Help Deciding on First Boat?!?

[dubya1982]

Re: Help Deciding on First Boat?!?

I found a couple of pontoons that I like.

Brand new Sweetwater 20 footer w/ 90hp motor. $22,500 for boat and trailer. Do you guys have any opinions on Sweetwater? The toons are upgraded to 25", which I really don't understand the advantage of. Also has lighting dock, ski tow bar, depth finder.

The other one I've found is a Suntracker 22' w/ 60HP Big Foot motor. That one is $18K for boat and trailer, also brand new. Has similar features, except for depth finder and upgraded toons.

I can't decide if the 30HP difference is enough to justify spending over $4K more.

Opinions?

Boat will be used at a mid sized lake and will probably be taken out 2 or 3 times a month from April to September. Skiing and tubing would be nice, but aren't a priority. The lake is at sea level.

 

[cwarends]

Re: Help Deciding on First Boat?!?

I have a 2013 25 foot Bennington Tritoon with lifting strakes with F250 Yamaha motor. With 50 gallons of gas and two people I get 44MPh.
It handles better than the 27 foot I/O deep V that I traded in.
I have not loaded up with people yet to see what speeds it will run fully loaded (Only have 8 hours on it).
You can go to the Yamaha site and see performance tests for different pontoon and motor sizes.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Help Deciding on First Boat?!?

Sweetwaters are made by Godfrey, a well respected manufacturer. They're not top of the line, but they're good boats, and that seems like a competitive price for a brand new one thusly equipped. That configuration would give you what you need for occasional skiing and tubing. As for the 25 inch toons, generally speaking the larger the toon diameter the better the handling and drier the ride. 25 inches is not a huge upgrade from what's on most barges I don't think. You might find it a little crowded for more than a crew of six, whigh in my mind would be the only con for that rig. As for the Suntracker, that's a good size, but I think you'd be disappointed with the sixty horse. I think a couple of iboaters have that size boat and motor and could possibly overrule me on that. If someone held a gun to my head and forced me to choose between those two rigs I'd go with the Sweetwater.

 

[dubya1982]

Re: Help Deciding on First Boat?!?

Sweetwaters are made by Godfrey, a well respected manufacturer. They're not top of the line, but they're good boats, and that seems like a competitive price for a brand new one thusly equipped. That configuration would give you what you need for occasional skiing and tubing. As for the 25 inch toons, generally speaking the larger the toon diameter the better the handling and drier the ride. 25 inches is not a huge upgrade from what's on most barges I don't think. You might find it a little crowded for more than a crew of six, whigh in my mind would be the only con for that rig. As for the Suntracker, that's a good size, but I think you'd be disappointed with the sixty horse. I think a couple of iboaters have that size boat and motor and could possibly overrule me on that. If someone held a gun to my head and forced me to choose between those two rigs I'd go with the Sweetwater.

Thanks for the info!

The Sweetwater dealer also has the same boat with 27" toons for an additional $300. Do you think it is worth it to go ahead and get the biggest toon?

Will the bigger tunes make it easier to pull tubes and skiers?

 

[lncoop]

Re: Help Deciding on First Boat?!?

I wouldn't get too hung up on toon diameter and what it will or won't do for water sports (and I honestly don't know the answer to that question; someone else may). In any case I think it would be worth another $300 to get the bigger toons. But, have you ruled out used? You can get a whole lot of three or four year old barge for what you'd pay for that Sweetwater, and barges can be bought used with a great modicum of comfort because there's not nearly the potential for hidden issues that there is on other types of boats.

 

[dubya1982]

Re: Help Deciding on First Boat?!?

I wouldn't get too hung up on toon diameter and what it will or won't do for water sports (and I honestly don't know the answer to that question; someone else may). In any case I think it would be worth another $300 to get the bigger toons. But, have you ruled out used? You can get a whole lot of three or four year old barge for what you'd pay for that Sweetwater, and barges can be bought used with a great modicum of comfort because there's not nearly the potential for hidden issues that there is on othery types of boats.

I'm completely open to a used pontoon. We've been looking at boats for several weeks and it feels like we've looked at hundreds. The thing about pontoons is that the used ones are so high that I'd just assume pay a few thousand bucks more and get a brand new one. The used ones like we are looking for are in the $15K range for a 5 year old. Might as well just spend $5K more.

 

[lncoop]

Re: Help Deciding on First Boat?!?

No no no, dubya. You got the wrong attitude man. It's not about spending less. It's about getting more! Dig?

2011 Bennington Pontoon w/trailer
2010 G3 LV 208C Suncatcher Pontoon
2012 21FT LOWE TRI-TOON BOAT
Bennington 2275 Pontoon Boat in great condition. (no trailer, but you could buy a new one and still be under budget)

 

[lncoop]

Re: Help Deciding on First Boat?!?

Or,

Pontoon Boat (probably a little high, but in my world price is a synonym for suggestion)
2012 G3 SunCatcher 22' Pontoon With Yamaha 90HP
2012 BENTLEY 244 W 115 4 STROKE NEW BOAT
2008 Sweetwater with 90 Hp Yamaha very low hours
2011 Bentley Pontoon 22 ft.
2010 VOYAGER 22 SPORT FISH DELUXE W HONDA 115

 

[TTA89]

Re: Help Deciding on First Boat?!?

