Help w/buying 1st pontoon boat

[kshebel2]

Hi! I'm very wet behind the ears w/the whole boating thing. I'm looking at buying a 1994 Lowe 24' pontoon boat. Has a 25 hp Johnson motor. To tell you how new I am at this, I dont really know if it's an outboard or not. I'm assuming outboard means you can easily remove the motor, like a motor you'd put on a jon boat. Am I right? This particular motor is not "installed" in the boat, it hangs off the back. Any way. Any suggestions as to what to look for when looking at this boat, would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks!

 

[Dave Abrahamson]

Re: Help w/buying 1st pontoon boat

I'm not really a pontoon boat (or any other boat) expert by any means, but a 25HP on a 24' pontoon boat will probably barely go against the wind..if it's not a strong wind. Maybe a 70 to 90 HP would be more reasonable.<br />Use it as a kicker and up grade to more HP and I think you will be much happier.<br /><br />Dave<br /><br />P.S Welcome to iboats and keep posting!

 

[voxmorgan]

Re: Help w/buying 1st pontoon boat

If the motor hangs off the back it is a Outboard. I agree with Dave a 25hp on a 24' boat is a bit under powered, but will work.

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Help w/buying 1st pontoon boat

I think you might be surprised what the 25Hp can do. My friends have a really old pontoon boat with steel pontoons and that thing scoots around with just a merc 9.8. Although you would not be disappointed in having more HP.<br /><br />Here are my two cents. I owned a 20ft pontoon with 19" tubes and a 50Hp motor.<br /><br />If I were you I would look for a boat with the largest tubes you can get(21"+). I would make sure the motor has tilt/trim capability. YOu only need the tilt function to get it out of the water and to help in beaching. Inspect the underside of the deck looking for rot. You don't want to buy a boat that needs the deck replaced. Inspect all of the furniture frames. If wooden, look for rot, mold, etc.. If plastic, that is good, simply evaluate the condition of the vinyl.<br /><br />You will find very few Pontoons that do not have outboard power. Since you do not know much about boats, I presume that carries over to the mechanical side of the outboard. I would have the engine looked at by a marine mechanic. Without a little bit of knowledge in this area it would be easy to get s*****d.<br /><br />Do not buy without a water test. Motors can run fine on muffs and then stumble in the water. If they do not want to let you test it, find another one..<br /><br />A lot of the factors depend on what you plan to do with it.

 

[youngboater]

Re: Help w/buying 1st pontoon boat

I also say that for 24' of boat and only 25 HP this seems under powered. Even though pontoons aren't made for speed that seems like it will be on the slow boat to China. Just my thoughts

 

[quantumleap]

Re: Help w/buying 1st pontoon boat

Hey Just me, welcome to the site. You can use the search icon and FAQ section to help answer all your questions about buying a new boat. Here are a couple of friendly tips to help you out as you enter the world of boating: read, research and learn as much as you can about boats, outboards and maintenance BEFORE you make a purchase. Much of that knowledge can be found right here. Make sure the type of boat you select fits your needs. Take a few test rides if possible with friends or dealers to help determine what type of boat you want and how much power you feel you need. Make sure either you or a dealer thoroughly check out the boat and motor BEFORE you buy it. Nothing will ruin the boating experience faster than buying someone else's problems. Good luck.

 

[PatPatterson]

Re: Help w/buying 1st pontoon boat

I also am new to the boat thing, and <br />own a 20' with a 40 HP Yamaha. We fish and <br />putt around the lake, and it is all we need, so<br />far, but I don't think a 25 would be enough.

 

[kshebel2]

Re: Help w/buying 1st pontoon boat

Thanks for all of the helpful advice! I appreciate it!

 

[SpinnerBait_Nut]

Re: Help w/buying 1st pontoon boat

I have a 24'er with a 9.9 Merc on it and it does just fine.<br /><br />Mine is an all aluminum pontoon which you do away with the rot subject.<br /><br />If you can, fine one that is all aluminum.<br />They are out there.<br /><br />You will be a lot better off if you can.<br /><br />Check and see how it sits in the water.<br />If it sits down on one side more than the other, look and see if there is more gear on that side, fuel tanks, etc.<br />If not, it might have a leak in one of the tubes.<br /><br />You should like was said, have the motor tested by a marine mechanic.

