Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Just joined the forum, but have been reading here for sometime, so thanks for all the great information posted here already!

I am planning to get my first pontoon in preparation for cottage season here in Ontario, Canada. We are on a lake that feeds a large canal system, so our water level drops gradually through the summer. Our cottage is on a relatively shallow bay. With low snowfall and rainfall last winter and spring/summer, I had to take our Hurricane deckboat with 4.3L I/O out really early before it got stranded. So I decided to get something that required less water in order to extend our summer boating season. When I took the boat out, we had about 2-3 feet of water depth at the dock. Two weeks later, we would have been beached!

I am looking at two different boats. Sticker shock has given way to the hope of getting as much boat as possible for the money. I originally had to decide between a pontoon vs deckboat and went with the deckboat because of performance. It was a used 2005 and a pretty good deal for under 20K (Canadian$) There were literally no used tritoons or other fast pontoons available anywhere near us.

Our needs: Our lake is a good size (Bobs Lake) so I would like something that can get us home quickly if the weather acts up, or get us where we are going with speed. We have not been waterskiing but plan to (previously tubing and kneeboard). I also would really enjoy a nice quiet cruise at slower speeds, something I find I can't get with the Hurricane because unless I am up on plane, the RPMs and noise to cruise slowly (and gas use) is just not comfortable. I don't fish at this point, so don't need dedicated fishing setup. I have thought that we might in the future trailer the boat to the Rideau Canal system or even the Ottawa River for bigger lakes/water, but have never done this. The loss of the water last year was really disappointing and if we ever decided to sell our place, we would get onto the canal system lakes or the Ottawa River, with bigger water. But that is an unknown at this point.

The boats:
1. 2016 Premier 220 Sunsation RF with all standard features plus:
Evinrude 150 ETEC Pontoon series
Sport Tube Performance Package (this is 3/4 tube)
Full Vinyl Flooring
Toe Kick Strip Lighting
Black Hammered Rails
Extended Swim Platform
Upgraded Stereo w/ 4 Speakers, Directional Mounts, 10” Sub, & Amp
Hydraulic steering
Has a 4th entry gate on starboard side
Basic fishfinder/depth gauge
This is a new boat left over from last year.

2. 2016 G3 Boats X324SS with full middle pontoon (these are U-shaped pontoons with foam)
150HP Yamaha 4-stroke Outboard.
Outboard has less than 5 hours on it.
Includes Lowrance Hook 7 GPS and depth finder.
Rear facing lounge chairs.
Middle toon storage.
Ski pole included.
Vinyl floor
Includes tri-toon G3 trailer.
Fore and Aft bimini covers.
This is a demo used for less than 5 hours last year.

Pros and cons for each boat from my point of view:

Premier:
Pro: I am very satisfied that the build quality of Premier boats is above average.
The starboard gate is nice as we usually dock the boat with that side to the dock
I really liked the quality and comfort of the benches/seats.
Con: I am not sure of the performance aspect of the 3/4 middle toon, whether it would squat lower in the water at the back, making the water depth requirement greater. Also if it would manage ok in bigger lakes without the full middle toon both comfort and safety-wise.
Strangely, no cupholders (we can get aftermarket, just thought I would mention)
Will the Etec be louder at lower speeds?

G3:
Pro: Full middle toon. I really like the dual rear-facing loungers in the back. Double bimini is great for me (I burn easily), middle toon storage is nice for skis. Can never have enough storage. Ability to boat on bigger water seems more assured.
Con: Don't know about the U-shaped toons - I am guessing these will sit lower in the water but don't know if this is significantly different than round ones. Will the 150HP give us significantly worse performance on the slightly longer but heavier G3?
No starboard gate but not a deal-breaker.
I haven't actually been on this one as it has been wrapped for the winter. Don't ask me why a dealer advertises a boat for sale that can't be seen.

So I am looking for opinions from more season toon-ers about the choice. Cost is pretty close between both, way more than I ever though I would spend, but the availability of older used tritoons seems to be very limited, even when I started looking at the end of the summer last year.

Just a personal opinion from a snowed in northerner, Premier is a better boat for sure. I don't like the idea of foam in the tubes but it works for them. JC uses large U shaped and gets superior flotation, not sure if thats the case with G3. Are the prices comparable? If so I'd buy the Premier. Sorry , just saw the line about price.

