Buying Advice for In-laws---Help Please

[Bamby]

I usually piddle puck around on our boat extensively. It's actually a rare occasion when we open it up even being we only have a 90 on ours. I've always held the belief that unless a person were only a mile or two from the marina chances are you're going to get wet despite how big a motor a person has on their boat. But that said I have found more power available awfully handy in negotiating other idiots wakes on my terms rather than theirs. Often that means throwing the throttle to her to create the space to swing around where I can cut through the chaos they created for us.

[justfishing]

I dont know what the budget is but 24 to 25 foot is a good size. I drove a 27 with a 115hp and no strakes a few weeks ago and its was slow and didnt handle well. Would only be good for a slow cruise. A 150 on a similar boat is an improvement but lifting strakes would be a big improvement.

As crowded as the lake is I would want lifting strakes and a performance setup to get back to down skiers/tubers. I would go for a 150 or larger. If going with a smaller engine I would look at something like a 22 foot playcraft deck boat. Has the same layout of a pontoon but will handle much better.

Personally I hate being on LOZ on an under powered ill handling tritoon when a big cruiser comes buy or there is the big chop and you are not sitting high enough.

[WoodfordSippin]

I was waiting for some one to chime in on comparing LOTO to other lakes. While I have never personally been there, I've heard the stories as well and I too boat on a very rough lake. I would frown on any thing but a full center tube tri-toon with a MINIMUM of 150 HP for your needs. 200+ would be better. You often hear people mention having enough boat to get out of a storm on the large lakes, and that is even more true when dealing with novice boaters who may not be as calm and cool in a rough situation as a more seasoned boater. Getting across a rough lake a few minutes faster could mean the difference between getting to shelter safely or getting caught in a bad storm.

Thanks for the info.

[WoodfordSippin]

I usually piddle puck around on our boat extensively. It's actually a rare occasion when we open it up even being we only have a 90 on ours. I've always held the belief that unless a person were only a mile or two from the marina chances are you're going to get wet despite how big a motor a person has on their boat. But that said I have found more power available awfully handy in negotiating other idiots wakes on my terms rather than theirs. Often that means throwing the throttle to her to create the space to swing around where I can cut through the chaos they created for us.

Thanks for the info. I agree most times they will do exactly what you do and piddle puck around, but I am hoping to convince them that for LOTO that bigger is better in terms of horsepower.

[WoodfordSippin]

I dont know what the budget is but 24 to 25 foot is a good size. I drove a 27 with a 115hp and no strakes a few weeks ago and its was slow and didnt handle well. Would only be good for a slow cruise. A 150 on a similar boat is an improvement but lifting strakes would be a big improvement.

As crowded as the lake is I would want lifting strakes and a performance setup to get back to down skiers/tubers. I would go for a 150 or larger. If going with a smaller engine I would look at something like a 22 foot playcraft deck boat. Has the same layout of a pontoon but will handle much better.

Personally I hate being on LOZ on an under powered ill handling tritoon when a big cruiser comes buy or there is the big chop and you are not sitting high enough.

Thanks for the info. I have been meaning to ask for a while, but what exactly are lifting strakes? I assume they are the fins along the sides of the pontoons and I also assume they are there to "lift" the toons out of the water, but would just like clarification as all of my experience is with fiberglass v-hull open bow boats or aluminum deck boats. Also I have seen several of you mention a "performance setup" what exactly does that consist of?

[justfishing]

I dont know what the budget is but 24 to 25 foot is a good size. I drove a 27 with a 115hp and no strakes a few weeks ago and its was slow and didnt handle well. Would only be good for a slow cruise. A 150 on a similar boat is an improvement but lifting strakes would be a big improvement.

As crowded as the lake is I would want lifting strakes and a performance setup to get back to down skiers/tubers. I would go for a 150 or larger. If going with a smaller engine I would look at something like a 22 foot playcraft deck boat. Has the same layout of a pontoon but will handle much better.

Personally I hate being on LOZ on an under powered ill handling tritoon when a big cruiser comes buy or there is the big chop and you are not sitting high enough.

Thanks for the info. I have been meaning to ask for a while, but what exactly are lifting strakes? I assume they are the fins along the sides of the pontoons and I also assume they are there to "lift" the toons out of the water, but would just like clarification as all of my experience is with fiberglass v-hull open bow boats or aluminum deck boats. Also I have seen several of you mention a "performance setup" what exactly does that consist of?

