New Pontoon Advise

[Flipturn]

As I near retirement, (June 26th, but who's countng). My wife and I just purchased a lakefront camp and are now actively looking to buy a pontoon boat. We think we have narrowed down our choices to either a Manitou or Bennington 22' with tri-toons. We have 2 boys who like to do more than read a book and enjoy the ambience of the lake like we do. This said, we would need the boat for tubing and skiing. I am unsure of the HP needed to make this happen. I have been told many times to never buy too low. Our Camp is located on Crystal Lake in Enfield and is for the most part calm. Is there anything else I should look for? We do plan to buy in NH.

We are open to any suggestions. I have tried to read through all the forums and magazines and still need help. We are not locked into anything and any advice would be welcomed. :)

[Formula260SS]

Why do you need a Tri Toon if the lake is calm most of the time? Do you plan to load it to max capacity often? Could save money if it's not really needed.

I would love a Tri Toon, it can get pretty rough where we are plus ours has been know to be overloaded :D

[ishoot308]

My suggestion regarding motor size is to get the largest you can afford. Nothing worse on a pontoon than being underpowered.

I have a 24' Manitou with a 250 H.O. Evinrude Etec and love it!! Not saying you have to go that big in engine size as I am not familiar with the size of your lake, but do yourself a favor and do not underpower your boat.

Here is posting on the "Pontoon and Deckboat Forum" from a dealer addressing this exact issue. Hopefully you can open or paste this link in your address bar...

http://www.pontoon.net/fusetalk/forum/messageview.cfm?catid=24&threadid=22930&enterthread=y

Good Luck!!

Dan

[NHDOLFAN]

I bought a 26' JC Tritoon boat last April with a Honda 150 4-stroke engine. I have taken 10 adults across the broads at 35mph and have wakeboarded behind it. I am 6'1" tall and weigh 220lbs and had no problem. The 4 stroke is also very efficient and quiet. I love it!

[codeman671]

I, like Dan above, am a Manitou fan. I run a 24' SHP tritoon with a Merc 225hp optimax. It handles incredibly and is very fast. I surprise many other boats with its speed, agility and stability.

My previous Manitou was a 22' tritoon (non-shp) with a 115hp Optimax. This boat was still quick (37mph) and stable. It probably would be a great setuop for you. On a small lake like Crystal I hardly think you need to go 200+hp. I would stay in the 115-150hp range and go for a 4 stroke to keep the noise and fuel consumption down. I am a fan of big power personally but don't see the need for your application. You will get better handling and a more stable feel with the tritoon, although you could easily do a twin tube as well.

If you are going Manitou my suggestion would be to talk to Bob Cicceto at Rochester Sports Center. Tell him that Jason with the yellow Manitou sent you. They are my personal choice (not implying anything or bashing the dealer here on the lake). You will get a great boat, good price and the service from a large dealer that has been around for a long time.

[secondcurve]

Flipturn:

How many acres is your lake?

I just answered my own question with a google search...404 acres. Nice size, but nothing compared to Winnipesaukee. You shouldn't under power as the others have said, but also don't buy a 357 magnum to hunt mice.

[Flipturn]

I appreciate all your advice. I thought I could look online and make a decision, I can not believe how many choicies, options etc there are in buying a pontoon boat. I am very excited and am like a kid waiting for my birthday. I am planning on going up to Winnipesaukee mid May and look around. Hope to buy at that time as well.:liplick:

[VtSteve]

I appreciate all your advice. I thought I could look online and make a decision, I can not believe how many choicies, options etc there are in buying a pontoon boat. I am very excited and am like a kid waiting for my birthday. I am planning on going up to Winnipesaukee mid May and look around. Hope to buy at that time as well.:liplick:

I think that with many things, you'll find that boats are best looked at on the water. Nothing beats a sea trial. Some boats appear great on shore, and the feeling of love can quickly be lost after a few moments behind the wheel.

[steadyon]

flipturn,
congratulations on retirement and NH
we have a 20' sweetwater with a 95hp merc. with hydrolic steering.
love it and can pull tubes with adults.
good luck and welcome to NH
BTW, we got our boat at Irwin in Laconia. Bill is a great guy and very good
customer service.

[Old Hubbard Rd]

Hey checkout McCallans Boat House in Epson. That's where I bought my Harris/Kayot several years ago. They are on a small lake so you could take them out on a test drive. (not sure I spelled McCallans properly)

[Orion]

We have a 24 Bennington and love it. Had it since 2001. Tritoons give you much more capacity and better nose-diving/deck-swamping protection when everyone seems to be sitting at the bow area. They do have a bit more drag though so it will knock a few mph off the top end, but a tradeoff that I feel is well worth it. The tritoons also allow for more engine weight. Ours is a 130 hp Honda and will do a bit over 30 mph. Plenty for skiing, and we have a ski-tow bar on the stern. More HP means less engine drone for longer cruises. We actually can hardly hear the Honda over the normal bow splash sounds. Bennington, Manitou, Harris/Kayot are all top notch boats.

[Meredith Marina]

flipturn,
congratulations on retirement and NH
we have a 20' sweetwater with a 95hp merc. with hydrolic steering.
love it and can pull tubes with adults.
good luck and welcome to NH
BTW, we got our boat at Irwin in Laconia. Bill is a great guy and very good
customer service.

Irwins is no longer a Godfrey dealer. We have picked up the Sweetwater, AquaPatio and Sanpan pontoon lines for 2009 and we are very excited to have them. They are all very well built and great looking pontoon boats!

[steadyon]

Meredith Marina,
Thank you for the update. When I need a new one I will give you a call.