How important is pontoon diameter when considering a 24'-26' pontoon.
How important is pontoon diameter when considering a 24'-26' pontoon.
The size of the pontoons are very important.
I have a 1985 24' Starcraft pontoon with the U shaped foam filled toons. With a 115 hp Yamaha, it's planed off at just over 2500 rpms, and it's quiet and efficient. I've been on other 23" and 19" tooned boats plowing through the water, and their engines had to run full throttle to keep a normal cruise speed. My old boat was just so buoyant, and ran so good.
Last year, I switched to a Bennington 24' tritoon with a Yamaha F150 (4 stroke.) I'm seeing 40 mph, and the boat is just so seaworthy.
The way to get so much speed is to get the nose cones out of the water, and that takes 25" toons and lifting strakes. Two toons with strakes are faster than 3 toon'd boats due to lower weight and less drag. They just handle like pigs when you go into tight turns.
But everyone has different needs to fulfill. I personally like the more modern pontoon/tritoons with as large a motor as it's rated for. Most other owners feel the same way.
Pontoon diameter is what determines how high, and how well the boat will ride. If it has small diameter tubes, its obviously going to sit lower in the water and ride rougher than a boat with larger tubes....considering all other things are equal as in length, hull weight, and load. 23" is the minimum I would accept but would opt for the larger 25" in all scenarios.
The larger the better. The higher you can ride in the water, the better off you'll be, and the less likely you be to spear a wave that pontoons are notorious for.
Last Thursday, my wife and I took a leisurely day cruise the whole length of Pickwick Lake. The sky was blue and the water was like glass. We put 125 miles on our Bennington 24' tritoon with a Yamaha F150 motor @ 20 mph GPS.
It was simply a glorious day.
The modern tri hull boats with larger motors are incredible rides. With lifting strakes on the toons, I'm good for 40 mph. And it'll seat 13 people.
" A Few Good Fish"
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Go to the boat shows after Christmas and you can see the difference in weld quality between the boats. It's a very technical business. The computerized welding equipment just puts out such a good weld quality. Nosecones must be hand TIG welded, and there's a lot of skill involved in fabricating them.
Not all aluminum barges are created equal. The untrained eye can easily tell the difference.
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Theres a lot of trial and era to get a toon to run good.