Good Saltwater pontoon boat?? Need advice - The Hull Truth

n36511 · 10-16-2006, 07:15 PM

My mother and father travel frequently to the Merrit Island, FL area and are interested in purchasing a pontoon boat, dry storing when they are not in town and keeping in a slip while they are in town. We see pontoons all over the ICW in this area but would like some advice on what experience people have with different brands and what to look out for when putting an aluminum pontoon boat in brackish water. A boat somewhere in the 20ft range would be ideal.

Thanks for any pointers.

CaptDG · 10-16-2006, 09:46 PM

I believe "Godfrey" used to advertise theirs as being built for saltwater. Some makers have totally gotten away from wood decks and carpet instead using a vinyl covering over an alum deck. A lot of the furniture is now using a plastic frame rather than wood too. In any case check to see what kind of materials were used in the hulls, decks, and fasteners. How long would it be in the water? days, weeks, months? If possible I would avoid painting the toons in favor of cleaning them at every haul out. I have an older 24' Grumman that stays in the water on the St Johns river and it has been my experience that I would not want anything smaller than a 20' pontoon. Even with just the two of us the extra deck space is nice and the stability of the 24' hull length makes the ride more comfortable.

Oh, and by the way, nice 20' PH. I just got my 17' CC out of mothballs and am itching to get out of the river with it!

David,

oneill469 · 10-16-2006, 10:29 PM

My dad has a fiberglass pontoon. It was made by Skippercraft (AKA Funway Marine) in Plum Branch SC. Skippercraft is out of business but there are a lot of used boats around. These things are tanks. The toons were filled with foam and are really thick. The coast guard certified some of them for use as a water taxi. The only drawback is being so heavy you need to power up to get any speed. I think they made both 24 and 28 models. I always thought that it would make a greatr saltwater/creek boat. Good luck. Laird

carolina rig · 10-16-2006, 10:32 PM

I believe you want what people refer to as a deck boat. Huricane, sea ray manufacture these type of boats and they are usually powered with substantially more horsepower than a pontoon.

n36511 · 10-17-2006, 12:04 AM

Thanks for the info... Deck boats would work however there are normally more costly initally and ongoing maintenance is higher. I guess I should have specified that the ideal boat would also have power in the 25-50hp range. Just enough to cruise around and be out on the water. They are not skiing or tubing,,, just crusing around and casting to the specs. And they will not be out in iffy weather. I had a 17ft scout down there for a while and they only took it out during the week on sunny calm days.

A 24 ft boat would work, however every foot over 20 hits the pocket as far as initial cost and more importantly monthly storage and slip rate. However it is not out of the question and something to consider.

Thanks again for the responses

KCook · 10-17-2006, 05:14 PM

The builder for the Fiesta 'toon line is located in Florida. So that might be one to check out. Here is another thread on 'toons and saltwater -

http://www.thehulltruth.com/forums/t....asp?tid=31972

Aquas222 · 10-17-2006, 06:42 PM

I am a dealer for Bennington and sedona pontoons, and I have bottom painted a few of them for customers, some we have painted with trailerable bottom paint so you leave it in the water for a couple of weeks or leave it out for a couple of weeks. The paint process is a little more difficult for the alluminum but if it is done right it is very effective. One nice thing that Bennington offers is a lifetime structural warranty from stem to stern, even on the wooden deck they will pay for parts and labor if the deck ever rots. The other nice thing that bennington has that works well for saltwater and also durability is solid keels, this is very important if you are considering bottom painting and leaving in the water because the hollow keels on other manufactuers pontoons have drains that will fill up when submerged and there is no way to paint the inside of them leaving that area wide open corrosion to begin. So make sure that if buying a pontoon that goes into the saltwater, do your research on paints, and most importantly make sure there are no areas that you cant put paint on, like insides of keels, or hollow splash rails , or hollow planing strakes. good luck Joe

flyau98 · 10-17-2006, 07:03 PM

If you are going to keep it in a inside dry storage rack, I wouldn't sweat a whole lot of the issues. Just make sure she gets a good washing and flush the engine before you put it up. Like it was said above, a fiberglass deck boat would be best for the saltwater, but they do cost more and need big engines. An aluminum pontoon boat that doesn't have a wooden floor will probably be ideal.

n36511 · 10-18-2006, 10:18 PM

Thanks again for all of the responses. Now when they go to buy one they have decided that they do not need a trailer. Will most dealers launch for them or is that something they will have to arrange?

