Opinion on Choice of Three Tri-toons

[jford814]

Hello all, first post here, I've been lurking for a bit.

We recently purchased a Harris 24' pontoon with a Johnson 115hp. We've found that we love pontoon boating and are using the boat more than we thought we would. With that being said, we would like to upgrade to a tri-toon in an effort to get more top end, handle chop better (we boat in the back bays of southern NJ) as well as being able to pull our kids on tubes or wake boards. Our current set up nets us about 18 MPH which limits our cruising range both time and fuel wise. While we spend most of our time putting around the lagoons with family and friends it would be nice to have some speed when we want to head 14+ miles up a river to a specific destination.

So....I've targeted a few boats. I've been looking in a 6hr. radius and have found tri-toons to be scarce on the secondary market. Here are 3 options I am considering.

1. 2012 (new) Manitou Oasis VP 22' with 150hp Honda. Nice boat, saltwater package, vinyl deck (wife's preference/not mine). Will have 5 year warranty on motor. Manitou seems to have a great rep. approx. $33K able to be financed with Honda, which is a nice option to have.

2. 2007 JC 23tt Neptoon with 2008 150hp E-Tec. No lifting strakes, like the idea of E-Tec (although out of warranty), carpet, boat appears to be in great condition although stored outside. Fresh water boat. Approx. $22K.

3. 2007 Aqua Patio 220 RE3 with 6" strakes and Honda 135hp. 35 hours on boat, stored on lift in season and indoors in winter. All service records. Vinyl floor. Boat looks new. Approx. $21k

All three come w/o trailer. All three have ski bar, cover, etc.

I don't mind that I am buying/looking at another boat so soon after buying my first (it's only been a few months) but I do want to keep/not outgrow this next one for some time.

My first consideration between the three is performance. It seems the Manitou has a great reputation, JC claims their boat doesn?t benefit from the strakes as their hull design is so awesome. Godfrey/Aqua Patio doesn't have much feedback on the forums although it does have their performance package, albeit from 2007.

Of course it seems that Manitou also has a great rep. quality. Also the Manitou will come bottom painted which is nice; it's also 4 hours closer (8 round trip).

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, especially anyone with insight as to the handling of the JC and the Aqua Patio.

Thanks in advance.

Jamie

 

[lakegeorge]

Re: Opinion on Choice of Three Tri-toons

Hello all, first post here, I've been lurking for a bit.

We recently purchased a Harris 24' pontoon with a Johnson 115hp. We've found that we love pontoon boating and are using the boat more than we thought we would. With that being said, we would like to upgrade to a tri-toon in an effort to get more top end, handle chop better (we boat in the back bays of southern NJ) as well as being able to pull our kids on tubes or wake boards. Our current set up nets us about 18 MPH which limits our cruising range both time and fuel wise. While we spend most of our time putting around the lagoons with family and friends it would be nice to have some speed when we want to head 14+ miles up a river to a specific destination.

So....I've targeted a few boats. I've been looking in a 6hr. radius and have found tri-toons to be scarce on the secondary market. Here are 3 options I am considering.

1. 2012 (new) Manitou Oasis VP 22' with 150hp Honda. Nice boat, saltwater package, vinyl deck (wife's preference/not mine). Will have 5 year warranty on motor. Manitou seems to have a great rep. approx. $33K able to be financed with Honda, which is a nice option to have.

2. 2007 JC 23tt Neptoon with 2008 150hp E-Tec. No lifting strakes, like the idea of E-Tec (although out of warranty), carpet, boat appears to be in great condition although stored outside. Fresh water boat. Approx. $22K.

3. 2007 Aqua Patio 220 RE3 with 6" strakes and Honda 135hp. 35 hours on boat, stored on lift in season and indoors in winter. All service records. Vinyl floor. Boat looks new. Approx. $21k

All three come w/o trailer. All three have ski bar, cover, etc.

I don't mind that I am buying/looking at another boat so soon after buying my first (it's only been a few months) but I do want to keep/not outgrow this next one for some time.

My first consideration between the three is performance. It seems the Manitou has a great reputation, JC claims their boat doesn’t benefit from the strakes as their hull design is so awesome. Godfrey/Aqua Patio doesn't have much feedback on the forums although it does have their performance package, albeit from 2007.

Of course it seems that Manitou also has a great rep. quality. Also the Manitou will come bottom painted which is nice; it's also 4 hours closer (8 round trip).

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated, especially anyone with insight as to the handling of the JC and the Aqua Patio.

Thanks in advance.

Jamie

I would go with #1 hopefully it will have lifting strakes. The 150hp is the minimun you will want to go with to meet all your needs and for later re-sale.
The warranty is always a great thing.

 

[jford814]

Re: Opinion on Choice of Three Tri-toons

I would go with #1 hopefully it will have lifting strakes. The 150hp is the minimun you will want to go with to meet all your needs and for later re-sale.
The warranty is always a great thing.

It has strakes on the center pontoon. The VP is the mid level performance package from Manitou. The 150hp is max for that setup. Boat should see high 30's in terms of MPH, which would allow me to cruise at 20 (my current WOT speed).

 

[The Rooster]

Re: Opinion on Choice of Three Tri-toons

I don't think you could go wrong with any of those barges "jford814". $33,000 + ttl and trailer isn't too bad for a new 22' Manitou w/ a V6 Honda. Most modern outboards are well thought of these days, but it would be nice to have a service center that is close. I think you will appreciate V6 power on 22'+ triple tube barges. Good luck !!!

 

[jford814]

Re: Opinion on Choice of Three Tri-toons

I don't think you could go wrong with any of those barges "jford814". $33,000 + ttl and trailer isn't too bad for a new 22' Manitou w/ a V6 Honda. Most modern outboards are well thought of these days, but it would be nice to have a service center that is close. I think you will appreciate V6 power on 22'+ triple tube barges. Good luck !!!

