Picked up the new center pontoon

You know the drill..

Moderators: Redneck_Randy, badmoonrising, lakerunner

Message
Author
User avatar
lightpants
Posts: 111
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 6:52 am
Location: Lancaster, PA

Re: Picked up the new center pontoon

#16 Post by lightpants » Wed Jun 08, 2016 7:48 am

badmoonrising wrote:Water temp on the Bohemia is at 81 Jim, lots of (.)(.) at the sandbar last 2 weekends. :rofl



Don't worry, Ed, I'm hoping to be down by next week!
97 Fisher Freedom 240 - 09 Optimax 115 - added 3rd pontoon with lifting strakes
former Pontoon Water Glide Owner (5+ years, on 2 different boats)

User avatar
justrfb
Posts: 177
Joined: Thu Mar 07, 2013 9:46 am
Location: North Jersey

Re: Picked up the new center pontoon

#17 Post by justrfb » Wed Jun 08, 2016 11:03 am

Looks real nice... Can't wait to hear results. Could you possibly post pictures of the center toon as it matches up to the transom pod and from the back? Thanks and best of luck.

Sincerely,
Rich
Rich and Annemarie Bias
2007 20' Princecraft Vantage 20L
2007 Merc 75 4 Stroke
2006 Honda Pilot

User avatar
wahoomon
Posts: 15
Joined: Sat May 21, 2016 1:37 am

Re: Picked up the new center pontoon

#18 Post by wahoomon » Fri Jun 17, 2016 7:35 pm

where did you buy the center toon from?
are they specially made for your boat? or does it fit most.
very interested.. was thinking abut the water glide

Thanks

User avatar
teecro
Posts: 1028
Joined: Sat Jul 12, 2014 7:23 am
Location: Sunset Bay, TN

Re: Picked up the new center pontoon

#19 Post by teecro » Fri Jun 17, 2016 8:18 pm

wahoomon wrote:where did you buy the center toon from?
are they specially made for your boat? or does it fit most.
very interested.. was thinking abut the water glide

Thanks
Many pontoons can be found here www.greatlakesskipper.com but most do not have a motor transom in place you either have to mount the toon in front of your motor pod or have a transom welded to it... I looked into having one custom built for my boat complete with transom, fuel tank and it was 5K so I shelved that idea....
T CRO
2017 Berkshire CTS 24 RFX with Yamaha F150/Simomized 200
2015 Caravelle 16 EBo with Mercury 90

User avatar
lightpants
Posts: 111
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 6:52 am
Location: Lancaster, PA

Re: Picked up the new center pontoon

#20 Post by lightpants » Sat Jun 18, 2016 1:05 am

Great Lakes Skipper is where I bought my center toon. You have to watch as they are always getting new stuff in, and usually it is only a few items of each. They do have a bunch of pontoons though!

Here is a picture of the center pontoon as I was putting it into position. If you want any more pictures, let me know.

I am going to take her down to the bay this weekend!
Attachments
lots-o_toons.jpg
lots-o_toons.jpg (126.55 KiB) Viewed 3159 times
center toon.jpg
center toon.jpg (109.12 KiB) Viewed 3159 times
97 Fisher Freedom 240 - 09 Optimax 115 - added 3rd pontoon with lifting strakes
former Pontoon Water Glide Owner (5+ years, on 2 different boats)

User avatar
lightpants
Posts: 111
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 6:52 am
Location: Lancaster, PA

Re: Picked up the new center pontoon

#21 Post by lightpants » Wed Jun 22, 2016 6:39 pm

20160618_201807.jpg
20160618_201807.jpg (151.98 KiB) Viewed 3084 times
Got her in the water!
She floats about 4" higher in the front and about 2" higher in the back.
I still have a few things to adjust, I want to change the motor height, and I might need to change the prop.
I will report back with some numbers.
97 Fisher Freedom 240 - 09 Optimax 115 - added 3rd pontoon with lifting strakes
former Pontoon Water Glide Owner (5+ years, on 2 different boats)

jtsailjt
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2018 7:00 am

Re: Picked up the new center pontoon

#22 Post by jtsailjt » Tue Jan 21, 2020 12:51 pm

I realize this is a very old thread but if you're still kicking around on this site maybe you'll see it and tell us how does your boats performance compare with the aluminum center toon vs with the Pontoon Water Glide? Last post you were going to post numbers...…?

