Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Apologies if you've already read this in the Welcome section - but it might be better suited here....

We're new arrivals to Canada, crossing the big pond from England and we ending up in NW Ontario. After 4 years of settling and learning, we have decided that a pontoon boat will fill our needs better than the 16ft Naden fishing boat we currently have.

We live within 5 minutes of Wabigoon Lake, which is a fair enough size to keep us entertained and where the boat will be used 99% of the time. We're not fishermen, so the boat will be a cruiser style, not a fisher one.
We're currently doing our research and have come across so many different makes and models, it's hard to narrow down what's good/bad etc.

Most of the time it will be the 2 of us and our dog. If there are more people, we will probably tie up to friends with other pontoons or a houseboat. With this in mind, we're thinking 20ft would probably be adequate and a 50 or 60hp motor would suffice.
We have been keeping an eye out for used boats but they seem rarer than hens teeth.... We were hoping to spend around $15K CDN but it now looks like we might have to go new and end up somewhere between $20 to $25k. We are only 2hrs from Minnesota so getting a boat in the US is an option open to us.

We're heading to the Mid Canada Boat Show in Winnipeg this weekend to have a close look at a few more boats and see what kind of deals are on the table.

If anyone can think of anything we should be looking out for specifically, or what to avoid, that would be great.
Thanks, Rob

Rob, welcome to the forum.

We purchased our first "new to us" pontoon last year and we had several of the same questions. It's mainly just my wife and I and our Lab on the boat. Here's what we were told, a 20' pontoon may ride a little rough in rough water. A 22' pontoon will ride smoother due to the longer length. Go with as big of motor as you can afford. We were originally thinking 50-60hp and we are really glad we kept looking and found a 22' pontoon with a 90hp (and of course, now I want an even bigger motor).

Hi Rob and a big welcome to the party!!
Most all of the new boats are quality made, so finding the right fit for you and your family and the activities you are doing the water, wheather just crusing or pulling a tube, or skiers.
I would look at all the local dealers first for both new and used. The boat show is a great place to compare manufacturers and the different layouts offered. Having a local dealer can be worth paying a few extra CD's if something goes wrong. If you find a used one make sure you have compression check run on the motor and check all the welds for cracks and the deck for soft spots.
Good luck in your search an if you have any questions......Just ask.

Good advice given already. 22' would simply will be more seaworthy.

The 50-60-70 motors are basically the same motor in different tunes. A 75 hp motor is a lot more motor than a 70, and the cost difference should be around $1000. Go for it if the budget allows, and you won't be sorry.

If you're looking used, I suggest you go to Boattraders.com and filter it for the area just across the border (in the U.S.). I've never noticed if they cover Canada.

The more popular brands of pontoons have budget model boats with the same features and quality. And sometimes they're not even more expensive than a much less quality boat. I have a Bennington 24' SSLX tritoon with a 150 hp Yamaha, and it's good for 40 mph.

Good luck in your search.