Hey all, It's been a while since I've been on the Iboats website--almost a year exactly. The late winter always seems to get me day dreaming about warmer summer days out on the lake. A little boating background... Last year I purchased an old 50's v-bow with an old 50's 35hp. After completely rebuilding the boat from the ground up--I finally got it out on the water, and proceeded to struggle to get the old motor running, and once I did get it going, I QUICKLY realized my local lakes are waaaay too much lake for a SMALL 14ft v-bottom.
In the late summer, my first kid was born. Now, 6 months later I cannot wait to get the family back out onto the lake--problem is, my daughter will not be getting into that old 14fter on the big lake. I need something much larger, stable, and capable of the waters in my area.
To me, the logical choice is a pontoon boat, as they seem to encompass everything I NEED in a boat, and some of the higher HP tritoons seem to do everything. The question is, what size/type of pontoon/tritoon do I really need?
Lake Size
I live in upstate NY, in what is known as the fingerlake region. It get this name for the several elongated lakes that cover the area. The two main lakes I will be using the boat on, are also the two largest at approx 35 miles long, and 3 miles wide, and several hundred feet deep. These lakes, because of their size, on most days have 2-3ft rolling waves on most of the lake (depending on the wind) Some calmer days the water will have minimal waves, but waves can also get up to and exceeding 4ft.
So what pontoon size is right? I know I need at least 25" toons, and I am looking in the 20'-24' range. I know longer is better for handling the rougher waters, but I also only have a midsize SUV to tow with (toyota highlander), and I will have to launch the boat every time we want to use it, as we will not have a slip for it. Basically it comes down to will a 20ft pontoon handle 3ft rolling waves without much 'concern' that I am pushing the boat to its limits? I do plan on going with at least a 75hp motor, hoping more in the 115hp+ range (depending on the toon) because I need to be able to cover some water on these large lakes.
Ultimately I plan on using the boat as recreation--i.e. lounging, cruising, fishing, swimming. No tubing/skiing for several more years at least, and honestly, I will probably be upgrading within a couple of years. I figure my budget to only be in the $10-13k range, so I'm hoping I can find a nice gently used boat that's maybe 5-10 years old. I think a tritoon will be out of my price range for now. What are some thoughts on what size would be ideal based on my needs?
Thanks for reading the post, and I greatly appreciate any replies to help make this decision a bit easier for me.
In the late summer, my first kid was born. Now, 6 months later I cannot wait to get the family back out onto the lake--problem is, my daughter will not be getting into that old 14fter on the big lake. I need something much larger, stable, and capable of the waters in my area.
To me, the logical choice is a pontoon boat, as they seem to encompass everything I NEED in a boat, and some of the higher HP tritoons seem to do everything. The question is, what size/type of pontoon/tritoon do I really need?
Lake Size
I live in upstate NY, in what is known as the fingerlake region. It get this name for the several elongated lakes that cover the area. The two main lakes I will be using the boat on, are also the two largest at approx 35 miles long, and 3 miles wide, and several hundred feet deep. These lakes, because of their size, on most days have 2-3ft rolling waves on most of the lake (depending on the wind) Some calmer days the water will have minimal waves, but waves can also get up to and exceeding 4ft.
So what pontoon size is right? I know I need at least 25" toons, and I am looking in the 20'-24' range. I know longer is better for handling the rougher waters, but I also only have a midsize SUV to tow with (toyota highlander), and I will have to launch the boat every time we want to use it, as we will not have a slip for it. Basically it comes down to will a 20ft pontoon handle 3ft rolling waves without much 'concern' that I am pushing the boat to its limits? I do plan on going with at least a 75hp motor, hoping more in the 115hp+ range (depending on the toon) because I need to be able to cover some water on these large lakes.
Ultimately I plan on using the boat as recreation--i.e. lounging, cruising, fishing, swimming. No tubing/skiing for several more years at least, and honestly, I will probably be upgrading within a couple of years. I figure my budget to only be in the $10-13k range, so I'm hoping I can find a nice gently used boat that's maybe 5-10 years old. I think a tritoon will be out of my price range for now. What are some thoughts on what size would be ideal based on my needs?
Thanks for reading the post, and I greatly appreciate any replies to help make this decision a bit easier for me.
