My parents came to our lake house last weekend and want to spend more time there. We have a 22' deck boat that we love and is very roomy. However, it is near impossible for my parents and my wife's parents to get in and out of it.
My dad shocked me and said he wanted to buy a pontoon boat and for me to sell our boat. I have been thinking about it anyway because our days of pulling teenagers around the lake are over. We are now a cruise, swim, beach group.

I've been looking and a big tri-toon with a 200hp+ engine is just too expensive. A 21'-22' looks to be about the right size for us. Most of these have 90 or 115hp engines on them. It looks like a 90hp will only push those barges at about 23mph. I haven't seen figures on a 115hp. Will that provide 5-7 more mph? 23mph is probably fine for what we do, but on a big lake that would just take a long time to get around. Plus, if we do pull any kids on tubes, I would like to be able to get to 30mph.

If the best deal is on a boat with a 90hp motor am I wasting my time trying to find an equal deal on a 115hp?
Am I chasing the white whale trying to find a 150hp?
Any brands to stay away from? Sun Tracker/Catcher look a little plain to me. Lowe as well.
Try to find a deal on a 10-12 year old Bennington?
Bentley?

Anything else I need to be aware of/look for?

Also, anybody with a lead on one is appreciated.

Thanks

From what I've seen stated online, a 22 foot pontoon with 115 HP motor will average around 25 MPH max speed. We just recently bought a gently used Crestliner with that combination and confirmed speed with GPS. It will drop off with load but not drastically. With a full load of 11 people, supposedly should achieve 22 MPH. I will never have that many on our boat.

We wanted a boat for fishing and cruising so didn't much care about higher HP and tritoon configuration for our price point. We have a 155 HP Seadoo to pull the grandkids on tubes and such.

Haven't owned one but have rented 10-12 pontoons/tritoons over the past couple of years. The 90hp will get you in the upper teens with the amount of people you are talking about if you put someone in the water you will be hard pressed to hit 15mph. The 115 is marginally better and probably fine for cruising at 20 or so it can pull one adult we had found. I've rented 3 tritoons most with 225 its a totally different animal, they will "plane out" and run 40-45 and you can pull 3 kids/2adults no problem. Whatever you do get a good functional roof/sunshade. Know that the standard pontoon with a 90 will be nothing like your deck boat. The tritoons with 200+ are the best chance to mimic the deck boat...

All the manufacturers use a de-tuned 115 for their 90hp. They're like 95% the same parts, and thus similar in cost. At least, they should be similar in costs, but of course you pay a premium for the 115 vs the 90. Definitely might as well get the 115. It might get you 28 Vs 23 light to moderate load. Keep in mind they test these things with like 2 adults on them.

The next step up is typically to a 150-200 which again for most manufacturers are the same design with different tunes.

Make sure any numbers you are reading are fully loaded down. Whats your max passenger load going to be?

23 mph cruise fully loaded will be fine. Trying to pull anything behind it while also fully loaded is probably going to put you on the edge of not being able to plane off.

I don't know anything about pontoon boat brands but Ive never been a fan of buying high dollar brand boats used unless its old enough to have a new motor. Doesn't make sense to pay a premium for a boat with a 5yo motor on it that also comes new on the cheaper hull.

Not looking for the same performance as the deck boat.
Probably won't ever have more than 8 or so in the boat and wouldn't be pulling at that load.
I just want to be able to get around the lake in a reasonable time/speed.

Have a friend with a Bennington tri-toon and 250hp - it is a different animal than a regular pontoon and also out of our price range.

We have 2 jet skis for the more adventurous.

twin 300's.....top speed of 50MPH!!

Will try to help with some answers:

No you will not gain 5-7 MPH by going from a 90 to 115.
The issue with Pontoons is weight carrying capability. If you put 5-6 adults on them vs. 2 Adults the performance/speed changes drastically......especially with the smaller HP.
150HP is the most common and popular sized with the proper size pontoon sold. The trend has been to the performance Tri-Toons with 200 -250HP outboards so that you can have "boat" type of performance but you start spending lots of money.
There are a lot of quality brands being built now.....not just Bennington. G3 builds one of the best and nicest boats for the money spent. ( Built in Missouri and owned by Yamaha ).
For the overall enjoyement with the most versatility I would look for something powered with a 150HP. It also has the best resale value.
This time of year is when the market is the most robust and sales are the highest. The marine market has softned over the last 8-10 months and some dealers have high inventories and willing to deal. Some manufacturers ( G3 for just an example) are offering some good rebates right now to try and move some inventory.
Try to stay with Yamaha or Mercury power. When I say this it does not mean that the other brands are bad engines..... but if you look at the market.... the demand and market share belongs to Yamaha and Mercury, so they always command the highest resale value. They also have the most extensive and complete dealer network and availability so you can be anywhere and get parts and service.
There is much specualtion by marine manufacturers and dealers that, due to the current state of the economy, there is going to be a lot of good, low time, used boats come onto the market from the glut of boats sold during the Covid BS in the next year or so that were financed to the max and folks will start dumping them. There is some evidence to the start of that.

heres one with twin 450s that hits 75MPH

Look at the Silver Wave's with a Suzuki 140. It's a 115 that's tuned to run 140 at max hp.

Post up when you are ready to sell the deck boat.

Yep. It's all about HP to weight ratio......and money.

That engine has good top end but lacks in low end torque. OMC built a 140 like that in the 1980's. Tried to market it to the bass boat crowd. Had great top end speed but you had hell getting the boats on plane.