I would go with the premeir if the are close just based off resale and build quality.

I am very happy with our Premier, ours is the full 3rd log PTX performance package, so I cant comment on the 3/4 log setup.

Just a comment on the 3/4 VS Full length middle toon; my Berskshire has the sport 3/4 middle toon, my friend has the full length middle with integrated fuel tank, exact same boats otherwise, his with a Zuke 150, mine with a yami 150. mine is faster by a couple MPH.

We loved our old Premier! Should have kept it. My opinion on the starboard gate? Our last boat did not have sides gates, I thought I wouldn't miss them. Wrong. They really come in handy for docking and my granddaughters missed them for just opening the gate and sitting there when we were beached. Not cutting down the G3 at all, just trying to help.

I've got an old Starcraft with the U shaped, foam filled toons, and it gave me 28 years' great service with a 115 hp Yamaha 2 stroke. And it was the best riding, most efficient 2 toon boat I've ever ridden in. Nothing wrong with U shaped toons.

My Bennington has the Yamaha 150 hp, and 3/4 length Express third tube. It does sit in the water a little lower when docked, but once running you really cannot tell the difference between it and their full length SPS hull. As far as speed, they're identical. I would say the SPS may slightly handle better, but my Express tube also handles so much better than any 2 tube boat.

The ETEC motors may be just fine, however I'm a long time Yamaha owner. And the F150 is a fine motor for pontoons--about 40 mph on top end. They've got a so much better dealer base and more engines on the new and used market. Advantage: Yamaha.

I'm a fan of Premier and their seating quality. But you cannot go wrong with the G3 either. Flip a coin.

Have never owned a Pontoon except for a G3.

Ours has been a really good boat so far.

Your post didn't say if the G3 has side gates.

On ours, we have a gate on all four sides and the port side gate is wheelchair wide.

That may not seem like anything until you start loading up gear from the dock or embarking little old ladies and shriveled up little old men that are relatives or just the neighbor guy you take fishing a couple of times a year.

Then, the extra gates, especially the wheelchair width gate come in really handy.

Just some info to make your decision with.

Ultimately, it'll be your boat, your money, and your family.

Which one do you think will suit your needs best?

I have had a Premier Sunsation for 2 seasons now. It has been good and I have no complaints. Very solid construction. I had Premier delete the 4th door and extend the couch all the way to the helm. I thought the additional couch length was more important than the extra door.

The etec can be a good motor but can have some problems on pontoons depending on how you run it. A friend had a 225 ho on his abs kept going through sparkplugs then finally lost an injector. The problem was how he ran the boat according to the dealer and motor rep. He very rarely ran the motor over 3000 rpm as a good plane was achieved a little over 2000 rpm. The boat would run in the 50's but very rarely ran that fast. A guy in our neighborhood has around 1000 hours on his and had to replace the injectors on his 150 and also went through plugs fairly fast. I think they are good motors but not the best for that mid range rpm cruising. A mechanic friend of mine said it has to do with some sort of water bypass in the cooling system that keeps the motor colder than it should be at the rpms discussed above.

Thanks for all the advice. The G3 was sold hours before I was going to look at it, so that is now off the table.

Our local Boat Show is next week, so I will have a look at a variety of boats before making a final decision on the Premier.

Still interested in comments about 3/4 vs full centre pontoon. I am concerned about the "squat" with the 3/4 resulting in more water depth needed to slowly putt-putt the boat out of our bay. How much water depth do you think would be needed if I tilt the motor up? Is this even a safe way to operate the engine?

Thanks again in advance, I really appreciate the advice.

It shouldn't be a problem either way. We have a few boats in our neighborhood that are 3/4 toons and we are a full length toon and a heavy boat at that. I also always run my tank full or close to it (40 gallons). There is a little more squat on the 3/4 toons but it's not that noticeable on the ones I looked at. The 3/4 toon is a little faster typically and the full toon gives a slightly better ride but more importantly allows for bigger motors. I can run in around 18 inches of water idling and trimmed up comfortably if I need to, but I don't like to push it that often. How shallow is the place you keep your boat? I think either one should be fine idling out. When you give it gas to get on plane and trimmed down is when it's going to need the most water as the motor digs down and the bow rises. Honestly with either you should be fine down to around 2 feet of water.