would like pontoon boat feedback

[sharkin]

I am looking to buy a 20-22 foot pontoon boat (new or used, I'm not sure). Any feedback on what size engine works well for this. Most come with a 60 hp engine. I'm leaning more towards a 90 hp.

 

[DJ]

Re: would like pontoon boat feedback

We have two. Both Starcrafts. Both 22'.

One is a 2000 model, the other a 2007. Both have 75 HP Mercs. The 2000 is a 2-stroke and the 2007 is a four stroke.

Both engines have been 100% flawless. Both toons will run at about 26 MPH at WOT (wide open). The four stroke uses about 1/3 less fuel.

Both will pull a tube with two people. The engines struggle but they do it. Both are propped to run on the high end of the RPM band.

 

[rocky100]

Re: would like pontoon boat feedback

I go out on my brother in law`s 24 ft pontoon boat a lot-it came with a 115 horse Mercury outboard-it will haul tail, but that does seem a little too big for that boat-----
the manager at the marina said we could ski behind it, but we`ve never tried----probably a 90 horse would be just fine.

 

[crb478]

Re: would like pontoon boat feedback

It all depends on what you want to do with it and how many people you plan to have on board. If you want to do a lot of tubing and skiing, then the bigger the engine the better you will like it. If you are going to have more than 4 people or so on it you will also appreciate a bigger engine. If all you want to do is tool around and maybe drift over a few fishing spots the 60hp will be fine. I have a friend with a 22 foot tri-toon that has a 115 on it. It is a fast boat with 2 people on board and pulling 2 in a tube. With 12 people on board and pulling two it is noticibly slower and he now wishes he would have gone for the 150hp option.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: would like pontoon boat feedback

if you want to go fast a tri-toon or deckboat is a better option, you also have to be careful of weight placement with a lot of people on board. one 200 lb person could move to the bow, causing the bow to dip, and possibly submarine.

 

[starcraft67]

Re: would like pontoon boat feedback

I'm with crb475 and what he said. Where are you going to have your boat? At 20 or 22 ft and 8 ft wide, you won't want to be trailering it around. Even a 16 ft pontoon boat is a hassle to trailer around. If your home lake is 300 acres and everyone else putters around, you don't want to be the maniac with the racing pontoon. On the other hand if it's a big lake and people go fast, you may want to do the same (although, as noted below, a fast pontoon boat is not going to get the mileage of a runabout). Are you going to be tubing?

Pontoon boats have a low top speed unless really overpowered. Put a 60 on it and it'll go 20 something mph. Put a 90 on it and it'll go 20 something mph plus one, and the gas mileage will not be quite as good (and the transom will be weighed down more heavily). You may also find that zooming around on a 22 ft pontoon is not as much fun as zooming around in an 18 ft runabout. Pontoons are really meant for more leisurely cruising. Every boat has a natural cruising speed at which it feels really comfortable, and on a pontoon it's not 25 mph with the bow up, trying to put a lot of speed on a craft that weighs 1700 lbs and has 700 or 800 lbs on board, but doesn't really plane like a runabout does. Plus, as was mentioned by the others, weight is an issue, will it just be you and mom or 14 people?

I would go with the 60, myself, unless the boat is overly heavy (some pontoons come with 600 lbs of furniture on board) or you anticipate a lot of use with a lot of passengers.

 

[45Auto]

Re: would like pontoon boat feedback

If you're looking at new 20' - 22' pontoons, then hopefully the 25% or so extra in gas the bigger motor would cost you wouldn't drive you into the poorhouse. I've never seen anyone complain about having too large of a motor on a pontoon, that throttle thingie seems to take care of that! But I've heard lots of complaints about being underpowered.

As others have said, it depends on what you want to do with it. If it's a couple of people idling around anything would work. But the bigger motor gives you the versatility to do more.

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: would like pontoon boat feedback

I've got a 90 4-stroke on my new 20' 2 logger and it does fine. Runs about 26-27 with 2 on board. Cruises very well at 18-19 MPH. Get the largest engine you can afford and is within the max rating for the boat and you can't go wrong..