SaltoftheSea · 11-29-2006, 11:05 PM

Fiesta It's a Party! The only Made for saltwater toon. Awesome fiber glassed decks no smelly carpet to rot. :thumbsup Factory located in Tampa area, I think Hudson area, They sell through dealers. A friend of mine swears they build a rugged Florida tuff toon boat, his dad & Mom have one and go fishing around Tarpon Springs and out to the barrier islands every week. He has a 20 ft w/ 75 Merc 4 stroke goes in the mid 20's

Bullshipper · 11-30-2006, 04:24 PM

Production Pontoons use real thin Al, so salt would worry me personally.

These are good in the salt and have won a couple of design awards.

http://www.morrellimelvin.com/powerb...4-Windsor.html

Pontoons and chop also dont mix well in terms of safety. Do some research.

tommyr904 · 11-30-2006, 05:52 PM

i use one in the gulf to inshore fish.i got a fisher with a 90hp yamaha.i wash mine off every time i use it.it shows no sign of saltwater use as of now.i have had it about 11 months now.i would suggest getting the big toons and stay away from the little ones as if it does get choppy the larger toons seem to take the chop better.btw i bout mine off e-bay 2006 fisher for 6000.00 with a trailer.no power though.

noles94 · 11-30-2006, 10:55 PM

have you considered the beachcat line? i've seen them around my area, and they look cool (for that type of purpose)...

http://www.beachcatboats.com/

sophiasdaddy · 11-30-2006, 11:01 PM

Starcraft builds a really nice pontoon also..They have been building boats for 115 years and are priced as good as anything on the market..They are definitely worth a look...

deadwood · 12-02-2006, 10:14 AM

Quote:

n36511 - 10/16/2006 6:15 PM

My mother and father travel frequently to the Merrit Island, FL area and are interested in purchasing a pontoon boat, dry storing when they are not in town and keeping in a slip while they are in town. We see pontoons all over the ICW in this area but would like some advice on what experience people have with different brands and what to look out for when putting an aluminum pontoon boat in brackish water. A boat somewhere in the 20ft range would be ideal.

Thanks for any pointers.

Most pontoon manufacturers offer an optional composite deck rather than a wood deck. Both are good but the composite should last longer and would be my choice. With a pontoon it takes less power and can carry more people than a deck boat. All you need is a small 4 stroke engine to do the job and a 90hp is about the biggest you would ever need.

swelltime · 09-16-2011, 04:03 PM

In 2007 I bought a 25 Fiesta tri toon from a tampa dealer new from the factory in Hudson Fl. It came rated and powered with a 200 Evinrude Etec.
I will preface this post with the fact that I have owned and operated many boats over 4 decades of all makes and models up to 110'.
The motor has been very efficient and reliable and i couldnt be more happier.
The Boat on the other hand has been a failure since the first time we took it out when after just 20 minutes the motor bracket began to collapse. I had it back to the factory 3 times for various structural failures mostly for the inferior design of the Motor transom bracket before I threw in the towel.
The owner of the company can only be described as incompetent and most definetly unscrupulous. Case and point being after returning the boat to factory for the third time for the acknowledged failure and after waiting 6 weeks for the repair, I was handed a letter upon arrival asking me to waive my warranty rights or the boat would not be released. I refused and explained that they had no rights to do that and we could explain it to the sherrif. After screaming like a mad man the owner released my boat so I could take it home. Afterwards I discovered the gas tank not to be plumbed or wired, substantial damage to the fences, and severe overspray all over the upholstery.
If anyone whishes to see, I would be glad to provide photos of the failures and damages over the 3 year period.
I decided not to spend the money with the lawyer, but instead invested over 3K so far rebuilding the boat so that it was safe and reliable.
I can only hope that this report can save others the thousands of Dollars and loss of time I have incurred with Fiesta Boats.
Feel free to contact me for further info.

GILL'EM · 09-16-2011, 04:22 PM

I have a 1994 Tracker 21 foot "party barge". I primed the hull with Interprotect 2000E which barrier coats the aluminum and painted with Petit "vivid". I could not be happier but the prep work, like in most anything, is the critical part. I have re-done most of the boat over the years but have never had to touch the deck except a re-carpet. Deck, frame and pontoons continue to be solid. IMO they (Tracker) make a good one for the money. BTW, original 40 hp Mercury pushes it to about 14 knots but it's rated for up to a 90 hp motor.