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pontoon boat help?
i have 3 grandsons already and the stork is enroute with the 4th as we speak. i realized today the gang is getting way too big for the conventional fishing style boat and there is no way i could ever tell my grandsons sorry only two of you can go today. im really leaning toward a pontoon because of the railing all the way around the boat kind of adds a little security with young-uns, also the room and stability. i have access to a handful of pontoon boats to "test-ride" in the jamestown area, the only problem is all of the ones that i have access to are severely under powered, they cruise along at 12 miles/hr while at full throttle. that aint gonna cut it lol. if anyone has a pontoon that is sufficently powered i would love to take a test ride, i will be able to travel to your lake, i would put gas money in and probably even bring a bucket of shicken wings to nibble on. thanks in advance.
p.s. any thoughts on motor sizing, fuel consumption or anything else positive/negative related to family/fishing pontoons are welcome.
p.s.s. i am looking at the suntracker 22dlx fishnin barge
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On regular 2 toon boat a 115 will about max HP and run in low to mid 30's, a tritoon is a whole different animal, I have a Bennington tritoon with 150 Yamaha it will run in the 40's and turns like a runabout. The boat is rated for a 250 but it really doesn't need that much HP. I hit 40 mph in it with 9 adults onboard and it rides smoother than most runabouts I've been on.
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[QUOTE=kydog;517902]On regular 2 toon boat a 115 will about max HP and run in low to mid 30's, a tritoon is a whole different animal, I have a Bennington tritoon with 150 Yamaha it will run in the 40's and turns like a runabout. The boat is rated for a 250 but it really doesn't need that much HP. I hit 40 mph in it with 9 adults onboard and it rides smoother than most runabouts I've been on.[/QUOTE]
Great info, thanks. That gives me a place to start
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Not knocking the outboards but would at least take a look at the inboard models. They are nice and offer plenty of power.
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I see a lot of pontoons on Ky Lake with three logs or tubes with big motors and they really run well. one guy has two big mercs on his and he is all over the lake. I would not buy anything that does not have three logs.
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My 22 ft two log Bennington did 18-20 with a 70 on it. I looked at some of the newer Pontoon boats when I bought in 2011 and didn't see any that I liked for setting up for Stripers.
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thanks a bunch for all the replies. the main reason i was looking at the suntracker fishin barge is with a minor modification to the rail on the very back of the boat you would have over 8 feet of wide open rod holder area across the back.....i cant imagin an uncluttered back deck, lol. the one fella that i talked to has the merc 90 4 stroke on the exact same boat and claims to get 26mph with just him in the boat , he said he sees about 1mph drop per person up to 4 ppl, after that he said the toons just dig in too much and it really kills the speed.
still studying all the different options.
once again thanks a bunch to all that have replied
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Yeah, some of the boats a few years back had room back there. My 2000 Bennington was OK. It's also a challenge putting boards on the banks in the spring when it comes to Pontoons. They are like a sail. The new ipilots could probably help keeping on course with heavier wind.
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I have a budy that has a relatively new one. I think it is a tracker. It comes set up in the back for trolling and maybe has a potty. I dont think the motor is all that big (maybe 90 4 stroke merc, probably same guy you talked to) but it has some plates or something on the pontoons that enables it to get up out of the water. I think it goes 25-30. He usually stays and puts in at Jamestown so I am sure I can get you a ride. I know his wife likes it a lot. He bought it for striper fishing and I believe it is wide open in the back. We have had our boats floating while swimming and to my amazement my 17' sea nymph alum v hull drifted considerably faster in the wind
If interested let me know. I'll see if he is down this weekend.
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I'm not sure what your looking to spend, but on craigslist in Louisville I saw a 2012 south bay set up for fishing. It is a tritoon with 150 4- stroke. Rod holders , trolling motor etc.
South bays are nice boat , quite an upgrade on the tracker.
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many thanks
Thanks to all for all the great info. We went and looked at the suntracker fishing barge 22 dlx with a 90 4stroke. It has pretty much everything im looking for , with an unexpected surprise.....all vinyl floor. The vinyl floor is a huge factor when it comes to catching shad with a castnet, scales stick to carpet like they were welded , a bucket of soapy water and a long handle scrub brush and my big strapping son is an easy clean up lol . Thanks again.
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[QUOTE=stripernut1;518127]Thanks to all for all the great info. We went and looked at the suntracker fishing barge 22 dlx with a 90 4stroke. It has pretty much everything im looking for , with an unexpected surprise.....all vinyl floor. The vinyl floor is a huge factor when it comes to catching shad with a castnet, scales stick to carpet like they were welded , a bucket of soapy water and a long handle scrub brush and my big strapping son is an easy clean up lol . Thanks again.[/QUOTE]
You won't have problems setting it up for fishing. See the pic. Pontoons offer lots of room for rod holders.
I used to run 6 boards, and 2 free lines out the back, and a downpole of each side of the bow.
And even with all that going on it was easy for 3 people to be casting lures off the bow at blowups.
Don't forget a porta-potti, with kids on board it can save lots of trips to the dock. And momma's will appreciate it too.