User avatar
haganjeff
Posts: 111
Joined: Mon Jan 16, 2012 1:50 pm
Location: Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Re: Picked up the new center pontoon

#23 Post by haganjeff » Fri Jan 24, 2020 8:35 am

jtsailjt wrote:
Tue Jan 21, 2020 12:51 pm
I realize this is a very old thread but if you're still kicking around on this site maybe you'll see it and tell us how does your boats performance compare with the aluminum center toon vs with the Pontoon Water Glide? Last post you were going to post numbers...…?
Thanks, I have been waiting for this information since the original post! Would love to do something similar if the payoff was worth the effort!
2016 Bentley Elite Admiral 220 - 115HP Suzuki
Strakes, LED Package, Hydraulic Steering

User avatar
lightpants
Posts: 111
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 6:52 am
Location: Lancaster, PA

Re: Picked up the new center pontoon

#24 Post by lightpants » Fri Jan 24, 2020 7:57 pm

I am sorry. I totally dropped the ball on reporting the results!
It has been a few years since I installed the center toon. I was very happy with the results. The pontoon boat rode so much smoother with the third pontoon over the "Pontoon Water Glide."
It handled larger "chop" on the bay as well. Sped was about the same, or I might have even lost a mph or two. But, the ride was soo much smoother, it was worth the speed lost.
Another thing I realized, was even with a heavily loaded boat, my speed didn't decrease as it did with the Water Glide.

I actually bought a sailboat last year, and I have been sailing the bay since. My poor pontoon has been in my driveway, shrinkwrapped for 2 years!
https://youtu.be/likmmByiKB4
97 Fisher Freedom 240 - 09 Optimax 115 - added 3rd pontoon with lifting strakes
former Pontoon Water Glide Owner (5+ years, on 2 different boats)

User avatar
lightpants
Posts: 111
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 6:52 am
Location: Lancaster, PA

Re: Picked up the new center pontoon

#25 Post by lightpants » Sun Jan 26, 2020 7:28 pm

If anyone would like more information on how I added the 3rd pontoon, let me know.
Jim
97 Fisher Freedom 240 - 09 Optimax 115 - added 3rd pontoon with lifting strakes
former Pontoon Water Glide Owner (5+ years, on 2 different boats)

jtsailjt
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Dec 06, 2018 7:00 am

Re: Picked up the new center pontoon

#26 Post by jtsailjt » Thu May 21, 2020 6:38 am

lightpants wrote:
Fri Jan 24, 2020 7:57 pm
I am sorry. I totally dropped the ball on reporting the results!
It has been a few years since I installed the center toon. I was very happy with the results. The pontoon boat rode so much smoother with the third pontoon over the "Pontoon Water Glide."
It handled larger "chop" on the bay as well. Sped was about the same, or I might have even lost a mph or two. But, the ride was soo much smoother, it was worth the speed lost.
Another thing I realized, was even with a heavily loaded boat, my speed didn't decrease as it did with the Water Glide.

I actually bought a sailboat last year, and I have been sailing the bay since. My poor pontoon has been in my driveway, shrinkwrapped for 2 years!
https://youtu.be/likmmByiKB4
Thanks for the update, always good to hear an opinion based on first hand knowledge!

I ended up getting a Pontoon Water Glide and am enjoying it. My boat is a 22’ Flote Bote with a 135 hp 2 stroke. Before PWG top speed was 28.8 mph and after PWG install its 34.0, so I’m looking forward to being able to waterski this summer. I also did the underskinning. Besides the increase in top speed, the thing I notice most is how easily it seems to ride at more moderate speeds. At a very comfortable 15-20 mph the PWG is planing and the boat is riding noticeably higher and smoother. I’m sure gas mileage is better but not sure by how much. I no longer have that feeling of lurching through the waves and now seem to be much more on top of them. It also seems quieter because I no longer hear the water bashing into cross members but I credit that to the underskinning than to the PWG. Because the boat rides higher, when turning It seems to rotate slightly around the PWG so inside toon is lower and outside toon higher so it feels a lot more like a monohull boat and that seems very nice. Because my boat rides higher, I had to get my outboard changed over to an extra long shaft which moved the prop down 5”. This is an added expense that adding either a center toon or a PWG will very likely require. It’s interesting that you found the center toon to be even smoother in chop than the PWG but I guess it makes sense because of their relative widths and shape. The PWG, because of its greater width planes easier but the 3rd toon cuts through water better. But I found that because my boat now rides higher, in moderate chop it seems a lot smoother than before I added the PWG. If conditions are such that there’s more than moderate chop, I don’t want to be going fast in a motorboat anyway and would probably be more inclined go get on my Sunfish and go for an exciting sail when all other sailboats have retired due to the “excessive” wind. 😊

Nice video of your sailboat! I really enjoy my pontoon boat but my first love is sailing. As a kid on my Sunfish that I still enjoy on windy days, and now also on my 47’ cruising sailboat. Then there’s the jet ski and the RIB and the SUP and the kayak, it’s all good, FUN to play on/in the water!

Post Reply