new to pontooning and looking at one tomorrow

[xirocrtx]

I have had several boats, both inboard and outboard and always wanted a pontoon. I have been on this site with great results. I think a pontoon might have popped up for a good deal and just wanted to know what everyone thought. I do all my own maintenance and repairs. I am not going to get a chance to put it in water before I buy it. but could ask if I can bring some muffs to hear it run.

About the boat. A lady I know is going through a devorce and is selling her 1999 22 ft Weeres pontoon with trailer, cover, bimini, depth finder, 40hp merc, stereo, etc...I have seen pictures and it looks pretty clean. I think I can get the whole thing for around $5k. I dont know much about pontoons and prices and dont know whats a good deal. I do know trailers aren't cheap and covers are a plus.
Now for my needs and wants, I live on the Mississippi in Dubuque, IA and plan on getting a slip for the summer. The boat is rated for 14 persons but I dont think I would ever go over 10. When it comes to the 40hp, I think it might be enough. All I ever wanted to do on my boats is hang out and enjoy the weather with friends. I have 2 boys( ages 7 and 2) and hope to make this a family hobby, little fishing and a little tubing. I rarely ever plained out my old boat (76 19 ft Mark Twain 188hp) because I would rather hang out, have a conversation and cruise.

My questions are:
Are Weeres good pontoons and do you think this sounds like a fair price?
What should I look for when buying a pontoon? where do you look for floor damage, toon damage etc?
40hp enough?
What do they weigh roughly for towing purposes?
What speed do you think this would reach with just myself in it?

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: new to pontooning and looking at one tomorrow

Weeres is a good pontoon
You will get around 15 to 20 mph, so tubing wont be very exciting, but the rest will be very nice.
5 k is a reasonable price if ever thing is in good condition and the motor is in running order and its on a trailer. Condition is ever thing.
Total towing weight should be around 2000 to 2500, but a pontoon is like towing a parachute.

 

[5150abf]

Re: new to pontooning and looking at one tomorrow

I can't recall hearing anything bad about Weeres, they are a smaller company that has been around for awhile so you are good there.

As to the boat it should do everything you want with the exception of exciting the kids on a tube, it will pull it but not fast, a 40 on a 22 is really minimal power.

Not much to go wrong with a toon, walk the deck and look for soft spots and inspect it in, on , underneath for damage and of coarse listen to the engine.

The price sounds very reasonable if everything checks out.

 

[xirocrtx]

Re: new to pontooning and looking at one tomorrow

Thanks for the replies, I am going to check it out this afternoon. I will post pictures later. Thanks again!!

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: new to pontooning and looking at one tomorrow

Answering your questions:

1. There are many brands of pontoon boats that are perfectly respectable. Weeres is one of the oldest, more conservative pontoon boat companies out of Minnesota and their customer base is mainly in the upper Midwest. I'm sure it's okay if structurally sound. As far as price goes, check EbayMotors.com and Boattrader.com for comparable units.

2. Aluminum boats hold their age well, but aging pontoons often need expensive repairs like upholstery, carpeting and replacing marine plywood. I wouldn't consider buying any used boat that I cannot have the engine checked out on by a professional mechanic. Especially close attention should be paid to engine compression, how it runs, and a pressure/vacuum test on the lower unit. Just putting seals in the lower unit can cost you $300+, and you want to make sure the engine's been properly maintained.

3. Most people on this website (and the other big pontoon website) will tell you to power a boat with the largest engine that's affordable. A 25 hp or 40 hp on a mid size pontoon is something an old, elderly person would have. For a family with a couple of young children, you can forget water sports in your future. On a 22' boat, I'd be looking for more like a 70 hp minimum--preferably a 75 or a 90 hp motor.

4. Pontoons are not that heavy, but their physical size makes them drag the wind like a kite. They're also very long, which makes them pull heavier than their weight. A 22' Weeres is about 1700 lbs, an engine and fuel 400 lbs and a trailer 800 lbs--less than 3K.

5. I don't know how fast a 40 hp on a 22' boat runs. Pretty slow. My 24' old boat had a 115 hp, and it ran great.

The main thing is to purchase a boat that suits your present AND future needs. I recently updated to a new Bennington with a 150 hp Yamaha, and I'm now ready to sling a couple of grandkids when they grow into tubing.

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: new to pontooning and looking at one tomorrow

Sounds like a good deal. Prices vary greatly depending where you are. Around here, 5k wouldn't get you much of a pontoon boat. Tubing will be ok for small kids because your top speed will be around 12 mph when towing. Wide open with 4 on board will be about 16 mph. For cruising it will be fine. Max. load will likely be around 8 people. We had 10 on ours ONCE and I would consider it overloaded, and that was with 26" tubes, albeit a 20' model. If it has been well care for and covered, the cushions and carpet should be in good shape. Have the motor checked out and good luck with your purchase.

 

[Silver Eagle]

Re: new to pontooning and looking at one tomorrow

$5,000 sounds good, 40 hp not so good I have friend who has a 20 ft 50 hp and he got in the channel one day and couldn't get out of it .I had to pull him out of the way before the bigger boats ran him over. I have a 24 ft 90 hp Merc. top speed is 22.6 mph. on a calm day. Before you buy it check the wood on the bunks, look at the bolts and see if they are rusted out or just loose. Maybe they will lower the price some if they are in bad shape. How big are the toons diameter wise, mine are 22 inches wide. some are small for lakes. How many wheels on the trailer. I would feel a lot safer with four. That's what I have.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: new to pontooning and looking at one tomorrow

If you are going to put 10 folks on that boat a 40 HP engine is going to be a slug. In fact 10 folks on a 22 footer is a bit crowded. But that does depend on the furniture configuration.

