What Are Pontoon Boats?
What Are Pontoon Boats?
The lake classic: pontoon boats. You see ‘em everywhere on the water, but what are they?
History
Let’s start with a brief history of pontoon boats. For centuries, people have fastened platforms to circular structures such as wooden logs or inflated animal skin. But in 1952, Ambrose Weeres modernized this ancient concept and transformed recreational boating. He fabricated two steel oil drums and tethered them to a plywood deck with wooden railing. Seventy years later, pontoon boats are one of the most popular boat types on the water.
The word ‘pontoon’ comes from the Latin word ‘pontonem’, meaning “flat-bottomed boat”. This flat, rectangular deck rests on aluminum tubes, which are typically hollow. Traditionally, pontoons have been thought of as a low key way to get on the water with a large group of people for a leisurely day of cruising at slow speeds. While this use still remains a major motivator for many pontoon buyers, modern pontoons have changed the game. It used to be that if you wanted to go fast, and participate in water sports like skiing, tubing, wakeboarding, etc, you were forced to seek out a fiberglass hull ski boat, runabout, or bowrider. Not now! Modern pontoons can be powered with very large engines, can have a 3rd pontoon, making the boat a “Tri-Toon” (for extra lift, efficiency, and maneuverability)
Today’s Pontoons
Today’s pontoons and tri-toons can essentially do everything that a runabout or bowrider can do…and carry more people while doing it. And of course, you can choose to really option your pontoon out with sophisticated sound systems, LED lighting packages, wakeboard towers, even refrigerated cup holders! The options are endless and there is no sacrificing performance!
Size
Let's move to the size of pontoon boats. They range from as little as 15 feet to over 30 feet long and around 8.5 feet wide, with each size serving different purposes and accommodating different features. The general rule of thumb is: for 1 to 5 boaters, a 16 foot pontoon will do; for 6-10, you want something between 16 and 22 feet long; while any more than 10 boaters would be longer than 22 feet. Each boat, however, is specifically rated for carrying capacity, including individuals and weights.
Pros
Pontoon boats are great for a variety of reasons. They are highly customizable and can be decked out to fit any of your boating dreams. If you’re a passionate angler, there are pontoons equipped to help you reel ‘em in as many fish as you can. Love watersports? Some pontoons have powerful motors to pull objects and go fast. On the other hand, if you just want to relax and have a chill day on the lake, there are pontoon boats for that too. Point is: pontoon and tritoon boats are versatile and can serve virtually any purpose on the water.
Speed
As I mentioned, some three toon Tri-Toons boats can go fast. Put a high-powered outboard on a tri-toon, with underpinning, full lifting strakes and you can go upwards of 60MPH. Other pontoon boats with smaller, less powerful motors travel around 20-30MPH.
All-in-all, pontoon boats can be the key to a great day out on the water. Whether you decide to fish, ski, or just enjoy a day out on the lake, pontoon boats offer you the freedom of choice. At Foothills Marine, we offer a variety of pontoon boats with a plethora of on-the-water applications. Carrying brands such as Godfrey, Regency, and SunTracker, Foothills Marine is the place to buy your next pontoon. Thank you for reading and we'll see you in the next Learning Hub blog!