Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

We vacation to lake of the ozarks and have access to a tritoon with a 90hp fourstroke. I like the ride of a pontoon on a rough lake like LOTO. But a 90hp is not enough for my desires.

I would like to be able to cruise at about 30 mph of faster with a top speed of 40+.

I would like to hear you set up and what is a comfortable cruise speed and the top speed. How is your boat loaded on a usual outing.

Not with a 90, you need at least a 115 to hit 30 and 40??????

I've got a 25' tri-toon with a Yammy 250 SHO on it. I cruise at about 30 and so far my top speed has only been 43. That was with 6 people on board which included a buddy of mine pushing 295 and I weigh over 250. Also a couple coolers of ice and beer, choppy water and a motor that's only got 5 hrs on it. Depending on the legnth/weight of the boat you've got, I'd say you're going to need at least a 200hp motor to push it up to 40.

I can tell you what it takes to do 80

tsip85, what size prop came on yours, any picts your boat yet?

My work toon is 27' Crest tri-toon with the upper deck.

The 150 Verado pushes it to 35 tops.

pond tuuunes wrote:I can tell you what it takes to do 80

That's mean!

BoatCop wrote:My work toon is 27' Crest tri-toon with the upper deck.

The 150 Verado pushes it to 35 tops.

this boat would be really cool with a nice holding cell, I say move the controls to the top deck and cage in under the roof

My 2013 South Bay 522 CRTT with 18 hrs on it will do exactly 40 mph gps with 2 people, all the gear and full tank of gas (52 gal). See below for outboard, prop, boat setup. Trifecta pkg includes third toon, and lifting strakes which helps a lot.

I have to smile every time someone comes on here asking about speed. Yep, today's toons can go a lot quicker than even those made 10-15 years ago, what with higher hp motors (even I/Os), lifting strakes (tap fins?), underskinning and the third log.
But who really buys one for speed, other than the Playcraft with the 496 HO I/O or two or even three 300 hp outboards?
I'm guilty as well, I guess. I've been able to get to about 41 mph with half a tank of fuel and just the Admiral and me on board. The Admiral is the one who wants more top end! She was used to 50+ on the old Four Winns and likes to have those bursts of speed when needed. I thought we bought this boat for the extra capacity and the really smooth ride on rough water. What do I know?

BoatCop wrote:My work toon is 27' Crest tri-toon with the upper deck.

The 150 Verado pushes it to 35 tops.

One pontoon for work and one for pleasure. Nice....

bassn386 wrote:I have to smile every time someone comes on here asking about speed. Yep, today's toons can go a lot quicker than even those made 10-15 years ago, what with higher hp motors (even I/Os), lifting strakes (tap fins?), underskinning and the third log.
But who really buys one for speed, other than the Playcraft with the 496 HO I/O or two or even three 300 hp outboards?
I'm guilty as well, I guess. I've been able to get to about 41 mph with half a tank of fuel and just the Admiral and me on board. The Admiral is the one who wants more top end! She was used to 50+ on the old Four Winns and likes to have those bursts of speed when needed. I thought we bought this boat for the extra capacity and the really smooth ride on rough water. What do I know?

I'm completely with ya there. An open pontoon at 45-50 mph is sort of like being in a hurricane. I can deal with it when I'm by myself but with passengers not so much. It ceases to be fun after a few seconds literally. I do enjoy the extra pulling power for watersports, but that is 32-34 mph tops and most everyone is focused towards the back, not nursing a drink while enjoying the scenery.

my premier is propped down a bit as we used to use it for towing before i bought my mastercraft. my top speed was 42ish (gps), unloaded, top down, etc. i usually cruise around 24mph. this seems to put me in the sweet spot for gph/distance. if you get too fast, the wind becomes an issue and folks can't enjoy the ride with hats flying off and beer flying on the person behind them. on the other hand, it is kinda funny to see the look on someones face when all the foam from a newly poured beer ends up all over their shirt.

jafo9, i see your on smith as well, we launch and stay at the park weekends, maybe see you out sometimes, mines got double red tops-polished toons-flags on the rear.

Wedge, I asked about the prop when I picked it up but I forgot what he told me. I think he said it was an 18 pitch, or something like that. Have to be completely honest, when it comes to talking about props, I know NOTHING! I can count the blades on them and that's about it.

As for pics of the new 'toon, I posted a few in this thread after our maiden voyage:

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16404

Checked up on it Tuesday to see that my lift has been installed and she's sitting high and dry in the slip now. I'm taking the day off of work tomorrow and plan to spend many hours on the lake this weekend!!