pontoon to tritoon conversion

[Mikearmentano]

Hello
I am new to this forum. I wonder if anyone has any experience with adding a triple to their pontoon boat. I have a 25' aqua patio AP240-SL with a 150 hp yamaha (f150) with 27" pontoons with lifting strakes. My boat is relatively fast as I can achieve 40 mph (GPS) in calm conditions with only myself in the boat. If I add 3 or 4 more people, my top speed is likely to be around 35 mph. I am considering adding a center tube from the manufacturer. Not the full length tube but the tube that is about 2/3 the length of the outer tubes. So I am wondering:

Will the extra lift from the 3rd tube will be enough to compensate for the extra weight of that third tube? In other words, will I need more horsepower to achieve the same top speed and fuel economy I am currently getting with 2 tubes?

I would hate to spend $3k-$4k and end up with a slower and less fuel efficient boat. Any thoughts or wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

[Liquid Asset]

I don't know how much of a speed improvement you'll see but I don't think you have to worry about it slowing you down at all. The third log will get more of your boat out of the water (less drag) especially when you have more people on the boat. With the boat ontop of the water you may be able to reprop and get more top end. The biggest thing I like about having three longs is the added capacity. My boat has small logs so adding the the third was a huge plus for me. With 27" logs already and addign a third I don't know if much of your logs will even be in the water L.O.L.

[rbiederwolf]

I agree with liquid asset, it should not hurt your speed. On mine it increased it about 2-3 mph.

More importantly the best reason to add a tritoon is that the boats performance will increase tremndously. When you get the nose up out of the water with a tritoon, it stays up. No more wet boat or swamping due to big wakes or rough conditions. I would put on a full center log if possible. The more buoyancy the better

[Bamaman]

Tritoon boats will never be the fastest, versus large twin toons with strakes. The additional weight and drag of the center toon will slow you slightly.

Right now, you're at the limits of speed with the engine you've got.

The only thing a third toon would do for you is maybe make you handle slightly better, and carry heavier loads. It's a pretty expensive price to pay for marginal improvements, however.

Your boat runs great, and you should be proud of it as it sits. Few pontoons can run with you without the really big engines.

[moregooder]

best mod I have done yet, look at the girls on the front of my boat in my avatar, I can pout 1200lbs on the front before the rub rail touches the water and the boat is about 3to 4 miles faster. the old engine pod placed the motor into the deck 16 inches, the new log set the motor back 24 inches. I was able to wall off the dog house gaining more space put the 40 gallon fuel cell down in the log saving 200 pounds because gas is lighter then water and with the motor set back and the added bouncy of the third log we now bank in the terns instead of plowing.

[Mikearmentano]

Thanks to all for your solid advice. I really appreciate the input.

[mofn]

I did what you are asking about last year. I have a post here from then about with photos. My best speed ever with a 24' Harris with a 85 Force on glass with 2 people was 21 m.p.h.
I installed a 15' center pod last year, that raised me up about 5-6 inches. To answer your direct questions.
I did have a big speed drop and fuel usage went up, I'm still working it on into this year because of doing my conversion so late into the year. I had to rebuild the carbs, new prop, rehang the motor to a new setting, fix the tilt and trim. When I started last spring the best I could get was 10-11 mph due to all of the above issues. By years end was at 17 mph and fuel usage was way up but still down before the center pod was added. I have a 3rd prop I bought now on and waiting to try that. I believe that will get me over the hump so I can get on plane. When I ran in rough water it ran the best, because the center pod would break and get on plane but then fall back (thus the 2nd new prop) when that happened it would spike up to 19 mph plus, you can hear it when it happens.
As for what you had written down, weight, not an issue here at all, it was me and my father who installed it (he's 75 with double knee replacement, he was the tool gopher) you a second or third set of hands you can have it on in under 6 hours. Two other things about this, mine is not straked as yours is a big plus right out of the gate, I'm going to have my center pod straked this year or next? One of the big things that killed my performance was I had to take down most of the under skinning to get that pod in, I did not get the rear 15 feet skinned due to time, my experience is that the 3rd toon makes for even dirtier water underneath, so if you are not skinned you may have too. Mine while be re-skinned this year with 2 custom molded sheets the skinning alone I hope to be a 21 mph, and less fuel. Even though I'm still shaking out the bugs it was the best move I made, and wished I did it years ago!

p.s. shop around on the toon, mine was a lot cheaper than what you have, it's the shipping that kills you. Mine was $535.00, sun tracker with a 4 mile diffrence was $1,200. The closer to the bubba belt the cheaper the shipping costs I found.

[bassn386]

Bamaman, I'd like to disagree with your statement about tritoons not being the fastest.
You should have seen the 3 log South Bay at the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout last August
going 112 mph, albeit with 3 300 hp outboards.

[pond tuuunes]

I have a hard time believing 2 tubes low in the water would beat 3 tubes on top of the water. JT

[playcat]

I believe bamaman was comparing a two log with strakes to a 3 log with strakes...With both boats on top, the twin should be marginally faster due to less wetted surface.
Wish I had strakes on my barge having two large pontoons and enough power...

[Mikearmentano]

Thanks for sharing your experience Mofn. I have a local shop on my lake (Candlewood in Ct) with a really good service dept doing the work. They are trying to ship it for free with a boat order. No skin on my underside now. Will definitely consider adding it. The center pontoon will also have strakes.

[Chas4273]

Mikarmentano--What prop are you using, and what's the approximate weight of your boat?

[mofn]

Where you already have strakes, I would put your money and limited time left before it's in the water and skin it, you will think you have a new boat, pounding on the ribs gone, quieter, and performance up, at least mine was. My toon gave me an additional 1256 pounds of weight capacity that was 15'x24" also would recommend a toon with the motor mount on the rear. Good luck.

[Mikearmentano]

The wet weight of the boat is around 3400 pounds. We switched the aluminum prop to a stainless steel prop which gained a mile an hour or two and made to speed a little more consistent. I don't know to picture the prop. I will definitely consider skinning the boat.

[Mikearmentano]

Whoops. That's the pitch of the prop not the picture of the prop LOL I guess Siri isn't perfect