Buying Advice for In-laws---Help Please

[WoodfordSippin]

Hello from Missouri.

First let me apologize for what is going to be a lengthy first post, but in reading your forum for the past few days it seems the more info I can provide the better.

As a quick introduction I have been around boats and water my entire life. We grew up near the Osage River just east of Jefferson City, MO and my family has always had some type of boat…everything from a 16ft runabout to the current iteration of a 22 ft. Lowe Deck Boat that my parents own. I have personally owned several PWC during that time. We typically boat on the river or any one of the several smaller lakes(Truman, Mark Twain, Stockton, or Pomme De Terre) in Missouri.

I only mention the above to let you know that I am not new to boating or being on the water, but must admit my complete lack of knowledge related to pontoons/tritoons and I have been tasked with helping my in-laws purchase one as they have recently purchased a second home on Lake of the Ozarks.

They are in their mid 60’s and have 4 children(and spouses) and 7 grandchildren ranging from 3-12. So the pontoon/tritoon will be used for everything from the two of them cruising, to cruising with a large group, to pulling a tube and various other activities as everyone gets more accustomed to having a place at the lake. The main concern I have is finding the “sweet spot” for size where they will feel comfortable taking it out, yet having it be big enough to accommodate large groups and the heavy traffic days at the lake.

So to get started I am looking for any advice you might have for a pontoon/tritoon to be utilized on Lake of the Ozarks(I know several of you are familiar with “The Lake”).

Specifically:

What length do you feel would be best given the info above?

Is there a rule of thumb for horsepower per length of vessel in order to ensure it is not underpowered(for example I have seen 24 ft. pontoons with everything from 60HP to 250HP).

What features, layouts, functions, etc…should we be looking for?

Any brands to steer clear of? I have seen Bennington, Bentley, Sun Tracker, Landau, Odyssey, and Playcraft on Craigslist/Boat Crazy/Boat Trader in their price range.

Any other advice, comments, suggestions, or opinions you might have would be welcome.

Thanks in advance for all your help.

[cwag911]

Welcome. If they're going to have all those family members on the boat at once, then I would say 25' and a tritoon. For motor, all the horsepower they can afford. layout with all the family would be like a Bennington GSR but you should go to some dealers and sit on the boats and see what they like. As far as options, I have GPS and power assisted steering which I love. Double bimini would be nice. Good luck.

[cuda67bnl]

My advice....... buy the biggest one in their budget, with the biggest motor they can afford or find.
Pontoons may hold a lot of people, but they get crowded fast, in my opinion. Mine is a 24 footer, rated for like 16 people. But to me it's crowded with 6 on it. And you won't hear folks complain about having too much motor, but everyone complains about being under powered, especially with a full boat.

[WoodfordSippin]

Welcome. If they're going to have all those family members on the boat at once, then I would say 25' and a tritoon. For motor, all the horsepower they can afford. layout with all the family would be like a Bennington GSR but you should go to some dealers and sit on the boats and see what they like. As far as options, I have GPS and power assisted steering which I love. Double bimini would be nice. Good luck.

Thanks. I would say it would be very rare if ever that everyone would be on it at once. Not having driven a pontoon or really even spending any time on one how easily are they to manuver/drive compared to a v-bottom boat. That would be my only concern with a longer boat.

[WoodfordSippin]

My advice....... buy the biggest one in their budget, with the biggest motor they can afford or find.
Pontoons may hold a lot of people, but they get crowded fast, in my opinion. Mine is a 24 footer, rated for like 16 people. But to me it's crowded with 6 on it. And you won't hear folks complain about having too much motor, but everyone complains about being under powered, especially with a full boat.

Thanks. Most of them I have looked at on the various website for a used boat are around 24'-27' with 115-150 HP motors on them. Do those motor sizes seem to fit with those length of boats?

[Kilo Bravo]

First off I would guess the in-laws would rather have comfort and people hauling capacity than top end performance.
A 24 foot with at least a 115 hp.
That is a more common size than say a 28 or the custom 30 footers, for that once a year when everyone is there for a ride.
A Tri-toon will give a smoother ride on rough water days and provide more float with a load on board.
Brand names...your choice, all the ones you named plus JC Manufacturing make reliable toons.
Pay more attention to engine brand and getting it serviced local.

