Pontoon

aero3113

@PickleRick , I actually saw 2 pontoons today when we were anchored out. Very rare here!

PickleRick

They are spreading everywhere.  I see them all over the keys now.  Water was too rough 2 weeks ago for a proline 20ft cc but the rental pontoons were heading out to 600 plus ft deep (5 plus miles out) to chase the schoolies of mahi.  

raybo3

There is a big market for them now. I see them out in the ocean. Would not want to get caught in a storm with them.

aero3113

The tan roof on the house looks like it’s the bimini on the boat!! 😂

PickleRick

Well if they capsize you have a nice flat barge to sit on while you wait for help.

Liberty44140

I’m sure ****-Ton’s have a great place on inland lakes and rivers, but not on Great Lakes and oceans with any kind of real wave. They are popping up here too and I try to go behind them as I don’t want my wake to sink them!

PickleRick

Multi hulls generally handle wake better than mono hulls, within reason.    Much more stable platfrom.
If a wave breaches the bow you're not going to swamp it like an open bow.  With an off shore package Id take a pontoon out as far as a 22 ft unsinkable Boston whaler in similar conditions.  

Then again just because the boat won't sink doesn't mean the capt and crew can't.

Spyderweb

When we started boating 35 years ago, pontoons were pretty rare up here.  Now they are common and everywhere. 

aero3113

Hopefully most toon captains are more responsible than this guy!!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQrU5fBB8da/?utm_medium=copy_link

randy56

Yup, and you are going to see more of them.

• 1. The Sale of Pontoon Boats Increases by 3% to 4% Each Year
• 2. About 62,000 Pontoon Boat Sales are Expected Within the United States for the Year 2020
• 3. Within the Boating Industry, the Pontoon Boat Industry was the Quickest to Recover after the Great Recession
• 4.  The Boomer Generation Buys more Pontoon Boats than Any Other Generation
• 5. Pontoon Boats make up 20% of the Recreational Boating Market
• 6.  Most Pontoon Boats Fall Within the Range of 21 to 26 Feet
• 7.  Pontoon Boat Layouts Have Become more Modular than in Years Past
• 8.  Pontoon Boats Generally have a Width of About 8 Feet
• 9. A Pontoon Boat’s Turning Radius is About as Wide as the Boat is Long

Boat sales are expected to remain at historic levels in 2021 as manufacturers continue to fill a backlog of orders from 2020.

• Sales of personal watercraft, including Jet Ski, Sea Doo and WaveRunner are estimated to be up 8% to 82,000 units in 2020; with accessible entry-level price points, personal watercraft are often considered a gateway to boat ownership.
• Sales of wake boats—popular for wakesurfing, skiing and wakeboarding and attractive to new and active boaters—are estimated to be up 20% to 13,000 units in 2020.
• Sales of freshwater fishing boats and pontoons boats, often sought for their versatility and entry-level price points and accounting for 50% of new powerboats sold in 2020, are expected to be up 12 percent to 143,000 units.

The NMMA reports that retail unit sales of new powerboats in February 2021 were up 34% compared to the same time period last year, according to its New Powerboat Registrations Report. Data shows total new boat sales are averaging 31,000 units sold monthly since the summer of 2020, on a seasonally-adjusted basis, above normal levels and indicative of the heightened demand for new boats spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic.

YYZRC

I just can’t like them. 

LaRea

Not my cup of tea, but I like them for beginners because even the dumbest captain can't make a wake big enough to spoil my day.  

randy56

I've had 4 different one's over the years, Rivers and lakes. that's it. They do not fit in big body's of water, Had one tritoon that ran 60 mph, had a different one with cabin and AC, sleeping 4, small galley kitchen. Had a 130 hp IO. Don't own one now , will never have another. They have there place.  Just like cruiser's, fishing boats, yachts, paddle boards.   

RiverRat232

@randy56 How about this pontoon...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUAJRv27r-0&ab_channel=RC-Freak

randy56

That boat ride would make you sit real still in your seat.

Ian

Lunacy….

GMSLITHO

My marina is almost all pontoon boats actually someone was looking for dock space at the marina and was told there not taking in any FIBERGLASS boats ,"I remember back in the day when they said "sorry were not taking in any wood boats "

skennelly

https://youtu.be/CBZiB1PuGBE