hidesert cowboy
Active Member
Sweet boat!! Nicer than mine. The 300 horseki is sweet. Pontoons have excellent space and comfort.
Pontoon / Tritoon Boat Question
- Thread starter Toxic Storm
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Thank you! The boat is so comfortable its ridiculous. Pontoons have come a long way.
CHRIS MCBETH
Well-Known Member
Tri-Toon all the way, and although they’re expensive, a twin sure handles like a dream!
You’ll want a tritoon configured with lifting strakes and rough water fins on the front.
IMHO for Powell a minimum size is 24’ and a 250HP 4-stroke.
With this you’ll have the time of your life!
You’ll want a tritoon configured with lifting strakes and rough water fins on the front.
IMHO for Powell a minimum size is 24’ and a 250HP 4-stroke.
With this you’ll have the time of your life!
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For a reference, we have a 28' Primer Pontoon that we run on Powell with a 150HP Yamaha outboard. We cruise at around 22-MPH & 3800 RPM. The boat handles Powell water just fine. We tube and slalom water ski behind the boat without issues. Typical gas mileage is probably 4-MPG but mileage does decrease in rough water, probably 3-MPG. A tri-toon and more HP is an improvement but also more money.
Toxic Storm
Member
Thanks for the reference! That's very good to know.
mcpltret
Well-Known Member
I have a 2585 Avalon with twin 300 Mercury's on it and LOVE it on Lake Powell. Last year on Memorial Weekend we went from Antelope Point to Gregory Arch, from there to Bullfrog, bought fuel, went back to Twilight and Cathedral Canyons and back to Antelope Point. 10 People on board and had an absolute blast, got caught in a gnarly wind storm on the way back and ran at 35MPH through some decent size chop, passengers take a little bit of spray here and there but trim it up and they can take some pretty good size water.
As others have said any lifting strakes and spray guards you can get option them, also get the biggest fuel tank you can option as well!
My parents have a 25RFX 3.0+ Berkshire with a single Mercury 300 on it and its a fantastic toon as well.
Honestly after owning several boats, my pontoon is my favorite, its the easiest boating I've ever done. I don't worry about cleaning it as much, I can beach it wherever I want, it has a ton of comfy room in it. All around, just a great boating experience!
As others have said any lifting strakes and spray guards you can get option them, also get the biggest fuel tank you can option as well!
My parents have a 25RFX 3.0+ Berkshire with a single Mercury 300 on it and its a fantastic toon as well.
Honestly after owning several boats, my pontoon is my favorite, its the easiest boating I've ever done. I don't worry about cleaning it as much, I can beach it wherever I want, it has a ton of comfy room in it. All around, just a great boating experience!
Bruce in Denver
Member
Hello. I bought a new Sylvan L3 party and fish Tritoon with the big water package that including thicker tubes, strakes, and aluminum sheeting on the underside. It has a 60gal fuel tank. I put a Merc 225 V6 on it for fuel economy vs the 250V8. I lost a little top end speed but can run 38-42MPH with 5 guys and fishing gear. I burn about 2.8 GPH at 3200 RPM cruising about 30. We use it at Powell two weeks a year. I put a Minnkota trolling motor on the front. This boat will handle about anything Powell can throw at us. It is quiet and runs like a champ. The smooth ride in chop is what sold our family on it.
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Hello Toxic Storm don’t limit yourself to the area around you. There are a lot more tritoon out there now with bigger hp I found mine 800 miles away in a metal building some guy was not using it anymore for a couple of years it had 97 hrs on the Yamaha and half of those hrs were below 2000 RPM it was set up I did add another Bimini for double biminis. Good luck on the search
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Wow that’s a long way in a day. You must have got an early start. Not sure I could get my crew up that early to go that distance in a day. Glad to know it can be done!
Beachin It
Active Member
I have a 24’ SouthBay tritoon with a Merc 150 4 stroke, it’s a 2012 I bought new. It does have strakes and planes out very good, it’s no speedster, at 3800 rpm’s it goes 25 mph at 5 mpg and have done 40 mph in perfect conditions. I have gone from Wahweap to Bullfrog and back several times in different conditions and never a problem, felt very safe. Yeah I wish I had a 200 plus Hp. But if I get a new one I would get the new Merc 400 V10 5.7 engine. I currently have 1600 hours on the Merc150. I have had Bass boats and deck boats but really love the Tritoons, a moving living room, lol. Good luck in your quest!
VikingRanch
Well-Known Member
I’m envious of how many hours you’ve been able to put on in 10 years.
Marina Bum
Escalante-Class Member
Lots of folks are talking about the new amazing my personal fantasy outboards. I guess there is a 600 Hp Mercury out now that's a V12
and a lesser impressive but still awesome LS Corvette derived V8 standing nose up on an outboard by somebody. I'd take either one but they must weigh 800lbs. That's why the sweet spot for us average Joe's is a 250, good performance and trimmed out good fuel economy. I'm sure the V12 is a thing of beauty but if you have to ask how much it costs or how much fuel it uses you can't afford it. Pontoon boat designers are busy right now trying to catch up to these engines, we are all the beneficiaries of their efforts, I think. LUCKY! 
and a lesser impressive but still awesome LS Corvette derived V8 standing nose up on an outboard by somebody. I'd take either one but they must weigh 800lbs. That's why the sweet spot for us average Joe's is a 250, good performance and trimmed out good fuel economy. I'm sure the V12 is a thing of beauty but if you have to ask how much it costs or how much fuel it uses you can't afford it. Pontoon boat designers are busy right now trying to catch up to these engines, we are all the beneficiaries of their efforts, I think. LUCKY! Beachin It
Active Member
But actually the Mercury 600 hp v-12 is designed for the heavier boats like those big center console boats. But you are right the 250-300 are great choices. I would like the new 400 V-10, but actually I am dreaming, lolLots of folks are talking about the new amazing my personal fantasy outboards. I guess there is a 600 Hp Mercury out now that's a V12
Beachin It
Active Member
They do pretty good actually if you’re not driving WOT like any other boat
Marina Bum
Escalante-Class Member
It occurs to me, Three things you'll probably never hear a Lake Powell Man say: My truck is to nice and has too much pulling power, My boat rides to nice and is too fast and my outboard unit is just too big! 
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Bennington has a model with the 600 available just saying.
This is true as our built in fuel tank is only 25 gallons. I have two of these small red portable 12 gallon fuel tanks hooked into the fuel system on our pontoon. I run off of them as the primary and leave our built in tank as the reserve. I never really have to get fuel on the lake and can easily pull these off the boat to go get fuel in town or elsewhere.
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