[curtiscapk]

You are right in the ballpark. I am not sure of the price range you are looking for but a random toon search on mylist shows these....

http://loz.craigslist.org/search/boo?query=toon

anything with a 150 tritoon would be good. I would stay away from a 2 logger on LOZ if you can.

[cuda67bnl]

I wouldn't want anything less than a 115 if given the choice. I only have an old 70 on mine, and it maxes out at about 16 mph, and cruises at 13 to 14. And pontoons are floating living rooms as far as driving them. The only down side to them for me is that they catch so much wind. They can be a little tricky to load on the trailer if the winds are up, but you get the hang of it pretty quick. As for options, get one with a changing room in it, and add a potty to it. My boat has one, and I'm here to tell ya that is the best thing I've ever had on a boat. It ain't a big deal for guys, as they can just whip it over the side and let it rip. Most women can't and/or won't. You may not use it very often, but when it's needed, you'll certainly appreciate it.

[WoodfordSippin]

First off I would guess the in-laws would rather have comfort and people hauling capacity than top end performance.
A 24 foot with at least a 115 hp.
That is a more common size than say a 28 or the custom 30 footers, for that once a year when everyone is there for a ride.
A Tri-toon will give a smoother ride on rough water days and provide more float with a load on board.
Brand names...your choice, all the ones you named plus JC Manufacturing make reliable toons.
Pay more attention to engine brand and getting it serviced local.

Thanks, 24'-25' is kind of what I had in my head for size and I appreciate the input on the "tri". If I can find one with a Honda Four Stroke that is what I would prefer as we have had them on the last couple boats and never had issues and they are so quiet.

[WoodfordSippin]

You are right in the ballpark. I am not sure of the price range you are looking for but a random toon search on mylist shows these....

http://loz.craigslist.org/search/boo?query=toon

anything with a 150 tritoon would be good. I would stay away from a 2 logger on LOZ if you can.

Hello fellow Show Me Stater. Thanks for the input. I have been looking at Craigslist for a few days now and there seem to be some good options. Hoping I can get it narrowed down and start some actual looking with the in-laws this weekend.

Edit: Show Me State Boater, just realized you're from KS.

[curtiscapk]

http://loz.craigslist.org/bod/4579633434.html
]

[curtiscapk]

You are right in the ballpark. I am not sure of the price range you are looking for but a random toon search on mylist shows these....

http://loz.craigslist.org/search/boo?query=toon

anything with a 150 tritoon would be good. I would stay away from a 2 logger on LOZ if you can.

Hello fellow Show Me Stater. Thanks for the input. I have been looking at Craigslist for a few days now and there seem to be some good options. Hoping I can get it narrowed down and start some actual looking with the in-laws this weekend.

If you make it to Truman let me know! I am around the boy scout camp (Lowry City)

[WoodfordSippin]

http://loz.craigslist.org/bod/4579633434.html
]

That one is already on my short list....Thanks

[WoodfordSippin]

You are right in the ballpark. I am not sure of the price range you are looking for but a random toon search on mylist shows these....

http://loz.craigslist.org/search/boo?query=toon

anything with a 150 tritoon would be good. I would stay away from a 2 logger on LOZ if you can.

Hello fellow Show Me Stater. Thanks for the input. I have been looking at Craigslist for a few days now and there seem to be some good options. Hoping I can get it narrowed down and start some actual looking with the in-laws this weekend.

If you make it to Truman let me know! I am around the boy scout camp (Lowry City)

Will do. My parents and our family tend to make one or two trips each summer to Truman or one of the others(Stockton, Mark Twain, Pomme De Terre). We are heading from Pomme this Friday. Nothing beats a day on the water IMO.

[WoodfordSippin]

I wouldn't want anything less than a 115 if given the choice. I only have an old 70 on mine, and it maxes out at about 16 mph, and cruises at 13 to 14. And pontoons are floating living rooms as far as driving them. The only down side to them for me is that they catch so much wind. They can be a little tricky to load on the trailer if the winds are up, but you get the hang of it pretty quick. As for options, get one with a changing room in it, and add a potty to it. My boat has one, and I'm here to tell ya that is the best thing I've ever had on a boat. It ain't a big deal for guys, as they can just whip it over the side and let it rip. Most women can't and/or won't. You may not use it very often, but when it's needed, you'll certainly appreciate it.

Thanks for the advice about driving and trailering. I would never have thought about the changing room and potty. That is great advice.