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Average Pontoon Boat Speeds (With 15 Examples)

By: BetterBoat.com

When buying a pontoon boat, one of the major considerations is your top speed. Since pontoon boats are generally not built for speed, skiing and tubing behind one can be difficult unless you take care to select an engine, weight, and pontoon style that will be conducive to speeds required for skiing and tubing.

How Fast Do Pontoon Boats Go?

I scoured the internet for guys who have reported their speeds on forums around the web.  All speeds recorded with GPS, and except where listed, with a light to medium load.

• G3 Suncatcher 22′ V22RF with a 115hp engine and medium load can go about 25 mph (39 kilometers)
  • 22mph (38 kilometers) with a 90hp engine and medium load
  • With 11 people in the boat (max capacity) and a 115hp engine, it gets about 22 mph (35 kilometers)
  • Under perfect, ideal conditions and only one person in the boat, it can hit 31 mph (48 kmph)
• 21′ with lifting strakes and a 90hp engine and perfect conditions gets 36 mph (58 kilometers)
• 18′ Bass Buggy with 60hp engine can go up to 18mph (29 kilometers)
• Suntracker 22′ with a 70hp engine can get 21 mph with a light load (34 kilometers)
• Gigantic 30′ Pontoon with a 115hp will only get around 15mph (24 kilometers)
• 24′ Pontoon boat with a 115hp and a medium load got around 25mph (38 kilometers)
• 18′ Party Barge with a 75hp engine can get around  24mph (38 kilometers)
• 20′ Bass Buggy with a 60hp motor only gets around 13-17 mph (18 to 27 kilometers)
• 20′ Starcraft with a 75hp engine and with no load can get 23 mph (36 kilometers)
• 26′ Crest III with a 90hp engine and medium load can get around 28mph (45 kilometers)
• 24′ 2006 Sweetwater with a 90hp engine can go around 18mph, or 20.5mph with a 115hp engine
• 26′ Tritoon with a 175hp engine and a medium/heavy load can get up to 35mph (56 kilometers)
• 21′ Tritoon with a 90hp engine and only two people on board can get up to 27mph (43 kilometers)

How Fast Do You Really Need to Go?

Your initial response is probably “the faster, the better” but in reality you likely don’t need to go as fast as you think.  While speeds certainly vary according to the tastes and abilities of your riders, consider the following as good average speeds for various water sport activities.

• Waterskiing with two skis – 15 to 26mph is pretty normal (28 to 42 kilometers)
• Tubing with very young kids – My kids really don’t want to go faster than 5 to 10 mph (16kph).  They are 4 and 6 years old.  Most of the time, they feel like idling is a wild ride, but will sometimes get brave enough to hit 11mph.
• Tubing with kids 8 – 10 years old – Depends dramatically on the kid, but most wouldn’t want to go faster than 15 or 20 mph (24 to 32 kilometers).
• Tubing with older teens and adults – Above 25 mph (40 kilometers) is dangerous unless you’re just going in a straight line.  At 20 (34 kilometers), you can get really nice air and have the ride of your life but even this speed can be dangerous with more than one rider.  21 mph is a pretty adventurous ride and will easily knock off riders if you make tight turns.
• Wakeboarding – 13mph to 18mph (30 kilometers) is a pretty average ride. Wakeboarding requires less speed than many other water sports, and going too fast increases the danger dramatically.  The large, solid board strapped to both legs makes this water sport more dangerous at high speeds than some others.
• Slalom skiing – 14mph (22.5 kilometers) is a little slow and 36mph is HAULING (and extremely dangerous)!  A good average speed is somewhere around 22mph (35 kilometers).
• Kneeboarding – Somewhere around 13 to 20 mph (22 to 32 kilometers)
• Barefoot – This blog gives a formula that is helpful for those in the U.S.  Take your weight in pounds and divide by 10.  Then add 20.  So if you’re 200 pounds, you go to 20mph, then add 20, which means 40mph.

If you are new to boating, that is probably a little eye-opening.  Before, you thought you needed as much speed as possible, but as you can see from this breakdown, the optimal speed for most watersports is only 22 mph (36 kilometers).  Just about ANY pontoon boat with a 90hp motor can do that as long as it isn’t loaded down with people.  With a 115, you should be hitting the optimal speed even if your boat is pretty well loaded down with people. For most pontoon boat captains, the real goal is to hit the golden 22 mph (36 kph) mark.  At that point, your fishing/cruising rig becomes a nice watersports rig as well.

How Weight (Load) Affects Speed

Prepare yourself for a horrible generalization.  This depends dramatically on the specific boat and the setup, but just as a guestimation aid, for every thousand pounds you add to your boat, you’ll lose about 15% of your speed.  So a 22′ boat with no load may get up to 29mph, but will likely slow down to 24.5mph with 1,000 pounds of people in the boat (5 or 6 adults).

