Pontoon questions

[dhammann]

I'm looking at a used Landua (early 80's) 18 foot, 2000# capacity pontoon and have several concerns....<br />Is the old straddle type trailer easy to load and is the narrow width a safety concern on the highway?<br />The pontoon are not round or multi chambered, is this a concern?<br />And finally the 40hp Evinrude has manual trim only.<br />Ihave always had ski boats, so I am ignorant on toons. thanks

 

[jollymon]

Re: Pontoon questions

Big Dee,<br /><br />Give me some more information, and I can give you a better idea. <br />For one how far and how often are you going to trailer. The scissor style (straddle) trailer is eaiser to load, and can load in shallower water, but they are not real stable at high speeds. <br />Next, u-shaped tubes, The do not float as high out of the water as round. Multi-chamber tubes are a safety feature. I would not by a new toon without it, but that does not mean that there is anything wrong with them. Think about, now kids have to where a helmet to ride a bike, but I made it this far in life and I never had a helmet as a kid. <br />And last, the 40hp Evindrude. I know nothing about the motor, but 40hp, is a small motor for a toon, but that use to be the standard. If speed is not a requirement, and you are looking for smoething to take out on the lake for a relaxing evening, then that will do great!.

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: Pontoon questions

Bunk trailers are the choice, as they are more stable on the road if you haul it any distance. Easy to load when you get the hang of it. But the straddle type is fine also.Just take it easy on the turns. Lot of debate on "U" shaped logs as opposed to round ones. I have U shaped logs and am happy with them. Some say they are not as buoyant as the round logs, but it depends on the size(Diameter) of the round logs, or in the case of U shaped logs, the width. Almost all the U shaped, non chambered logs have foam in them, so don't worry about sinking if you take on some water. It will just lean to that side. 40 HP should push you around just fine on an 18 footer. Don't expect high speed. Around 15-20 MPH. Manual trim on a toon is not a big deal, just a convienence when beaching and such. A problem as I mentioned with older toons, is that they sometimes tend to leak and let water in the logs. Not all do this, but something to consider. It can be fixed reasonably if nessesary. Price is also a factor. You should be able to get this toon for no more than $2500/ with the trailer.. If I can help with any oter questions, feel free to E-Mail me at: rickdb1@earthlink.net. Been tooning for quite some time..

 

[BillP]

Re: Pontoon questions

Given the same diameter for the "U" as the diameter of a round pontoon...the "U" shape log has more reserve bouyancy (read flotation), will not sink as deep and will carry more weight than a round log...do the math. The reason you see more round logs is probably only because of lower cost of construction. You won't know the difference riding in one or the other.<br /><br />Chances of both logs getting damaged and losing floatation is pretty rare. I wouldn't worry too much about it. Pontoon boats aren't meant to go far away from shore anyway. <br /><br />On the motor: Electric trim is always a nice feature for beaching and shallow water. For my use, I wouldn't be without it. Also, my neighbor had a 20' pontoon boat with 40hp 2 stroke Yahama and it clocked 14 mph with my gps. My 20'r reads 19.5 mph with a 50hp 4 stroke.<br /><br />I have a regular bunk trailer for my toon but looked at the straddle type. It appears they have two advantages. Launching in shallow water and lowering the hull to have less wind resistance while towing. Towing is a major issue with me and toons. My 20' Proline pointy bow hull that weighed a full 1500lbs more would tow effortless at 70-75mph. My 20' toon hits a "drag wall" at approx 55mph and my 5.0L V8 struggles to hit 70mph with the pedal down to the floor.

 

[DJ]

Re: Pontoon questions

Bill makes some excellent points. U shaped toons (if the same radius as round tubes) will have a greater bouyancy factor.<br /><br />The 40 hp. is fine for "cruising". You can get the power tilt here.<br /><br /> http://www.iboats.com/mall/index.cgi?prod_id=13581&current_category=power tilt <br /><br />Toons can be a challenge to trailer. As Bill points out, most vehicles tow ratings also include a "frontal area" specification that has nothing to do with weight.<br /><br />The narrow beam trailers are fine as long as caution is used while towing. They would not be my choice for any long distance towing.

 

[KCook]

Re: Pontoon questions

^

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: Pontoon questions

The capacity of the log determines floatation, not shape. A 'U' shape is more stable but the construction is weaker without compartments, a 'U' shape will also track truer than a round - this can be good or bad depending on how wind affects the boat (high sides etc). Modern round logs are round simply because they are quick & cheap to construct. IMO a modified 'U' is a far better shape. One last thing to consider, on a 'U', water can sit on top and pool, if they are not alloy you have the potential for rust.<br /><br />Aldo

 

[KCook]

Re: Pontoon questions

Modern round logs are round simply because they are quick & cheap to construct.

In the US market at least this is not clear. As there are many high $ brands sticking with the round tubes. As well as affordable U-tube toons from builders like G3, Sundancer, and Voyager. In our market the big distintion is performance. All the tri-toons that are high performance are U-tube.<br /><br />Kelly Cook

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: Pontoon questions

Same here Kelly, most builders are sticking with round. Strength seems to be the deciding factor, round is very strong. To achieve the same strength in a flat sided toon (and stop 'druming') they need to use bracing and struts - a LOT more welding, different pressing technique, more materials and man hours. I've just had new toons made and I did way too much homework on this very subject - I couldn't find any other reason to have round. But I'm still learning!<br /><br />Aldo