Growing up all I saw was pontoons with small engines for puttering around the lake. That was in the day when I learned to ski behind a closed bow 16 foot runabout with a 65hp Johnson. Back then a 100HP was nearly undheard of. OVer the years boats and egines have gotten larger. But even as boats and motors got larger my image of pontoons remained the same....that they were for slow cruising, like taking your patio on the lake.

I was slow to notice the change in pontoons but they slowly got bigger and faster, a third toon was added. But there were still not performance boats. They still plowed through the water, didnt turn well. Then they put lifting strakes on the toons. The wedge shape piece on the lower part of some toons. This helps lift the boat out of the water. They only benefit boats with bigger engines. This really improves the handling and performance. The next evolution is to make the center turn larger like in the Premier toons. I havent ridden in one but is looks to really improve turning.

At LOZ I would look at getting the largest diameter toons and lifting strakes along with a 150hp or greater engine. If it in your budget I would look at getting something with the larger center toon too. As you know the main channel has what I call a chop versus waves. As hard as you try to avoid it you will spear a wave now and then. Larger toons along with a more powerful motor will put you in control rather than at the mercy of the lake.

One of the things I have not liked when driving a pontoon is pulling tubers and trying to get back to a downed tuber. I have not driven a performance toon. I have driven tritoons with 80 to 150hp as well as deck boats and v hulls. Currently I dont have a boat but when the time comes we will likely end up with a tritoon.

[OldePharte]

I see that I'm late to the party (as usual). I live at LOTO and have gone through several boats here. First, off it'll make a difference on where on the lake they are as to boat size. If they are located between the dam and the 45 mile mark, then a 25 foot triple log with a 150 is about the smallest that I'd go. It is what I got. A 26 footer would be better with a 175+ on the back. Playcraft makes pontoons made for LOTO, and so did Sundancer but most major brands should work. Sundancer is out of business, so no help with manufacturing defects. The only pontoon that I'd run away from are those that use M brackets to attach the deck to the tubes. Way too much side wave action for those to last. There seems to be a metal fatigue issue at the log itself.

Your boat choice may be somewhat limited on their dock slip size, so that is a consideration as well. Boat size - take a tape. My 25 foot Neptoon fills up my 28 foot boat slip.

Whatever boat they buy, there will be a learning curve on crossing cruiser wakes. My old 24 foot double log pontoon liked taking them at a 45 angle whereas my 25 foot triple log prefers taking them head on.

Good luck on your choice.

[Mosnowman]

Welcome Woodford!

I boat pretty much exclusively on Pomme de Terre every weekend in the summer. I own a Harris 240 Tritoon with a Verado 150. I actually purchased it at MarineMax at LOTO.

For those not familiar with Lake of the Ozarks...on weekends think "Ocean". Not to offend anyone that boats there...it's a great social lake but under no circumstances would I ever set foot on a pontoon on that lake on the weekend. Your in-laws definitely need a Tritoon and the larger the better. 24 Feet with a 150 would be the minimum I would ever consider on that lake.
I just spoke with a guy who had his Tritoon submarine last weekend after a Cruiser went by and put out 4-6 feet high wake. First wave hit and dropped the front end followed by another that caused them to submarine....and they were actually bracing... not going fast when they saw it happening. A lot of the drunk big boat drivers on the LOTO tend to be a bunch of egomaniacs that don't understand that when they approach a Tritoon with kids on board they might want to slow down. Okay...off my soapbox.

Good luck with the search you have received some great advice in this thread! Remember on LOTO ...bigger is better and most importantly safer!

[justfishing]

Welcome Woodford!

I boat pretty much exclusively on Pomme de Terre every weekend in the summer. I own a Harris 240 Tritoon with a Verado 150. I actually purchased it at MarineMax at LOTO.

