typical new guy questions...

[LVjayhawk15]

And don't be surprised when you spend 110% of what you intended to spend. That's what I did 7/6/12 when I bought a Bennington 24' SSLX with a 150 hp Yamaha.

Corrie, he speaks the truth... 2 years or so ago when we decided to "buy a boat", we were determined to buy used, and somewhere in the 6 to 8K range.... ended up buying new and considerably more than that, despite the fact my toon is an entry level toon...

I can appreciate that, but my question is why? Used are harder to find so you just bought new to get what you wanted?

And i do have 2 more questions: It seems a lot of people like the tri-toons, how long have those been around? Can I expect to find any used tri's?
Also, what is this under-skinning I hear of? I think I understand it...is it worth it? Also, how long has THAT been around?

[ronb]

tri-toons have been around for quite a while, locally a dealership had a 2008 South Bay 822CR (4.3 I/O) tritoon with underskinning for sale for $33k earlier this spring. A guy on the lake I frequent (Pelican Lake, MN) has a 2007 South Bay 925CR with tritoon underskinning and a 115 Mercury Optimax.

Underskinning: A fancy name for any plating that covers the ribs on the bottom of the main platform, its purpose is to keep water from splashing against every floor rib support (less splash = go faster, quieter, more 'firm' feel to the boat)

Comparison
My
2007 South Bay 922CR (22ft long, no underskinning, pontoon, 90hp Optimax) will do about 20mph at WOT with 2 adults and 2 kids
The
2007 South Bay 925R (25ft long, underskinned, tritoon, 115hp Optimax) claims can do about 35mph

His pontoon is larger, heavier, our motors have the same weight, but the extra flotation of that third log puts him higher out of the water (less drag to begin with) gives him more storage room (ski storage under the main deck) and higher speeds.

I need a third tube, I'd be happy with mid to high 20's...
-ron

[LVjayhawk15]

tri-toons have been around for quite a while, locally a dealership had a 2008 South Bay 822CR (4.3 I/O) tritoon with underskinning for sale for $33k earlier this spring. A guy on the lake I frequent (Pelican Lake, MN) has a 2007 South Bay 925CR with tritoon underskinning and a 115 Mercury Optimax.

Underskinning: A fancy name for any plating that covers the ribs on the bottom of the main platform, its purpose is to keep water from splashing against every floor rib support (less splash = go faster, quieter, more 'firm' feel to the boat)

Comparison
My
2007 South Bay 922CR (22ft long, no underskinning, pontoon, 90hp Optimax) will do about 20mph at WOT with 2 adults and 2 kids
The
2007 South Bay 925R (25ft long, underskinned, tritoon, 115hp Optimax) claims can do about 35mph

His pontoon is larger, heavier, our motors have the same weight, but the extra flotation of that third log puts him higher out of the water (less drag to begin with) gives him more storage room (ski storage under the main deck) and higher speeds.

I need a third tube, I'd be happy with mid to high 20's...
-ron

Ah-ha! That is exactly what I was thinking, but the 'numbers' you provided make it all very clear.
Thanks for the input!
The wife and I are gonna go walk/sit/play with some tomorrow at a dealership to get a 'feel' for the different layouts and manufacturers (sp?) and what not.

Again,
thank you all for your help! Every time I come to this site (not just this thread) I feel more educated and confident about making a good decision when I get ready to drop some coin!

[LVjayhawk15]

(If you're still reading this, I thank you)

So the wife and I went and walked on a bunch at the local Boat stores and found what we want....but it did raise three questions:
1-We would like a tri-toon, how hard are they to add? We don't want to just look for Tris if they can be added easily
2-Also, if im looking at things correctly, you dont need to underskin if you have a 3rd toon?
3-(Just looking for opinions on this one) We have a 2stroke ban here, but the new Merc OptiMax passes that due to them re-doing all the emissions and stuff...so, other than the torque being higher (im assuming), what would be the major differences between them? Does the maintence change? Reliability?

Again, thanks everyone!

[margaritaman]

Yes you can add a third toon later but I think it would cost you more than buying one already installed. Also under skinning is done on a lot of new tri toons. Th Etecs are good but price is higher than four strokes with the same horse power.

[RobRoy]

* waiting for the epilogue here * Well ? Whad'ja get ?

...and you did read the response regarding the 2S ban correct ?

[BoatCop]

And one last thing to add.

Get a good doggie life jacket for the Basset. Just in case you haven't had him around water, Bassets sink. The density of the bones in their short stubby legs and their long low profile doesn't allow them to swim and stay above water.

A good life jacket is a MUST for the midget hounds.