Welcome

[Stewedpickles]

Hi everyone. I'm new to the forum and I'm in the market for a boat. I've looked at a few, learned a little, and I'm overwhelmed with the plethora of choices. I want a boat I can take my wife and son on, pull a tube behind but not a skier, and use for fishing. I visited local stores and saw Sun Trackers, Bentleys, and Sunchasers but nothing else. I need a reliable boat that will last for several years at a reasonable cost, but doesn't everyone? I like the space of and layout of the Sunchaser 820 4-PT with a 90HP Merc 4 stroke. Should I be looking elsewhere?

[DonCabo]

Hi Jeff. Welcome!

I very recently did the same journey that you are currently doing.

To answer your questions, what is your price point? That determines where you should be looking. If you are looking for a starter pontoon boat that's reliable and give you a few good years of use then I would think an entry-level boat would meet your needs.

After CONSIDERABLE research, I just purchased a Bentley 240 Cruise with a 115 Evinrude on the back.

When you boil a pontoon boat down they are quite simple and really nothing has evolved through the years (except bigger & chambered 'toons). If you get a new 'toon and keep it covered and cared for, it'll last you a while. The pontoon boat is simply a couple aluminum lincoln logs with a sheet of plywood on top, some seats and a steering wheel. Where 'toons have evolved in recent years are the bells and whistles. That's where the $$$ goes.

I love my Bentley. I love my Evinrude. I would encourage you to research Evinrude's website and watch their videos. Pretty cool stuff and awesome technology. Your first engine maintenance with an Evinrude? 3 years. I don't prefer Merc's because their technology is so antiquated making the engine heavier, less powerful and less efficient. Yamaha and Suzuki are good, too. Evinrude just beats them all in my opinion.

If you want value, basics and a new boat; get a Bentley. For a 24' boat with a 115HP Evinrude on the back (no trailer) I paid about $20K out the door. Included the mooring cover, bimini, etc. The boat is sound and reliable (well, it's really the engine that is reliable).

The only other close contender was Sweetwater. They put out a great boat but all of their options are really the standard set of features found on the Bentley's. Sweetwater still was about $6K more. SunTrackers aren't bad either and can get competitive in pricing.


Good luck!

[RlyWntAboat]

I am a new member here and have enjoyed and learned from every post that I have read. Everyone here seems to have a wealth of knowledge that my wife and I are going to use this year. We are going to purchase a pontoon boat before next boating season. We love to fish and camp and we like to go to different state parks around Ohio. We will attempt to pull our pontoon with a Honda Pilot since I traded my F150 in for a Hyundai Sonota because I drive 60 miles round trip every day and gas prices make me mad. We want a pontoon boat with enough power to get to where we want to go in a reasonable amount of time, maybe camp on, and pull the teenage kids around on a tube(if we can get them to go with us) I am excited to hearing your input to all of the posts and I will try to update our progress on the hunt...

[lakerunner696]

Hi Jeff. Welcome!

I very recently did the same journey that you are currently doing.

To answer your questions, what is your price point? That determines where you should be looking. If you are looking for a starter pontoon boat that's reliable and give you a few good years of use then I would think an entry-level boat would meet your needs.

After CONSIDERABLE research, I just purchased a Bentley 240 Cruise with a 115 Evinrude on the back.

When you boil a pontoon boat down they are quite simple and really nothing has evolved through the years (except bigger & chambered 'toons). If you get a new 'toon and keep it covered and cared for, it'll last you a while. The pontoon boat is simply a couple aluminum lincoln logs with a sheet of plywood on top, some seats and a steering wheel. Where 'toons have evolved in recent years are the bells and whistles. That's where the $$$ goes.

I love my Bentley. I love my Evinrude. I would encourage you to research Evinrude's website and watch their videos. Pretty cool stuff and awesome technology. Your first engine maintenance with an Evinrude? 3 years. I don't prefer Merc's because their technology is so antiquated making the engine heavier, less powerful and less efficient. Yamaha and Suzuki are good, too. Evinrude just beats them all in my opinion.

If you want value, basics and a new boat; get a Bentley. For a 24' boat with a 115HP Evinrude on the back (no trailer) I paid about $20K out the door. Included the mooring cover, bimini, etc. The boat is sound and reliable (well, it's really the engine that is reliable).

The only other close contender was Sweetwater. They put out a great boat but all of their options are really the standard set of features found on the Bentley's. Sweetwater still was about $6K more. SunTrackers aren't bad either and can get competitive in pricing.


Good luck!

I love my 90 E-Tec. When I got mine they were offering an additional 2 years so I have a 5 year warranty. If looking at E-Tec be sure and ask it that offer is coming up. They run it often I have heard.

