Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Last year all summer long we had talked about doing some upgrades to our toon and I researched here and online about adding a third toon and possibly a bigger motor. Hadn't thought much more about it seeing as I didn't really want to spend the money on upgrades nor do I have the place to do them. Some people I work with had told me about going down to a boat dealer here and they upgraded to a tri toon and got a really good deal. So I started thinking about it again and started looking at trading in mine and upgrading to a tri toon. I have found one I really like and considering it. Its got a 115 on it, which im sure will be plenty of power to do what we need it to do but I think I'm gonna spend the extra and have a 150 put on it. How do the U shaped pontoons match up to the regular round toons?

My old pontoon was a Starcraft with the U shaped toons. It is the best riding, most buoyant twin toon boat I've ever ridden in. Playcraft is about the only company still making U toons, however.

It all comes down to dollars and cents. Have you shopped other brands? I went Bennington on my new pontoon, and am very well satisfied with it. The most popular brands of pontoons all have 3-4 different model boats in every price range.

And if you're going tritoons with strakes, take advantage of that hull and go with the 150 hp motor. You won't be sorry.

I like mine rides good

Have to agree with above. Go with at least 150 HP since you have higher performance tri-toon pkg. You won't regret it and may even wish you went bigger. That's one reason I'm on second toon in a year.

U shaped toons are supposedly more buoyant than similar sized round toons, as there is no water weight "pushing down" on the toons once/if the center of the toon is @ the water line. My JC Tri Toon (the original "tri toon") has 3 U shaped logs, and I couldn't be happier with them.
As stated above, get the biggest motor you can afford...

Yup, what they said. Go big or go home, as long as the wallet can handle it.

With those lifting strakes I don't think it will make much difference as to the shape of the logs. Definitely go for the bigger motor.
One thing I did find out with the lifting strakes on my toon is that you need to be a bit more pro-active about throttle settings. I was used to having my v-hull settle into the water and basically come to a stop with the throttles at neutral. At least with my Benni, I find the boat is still moving forward after I come to neutral. It was a bit disconcerting at first, but I learned to slow down well ahead of coming into a slip or a dock so I didn't have to slam it into reverse.
Something else to watch out for if the throttle is digital. There is no "shift button" from forward to neutral to reverse. It's a very subtle feeling in the throttle handle, so if your new toon comes with that be aware of where neutral is. I scraped up my logs very early in my ownership and I'm now hyper-aware of the position of the throttle.
Good luck and happy boating!

Are the logs filled with foam....?

Rascal

My first Toon was a G3 and I was very happy the U shaped logs just not the layout (it was a fishing model, and I rarely used it for that). G3 at least in 2010 still used foam in their logs. They make a quality product.

We purchased a G-3, 326 Elite SS last year and could not be happier. The U shaped logs seem to handle all types of water conditions with no problem. I have had the boat on 3 of the Great Lakes: Superior, Michigan and Huron. The boat seems to ride high in the water, we dock it on the inland lake we live on and it allows us to traverse rather shallow water to get it to the hoist. The logs are filled with closed cell foam. The nose cones on the G-3 are now .200 gauge with the rest of the logs .100 guage. The boat appears to be put together solid, at least on the model I got the cross members are 16 on center like most manufactures do now.

So far I am happy with our decision to go with the G-3. I was a little leary at first going with the U-shape foam filled logs.

Good luck in your decision.

I've been told to avoid pontoons that are foam filled like the pox. They (who is "they"), That you can't weld on them because of the foam inside, and if you get a water leak your up shit creek without a welder that will touch the job.

Just..... what "they" say.Your call... roll the dice?

Rascal

My Playcraft barge is a '93 and still going strong,even if the old Volvo won't...held up to its 235 ponies really well so far!

The JC Tritoon had a nice very water saavy design. Strange thing is I cannot find a dealer anymore within 250 miles of me.
http://www.jcpontoon.com/unique-hull-design.html