Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Hello all. My first post here. I'm looking to by my first pontoon boat. I'm up at Lake Tahoe, CA/NV and near as I can tell the two main options are Sun Tracker and Sun Catcher G3. The local ramp is limited to 23'. I don't expect I'd use the boat anywhere besides Lake Tahoe and at present my kids are 1 and 4 so I'm really just looking for a fun boat for the fam to enjoy the lake. I'm leaning towards the G3s with a specific layout in mind (X 322 C). The issue I'm having is whether the 250 is that much better of an engine than the 225. Here at lake level (6,250ft) I'm loosing a chunk of power(close to 50hp on a 250) so my thought is go as big as I can afford and as the boat will take. The model I'm looking at will only take 225....unless I step up to their diamond elite line($$$$) then I can go up to 300. I'm not a rich guy and am not looking to impress anyone by showing how much debt I can take on. 4

So, for the group:

1. Is the Yamaha 250 that much better of an engine than the 225 or is it simply a better tune for 25hp.

2. Between Sun Tracker and Sun Catcher any input in decision making.

Thanks for taking the time to read. I appreciate any feed back you have.

Alaun

Welcome to the club.
I'm partial to the Sun Tracker, myself.
As far as your horsepower question, I only have a 60hp 4 stroke on mine, so I am no help there.
Good luck.

I believe the G-3 Suncatcher, which is owned by Yamaha, is much better built than the BassPro Shops SunTracker. Can't help you with the motor Q.

I don't think Bass pro bought Sun Tracker did they? they just sell them, But I like the G3's.

ron nh wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 09, 2018 10:11 am

I don't think Bass pro bought Sun Tracker did they? they just sell them, But I like the G3's.

Sun Tracker is part of White River Marine Group. Here's a quote from there web site.....

WRMG is also a member of Springfield, Missouri-based Bass Pro Group, a multifaceted organization that includes Bass Pro Shops®.

FYI, G3 is Yamaha company

TahoeBuck,

I run a 115 HP on my 25' pontoon, so I cannot comment from experience, but........based on your description, both motors will be very strong performers on a family boat. I do understand the difference because of altitude, but your boat will have a lot of pulling power with either.

How fast do you want to go?

If a $23,000 motor is going on a tritoon boat, the hull really should be a high performance model and brand. And if you are going to spend that much money, the boat should also.have premium seating, fencing and features. I don't know that SunTracker or G2 meet that criteria.

Are you comparing a Yamaha 225 hp SHO to a F250 motor? Both are fine on tritoons, but there is a difference between the two.

Have you looked at other brands of pontoons? There are a number of brands that you might better prefer, like Bennington, Manitou, Harris, Premier and others.

I am a Bennington/Yamaha owner. If I was buying another tritoon, I would wait until the Fall and order the new Mercury V-8 250 or 300 hp motor for Spring delivery. It is a completely new generation motor good enough to make Mercury discontinue both their Verado and Optimax XS motors.

1 – is 23’ enough of a boat to handle Lake Tahoe? I have been on that lake a few times and it can get ugly/scary rough pretty fast. Can you go bigger and go to another ramp?

2 – based on point 1, I would go with at least 250 because storms come up quick and you want the power to run.

3 – if going with Sun Tracker, I would not get it from Bass Pro but only a local dealer.

4 – with that being said, I would lean hard towards the G3. I don’t have any experience with either boats but have friends that do. I prefer the G3.

5 – as someone else mentioned, do you have any other options besides the ones you mentioned? Since you are on Lake Tahoe and since it is not my money, I see your only legitimate option is the Harris SL250 with twin 350’s .

https://www.harrisboats.com/crowne/crow ... in-engine/

PS…whatever option you choose, 23’ Tracker or G3 (or Harris ), make sure you have the tow vehicle to handle it.

They make 3 different 225's and 3 different 250's

all are 4.2 liter blocks.

They Make the 225 and 250 in Mechanical shift, fly by wire and SHO version

The Mech shifts are a few grand cheaper over the FBW.

The best bang for the buck is the SHO 250 which is around 275 HP actually.

Then the SHO 225 which will be close to 240 HP.

Had both brands. G3 is a helluva lot better built boat.

If your interested in a sun tracker, I would take a look at their Regency line of boats. Much nicer, bigger, and more expensive. I love my Sun Tracker but my next boat will be a Regency. As said before, do not buy from bass pro shops but find a independent tracker dealer. You'll be glad you did.

Thank you all! I appreciate your time weighing in on my questions.

-23' is probably max for me. I could go to another ramp but it's exponentially more expensive to launch and my tow vehicle is probably good at 23'/5k lbs.

-How fast do I want to go? As fast as possible when it's important (Storm, medical situation, etc..) but within budget...a Harris twin would be fun but it's well beyond my budget and really focused more for me and less for my kids/family....but I like your thinking.

-I was leaning towards the G3 as there's a dealer near-by...I just came back from that dealer and it's a joke. At this point I'd consider any brand. I care more about the hull and functionality of the platform than I do the 'softness of the seats'...with young(1 and 4) kids and all their friends, I don't wanna be stressed about them trashing an upgraded interior. I want to get them on the water and provide a fun, safe experience for years to come.

-The models I was looking at were the VF225 offered both in digital or mechanical controls.

Thanks again for all the input and look forward to posting a pict when the time comes.

My 22 foot Tritoon weighed 5000 pounds on the trailer.

I would bet that the 23 foot will be close to 5500 pounds.

The VF model is only mechanical shift. That's the SHO motors. You get more HP than whats on the cowling.

The other 225's is XA and XCA which is the digital model.

We have the Sun Tracker Regency. Everything seems top quality so far. Just like a car, it depends on what model and trim level you get.