 

[TPD211]

Re: Help w/buying 1st pontoon boat

A rule of thumb for pontoons is minimun 50 hp if you want to do cruising of any distance. If your gonna putt putt around the local lake, the 25 will do....barely.<br /><br />Figure out where you are gonna use the boat and decide accordingly.<br /><br />Check www.boattrader.com for comps on it.<br /><br />Good luck and have fun with it.

 

[BillP]

Re: Help w/buying 1st pontoon boat

My 20' pontoon boat with 50hp 4 stroke makes 19.5 mph with the gps. My neighbors almost identical 20' pontoon boat with 40hp 2 stroke makes 17mph with the gps. I'd guess a 24' pontoon with 25hp would get at least 10-12 mph.

 

[kshebel2]

Re: Help w/buying 1st pontoon boat

I've got a bit more information about the pontoon boat: It's a 1994 24' Lowe, 25hp Johnson, all aluminum, it has the larger tubes, I think 24"? It has 2 lg bench seats in the back, the seats fold up for storage. There is 2 other bench seats facing eachother with a table. There is 2 fishing seats with a live well on the front of the boat. It has a trolling (sp?) motor. The captains seat is worn, but has a lot of instruments. There is a sliding ladder, meaning it slides off to the side so it's out of the way, when you're not using it. It's in pretty good condition. Theres a bit of moss growing on the carpet on the outside frame of the boat (not actually on the inside deck). Hasnt been registered since 2000. We're going to take it out for a test drive in the next few days. What do you experts think????

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Help w/buying 1st pontoon boat

As I mentioned earlier, I found the tilt feature of my outboard very useful. If your intention is just putting around and putting it back on the lift that you probably do not need it. We would alway beach it on the sandbar and would have been very difficult wihtout the tilt..

 

[kshebel2]

Re: Help w/buying 1st pontoon boat

Thanks Rogerwa, I'm not sure the motor has a tilt. I'm assuming it does. We intend to use the boat for fishing, mainly, oh yeah, and catching a few bottle bass.

 

[kshatzer]

Re: Help w/buying 1st pontoon boat

Don't assume anything. Check and find out! I think you will be disappointed with a 25 HP. The biggest complaint about boats is from people who bought less HP because they were saving a few bucks and then being unhappy with it. I suggest you pass until you get more info on boats and can make a more informed choice.

 

[Tubingluvr]

Re: Help w/buying 1st pontoon boat

I just bought a 1985 24' Harris flotebote with a 2.5 120hp sterndrive and I love it.
1st time ever skiing behind a pontoon.

 

[BeerMonkey]

Re: Help w/buying 1st pontoon boat

i agree , the 25 is a bit small, fine for putting around a still lake. i have a 89 20' suntracker witha 40hp and i would like it a bit faster. also look to make sure the toon's arent damaged/split anywhere, and the fencing (railing) isnt damaged. the motor /pontoons/railing are the most expensive parts to fix. even if the decking isnt in the greatest shape its only about $600 to re-deck a pontonn if you do the work yourself

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Help w/buying 1st pontoon boat

Chances of this 25 HP motor having power trim are slim to none. There are a few around but they are relatively rare. I also agree that a 25 is not big enough for a 24 footer, but then it all depends on how big a body of water you will be boating on. If you can swim to shore from anyware, 25 HP is enough. If you are talking many miles of travel from where you launch to where you routinely go, you will find the trip painfully slow -- especially during a sudden thunderstorm. I have a 40 Suzy 4-stroke on an 18 footer and it works fine for me but I consider this a minimum setup. It is a 4-corner fishing 'toon so it sees hours of trolling rather than wide open long distance runs. If I were in a hurry, it would have a 75.

 

[DMAN1968]

Re: Help w/buying 1st pontoon boat

I own a 1987 Lowe 24 footer and I can tell ya...the 25 hp is pretty small for a boat that large. Mine originally had a 50 hp on it and would max out, with just me on it, at 18 mph per gps. Now, put 6 adults and a few kids on there and top speed was 8-10 mph per gps. I changed the motor out for an older (read very old) 115 hp and was able to get top speed up to 24 mph with a cruising speed of 16-18 mph loaded fairly well. Unfortunately speed increases on a pontoon boat are directly proportional to the exponential addition of horsepower.

Like others have said, If you only have a short way to go or don't mind cruising around at 6 mph then the 25 is fine. If you can't handle that though, find one with a bigger motor. No one ever complained about too much horsepower.

 

[fishntoss]

Re: Help w/buying 1st pontoon boat

When you say it's all aluminum.. You sure thats all aluminum.. like the deck???