How the bimini Affects Speed

• One pontoon boat captain reported that folding down the bimini took  his speed from 32mph all the way up to 36mph (51kilometers to 58 kilometers).  In my experience, it’s usually much less of a difference than that unless it is an incredibly windy day.  I usually only see a 1 mph difference with top up vs down.

How the Prop Affects Speed

• When you first get your boat, it will likely come with a “safe” prop that is meant to make the motor operate under nice and easy conditions.  Almost everyone will switch out that prop and go with something a little smaller (usually) to get the speed up and push up the RPMs to around 5000 or 6000 depending on your recommended range for your particular motor.

How Dirty Pontoons Affect Speed

• It is not surprising to see a pontoon boat slow down 2 to 6mph if you have algae, barnacles, or other crud on your pontoons.  For those pontoon boat captains who don’t trailer but leave their boat in the water most of the season, this is an important consideration.

For all your accessories and/or vinyl flooring visit Pontoon Depot's shop site.

The Evolution of Black Friday and Cyber Monday

By: www.arcadiapublishing.com

Holiday Mania:

The United States is unique in its annual Black Friday and Cyber Monday traditions. Each year the newsreel rolls with headlines of monstrous crowds storming Wal-Marts and Macy’s department stores across the country while images and videos spill across the internet of people fighting over Barbie Dolls and television sets. So why is it that consumers rush to department stores with their wallets handy the day after declaring all they’re thankful for?

While Black Friday has a long history in the United States, Cyber Monday arrived on the scene many years later. In 2012, with the blessing of online retailers, marketers took Black Friday and gave it a digital spin. No longer did people have to fight the chaos and crowds - they could now do their holiday shopping from the comfort of their homes.
 
So, where did it all begin? How has Black Friday and Cyber Monday evolved into the events we experience today? Surely, you’ve heard the rumors - some reaching all the way back to the early 1800s. Over the years, as people have tried to pinpoint the exact origin of the spectacle, wild stories have come to light. Some are true while others are entirely false. While each has helped to build the perception of Black Friday we have today, only one is the true genesis. With this post, we’re going to dispel the myths and reveal the true history and evolution of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
 
The Myths of Black Friday
 
The term “Black Friday” didn’t originally refer to a shopping bonanza on the Friday following Thanksgiving. On September 24, 1869, the stock market crashed, causing the price of common goods to drop 20 percent and the cost of gold to plummet 60 percent. This happened as a result of two thieving Wall Street financiers, Jay Gould and James Fisk, who together bought up as much of the nation’s gold as possible and sold it at enormous prices. It was a Friday when the plot was revealed, and the market crashed, thus the name “Black Friday.”
 
With the origin of the term “Black Friday” clear, it’s important to identify where this idea for a day of massive sales originated. In some myths, the history of Black Friday takes a dark turn. It is said that during the slave era of American history, “Black Friday” was the day after Thanksgiving when all the slaves on the market were half-price. The concept leaked into department stores nationwide and the Black Friday we know today was born. Fortunately, this version of the story is untrue. 

A common thread of narrative, and the one you’ve likely heard most often, stems from retailers. As the story goes, retailers curiously reported seeing a hike in sales the day after Thanksgiving. After a year of mediocre sales, they took this as an opportunity, offering steep discounts with the hopes of drawing in customers who would spend large sums of money. While this tale isn’t the reason behind Black Friday, it did help to build potential for a day dedicated to shopping. In fact, the history and evolution of Black Friday is far less glamorous than a couple of conniving bankers or thrifty retailers.
 
The Truth about Black Friday
 
Imagine Philadelphia in the 1950s. The city is swarming with people. But this isn’t the normal crowd. They’ve all found their way here in anticipation of the huge Army-Navy football game, which takes place on the Saturday following Thanksgiving every year. Authorities began referring to this day as “Black Friday” because of the chaos the crowds brought to the city every year. This Friday saw an influx of shoplifting, and retail workers were forced to work extra long hours to accommodate for the crowds. In turn, Philadelphia’s department stores and restaurants saw massive spikes in sales.
 
In later years, Philadelphia officials would change the name to “Big Friday” to avoid any negative connotation of “Black Friday.” Little did they know the name had already stuck. By the late 1980s, the term caught on with the rest of the country. Looping it with the belief that sales increased the day after Thanksgiving, retailers dubbed the Friday following Thanksgiving “Black Friday” and enhanced it with eye-catching discounts. It was an instant hit that transformed this day into a one-day shopping bonanza.
 
Since then, Black Friday has marked the unofficial beginning of the financial holiday season. In 2017, the average shopper spent $1,0007.24 each. Roughly $637. 67 of that was spent on presents, $215.04 on gift wrap, decorations, food, and holiday cards, and $154.53 was spent taking advantage of the seasonal deals.

