pontoon length vs turning radius

[nhmaina]

I have tried looking on the web and can't find this. I would think that the length 18' vs 24' and the width 7.5' vs 8.5' effect how quick the pontoon will turn, however I can't find it anywhere. Also, I have read that having 3 pontoons (tritoon) will make it turn quicker as well, but how much quicker and does the length still come into effect with a tritoon?

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: pontoon length vs turning radius

The biggest factors affecting turning radius is speed and weight. At idle speed, you can turn a 24' almost as tight as an 18' but because it is heavier, it will take more distance to turn at speed. And educated guess would be about 25% more distance for the 24 compared to the 18 at the higher speeds. The width will have negligible effect.

A tritoon does require less distance because the three toons will offer more rudder effect.

 

[The Rooster]

Re: pontoon length vs turning radius

+1 for "Egliderider's" comments. But now I'm curious. Is there a particular reason you are inquiring about this?

 

[nhmaina]

Re: pontoon length vs turning radius

+1 for "Egliderider's" comments. But now I'm curious. Is there a particular reason you are inquiring about this?

Sure. I was using my father in law's 24' pontoon boat and I was towing a tube behind it. It doesn't turn fast enough to whip the tube around. I have seen tritoons on youtube turn much better then his. however, I also noticed that his motor is between the backs of his pontoons, where it appears that on most modern pontoon boats the motor is behind the back of the pontoons. I was thinking this could also make a difference. He as 23" pontoons on his 24' long boat, in case that matters. Also, when I do a sharp turn it appears to cavitate(?) and stops pulling.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: pontoon length vs turning radius

Okay, you're talking about handling a pontoon when towing a tube.

A tritoon will handle better than a pontoon in this situation due to their greater buoyancy and better handling.

23" pontoons are relatively small for a 24' pontoon, and they have a tendency to run deep in the water even when going in a straight line. When such a pontoon makes a hard turn, the weight will shift to the outside pontoon it will really dig in--dramatically slowing down forward motion.

If a pontoon has enough forward speed, there are two techniques for pulling tubes. One is a simple figure S--making turns at the optimum moment to produce a whipping effect. The other is to use the throttle to accelerate when the tube starts out to the side--resulting in a whipping effect.

In the hands of an aggressive boat driver, a whipping tube can double the speed of the boat in both forward and lateral motions.

Unfortunately, unless a pontoon is tritoon with strakes and a 150 hp or larger engine, it may not be a really good boat for exciting tube towing. That's why they make SkiNautiques.