Deciding on a pontoon boat

Warning....I build Bennington pontoons so I am very bias.

Airdvr, is that the coolest thing ever, the last 2 company boats we have had on the lake were IOs, the last with the new 380 horse Volvo, with the ESP and wow, the handling is just insane, to spin a 25 like that is just nuts, I have the new one reserved for the weekend of June 29th and can't wait after your little video.

This years is a 25 R ESP with a 300 Yamaha outboard an arch and the Wet Sounds Stereo upgrade.

If you want to know exactly what ESP is go to the Benny website and check out all the videos but it is our answer to the banking pontoon.

A lot of other companies were making banking pontoons and to keep up we had to come up with something that banked but keeping up isn't what we do at Bennington, we innovate, so we threw science at the problem and came up with the Elliptical pontoon, 25'' tall x32'' wide.

Some solved the problem by making the center tube larger diameter or mounting it lower on the boat which does make it bank but it also creates and inherently unstable boat, with the elliptical you maintain the 25'' tube height but have a 32'' width so the water "sees" the center as a 32'' tube and with our chine/foil package you get the banking pontoon with more flotation.


We actually do build a better boat seriously, if you get on your hands and knees and tear yourself away from all the pretty bits on top of the boat and get down to how they are actually built, there are certainly others that build boats to our standards but not many.

Every nut bolt washer and screw are stainless steel- as are our corner castings and cleats- our decks and rails are through bolted not screwed on- our cross members are heavier gauge stock and we use heavy M brackets where some use what we would call deck trim as their brackets, it gives a full length bracket but it has no lateral strength being just an upright.

Our rails are welded then anodized not made from anodized stock and painted like some do and it goes on and on.

Just the amount of weld on the tubes is many times what others are putting on their tubes, our boats are a bit more expensive because there is more to them and yes you can spend 100K but we also make entry level boats that start in the teens and they all have a 7 year stem to stern warranty, there is a reason we can offer that.


Saying all pontoons are the same is like saying a Mercedes and a Chevy Aveo are the same, they both have 4 tires and a steering wheel but there are vast differences in the engineering and quality.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Deciding on a pontoon boat

This posting's bouncing around a little. Let me make some short points:
. Pontoon/tritoons are somewhat generic at face value. There are construction differences if you can see up under the boat, however. Quality welding and quality seating is easy to spot.
. I especially like Bennington, Manitou, Premier and Harris. But there are a dozen other brands I'd also be proud to own.
. Pontoon/tritoons are great values in recreation, as they will easily last 30 years if properly maintained. I still have a 1985 pontoon in good condition.
. You can custom order or equip a pontoon/tritoon to exactly match your needs for now and in the future.
. You'll always spend 110% of your budget--mark my word.
. Nobody ever complains about buying the biggest motor they can afford, or the highest hp their hull will handle.
. Try to buy local, if your dealer's fair on price and good on service. Otherwise, shop around. It's easy to figure out which dealers are willing to compete for your business with a fair price. Don't hesitate to go on Boattrader.com to shop regionally.
. For your $40K price point, you should be looking for a 22' to 24' tri hull boat with a 150 hp motor and lifting strakes on the hull. You'll also be getting a tandem axle heavy duty trailer.
. All major pontoon manufacturers have 3-4 different model boats, and most have a tritoon that's designed for 150 hp max. That is the hull configuration that's most in demand on the retail market.
. Don't get caught up on one brand. If no one's wanting to deal with you on Brand X, find a closeby dealer with Brand Y.
. Don't consider getting a pontoon/tritoon boat with 90 hp or more without lifting strakes on the hull. They provide + 5 mph and much better fuel economy. The whole thing is to get the nosecones out of the water so the boat handles and runs much better.

I have a new Bennington 24SSLX with the rear facing sunbed, Express Performance Package (w/strakes and underskinning), SeaStar hydraulic steering and F150 Yamaha (4 stroke.) With a Yamaha Reliance ss 15 pitch prop, we're running 40 mph @ 6000 rpm's. That's about 3-4 mph less than the big boy boats, but at half the cost. This boat is Bennington's entry level boat, but it's as nice a boat as I want. It will also do anything I ask of it, and is very seaworthy.