Since its beginnings, Black Friday has remained steadfast in this country. Retailers continue to find new ways to lure in consumers and as a result watch their sales skyrocket. The popularity of Black Friday also inspired the creation of a series of other retail holidays, like Small Business Saturday.
 
Cyber Monday
 
Cyber Monday is Black Friday gone digital, and is thought to reflect the trend in recent years to digitize virtually every real-world experience. It was born from a collective of online marketing agencies in response to the increasingly popular Black Friday. Every Monday following Thanksgiving tremendous deals take over the web. In recent years, companies have reported their income on this day as much as doubling, and according to Adobe Analytics, more than half of Thanksgiving weekend’s purchases were made from a mobile device.
 
The first attempts at Cyber Monday didn’t draw the attraction online retailers had hoped, but with the ongoing transition from physical shopping to digital, Cyber Monday has evolved into an online phenomenon. Shoppers can avoid both crowds and waking up at an unsavory hour, and still complete their holiday shopping, all from their bed while sipping a fresh cup of coffee.
 
Now that more and more brick-and-mortar stores are closing their doors, it’s safe to say that online shopping has taken the world by storm. Consumers enjoy the convenience and ease of purchasing from their digital devices, securing Cyber Monday a place in the retail landscape for the foreseeable future.  
 
Americans spend around $6.6 million on Cyber Monday. In 2017, Cyber Monday became the biggest online shopping day in U.S. history. Adobe Analytics found that for the first time ever, mobile sales reached two million dollars within a 24-hour period.
 
While Black Friday has roots in American history, its digital companion Cyber Monday is still a relatively new player in the retail game. What these traditions evolve into next is anyone's guess.

For all your accessories and/or vinyl flooring visit Pontoon Depot's shop site.

Tritoon vs Pontoon: The Buyer’s Complete Comparison Guide

By: BetterBoat

I was wandering around the lake one morning and there it was in all its glory.

A tritoon!

The vessel looked different at a glance and then it hit me—this baby has three air tubes instead of two!

I watched it glide over the water as it passed me with great speed, and I thought, is this something I should upgrade to? Are three ‘toons really better than two?

I began doing some research of my own. There’s a lot to consider.

But first, let’s look at the specifics of both tritoons and pontoons, so we know what we’re comparing.

Tritoon vs Pontoon: The Buyer’s Complete Comparison Guide

What’s the Difference?

Pontoons

A pontoon (as you may or may not know) is a vessel that’s supported by two tubes of air that allow it to float on the surface of the water.

They vary in size range, from about 16 to 27 feet long on average (though there are even “mini toons,” which can be much smaller).

An average pontoon requires a motor of 25 horsepower minimum and carries 8 to 20 people. Both the speed and motor depend on the size of the boat, the typical load it will carry and the types of activities you will be doing.

A pontoon boat motor arguably does more work than a monohull boat because a pontoon has more to steer and it requires more power to be moved due to its shape.

It’s definitely true that the more people you will carry on a pontoon, the more power you’ll need. You’d rarely want an engine with as little horsepower as 25 because it would be veryslow going.

To give you an example, my pontoon is 18 feet long and we have a 60 horsepower motor. I’d say that’s pretty average for the type of activities we do—just cruising and fishing on a rather calm lake.  We often cruise with lots of people and getting across the lake would take a lot more time if our motor was less powerful.

Most people underestimate the amount of power they will need for their pontoon boat. Take our friends, for example: They also have an 18-foot pontoon and decided on the 40 horsepower motor. But after three years, they upgraded to 50 horsepower because they too carry lots of people when they cruise and the 40 was just too slow.

An average pontoon costs around $20,000. They can cost less or a lot more, but that would be an average price point for a pontoon of average length.

Tritoons

A tritoon is a vessel that—you guessed it—is supported by three tubes of air instead of two. On average, they’re 22 feet to 30 feet in length and are able to carry 14 to 25 people.

In other words, tritoons are much bigger and, if you’re considering a tritoon, you may need to ask yourself if you plan on cruising with that many people. Do you really need the larger size? Is it worth it?

Water conditions are also a factor when deciding whether or not you need a tritoon—but more on this later.

The minimum requirements for a motor are 250 horsepower and can go up to 350. This is because, with a bigger boat and more people being carried, you need a stronger motor to power the boat efficiently.

The average cost of a tritoon is $35,000 but they can go much higher for luxury models. That’s a price difference of $15,000 when compared to the average pontoon. That, to me, is a lot of money.

So, is the extra money worth it? Looking at weather/water conditions, watersports, trailering/boat storage and fishing, I’ll compare the tritoon and the pontoon, weighing the pros and cons to help you determine which vessel will best suit your needs.

