Pontoons in the rough

[hibbert6]

I've been looking at a pontoon boat to replace my small and aging tri hull. I've noticed that there seems to be very little protection from the wind for anyone but the driver.

Does this imply that a 'toon is really a fair-water boat? How do they do in a bit of chop? Here in Northern California we get enough of an afternoon breeze that it makes water skiing not a lot of fun after lunch. Would a Pontoon not be a good choice for me? (I'm thinking about a higher-performance 19' 'toon, maybe 115hp O/B.)

Dave

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Pontoons in the rough

look into the deck boats, on of the problems with a toon, is that if the weight gets unbalanced, too much weight the bow will 'submarine' go nose first into a wave, and keep going down, until you cut power. yes they are a fair weather boat, especially with out side curtains. then there hot.

 

[Mike722]

Re: Pontoons in the rough

I agree, I had a runabout and switched to a 20' pontoon. I would have purchased a deck boat, but they are expensive new and all the older ones I found were stern drives.

Keeping my pontoon boat balanced is a challenge, becuase the people are able to get up and move. I have had the front end plane under the water and it was an interesting feeling.

We went to the pontoon boat because we do not ski, we needed more room for people and enjoy going slower and talking. The deck boats have the best of both worlds in my opinion.

 

[QC]

Re: Pontoons in the rough

For some reason I want to answer this thread title with: "I'd use a sand wedge if it is really thick, but maybe even a fairway wood if I can see it and get a good whack at it."

Anyway, if it is only "chop" then you may be OK. Have you seen others where you boat? I am with tashasdaddy generally, but there are a lot of toons on Lake Havasu and they deal with some pretty nasty water at times. The ones that are set up properly keep a decent bow up attitude, but the submarining thing is a real concern and can be a disaster.

 

[mudmagnet63]

Re: Pontoons in the rough

Right on the Money ! ( submarine )
we had one 15 yrs back loaded pretty heavy a buddy brought his girlfriend SHAMOO after boat was on plane she moved from back to front. 3 People in the water 2 on board needed stitches when they hit the railing. Sold the boat immediately

 

[rogerwa]

Re: Pontoons in the rough

Is Shamoo the nickname for the girlfriend?

Anyhoo.. the longer they are the more thay will span the waves and not be as affected by the up and down. Also, Toon size makes a big difference.

My toon is 25' and has square logs that are pretty big. When the wind kicks up on the southern end of my lake you can get some pretty rough water for a lake. This thing rides right through them. Itr also helps that the natual place to sit and talk is in the rear, because of the bimini and the l-seating. this puts its attitude nose up.

I would also guess that the pontoon ride will be better than your tri-hull.

I will agree that these are primarliy lake boats and my comments would not hold true when dealing with >3ft waves especially if there is a long frequency.

In my view, the protection for others is not needed because these are not speed boats. Most use them for floating living rooms.

 

[KCook]

Re: Pontoons in the rough

The "submarine reports" are usually for the traditional 2-log 'toons. I would not expect the newer tri-toon designs to have this problem so much. Unfortunately the price tag on a tri-toon with big motor will be about the same size as for a deckboat. Here is another thread with numerous 'toon owners -

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=36314

Kelly Cook