Pontoon boat - or something else?

[jayw]

With the surge in popularity of pontoon boats - esp. performance tritoons which we all know are so versatile and fun - more boat makers are not only trying to get in the game but also gain an advantage. It's not enough to have a tritoon with aluminum logs any more. But, of course, in doing so are they blurring the line that used to divide pontoons from other types of hulls - deck, v-hull, cat, etc.

So my question is, is this a pontoon boat or something else?

http://www.razoretoons.com/

"Its fiberglass Multi-Hull Cat-V has five lifting points, letting it glide across the water and can bank in a turn like a performance boat should. With this design, the Razor can achieve speeds with half the horsepower of conventional pontoon producers and has lots of room to move around and be comfortable on the water, this boat is loaded with features from bow to stern. Wakeboard tower with speakers, onboard kitchenette with gas grill, a changing room, and tons of storage are just a few."

It's interesting for sure, though I do doubt one of their key claims - that it has a smooth ride. How can anything with a flattened V, step-hull style stern like that have a smooth ride in the chop?

Did Caravelle just blend a deck boat with a cat and call it a pontoon?

[Whitehorse]

Something else. Looks like a fancy pants rectangle boat. That's the technical name at least.

IMO you can't have a pontoon without the TOONS!

[jayw]

I tend to agree. Call it cool, call it lots of things, but a pontoon boat... nah

[rockhound]

i have trouble with companies that can't come up with an original name.
how many friggin products can they name razor, razer

a skate board: http://www.razor.com/
video game tanks: http://dota2.gamepedia.com/Razor
inline skates: http://www.razorskate.com/
a scooter: http://www.amazon.com/Razor-13013260-A5 ... 714&sr=1-2
a bicycle helmet: http://www.amazon.com/Razor-Youth-Multi ... 714&sr=1-4
gaming harware: http://www.razerzone.com/store?src=pgm. ... aQod2K4ABQ
a bigwheel: http://www.amazon.com/Razor-FlashRider- ... 14&sr=1-13
a dirt bike: http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywor ... t4czf291_b
side by sides: http://www.polaris.com/en-us/atv-ranger-rzr

and now this fancified deck boat, sorry there is nothing innovative about their hull design, offshore racing boats have been using the catamaran style hulls for decades, i considered buying a spectrum 24 foot aluminum hull pontoon that was made in the early 90s that has the same hull design.

[badmoonrising]

More like a catamaran hull to me...

[Whitehorse]

i have trouble with companies that can't come up with an original name.
how many friggin products can they name razor, razer

a skate board: http://www.razor.com/
video game tanks: http://dota2.gamepedia.com/Razor
inline skates: http://www.razorskate.com/
a scooter: http://www.amazon.com/Razor-13013260-A5 ... 714&sr=1-2
a bicycle helmet: http://www.amazon.com/Razor-Youth-Multi ... 714&sr=1-4
gaming harware: http://www.razerzone.com/store?src=pgm. ... aQod2K4ABQ
a bigwheel: http://www.amazon.com/Razor-FlashRider- ... 14&sr=1-13
a dirt bike: http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywor ... t4czf291_b
side by sides: http://www.polaris.com/en-us/atv-ranger-rzr

and now this fancified deck boat, sorry there is nothing innovative about their hull design, offshore racing boats have been using the catamaran style hulls for decades, i considered buying a spectrum 24 foot aluminum hull pontoon that was made in the early 90s that has the same hull design.

But it cuts through the water like a ...... razer.

[jayw]

Their "angle" is that it isn't a pontoon hull from bow to stern. Somewhere midship it transforms, the toons flatten out and you wind up with a step-hull design that's supposed to carry you better across the water. The same things they claim give them an advantage are the same things I would negate the advantages of a pontoon. That flat bottom stern has to hurt when you bounce off the chop. Last go around we considered a deck boat, but the ride is what convinced us the tritoon was the way to go.

Essentially what they did was re-design a deck boat to use a cat style bow instead of a V hull bow. Frankly I don't even like the way it looks in the water. There's a Canadian firm making one that's more true to the pontoon design, but I fail to see what you are really gaining. it's $90K MSRP and must be really heavy.

[Soonertoon]

Cool inside...butt ugly on the outside....

[bassn386]

Noticed their biggest boat, the 249 is only rated for a 200 hp motor, max. My Benni is rated for 350 max.

[Bugsbunnyboater]

I say Pontoon with a lotta extra stuff added to make it look different.

[margaritaman]

Noticed their biggest boat, the 249 is only rated for a 200 hp motor, max. My Benni is rated for 350 max.

200 hp but performs like 400 hp.

[Kilo Bravo]

More like a catamaran hull to me...

Yeah more a cat hull, which are good hull designs. This isn't a pontoon to me but I do like the interior.

[Cowracer]

What is it?

Overpriced ugliness that you will be able to buy for 30% list price in 5 years.

Tim

[Bryden24shp]

Just like the Advantage Party Cat. These things are nice, but pricey! Test drove one before we bought the Manitou in 07. Very nice, but then again it was just as gas hungry as my Baja was at the time. And at about 50 grand more, hello Manitou! Then came the Premier, whats next? That new 520 horse Bennington looks awfully nice! Manitou, take notice... You are about to be left in the wake in the dual console game! Should have jumped on this moneymaker years ago! Lets build one, now! I'll help!!!
Whoops, forgot add Advantage's link.... Me bad! http://advantageboats.com/index.cfm?pageBlock=23&page=2

[rockhound]

the advantage of having the pontoon is that it gives you more room, they have taken that advantage and thrown it out the window, now you have the double console no open deck space, might as well be a big open bow runabout.