Tritoon vs Pontoon: Weather and Water Conditions

Like I mentioned above, a pontoon may be just right for me, since I love to fish and cruise around an average-sized lake.

A tritoon may be a good option for the ocean, or anywhere the waters are less calm. This is because the combination of the three air tubes and the faster engine allows you to cut through the choppy water more efficiently, with less bouncing around and a much smoother and more pleasant ride.

If you boat on a calmer lake, like I do, you may not require a tritoon and it may not be worth the money, unless you plan on doing water sports which require the extra power (see below).

That being said, there have been times on our lake where boat traffic is heavy and the water turns pretty choppy. This makes our pontoon bob up and down, and water often washes up on the deck, making it uncomfortable for us on board. I wonder if this would be different in a tritoon or a larger, sturdier pontoon.

Stability aside, a word of caution: The tritoon is known to have more difficulty with handling and steering, so it may be difficult when navigating smaller spaces, making tighter corners or docking. This could require some getting used to and some patience on the part of a new tritoon owner—especially if you’re used to a pontoon.

Tritoon vs Pontoon: Watersports

With the increased speed and the fast motor, a tritoon may be a better option for those who do a lot of water sports such as wakeboarding and waterskiing.

Like I mentioned before, the size of the tritoon and the handling may be a challenge when pulling a skier or wakeboarder in tighter areas. If new to the “tritooning world,” I would definitely advise taking your boat out for a test run without the skier first, to make sure you can handle the steering.

Although tritoons tend to have more powerful motors, watersports aren’t unheard of on a classic, two-tube pontoon either. They’d probably just require a motor of 70 horsepoweror greater, to give you the lift you need. You’d need an even higher horsepower motor when carrying a lot of people on board.

And yes!—With the right horsepower requirements, you can go waterskiing behind a pontoon boat (and get a good baseline for other watersports).

Tritoon vs Pontoon: Storage and Trailering

When we think about boating, sometimes we forget about trailering. Maybe it isn’t necessary for everyone, but I definitely love the option of taking my pontoon out of the water if I need to or taking the boat with me if I’m visiting another lake.

A larger trailer may be required for a tritoon, and a special braking system may be required of the trailer because of its size. This is definitely a must and something I wouldn’t recommend skipping for your safety and the safety of everyone on the road.

It’s also worth mentioning that, the bigger the boat, the bigger the boat launch needs to be. Sometimes this isn’t an issue at all but other times it may be more difficult to find a launch big enough to accommodate boats of larger sizes.

A larger boat also needs a larger storage space for the winter months if you live in a region with seasons. If you’re like me and you have many harsh winters ahead to protect your boat from, you’re going to need to think about the costs of storing your tritoon and consider the fact that it will require more space than the average pontoon.

Tritoon vs Pontoon: Fishing

If you’re an avid angler and you love fishing on a calm lake—and this is something you do fairly often—you’re probably going to stick with a pontoon.

As mentioned before, it’s more difficult for tritoons to get into tight spots. A trolling motor made for lakes may not have the power to pull a tritoon because they’re generally designed to move slowly and in shallow waters.

On the other hand, tritoons may be great for fishing in oceans and large lakes that have deep waters. The three ‘toons make them more stable for deep sea fishing, when the boat is at anchor, when other boats are driving by or when the wind is creating some turbulent waves.

That faster motor is also awesome for getting from one fishing spot to the next in bigger waters, which avoids wasting time traveling and allows for more time fishing!

And there are plenty of accessories for 'tooning' and fishing, like trolling motors.

Tritoon vs Pontoon: Final Notes

So there you have it! A pretty detailed comparison of tritoons vs. pontoons.

To recap: In choppier, deeper and bigger waters, a tritoon would be beneficial, especially if doing water sports or deep sea fishing in large bodies of water.

Although tritoons can offer benefits in these areas, there are powerful and bigger pontoons that may do the trick, so always compare prices and weigh the pros and cons before buying.

For all your accessories and/or vinyl flooring visit Pontoon Depot's shop site.

Let The MADNESS Sales Begin | Pontoon-Depot

Cyber Monday is around the corner and we are having an amazing sale. You get 10% off your entire purchase. Now how's that for awesome?!

As you may know, MariDeck is the industry leader when it comes to flooring for boats. Pontoon-Depot has many different types of MariDeck, for all the various types of applications that you may need for your project. We also have many cool boating accessories, so look around and make sure you take full advantage of this great deal. 

The 10% off your purchase is only good on 11/26/2018 [Cyber Monday]. 

Promo Code: CyberMondaySale

Be on the lookout for more great deals from Pontoon-Depot, so we can help make your time on the water even more enjoyable. 

We appreciate your business, as well as your support on social media. Thank you! 

Safe Boating My Friends!
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