[Saltyf15]

Great site, Im a new member I have a 2009 20ft Weeres cadet cruise with a 40hp suzuki. Lots of good info on the site.

Salty... welcome to forum. Minot huh? If memory serves me, one of only 2 major A.F. bases that house the B 52.. The other being Barksdale afb I think.... again.. welcome..

Wow it has been a while since I have been on here but yes Roland it is one of the two a.f. bases that has B-52s now.

[sylpay]

I just happened across this forum while googling a question about towables and pontoon boats and am very impressed with all the forums and information avaialble. Thanks for creating this forum. I will definitely be using it often since we are failry new to pontoon boats. We have a 20 foot Premier SunSpree with a 60 hp Yamaha. This was the best purchase that we have made in a long time.

[Armand]

Hi all new to the forum new to the pontoon world just purchased a G3 Suncatcher LV 168 FC my wife and have been boating for years and always wanted a pontoon boat, finally broke down and purchased one. It sure is different and will take some getting use to I have alot of questions and would welcome any advice thank you

[margaritaman]

Welcome new members. Lot's of boating experience in this forum so if you have questions ask away! Enjoy your boat this Summer.

[bigdogrn]

hey guys I am new to pontooning and new to this forum. I have learned alot from you guys so far and hope to become an active participant here.

[Icedog]

Well I've been lurking here for quite a while and figured it was time I jumped into the mix. In May of 2010 my fishing boat was stolen from our cabin in central Minnesota. The police found it a few weeks later completely stripped of motor, electronics, seats etc. I decided that with 5 grandkids it might be a good idea to get a pontoon as a replacement. I bought a 1998 Ercoa Tritoon from my wife's uncle and have been cleaning and tuning her up ever since thanks to all the info I've found in this forum. Enjoying the heck out of it this summer. Thanks!

[oldsporty1]

Ha everyone just joined and have already picked up some good info. New to the pontoon set but think I am going to like it better than bass fishing, getting older and calmer you know.

[lorisuemiller]

I just found this forum today. My husband and I are thinking about buying a pontoon, and this forum has already helped us a lot. We are going to get a used one, but we aren't sure which manufacturers to look at. We want either a 22' or a 24', and we really like hard tops, but that's a negotiable option. We're starting to wonder if it doesn't make more sense to buy a much older one and renovating it. I always thought boats didnt hold their value, but it looks like everything newer than 2002 is pretty well between $15,000 and $22,000.

I love hearing other people's opinions. We're probably going to keep renting for the remainder of this season and then try to buy something off-season. Any advice you have would be appreciated!

Thanks.

Lori and Harry

[lakerunner696]

Lori, Harry,welcome. where you from?


You mentioned you prefer a hard top. Look for older Lowe, Landau, Playcraft and possibly Sundancer. They made a lot of hardtop's in 24 length. We have a lot on Tenkiller here. Now that I live a mile from the boat ramp and marina I wish I had a hard top for my 22. You don't see it much on toons less than 24ft.

[lorisuemiller]

Lori, Harry,welcome. where you from?


You mentioned you prefer a hard top. Look for older Lowe, Landau, Playcraft and possibly Sundancer. They made a lot of hardtop's in 24 length. We have a lot on Tenkiller here. Now that I live a mile from the boat ramp and marina I wish I had a hard top for my 22. You don't see it much on toons less than 24ft.

We're in Indiana. We have several lakes within a couple of hours of us, but we're landlocked! Thank you for the tips on the hardtops. There are so many different pontoons, and they seem to be pretty similar. Do you do your own maintenance on your boat, take it to a marina, or do you have a local mechanic? We've been curious about how folks get their boats serviced. We think we have a local mechanic who could do engine work, but we're not sure about other things we might want to do.

Thanks.

Lori & Harry

[lakerunner696]

Lori, Harry,welcome. where you from?


You mentioned you prefer a hard top. Look for older Lowe, Landau, Playcraft and possibly Sundancer. They made a lot of hardtop's in 24 length. We have a lot on Tenkiller here. Now that I live a mile from the boat ramp and marina I wish I had a hard top for my 22. You don't see it much on toons less than 24ft.

We're in Indiana. We have several lakes within a couple of hours of us, but we're landlocked! Thank you for the tips on the hardtops. There are so many different pontoons, and they seem to be pretty similar. Do you do your own maintenance on your boat, take it to a marina, or do you have a local mechanic? We've been curious about how folks get their boats serviced. We think we have a local mechanic who could do engine work, but we're not sure about other things we might want to do.

Thanks.

Lori & Harry

I do as much as I can. Plugs, filters, lower unit oil change ( also power head oil if 4 stroke) I have a almost new Evinrude E-Tec so warranty for 5 years on any problems. Otherwise water pumps are very owner doable.