Planing Pontoons? - Theory and Practice

[Liopleurodon]

Third thread here, so please treat as a noob question.

While most pontoon boats I've seen have the round 'toons with deep vee front edges, I've seen a couple that are flat bottomed, or other style that resembles more of a planing hull. I don't think any were newer, and some were listed as deck boats, but they were functionally pontoons/catamarans.

Wondering if this didn't catch on, or if they're a niche, or what the story is. Also wondering in general what the benefits would be of a planing catamaran style, either with v-hulls or flat bottomed hulls. Also curious whether the V should be symmetrical or whether they would benefit from pointing inward or outward.

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: Planing Pontoons? - Theory and Practice

Mmmm..... Not sure of your questions but deck boats are not functionally pontoons/catamarans. There is a vast difference in their hulls, performance and intended uses when compared to pontoons.
While there are some fast high performance pontoon boats on the market, the vast majority of them are used as a relatively slow party barge. If you are looking for speed and performance, pontoons should not be on your list.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Planing Pontoons? - Theory and Practice

There have been all kinds of shapes for pontoons over the years, I think it is Smoker has one that is W shaped, Bennington makes and elliptical tube, there are octogan, square, U, ect ect.

Most are smaller companies with a small market share so there aren't alot of them around and they tend ot be alittle pricey and the market seems to have settled on round tubes since they are cheaper and easier to make and they work really really well and are strong.

Once you start monkeying with the shape you run into strength problems since a flat surface isn't as strong as an an arch but I am sure we havn't seen the last of the funny shaped pontoons.

 

[Liopleurodon]

Re: Planing Pontoons? - Theory and Practice

I'm familiar with deck boats and am aware that most of them are not pontoons or other types of catamarans. I'm referring to an unusual type of pontoon boat whose pontoons are shaped for planing.

I couldn't find a picture of what I'd seen before, but essentially the idea is this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/new-..._Motorboats&hash=item415c7a668b#ht_620wt_1167
But with more of a downward curve than a flat front edge. Sort of like two thin extended jon boats as pontoons.

The best example was I think an old Starcraft boat with fiberglass pontoons. They basically looked like narrow tri-hulls but flatter, and not symmetrical about their own centers but more of a mirror image left to right. There may have been a surface in the center, but if so it was really a tri-maran style and not a tri-hull.

A slightly related concept is this deck boat, not at all a pontoon but with similar double planing hulls:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/94-Harris-Flote-deck-/170647166930#ht_500wt_1182
Though I'm guessing it would more likely be described as a single hull with full length tunnel drive? Not sure where tunnel drives stop and catamarans begin.