I'm completely open to a used pontoon. We've been looking at boats for several weeks and it feels like we've looked at hundreds. The thing about pontoons is that the used ones are so high that I'd just assume pay a few thousand bucks more and get a brand new one. The used ones like we are looking for are in the $15K range for a 5 year old. Might as well just spend $5K more.

I just had that same conversation.... I'm looking at new ones for the same reason.

 

[dubya1982]

Re: Help Deciding on First Boat?!?

We went out looking today and were ready to buy, but didn't pull the trigger. I wanted to come home and do a little research.

Do you guys know anything about Encore? I'm finding very little on the net about them. We found an Encore Bentley 220 w/ 115 hp. Dealer was asking $25,500, but offered to come down to $23,500. The boat felt cheaply made to me. My wife says she didn't think it felt that way.

Also found and liked a 22' Sweetwater w/ 115 hp for $25,500 w/ trailer and a 20' Sweetwater w/ 90 hp for $23,500 for boat and trailer. The Sweetwater dealer was stuck on the price and wouldn't budge an inch.

Any recommendations? We'd like to go get one tomorrow and I'm having trouble deciding between these. Any good/bad advice you can give on them would be appreciated.

 

[workerbee606]

Re: Help Deciding on First Boat?!?

We purchased a 2012 G3 22 ft toon last year with a YAmaha F115. We have seven kids and she has just enough room and plenty of power and speed and we can spend all day on the water on one tank of fuel with plenty to spare when cruising.

 

[mr geets]

Re: Help Deciding on First Boat?!?

I traded in my 18 foot inboard for my pontoon. In the excitement of getting the new pontoon I overlooked a couple of things that I regret now. I really miss power steering and the swing away trailer tongue. Underskinning would be nice too. After that how fat is your wallet as the sky is the limit. Gotta say we have had more happy hours fishing, family, camping (I got the full camper top) and just plain cruising. Have fun!

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Help Deciding on First Boat?!?

My new boat is a 2012 24' Bennington tritoon with a 150 hp Yamaha, and it's good for 40 mph.
My old pontoon was a 1985 24' Starcraft with U shaped twins and a Yamaha 115 hp 2 stroke. It accelerates great, but all of a sudden hits a wall where it just won't go any faster than 25 mph.

A twin tube will meet your needs, but only if it's equipped with lifting strakes on the toons and 115 hp. Getting the nosecones out of the water will give you another 5 mph and better fuel mileage. Underskinning is another popular option for smoother operation and better ride.

We just read too many comments online where people buy twin toon boats with 90 or 115 hp, and cannot pull skiers with them @ 22 mph. As an owner of a twin toon boat, I can honestly tell you they don't handle well in tight turns. My new tritoon handles much better, and carries another 1000 lbs of passengers.

It sounds if you're getting tired of the search. You can usually find anything you need on Boattrader.com and you can filter it by miles from your house. I wouldn't suggest buying any boat that you've not had in the water. If you have time to wait 6-8 weeks, you can order a boat exactly as you need it to fit your family's needs.

FYI: Encore is the name of the company that bought Bentley pontoons, a relatively budget brand of boats.

 

[WaterDR]

Re: Help Deciding on First Boat?!?

Bentley is an interesting story. They went bankrupt and you will read a lot of bad reviews because people got screwed on warranties. But they are under new ownership and making a comeback. They are aggressively targeting regions where they had not done business in the past and seem to make solid boats in an affordable price range. I would say that their toons range in price from 16k to 32k for a 24 footer with a 150 and a third toon.

They are selling zillions of them around here. Not heard a gripe from anyone.

 

[WaterDR]

Re: Help Deciding on First Boat?!?

They seem to be targeting first time boat owners and families. Everyone I see comes with a motor on it all ready. Fewer options too.

I would own one.

 

[dubya1982]

Re: Help Deciding on First Boat?!?

Bentley is an interesting story. They went bankrupt and you will read a lot of bad reviews because people got screwed on warranties. But they are under new ownership and making a comeback. They are aggressively targeting regions where they had not done business in the past and seem to make solid boats in an affordable price range. I would say that their toons range in price from 16k to 32k for a 24 footer with a 150 and a third toon.

They are selling zillions of them around here. Not heard a gripe from anyone.

I read the reviews online and knew that many of those were bought pre-bankruptcy. I decided to go ahead and roll the dice and get one. The warranty was the best of all the boats that I was looking at. I am a little leery because of the past BK and the possibility of another BK and losing my warranty.

We paid $23,500 for a Bentley 220 SE w/ 115hp Mercury and a tandem axle trailer. Has a bimini top, playpen cover, ski tow bar, and 25 inch toons, 4 speakers (similar boats had only 2). The dealer also loaded us up with supplies. 6 life jackets, 2 anchors, 150ft or tow rope, 4 bumpers.

Overall, I feel we got a pretty fair deal.