Good-bye Go Fast boat, Hello Pontoon

[Old Screwball]

Hi Everyone, I'm Steve and new to Pontoon boats. Our go fast Seadoo boat (255hp with a blower) had to go away, just not enough room for the kids, grand kids, and their water toys. Sooooo, we took a giant loss and bought a brand shinny new Sun Tracker 18' Party Barge. The transom limit was 75hp, so we ordered it with the 75hp 4 stroke Mercury, which came with a 13 pitch prop. Love the 'toon, BUT 22mph is going to take some getting used to.

Can I bug some of you Old Salts for some Propeller info. Every 'prop calculator' goes through the same questions, WOT rpm, WOT speed, diameter and pitch. If I pitch up the prop from a 13 to a 15 or 17 can I expect a few mph more. I know I'm going to loose 200 to 600 rpm, but have no idea about speed.

Thanks in advance for your help. Lovin this barge.

Oh, I installed a 45psi, 4gpm RV water pump. At 67 years old, I've got the nastiest water gun on the lake. Bunch of old men with too much time on their hands.....

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Good-bye Go Fast boat, Hello Pontoon

You can and you may pick up 1 to 3 mph but if the WOT rpm and in the sweet spot, lean back and enjoy the ride. I wont really make much difference, its a displacement hull not a plaining hull.

 

[egclassic]

Re: Good-bye Go Fast boat, Hello Pontoon

I just replaced the motor on my toon this year and was trying to figure out what prop was "right" for my motor.
After using all the online calculators, just to be given a wide range of pitches i could have guessed myself, I called my local prop dealer (Delta Propellers). He determined I needed a 13-1/2"x13P prop, so I bought it and installed. Big improvement over the 13x17 prop that was currently installed.
BTW, I just sold our go fast boat also, gas was killing me! Decided to keep our toon and restore it, glad I did.

 

[WaterDR]

Re: Good-bye Go Fast boat, Hello Pontoon

Pontoon sales are booming in many parts of the states. We just bought our third.

As to going fast, buy a jetski. We have always owned both and a jet skit is a great way to scratch the go-fast itch and even tube etc...

As to having the "right" prop, as you know, it is really a matter of trade-off. Best advice I can give you and go with the prop where with just one rider and lightly loaded will come just shy of hitting red-line. If you prop it too much for speed, you will be dissappointed when you are under a heavy load and the few extra mph, will just be nothing more than a few extra mph.

A lot of toon owners carry two props....one for light and one for heavier loads. I thought about that, but the boat is always in the water and changing props is a pain for just a modest gain.

I have a 13.5 x 15 on mine and is the exact same prop the dealer installed and water tested. I hit 6200 with just me (around 30 mph) and still make around 5600 to 5800 rpms with 14 people on it. Not sure I could do any better than that.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Good-bye Go Fast boat, Hello Pontoon

Oh, I installed a 45psi, 4gpm RV water pump. At 67 years old, I've got the nastiest water gun on the lake. Bunch of old men with too much time on their hands.....

I love it! Don't let 'em make you grow up Screwball. Sounds like a fifteen would be worth a try, but it really is all about the RPMs. Unless I missed it you didn't tell us what you're getting now, but if you can give up a few hundred and still be within the prescribed RPM band give it a shot. I do think you should be able to expect a little more than 21 mph out of that rig at WOT.

 

[Old Screwball]

Re: Good-bye Go Fast boat, Hello Pontoon

Thanks all for the help, guess I'll have to learn to live with the speed of the Party Barge, and use the SeaDoo's for our 'need for speed'

Can I ask another?? Not only am I new to Pontoons, new to outboards also. All of the previous boats and PWCs were go fast jets. WOT meant 60mph+ so you didn't run open very often for very long. In reading all the threads it seems that running WOT on an outboard is the thing to do.... Am I guessing this wrong, won't that kind of beat the engine to an early death??

Again, sorry about all the questions, but a rookie has to learn somehow. Even us OLD rookies

 

[NorthportTroller]

Re: Good-bye Go Fast boat, Hello Pontoon

Let's see some pics of this thing!!

 

[The Rooster]

Re: Good-bye Go Fast boat, Hello Pontoon

NOOOOOO. Don't do it !!! Outboards love to rev, but they don't NEED to rev at wot all the time. I think you'll find most of us are running 3500 - 4500 rpms at normal cruising and that's the sweet spot for economy for most outboards anyway. Welcome and send pic . Good luck !!

 

[WaterDR]

Re: Good-bye Go Fast boat, Hello Pontoon

Like he said. An outboard can run WOT a lot w/o any issues. They are designed to run that way, unlike say a car engine. They are plenty happy running WOT. My previous 40 hp motors new nothing but WOT....last one went 12 years and is still running. Frankly, with a 40 hp on a 24 ft pontoon, WOT is pretty much your only option

With that said, I would not run it at red-line non stop or if you are hitting the rev limiter. I have had multiple Yamaha mechanics tell me to run it and run it if I want.

Also, like the previous poster stated, there is also fuel efficiency to concern yourself with. Depending on the motor, it will run the most efficient at around 4,000 or 4,500.....maybe less. It will sip the least amount of fuel at idle, but when you factor in the distance traveled, 4,000 will get you the furtherst on the least amount of fuel. Running it at 6,000 will get you there faster, but use fuel at 2 to 3 times faster.

if I need to go, I might nail it, then back off. 5500 if I am in a hury and 4,000 if I just want to cruise.