For those not familiar with Lake of the Ozarks...on weekends think "Ocean". Not to offend anyone that boats there...it's a great social lake but under no circumstances would I ever set foot on a pontoon on that lake on the weekend. Your in-laws definitely need a Tritoon and the larger the better. 24 Feet with a 150 would be the minimum I would ever consider on that lake.
I just spoke with a guy who had his Tritoon submarine last weekend after a Cruiser went by and put out 4-6 feet high wake. First wave hit and dropped the front end followed by another that caused them to submarine....and they were actually bracing... not going fast when they saw it happening. A lot of the drunk big boat drivers on the LOTO tend to be a bunch of egomaniacs that don't understand that when they approach a Tritoon with kids on board they might want to slow down. Okay...off my soapbox.

Good luck with the search you have received some great advice in this thread! Remember on LOTO ...bigger is better and most importantly safer!

Was he an experienced driver on the lake. A few weeks ago I had a cruiser veer to the right and cross in front of me. We were in the channel after the glaize bridge and he wanted to head into the marina. At first I slowed knowing the size of his wake 4-6 footers. I ended up making a u turn and going back to find calmer water. That is why I pointed out in an earlier that you want a big enough motor to get you out of trouble.

[WoodfordSippin]

I see that I'm late to the party (as usual). I live at LOTO and have gone through several boats here. First, off it'll make a difference on where on the lake they are as to boat size. If they are located between the dam and the 45 mile mark, then a 25 foot triple log with a 150 is about the smallest that I'd go. It is what I got. A 26 footer would be better with a 175+ on the back. Playcraft makes pontoons made for LOTO, and so did Sundancer but most major brands should work. Sundancer is out of business, so no help with manufacturing defects. The only pontoon that I'd run away from are those that use M brackets to attach the deck to the tubes. Way too much side wave action for those to last. There seems to be a metal fatigue issue at the log itself.

Your boat choice may be somewhat limited on their dock slip size, so that is a consideration as well. Boat size - take a tape. My 25 foot Neptoon fills up my 28 foot boat slip.

Whatever boat they buy, there will be a learning curve on crossing cruiser wakes. My old 24 foot double log pontoon liked taking them at a 45 angle whereas my 25 foot triple log prefers taking them head on.

Good luck on your choice.

Thanks for the info and I am thrilled to hear from someone that lives on the lake. The place they have made an offer on is near the 3-4 MM in Jackson Branch Cove I think. We are spending a lot of time looking at Craigslist and trying to figure out what they want and what budget they are going to provide. I am certain it will be used. I hadn't thought about the dock/lift. The property does come with a one-well dock and lift, but I have not measured it so thanks for that tidbit.

[WoodfordSippin]

Welcome Woodford!

I boat pretty much exclusively on Pomme de Terre every weekend in the summer. I own a Harris 240 Tritoon with a Verado 150. I actually purchased it at MarineMax at LOTO.

For those not familiar with Lake of the Ozarks...on weekends think "Ocean". Not to offend anyone that boats there...it's a great social lake but under no circumstances would I ever set foot on a pontoon on that lake on the weekend. Your in-laws definitely need a Tritoon and the larger the better. 24 Feet with a 150 would be the minimum I would ever consider on that lake.
I just spoke with a guy who had his Tritoon submarine last weekend after a Cruiser went by and put out 4-6 feet high wake. First wave hit and dropped the front end followed by another that caused them to submarine....and they were actually bracing... not going fast when they saw it happening. A lot of the drunk big boat drivers on the LOTO tend to be a bunch of egomaniacs that don't understand that when they approach a Tritoon with kids on board they might want to slow down. Okay...off my soapbox.

Good luck with the search you have received some great advice in this thread! Remember on LOTO ...bigger is better and most importantly safer!

Thanks for the info and the insight.

[jafo9]

lots of great info in the previous responses. ditto on the changing room with the potty. you don't use it much, but when you do, it sure is nice. for your water, i'd highly recommend a 24+ with ~250hp. my 225 is adequate when i'm loaded. if i had an open checkbook, i'd opt for a 300 on my boat.

[playcat]

Good luck finding a used Playcraft anywhere (except mine) but they are a great choice for rough or big water. Mine handles ship wakes in a narrow river just fine; only took water on the deck once when I crossed the wake of a freighter making 14 knots. We were in the shallow flats heading in and the ship was in the channel heading out. I spoke with the pilot on the VHF and he said he saw me but could not slow to make the turn in the channel.

Didn't stuff the bows, just got some water under the front gate. Not bad for a old school two pontoon boat