anyone know anything about owning a pontoon party boat.

maxxkatt

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I am looking for a pre-owned 20-24’ pontoon boat with 90 hp engine. Not many with that HP. I have been told by a few individuals that I want a 90 HP engine or the party boat will go slow with max number of people. Well the question is how slow? I have only owned sail boats so to me slow is 2-5 mph. Any advice on buying a pre-owned party pontoon boat will be appreciated. Willing to spend up to $20,000. Not interested in bass fishing pontoon boat. Want a boat with nice comfortable seating for the wives.

I need advice on who to purchase and what to check for. My friend bought one and found out that the taxes of $600 plus penalties had not been paid so he had to pay them. Stuff like that is important to know.
 
What type of water/areas are you using this in? I spent most of my life on the water in SWFL. Pontoon boats are like a floating barge, they are fun to float and party on but useless to most anything else. It's not so much the punishment of just going "slow" on pontoon boats, but also things like fuel consumption, lack of handling in harsher waters (storm, chop..), etc. A 20' with a 90hp will probably top out at ~18mph with smooth flat water. Also for the party idea, keep an idea on the actual rating for passengers on board, I'm not sure how strict your Marine enforcement is but you'll be surprised how few people some of those boats are rated for.


I would always ask for a test ride on a vessel before purchase if you can and don't wait for the clearest day to go; try it with some chop or weather. What to look fors: check the pontoons for rust; pop the motor cover off and check the top of the motor out looking for rust, electrical connections etc; if it's on a trailer check the trailers rust and rot; for many pontoon boats the deck is wood check for rot as well.

If I can think of more I will update.
 
I'm no expert on boating, but wanted to caution you to do research on things to avoid to try to ensure the safest boating possible.

Seems like every year you hear on the news about tragic boating accidents and I did search on "Pontoon Boat Accidents" and yes, even pontoon boats can have accidents, so please do research on what caused mishaps on past pontoon boat accidents so you can know what things to do and what things to avoid so you can have the safest possible boating yourself.
 
I am looking for a boat myself. Something I can use for metal detecting and that I can inflate to carry inside a Jeep.

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It will be used on a large lake (for georgia, not MI where inland lakes are huge).

I owned two 30' sail boats so one, I know the rules of the water and I am a safety freak. Plus the speed issue is not a real problem. Several friends of my wife said you need a 90 hp motor if you wish to max out the people on the the boat or pull an inflatable with an adult.

Thanks for the tips on where to check for rust/rot. I will only be buying one that is in pretty good condition. The one I am looking at is a Sun Tracker 22 feet, 90 hp, four stroke Mercury motor. We will have it in a uncovered slip and am thinking of getting a custom made UV full boat cover for it to protect everything from fading. The pic is the one I have my eye on it is 2011 and was owned by a family who is upgrading to a Manitou pontoon boat so I am guessing they took good care of the suntracker. but hey, you never know.
 

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Neat, that looks somewhat similar in size and looks to one owned by some people we know we who live on Lake Murray (about 50 minutes away from us), the lady was my wife's college teacher and had invited my wife and I over for a big picnic where they invited a lot of family and friends a year or two ago, we got to ride on the boat but it seemed to be able to go pretty fast so I'm guessing maybe it wasn't one of those slower pontoon boats.
 
I've owned 15? boats and ALWAYS recommend the largest motor a boat is rated for regardless of how fast you want to go.
Some boat manufacturers make a very wide flat boat that is like a hybrid. At rest it's like a pontoon but it will get on plane and perform much better.
 
OP: The combo should work well for you if you're into the party cruise. If you can still get that test ride, I say go for it. The big thing someone else mentioned about this is how fast it will get on plane. Tubing and water sports will be affected if the motor isn't strong enough to get the boat up while it's dragging a tube.


boats are money pits

Having owned several, and having almost everyone I know have one, this is an old saying that isn't true PROVIDED you take care of it. The sad truth is most people let their boat sit for months at a time with no care to it. Same as if you did it to a car, you'll need to play catch up when you go to use it again. Use your boat once a month or even just adding something as simple as fuel stabilizer will go a looooooong way in stopping all those costs.