 

[xirocrtx]

Re: new to pontooning and looking at one tomorrow

Ok, I went and checked it out. Doesn't look too bad overall besides a couple blemishes in the upulstry nothing major. It does not have a cover, but does have a $10 tarp! I was kinda disappointed with that, but everything else looks great! I think I might try for $4500 with no cover and this time of year. Thanks for all the great advise!!! I am by no means a speed demon so I think the 40 might work for me.

 

[OK Toon]

Re: new to pontooning and looking at one tomorrow

I sure wish you knew somebody with a pontoon boat with a 40 on it and just go for a ride. I thought I would be fine with a 50hp on a 22' and I'm sure glad I took everyone's advice and went to the 90hp. A buddy has the same boat as mine, but with only a 50hp -- he can't ever get up on plane so any big wave comes over the front and all the way through the play pen area. He's now looking for a 90hp. I have a 90hp but don't run WOT when we are cruising. But when we see storm clouds coming up quickly, it's nice to have the 90hp to get our butts back to the dock ASAP.

 

[xirocrtx]

Re: new to pontooning and looking at one tomorrow

I've been on a lake with a 35 hp. They are just a cruiser. My old boat was too fast and rarely plained it out. I got a few fast cars and snowmobiles, if I want a rush. We liked to just idle that old boat around and enjoy the weather. I could always upgrade later.

 

[rogerwa]

Re: new to pontooning and looking at one tomorrow

If you goals is simply to motor out to the sand bar or to take leisurely cruises while sipping a beverage (pop), then you will be just fine. You will be able to tow a tube, it just won't go very quick and depending on the weight in the boat and in the tube, the tube may no plane out.

I owned a 25' with a 40hp and it worked well for me for a few years, but eventually upgraded to a 90hp. I also owned a 21' with a 50hp Force, which is probably more like a 35-40hp and it worked for me and my small kids just fine.

If you are not looking for speed, then the 40 will do what you need and burn less gas in the long run. You can always upgrade it later. It is not that hard to do especially if you upgrade to a controls compatible motor. When I upgraded the one listed above, it took me a total of three hours from pulling to boat to putting it back in as the controls didn't need changing.

 

[WaterDR]

Re: new to pontooning and looking at one tomorrow

When my kiddos were very small, we had a 20 footer on a med-sized lake and tubed with them all the time. We never had much chop either. Then, I moved to MN/WI in 2006 and have been tooning on the St. Croix which as you know, runs into the Mississippi. I upgraded to a larger pontoon, but stayed with a 40 hp. While we are on the river, most places around the town here are no wake anyway. The 40 hp again was fine for the way we use it, but also limited. If you want to mostly push out and find an island to beach, it will meet your needs. If you want to tube, as the kids get older, it will not. If you want to travel longer distances, it will will not. We now have a 115, and frankly, wish I had a 150 or 200.

BUT, you can still have a blast with that boat! Think about it $4,000 to $5,000 gets you on the water with the kids! Who can complain about that?

Thsi is what I would do....buy it. Provided it is mechanically sound, you will see what you think after you have it and it will be an easy sell if you want to upgrade.

Heck, our second Toon I paid $7,000 for it and sold it for $10,000 two years later and did nothign to it, but clean it up (it too was a 1999). I put the money into a brand new toon which I have now.

As to Weres, they are very popular toons in the upper MW. Generally more for the "outdoorsman-type" rather than someone looking for a high-end model. Nothing wrong with that. Never heard anything amazingly good or amazing bad about them. If it is clean and runs, $5k is a bargain.

PS - Pontoon prices are through the roof in the TC's right now. That boat here in May is probably $7 to 9k. Canadians are driving down thsi way and buying them up too and driving prices up due to weak dollar.

 

[gpfishingdude]

Re: new to pontooning and looking at one tomorrow

We bought an 18' 1999 bass Buggy with a 50 horse Mercury this last summer and I thought I would tell you what we have done so far. Ours is on a tracker trailer and the first thing I had to do was fix up the trailer, new bunk boards and replaced and beefed up the supports for the bunk boards and added guide ons to assist loading. Had to buy new tires for the trailer because the old ones were weathered and cracked. I rewired the lights on the boat and used marine wiring and switches. New seating. Bought an electric winch and a 25# anchor for the front. I removed the carbs. and had them rebuilt for the Merc. to take care of the flooding problem when it wouldn't start. I moved the bow hook from under the deck to the top of the deck so that I can hook the bow strap without leaving the boat. Now I have a seam in the decking where water splashes up through and soaks the carpet and plan on fixing that next spring. Paid $3500 and have 4K-5K more invested but the fun has been priceless. The guy we bought it from had replaced the decking himself and that is why it needed new wireing and seats.

 

[xirocrtx]

Re: new to pontooning and looking at one tomorrow

I bought it!! Paid it off yesterday because I only gave her a deposit last month. I like the idea that this will get me back on the water with the family and plan on doing an upgrade in a couple years. If I wanted something fast, I wouldn't be buying a pontoon!! Does anyone know how to find out the model of this pontoon? I guess they make a sportsman, sportfisher, suntanner etc. Thanks for all the help!!! Waiting on summer now!

 

[xirocrtx]

Re: new to pontooning and looking at one tomorrow

I read the tag and its a special 200. 20 foot. I picked it up and can't wait for summer!! Thanks for the help!!

 

[muskiemike12]

Re: new to pontooning and looking at one tomorrow

Sounds great! Post some pics when you pick it up and get it out in April.