"( Built in Missouri and owned by Yamaha )"

Living in the Mountain Home, AR area and having just completed a border to border lengthwise drive of western Missouri; is there a reason so many boat manufacturers are located in AR & MO? (Other than the obvious "home of Bass Pro/Ranger")

Mountain Home is God's country! I worked for a bass boat manufacturer that was built in Mountain Home for 11 years. Would love it when we had sales meeting...really enjoyed the Ozarks.

In answer to your question. It is mainly due to the labor force and the tax advantages, (low taxes in those areas) and cost of living is low. Those areas, much like the Carolinas, have a culture of pride in craftmanship. The quality of the workers and their pride in workmanship is very high vs. the salaries and wages paid. In other words, for the money paid, they get some really quality folks building those boats.
Not to dwell in politics, but if you live in Mountain Home you will know what I mean by also adding that the area North Arkansas/Southern/Mid Missouri is also very deep in conservative ideas and values and culture...and all that that entails.....I'll leave it at that.

I know this is the worst time to find deals, but like you, I've already seen way more inventory available at better pricing than for the last 2-3 years.

We won't be buying new.

Sounds like I should keep looking for the white whale 150hp.

Thanks

One of the things I love about the OB is our proclivity to spend other people's money!

TMfrisco said:

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I know this is the worst time to find deals, but like you, I've already seen way more inventory available at better pricing than for the last 2-3 years.

We won't be buying new.

Sounds like I should keep looking for the white whale 150hp.

Thanks

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We have a local dealer that usually has a fair number of used boats on hand. I watched their inventory for a year to find the right boat at the right price for us.

TMfrisco said:

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One of the things I love about the OB is our proclivity to spend other people's money!

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Now you understand politicians.

Where?
I plan on looking all over - after all, it is my dad's money!

I will check some of my rep friends and my dealers and see if I can locate something.

I have a 24ft Crest tritoon with a 150 Honda - pushes just fine for cruising and tubing. Buddy has a 24 ft tracker with a 200 Merc - I really cant tell much difference to be honest.

Edit - I had to drive to Hot Springs to get her, but it was worth it.

Nothing to add except I've been getting a bunch of Ads for this on my IG. Better speed and fuel consumption.

https://www.boatingmag.com/boats/hydrofin-super-fly-hydrofoil-system/

I'm wary about high horsepower pontoon boats. Structurally the hull may be rated for it but it will eventually tear itself apart due to vibration and flex on weaker components if you run wide open or in any kind of chop.

You'll see cracks in the fiberglass dash and trim components. You'll have screws vibrating out of the aluminum under skirting as well as in other locations. Problems with electronics due to shock and vibration, and other issues.

Ive seen 250s 300s and 350s on the back of pontoon boats. They maneuver well and the boat will certainly get get up an go. But you run the risk of tearing it up if you run it too hard.

I also have a Crest pontoon but mine is just a 20' classic fish model. Outboard is a 115 Suzuki. It's a nice mid-range pontoon. You can step up to a tri-toon with a 200+ hp motor but the step up from a pontoon to a tri-toon is big $s. What I've found is that most of the time we are just cruising around. We are rarely WOT. I can cruise the lake all day with that Suzuki and use hardly any gas. If you step up to a tri-toon with bigger OB you are going to use a lot more gas. So it really depends on how you are going to use the boat.

I would look for an OB with a dealer close by. Suzuki doesn't have the largest support network but we just happen to have a large Suzuki dealer 5 miles away. I have two Suzuki OBs and they have been very reliable.

You're ALL wrong!

I'm not looking to race anyone, but would like to be able to get 30mph.

That's pretty much true for any boat. I have seen guys crack 42' Hateras running them stupid.
All boats run hard in rough water need to be maintained.

Your on the right track to find a quality boat with a 150HP. One within your budget will show as it is the most popular in the market.
It will do what you want and give you needed power if you encounter some bad water conditions and be able to be economical as well.

TMfrisco said:

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Where?
I plan on looking all over - after all, it is my dad's money!

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So take the money from the sale of your boat and add it to what your dad is willing to spend and get something nice with a 175.

It's not so much maintenance is that you are pushing the limits of the hull design. With these giant Verados they putting on these things now people run these boats wide open. The deck flexes transversely if you hit a wake at a certain angle. And you get fast enough to get vibration at certain speeds.

I saw a guy with two 400Rs on a pontoon boat. I was convinced the sob was gonna come apart like the space shuttle boosters with each pontoon going a different direction. But people run the piss out of 'em.

So if anybody is looking at these pontoons with a big motor look for cracks in the dash and fiberglass as well as metal fatigue generally. If its been run hard they tun into a rattle trap.

It was pretty clear on OP's post that a Tri-toon powered with a 200 was out of his price range and he gave a good synopsis of what he hopes to do with it. He has never said he is shopping for, nor wanted a 25' or larger Tri-toon that he wanted to put 300 -400 HP on..... but yet in typical OB style somehow the discussion drifted to that.
Like a guy asking about getting a .22 rifle and the discussion turns into .458 Magnums.

That's the way it is around here

Good points but what you say applies to any high performance application wether it be a Tri-Toon with a 350 or a Fountain with six 450Rs on it or even a Bass Cat Jaguar with a single 450R.....Any of them run hard and abused in rough water or maneuvering will show signs of stress eventually and caution should be practiced when contemplating purchasing any performance product....or for that matter any boat that has been used.

I don't know much about the high HP pontoon boats, but my brother has a 24' Suntracker Party Barge Tri-toon with a 150, and when we're pulling kids in tubes, we wish it was the 200 (which is the max the boat is rated for.)