A first family pontoon. Suggestions?

[captain kurt]

My search for the perfect toon (my first) is gettin close. I'm finding lots of 24 ' used in the mid to upper teens. Prefer to find the 115 or better over a 90. I'm gong to pull my wife and little girls Kaylee 10 yrs & Mellaney 5 yrs, on the tube in the Lake Tahoe area & nevada. This summer we rented a 90 it seemed to lack the pwr we wanted. Lots of good deals out there. Has to be the right toon to "pop my cherry". Does any one have a brand to stay away from? Are there any lemons out there? I have not heard anything either way. Which brand to look for or to stay away from. Suggestions anyone? We are not looking for the "fishing-boat-type" with the angler seats. Would prefer to have wrap-around-seating. Thanks for any help you can provide. The photos are soon to come from our lake Almanor trip. We had a blast.

[dockholiday]

I would shoot for a tri toon with a 150 or up. Bennington, Premier, Manitou are your major flagships but most of the others are well made. The tri toon should get you in the 35 to 45 mph depending on weight and size motor, plenty for skiing. Suntracker is getting some pretty good speed with their 2 log (nv), not sure how long they have been out, but are probably limited in the used market. Good Luck in your search. Nothing like a toon in my book.
doc

[jimrs]

Most all toon manufactures build a good boat. Things to look for are motor, it needs not only be big enough but well maintained. Then look at the seats and soft trim on top the boat. These are the items that take the most care to keep nice and neat. If there are torn and holes in the carpet or seats then you can be out a lot of money to get that fixed. The best bet is find one and just check it out good before you buy. Don't let yourself be fooled by yourself saying I can fix that and thats not too bad because it is and it's expensive to fix.

There should be a lot of used toons out there with this economy and all you do is just have to look around, You will find one that you will like.

[nostrildomus]

I just bought my 1st Pontoon. Family of three (with a 10 y/o daughter); We are thrilled and couldn't be happier with the purchase of the boat listed in my signature. The size & performance are perfect for our intended use. Good luck in your search:)

[curtiscapk]

Welcome both of you!!

Mine is perfect for us a got it on a steal last summer...it is used but fantastic shape lots of good deals out there around here..

[FloterBoter]

get the longest pontoon boat you think you can handle. we got a 28 footer and sometimes wish we had more space. we have two kids, but friends love coming on pontoons.

get the biggest engine you can afford, within reason. we have a 3.0L (140 hp) I/O. i still wish i had more power!

[captain kurt]

hey gang! thanks for the advice.lots of good infomation you sent like look into a tri hull with a 150 H/p or more. Check out any damage carpets/seating uv rays damage. Most inportantly the motor.My favorite bigger is better, for all the stuff & friends & there stuff.This is alot of fun getting ready for the right boat & finding it. It like the chase before the kill.Your'e feed back helps me alot. I look foward to blasting my results and photos of all the fun were go to have. I must go hunting again now, be back soon. thanks again.

[jafo9]

this is the site i used to find my boat. i'm sure there are others like this, but this was the first one i found.

http://www.searchtempest.com/

[martys]

We bought a Premier Legend 22.5 triple toon with a 150 E-tec this year. For us it was the perfect size, with plenty of power for tubing and skiing. My family had much more fun this year boating than with our old Regal cuddy cabin.

[jimrs]

That subject First Family pontoon took me by surprise. I thought that Obama had joined the site. I was going to say get one with just one pontoon as it must lean to the left to be useful.

[captain kurt]

so..... with just one pontoon (less drag) it can be ridden as a big ____.As Oboma runs our country into the dirt. possabity save on fuel cost. I like it.