Help Newbie buy a pontoon boat
I’ve got the bug. ?I live in northern Illinois and plan to
cruise the Chain of Lakes. ?I’ve seen some pontoon boats
locally made by Princecraft and Sun Tracker and have some
questions.
1) ?With so many manufacturers, which ones are the best?
?I don’t need a Mercedes but I’d like a quality boat in the
22-24 foot range. How do Princecraft and Sun Tracker stack
up??
2) Am I right that a lot of these boats are made in Indiana?
?Are good deals to be had if I drive to Indiana and pick it
up? ?I have a Honda Ridgeline capable of towing 5500 lbs…is
this enough?
3) I own 2 Honda’s and a jon boat with a Honda 20 HP
fourstroke…I’m drinking the Honda coolaid. ?Is a Honda
fourstroke in the 100 HP range a good motor for a pontoon boat?
4) Is there any questions I should have asked? ?What is your
answer?
Thanks,
Steve
3)
One Response to “Help Newbie buy a pontoon boat”
- Boat Shows At Home Launched March 9, 2010Boat Shows At Home Launched.... […]
- Fort Myers Spring Boat Show Update March 9, 2010Hundreds of boats from all the area's major dealers will be on display indoors and outdoors. […]
- Palm Beach International Show Update March 8, 2010Enthusiasts can celebrate the silver anniversary of the Palm Beach (Fla.) International Boat Show... […]
- Pontoon Boat Enclosures for New and Used Pontoon Boats March 7, 2010Pontoon Boat Enclosures - 4 Models to Choose From.... […]
- North Carolina Boat Auction March 4, 2010North Point Watersports sells MasterCraft Ski Boats, Manitou Pontoon boats, Rinker and Formula Yachts. […]
- Dania Beach FL Marine Flea Market Update March 3, 2010The number of vendors participating in this year's Dania Beach (Fla.) Marine Market Flea Market is up from last year, organizers said. […]
- Dallas International Boat Show Report March 3, 2010Organizers of the Dallas International Boat show reported a 20 percent increase in attendance at this year's event over the 2009 show. […]
- 1979 Riviera Pontoon Boat – Lincolnton February 17, 201024 ft 1979 riviera pontoon cruiser for sale...... […]
- Savannah International Boat Show Update February 17, 2010With the incredible price reductions from the region's top boat dealers and all the incentives from boat manufacturers, there should be a lot of boats sold at this year's boat show. […]
- Miami Boat Show – New Outboards Announced February 16, 2010At the 2010 Miami International Boat Show, both Honda and Suzuki introduced new four-stroke outboard models.... […]
There is no perfect boat out there. First boat I bought (20ft Bentley with 50hp Merc, 4 stroke) was to slow. Packed on 12 people for beer runs and sight seeing. Upgraded to a 24ft triple toon (Bentley with a 150 hp Merc, 2 stroke). Can put 16 people on the boat with plenty of seating. The 150 pushes the boat at 25mph into moderate wind with 6-8 adults onboard. I bought the triple toon for the superior ride. The triple handles wave action much better than regular pntoon.
It all comes down to how much you are willing to spend.