 

[Old Screwball]

Re: Good-bye Go Fast boat, Hello Pontoon

Pictures you ask??? NEVER ask a Grandfather with a digital camera if he has any pictures!! Both pictures are in Blackies Cove, Laughlin Nevada, on the Colorado River. Maiden voyage with our oldest son. 1st picture is Son and his very pregnant wife. They are the reasons for the go fast boat going away. With soon to be Grandson coming in 2 months, there just wasn't room for the 'hoard' in the old boat. Picture #2 is 3 year old granddaughter Charlotte. First female child born into the family in 2 generations..... yes, she is spoiled. The toon is named after her "Charlotte's Tub Toy"

 

[The Rooster]

Re: Good-bye Go Fast boat, Hello Pontoon

Another poster child for the Party barge lifestyle. She's precious. Only thing I don't see is the BBQ pit !!!

 

[xfanatic]

Re: Good-bye Go Fast boat, Hello Pontoon

How about some pics of that water cannon! I have a double decker pontoon that is begging for a cannon on top.

 

[NorthportTroller]

Re: Good-bye Go Fast boat, Hello Pontoon

Pictures you ask??? NEVER ask a Grandfather with a digital camera if he has any pictures!! Both pictures are in Blackies Cove, Laughlin Nevada, on the Colorado River. Maiden voyage with our oldest son. 1st picture is Son and his very pregnant wife. They are the reasons for the go fast boat going away. With soon to be Grandson coming in 2 months, there just wasn't room for the 'hoard' in the old boat. Picture #2 is 3 year old granddaughter Charlotte. First female child born into the family in 2 generations..... yes, she is spoiled. The toon is named after her "Charlotte's Tub Toy"

Ahaha, nice man!!

 

[Old Screwball]

Re: Good-bye Go Fast boat, Hello Pontoon

Another poster child for the Party barge lifestyle. She's precious. Only thing I don't see is the BBQ pit !!!

There is a Colman propane barbecue folded up under the aft couch. When we put in the water pump for the squirt gun, I installed a second battery and isolator so if we got carried away I could still start the Barge. Also have 2 high volume, low pressure air pumps back there for filling floaties. We have been into boats for a long time, just didn't have near the room we have now. Just wish I had 60 or 70 thousand laying around so I could have bought that 24 foot Tri-toon with the 250 Merc..... or the cheetah deck boat... or or or.

 

[EricJRW]

Re: Good-bye Go Fast boat, Hello Pontoon

Oh, I installed a 45psi, 4gpm RV water pump. At 67 years old, I've got the nastiest water gun on the lake. Bunch of old men with too much time on their hands.....

How much something like that cost? I think it's a cool idea. We have neighbors with wave runs who like to splash. I would love to splash back. Do post a pic please.

BTW, great looking water. I wish Lake Granbury looked like the Colorado River.

 

[JGator]

Re: Good-bye Go Fast boat, Hello Pontoon

We just jumped into the pontoon world too. Love the cruisin' over the scootin'

 

[Old Screwball]

Re: Good-bye Go Fast boat, Hello Pontoon

How much something like that cost? I think it's a cool idea. We have neighbors with wave runs who like to splash. I would love to splash back. Do post a pic please.

BTW, great looking water. I wish Lake Granbury looked like the Colorado River.

Bought water pumppump at Camping World, it was 60 bucks, on closeout table. You don't want much less than 45psi and 3gpm, won't get enough water flow or pressure. Cut up an old 1/2 inch garden hose for the intake, it fit through the hole in the floor under the seats where the power lines feed to the helm. Ran the hose along the deck to the motor transom then wire tied it to the bottom of the engine mount. Pump is self priming. Output of the pump goes to a hose bib in the front of the aft couch. Quick connect fitting to attach a coiled hose. Right now I'm just using a hose nozzle, but we are making a 'cannon' out of PVC. We have consideputtingting misters along the top rail, gets very hot here in the Colorado River Valley. I'd take pictures, but the boat is at our house in Arizona, we are back in California now.

There is about a 5mph current on the river, the pictures were taken in a man made cove that eventually will be a sheltered beach and park. not finished yet.

 

[Rancherlee]

Re: Good-bye Go Fast boat, Hello Pontoon

Prop for a slight over rev with a light load, that's about all you can do with a conventional 2 tube pontoon. If your turning around 6000rpm currently then that's about the best you can do............... Unless........... My boat ran 22mph with this 70, currently running 29-30mph with a 3rd pontoon, and I'm just finishing adding strakes and under skinning and shooting for 32-33mph with a 70hp, which is dang fast for a 70hp toon! I know this motor has more in it, It ran 36 mph on my Lund Pike which weighs the same as my pontoon and wasn't the best hull design.

 

[junkman41]

Re: Good-bye Go Fast boat, Hello Pontoon

sit back and enjoy the view,

 

[gpfishingdude]

Re: Good-bye Go Fast boat, Hello Pontoon

Go to Utube and look up fast pontoon boats and you can see one doing 100 mph. I have seen racing boats flip at 85 mph in the races on Memorial Day. The water cannon sounds like fun if you have friends who are into water fights. I want to download dueling banjos and the music from JAWS to play while we are fishing and when the kids are swimming.