Question:
Buying a Pontoon Boat - Comment req ? and about Beach Comber?
I am getting out of the ocean going deep V's and planning to buy a pontoon
boat for river / lake cruising and fishing. I am looking for a 24' to 26',
8.5 beam model with a 75 Evinrude 4 stroke.
I would appreciate comments from owners of pontoons about the hp vs
performance and any information you may have about brands and quality,
especially "horror" stories.
Answer:
-I was out Outdoor World in Springfield Missouri, and looked at the Landau and
Tracker line of pontoons there. I know some guys swear by this or that line of
boats, and even knock the Tracker brand- like they do the Bayliner. I however
was very impressed with the quality, layout, and design of their boats. I was
also impressed you could buy an in/out board Merc driven pontoon with a very
practical layout for around 20K. Give them a look, they seem to be a good
value for the money.
-Landau is out of Lebannon Missouri. We have a 97 Landau BT-20LX which is a
20' luxury pontoon with fishing stations. Very nicely built, very nice
upholstery, etc.
Quite honestly we don't use it for fishing much as we mostly use it for
socializing. It has a 90hp Merc outboard on it and cruises about 24mph.
With a full camper cover, mooring cover, trolling motor, fishfinders, etc
and a Bear trailer, it was about 19k new in 97. We're going to sell it for
about 8k now (changing to a cruiser).
I would highly recommend the brand as we've had absolutely zero problems
with the fit, finish and manufacture of this boat over four seasons of use.
Check here: http://www.landauboats.com/
-I bought a 1998 24 foot pontoon boat 3 weeks ago with a 115Hp Johnson.
The boat manufacturer is Beachcomber and the model is Islander. Even
though its 2 years old it still looks brand new.
The boat holds a max of 12 people, has a queen size fold down bed,
portapotty, sink (w/ freshwater holding tank), livewell with pump for
bringing in water and keeping your fish. 2 tables, CD player, gas Bar
B que, changing room, plenty of storage, depth/fish finder.
It's great! Was out this weekend swiming, bar b queing and had a
blast. The boat is extremely comfortable.
I don't know if you will be happy with a 75hp.. I test drove a couple
with varying size engine and noticed a big difference in the over 100
hp range.
As far as quality, just look at the construction. Make sure the
pontoons are attached to the deck with bolts, not screws. Look at the
welds.. spot weld or solid full lenthg beads? Your least concern
should be upholstery as this will be the first to go and the easiest
to replace. If you plan to trailer, make sure to get a tandem
trailer, preferably with brakes. Pontoon boats sit relatively high
out of the water so make sure to get a quality swim ladder.
It is excellent and has some features I would recommend over the
Landau. Their website is www.travisboats.com I looked at the
Landau (and others). The Landau *is* nice, but the models I saw did
not offer the sink and livewell, nor the fold down lounge chairs that
make a bed.
