Wife wants a toon

[Bubba1235]

We have ski boats (I rebuild/trade them) and the wife enjoys them but after being out on a friends pontoon she says she would really like something like their boat, only larger. Their boat is 19' or so. I have never even driven a toon, much less owned one. Heck, its been 25 years since I owned an outboard.

I know my wife and she will want space. You would not believe all the stuff she can bring on a ski boat. I on the other hand am concerned about trailering and ramp loading/unloading. I've heard many say its a real bear. (I tow with a half ton 4X4.)

Further, as this is a first for us, I plan on going used. Not at all opposed to finding something in need of TLC over the winter, but want to know I am getting a solid base to work with. Something in good shape would not upset me.

How will we use it? Mostly as an entertainment platform, high speed is not a requirement at all. I would say a typical weekend would be 6 to 8 adults (no kids) puttering around, maybe drop a fishing line in, etc. Cooking is a given and would want more than a grill. Some sort of "facility" would be a BIG plus. I would also think a minimum of 10 gal of water should be on the list.

So, what the heck is it I am looking for? What size would be a good range for the use and needs we have in mind? (Keep in mind we must trailer it to our local lakes, no tie up facilities.)

Open to all thoughts on this one...

 

[DJ]

Re: Wife wants a toon

Towing/launching with a 1/2 ton 4X4 won't be an issue. Just realize that towing it fast will drink enormous amounts of fuel. They are a bid sail on the highway. Just slow down.

For 6-8 adults, I'd be looking at about a 24 footer with a minimum of 75 HP.

The larger the tubes, the better.

As far as "customizing" it, the sky is the limit. Just pay attention to weight capacities.

 

[mthieme]

Re: Wife wants a toon

Second that.
20 footers seem to be most common at least around here but it will be tight with 8 adults.
I wouldn't go less that 75 hp, you'll get better economy out something a little bigger.

 

[Bamby]

Re: Wife wants a toon

If you don't have to trailer far you may look at the party cruiser line from Suntracker. They have a enclosure on part of the deck that have the amenities that you are looking for. These are big boats though I think they start at 28' but they are trailer-able. There are some that do it all the time. But if nothing else maybe by looking at a few you can get some ideas how to modify a normal pontoon to suite your needs. Do a google search look at what is available try to see a few in person. When you get past a grill for cooking in reality you are stepping into the trailer-able houseboat territory. But a lot of them have very limited outdoor deck space. Good luck with your search but almost anything can be done with a pontoon boat but you may have to modify it to make it your own.

 

[DJ]

Re: Wife wants a toon

The lake I would use most often is about 15 minutes on a secondary highway so high speed towing is not in the cards. The more I think about it and from looking at photos, I am thinking 24' might still be a bit small. When you you start looking at this length what diameter tube should I be looking for? (They seem to come in quite a selection.)

The BIGGEST you can get in the length you want.

 

[Captain Trips]

Re: Wife wants a toon

I would recommend at least 24 foot for 6 to 8 adults. We have a 21 foot and it is fine for five people but would get crowded with eight. As for towing I get about ten mpg with a 07 f150 4x4 crew cab. It feels like there is a house back there but the truck handles it fine...it just gets thirsty.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Wife wants a toon

if you can afford it, go 28" tritoon. for lauching go for a long tongue on the trailer.

 

[dst87mcssac]

Re: Wife wants a toon

I would also highly recommend getting a REAR ENTRY BOAT. This is one with the ladder on the back of the boat. ALso get a 24' with a FOUR STROKE MOTOR. Do not get a Force 2 stroke.

I have a 98 Crest II ( 22') side entry removable ladder with a 97 Force 2 - Stroke. Go to the Force Outboard Forum and you will see what I and talking about with the Force.

Get a Yamaha, or Honda Four Stroke. JMO !!!!!!!!!

I love my pontoon that I have had for six years and just purchased a Ski Boat last week. I will always have a pontoon.

Donald

 

[chrisg]

Re: Wife wants a toon

Sounds simular- wife wanted something that can hold more people and goes slower. We bought an old thing. It worked, till the motor broke! the first time we took it out with people!

now Im looking at a new motor also! (Well, you get what you paided for!)

 

[DJ]

Re: Wife wants a toon

A couple more questions, please forgive.

I went by the local marina and there were several toons in the 18 to about 22 range. (Seems to be a popular length.) Anyhow I noticed that on all of them, the rear of the toons are MUCH deeper in the water than the front. Is this normal? I mean looking at them they looked like the weight was about evenly positioned on the decks with the exception of the outboard engine. Is that what is weighing them down so badly?

There was a couple of bigger boats, 24' to 28' (guestimating) and neither of them seemed to have this problem. Is this normal? Do the longer toons do a better job of distributing the weight?


The second issue, while standing there I watched a toon coming to the dock and was moving along nicely with 6 people on it. They must have seen something in the water and everyone went to the bow to see whatever it was. I was shocked to see the front of the tubes go UNDER and water splash onto the deck. Can this sink it? Is this a normal thing you have to deal with and keep people off the bow when underway? Gotta tell ya, seeing that happen sure has made me wonder if this is a smart move for me.

Yes and sort of.

Both our Starcrafts "squat" at the stern. They perform fine though.

The pontoon will not sink but having the front deck go under can cause serious injury. Some people think that is fun. I don't.

 

[chrisg]

Re: Wife wants a toon

Yes and sort of.

Both our Starcrafts "squat" at the stern. They perform fine though.

The pontoon will not sink but having the front deck go under can cause serious injury. Some people think that is fun. I don't.

Having The motor and gas and battery and people loaded on your back end, you would squat also.
you mean going under is not fun

 

[quantico]

Re: Wife wants a toon

I moved batteries and fuel to the front... and tend to balance people toward the front to keep a decent balance. Having a bunch of people moving around on any boat is not a great idea... having six people going to the front is really bad if you are at speed... injuries would be quite possible with the front going under water and stopping quickly... I would try to control passengers better than that.

I have a 21 foot riveria cruiser and my neighbor has a 24 foot kayot. I would think 10 people could fit well on a 24 foot boat... if you plan or cooking a lot I guess 28 to 30 feet starts to become possible if you can budget a large boat.

60 HP is usually good for 24 foot pontoons unless you need real fast top speeds... I use 40 hp on my 21 foot toon and get 15.5 - 18 mph on my gps... that is moving well with a pontoon boat. I would think cruising around and talking with friends at 10 mph would be easy to accomplish with any engine 40 HP and up... the larger engine might be quieter at half throttle and offer tube pulling speed if you choose to get something bigger. If you end up with 28 - 30 foot or so you might want to consider 70 -80 hp as a better engine match.

A neighbor down the river has a new heavy 22 foot large size toon pontoon boat with some fancy seats and covers ... really nice and 30 plus thousand bucks... he has a 115 hp engine and claims 24 mph wide open. Most of the time he drives at 8 - 14 mph and could use an engine half that size if he chose to. He has an awesome / heavy boat and moves it to play in downtown off lake michigan and along the break wall so the hp can be used to get around longer distances in his case.

I guess I would get out for some rides on 24 foot and larger boats and see what you like and what you can afford price wise... trailers and getting pontoon boats on and off the lake is no big deal with the drive up trailer that supports each pontoon seperately... the center lift trailer that looks like a ladder laying flat can be more tricky and requires more skill and time to line up correctly each time you load your boat.