We are leaning that way. It seems that there has been alot of progress in the handling of tri-toons in the years between 2007 to 2012. I can't really get any feedback on the handling of the JC or the Aqua Patio. I've searched this forum and Pontoonforum (which I can't register on for some reason as it keeps saying my email address is no good) and can't find a thing as to the performance of those two boats.

I should clarify that the Manitou does not come with a trailer. Perhaps I should try to bargain that in with the price which would allow me to sell my current boat with a trailer. Alway easier I think.

On a side note just switched from a 14/15 prop to a 14/13 on my Harris. Went from 42000 RPM at WOT to 5000 RPM. Motor sounded much better to boot.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Opinion on Choice of Three Tri-toons

The price you're being quoted is very, very good for the Oasis/Honda 150 combo. Add a $2.5K trailer, and you're set.

I too was looking at the Manitou Oasis and Manitou before buying a new Bennington. (No Manitou dealer was closeby.) I especially like the Oasis VP--a very seaworthy boat.

The old, established boat dealer I was talking to carries Honda, ETEC and Yamaha motors, and he can equip his boats with any brand. But he now only specs. his Manitou's with ETECS, due to they're being 4-5 mph faster on top end and have substantially more acceleration than 4 strokes. Hondas used to go on all his Manitou's before all the bugs got worked out on the ETEC's.

The dealer also told me that when he orders boats in the Fall, last year he got ETEC 150 HO engines for the price of the plain engine, a free $700 option package. They also gave him in-toon storage for about $500--less than half a normal price.

But, you cannot go wrong with any of the big 4 manufacturers of 150 hp outboards. Your Harris should be an easy boat to trade in or sell outright.

 

[jford814]

Re: Opinion on Choice of Three Tri-toons

The price you're being quoted is very, very good for the Oasis/Honda 150 combo. Add a $2.5K trailer, and you're set.

I too was looking at the Manitou Oasis and Manitou before buying a new Bennington. (No Manitou dealer was closeby.) I especially like the Oasis VP--a very seaworthy boat.

The old, established boat dealer I was talking to carries Honda, ETEC and Yamaha motors, and he can equip his boats with any brand. But he now only specs. his Manitou's with ETECS, due to they're being 4-5 mph faster on top end and have substantially more acceleration than 4 strokes. Hondas used to go on all his Manitou's before all the bugs got worked out on the ETEC's.

The dealer also told me that when he orders boats in the Fall, last year he got ETEC 150 HO engines for the price of the plain engine, a free $700 option package. They also gave him in-toon storage for about $500--less than half a normal price.

But, you cannot go wrong with any of the big 4 manufacturers of 150 hp outboards. Your Harris should be an easy boat to trade in or sell outright.

Thanks for the reply. I really am partial to the E-Tec. Honda is offering a very atractive financing option and an additional 2 years of warranty, although there may be a promotion until 10/15 with E-Tec offering an additional 2 years above the current 3.

For the price differance it probabley makes more sense to go the new route. Of course I would love to go all the way with the SHP package or the similar setup from Premier or Bennington but it seems the VP may be a good compromise.

There is not boat available to test drive at the Manitou dealer. I may take a ride on a Premier with StX this weekend although I don't think I can touch one of those for near the Manitou price....which is definatley our limit.

I think the Harris has value as well. It is a 2000 but is 8 1/2 ft. wide which seems unusual for that era. Interior is almost perfect and it runs great. It does need to be scrapped (barnicles) and re-bottom painted.

Thanks again for the input.

 

[WaterDR]

Re: Opinion on Choice of Three Tri-toons

I am not sure if I would make a decision based on an extra 2 year warranty. My experience with those is that most of them are not what they appear. Usually the extra two years are parts only and not labor which may sound great, but then you are stuck paying the labor rate that they dictate. Anyways, I thik the extra 2 is better than nothing, but not as good as most people think they are. In the case of E-Tec, maybe it is better than that.

 

[jford814]

Re: Opinion on Choice of Three Tri-toons

I am not sure if I would make a decision based on an extra 2 year warranty. My experience with those is that most of them are not what they appear. Usually the extra two years are parts only and not labor which may sound great, but then you are stuck paying the labor rate that they dictate. Anyways, I thik the extra 2 is better than nothing, but not as good as most people think they are. In the case of E-Tec, maybe it is better than that.

I'll have to check the specifics. The E-tec is appealing as I have two service facilities on the island both of which are run by people I have known for years. The Honda will have to go off island for service.

Financing may be more difficult with the E-Tec, I'll have to ask.

I was able to dig up a video of a 2008 test on the JC (it was a fishing setup but toons and power were the same. I don't think that the boat will be in the same league as the Manitou. The Aqua Patio, I don't know about. The package is the "sport" package with strakes on the inside and outside of all three pontoons. Can't find anything out about the boat on the web and it's a 5 1/2 hr drive to test ride it.

Like I said, tritoons are scarse on the used market.

 

[WaterDR]

Re: Opinion on Choice of Three Tri-toons

Why would financing be harder or easier based ont he motor?

 

[jford814]

Re: Opinion on Choice of Three Tri-toons

Why would financing be harder or easier based ont he motor?

I don't know that it nec. is as this is the first time I've looked at financing a boat. My thoughts are that since Honda has a vested interest (selling a motor) that their financing terms may be easier/more favorable. They are running a promotion at 4.9% at the moment.

 

[WaterDR]

Re: Opinion on Choice of Three Tri-toons

I guess that would just depend on the terms and a comparison from a bank/credit union and Honda. Most banks will do boat loans and they don't care what brand the boat or motor is. Rates are very low now to anyone that has good credit.