What one would you recommend?

Not sure what all is in your needs, but have you looked into shorter kayaks first? One I have been eyeballing for the summer is the Ascend 10T; it comes at just under 70lbs and you can toss it on your vehicle roof. I looked at many inflatables, but in the longevity of maintenance, patches, leaks etc, a molded plastic one will last longer and resale higher. Plus if you're really into it, guys are adding fish finders, motors, and all kinds of things to them.
 
I've owned 15? boats and ALWAYS recommend the largest motor a boat is rated for regardless of how fast you want to go.
Some boat manufacturers make a very wide flat boat that is like a hybrid. At rest it's like a pontoon but it will get on plane and perform much better.

several people have told me on a 22' pontoon boat 90 hp would be the min. There are tons of 22' sun trackers with 40 hp engines for sale, but few with 90 hp. The way I figure it the owners with 40 hp engines want to upgrade to a boat with 90 hp and the owners of pontoon boats with 90 hp engines are happy and don't want to sell theirs.
 
OP: The combo should work well for you if you're into the party cruise. If you can still get that test ride, I say go for it. The big thing someone else mentioned about this is how fast it will get on plane. Tubing and water sports will be affected if the motor isn't strong enough to get the boat up while it's dragging a tube.




Having owned several, and having almost everyone I know have one, this is an old saying that isn't true PROVIDED you take care of it. The sad truth is most people let their boat sit for months at a time with no care to it. Same as if you did it to a car, you'll need to play catch up when you go to use it again. Use your boat once a month or even just adding something as simple as fuel stabilizer will go a looooooong way in stopping all those costs.



Not sure what all is in your needs, but have you looked into shorter kayaks first? One I have been eyeballing for the summer is the Ascend 10T; it comes at just under 70lbs and you can toss it on your vehicle roof. I looked at many inflatables, but in the longevity of maintenance, patches, leaks etc, a molded plastic one will last longer and resale higher. Plus if you're really into it, guys are adding fish finders, motors, and all kinds of things to them.

First you get a boat then you need trailer, then a vechile capable of pulling it or paying someone to move or store it for you. Then you yourself mentioned use it or it degrades faster, using it cost money too. Then theres registrations and everything else. Cleaning, keeping protected from sun and winter depending on where you live. So on and so forth. As i said boats are money pits, regardless of how well you upkeep it.
 
First you get a boat then you need trailer, then a vechile capable of pulling it or paying someone to move or store it for you. Then you yourself mentioned use it or it degrades faster, using it cost money too. Then theres registrations and everything else. Cleaning, keeping protected from sun and winter depending on where you live. So on and so forth. As i said boats are money pits, regardless of how well you upkeep it.

After reading all that it sounds like it might be better to simply rent one when you need it :lol:
 
First you get a boat then you need trailer, then a vechile capable of pulling it or paying someone to move or store it for you. Then you yourself mentioned use it or it degrades faster, using it cost money too. Then theres registrations and everything else. Cleaning, keeping protected from sun and winter depending on where you live. So on and so forth. As i said boats are money pits, regardless of how well you upkeep it.

It's really not. You pay to maintain your car right? Same principal and can even be cheaper. As with anything else things will cost money, you can't boat or drive for free. You don't need a truck or trailer if the boat is where you want it. Cleaning can be a simple hose down or quick pressure wash, and hook a hose up to flush the motor if you're on saltwater. That's all we did living on the gulf. As far as other maintenance, keep an eye on fluids, a regular oil change, and use a tube of dielectric grease on electrical connections. If you're going to store it and not use it for months at a time, throw in a bottle of fuel stabilizer and grease things for storage.

It's really not as bad as you think and we'd often end the year with the only expense being fuel.
 
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