Educate Me: Buying a Pontoon Broat?

[halfmileharry]

IF you're NOT mechanically inclined, have selfish in-laws, inconsiderate friends, lazy family members, then you're naturally attracted to a boat.
I love boats.
I had a few party barges over the years. SIZE does matter. Remember that the larger boats are pushed around pretty good by the wind. Have enough motor to move 'em around.
When you enter the monetary restrictions you've automatically eliminated yourself from boat ownership.
I love Geist reservoir but it'll eat some lower units and props until you know the lake.

 

[nra4ever]

Tri toon with a big block i/o that will turn some heads. Lots of great deals on pontoons. The problem is now is not the time for deals. You buy in the fall winter and sell in spring. I've been doing boats for years. Last fall there were lots of great deals on eBay and on Craigslist. Found lots of nice pontoon deals up north near lake wawasee. One place that had some great deals was smittys auto sales in Angola. No place in town has good deals on new or used boats ever. You can always do better on eBay or craigslist.

 

[Butch627]

This is the worst time of the year to get a boat at a reasonable price. Rent this summer, find out what you like and then start shopping in September.

 

[DanVoils]

I heard Gander Mountain is running some sales!

 

[nra4ever]

That reminds me you could look at cabelas. I think they carry Tahoe. If you are going new it's the cheapest but you get a whole lot more for less on used. Bennington makes a nice pontoon.

 

[RobbyMaQ]

If you want I will sell you mine. $200 cheap!

 

[DoggyDaddy]

That reminds me you could look at cabelas. I think they carry Tahoe. If you are going new it's the cheapest but you get a whole lot more for less on used. Bennington makes a nice pontoon.

Ooooh I love Benningtons. I can spot them from a couple hundred yards away. I currently have a Premier, but if/when I replace it, I'd love to have a Bennington.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Point of disagreement here, I had two different boats back in the late 70's one a 40 horse Johnson and the other a 60 horse evinrude and both were 4 cycle.

Oh wow, I didn't realize they were around back then. I stand corrected!

 

[4651feeder]

Oh wow, I didn't realize they were around back then. I stand corrected!

Nor did I, musta been one of those fancy I/O engines with the Volvo/Penta Twin Prop Drive.

 

[Areoflyer09]

Ooooh I love Benningtons. I can spot them from a couple hundred yards away. I currently have a Premier, but if/when I replace it, I'd love to have a Bennington.

My dad traded the Chris Craft on a Bennington. Decided he would use the "party" boat more often than the speed boat. Yep that didn't work out like he planned, barely got used for the two or three summers he had it. My sisters and I enjoyed the speed boat and the pontoon, as quick as t was, couldn't touch the Chris Craft. So we didn't use it much.

Looking back, the pontoon could do everything that we generally hit did with the speed boat excerpt exceeding the speed limit on the lake, but only because dad didn't get the big motor. It was a very nice boat in retrospect.

If one had the means, a tri-toon Bennington would be a delightful option.

Bennington offers a 5.3L V8 with 350hp...granted it is also a $27k option but it would be fun!

 

[DoggyDaddy]

My dad traded the Chris Craft on a Bennington. Decided he would use the "party" boat more often than the speed boat. Yep that didn't work out like he planned, barely got used for the two or three summers he had it. My sisters and I enjoyed the speed boat and the pontoon, as quick as t was, couldn't touch the Chris Craft. So we didn't use it much.

Looking back, the pontoon could do everything that we generally hit did with the speed boat excerpt exceeding the speed limit on the lake, but only because dad didn't get the big motor. It was a very nice boat in retrospect.

If one had the means, a tri-toon Bennington would be a delightful option.

Bennington offers a 5.3L V8 with 350hp...granted it is also a $27k option but it would be fun!

Oh man, an old Chris Craft (either a runabout or a cabin cruiser - I ain't picky!) is a "bucket list" boat for me. Love those old wooden boats. Several years ago we ran across some folks in a big Chris Craft cabin cruiser down at Lake Monroe that was dead in the water and needed a tow back to the marina. They gave us a walk through tour of the boat and it was really cool. Had twin Hercules straight 6's in it and of course all the beautiful teak woodwork.

 

[hoosierdoc]

Twin engine boat dead in the water. D'oh

 

[dprimm]

Rent this summer. See if you like it.

My dad has had one for years in northern Wisconsin. Loves it. They rented a jet ski one summer to see if they liked that -- they did and bought one.

Any chance of going in on one w a neighbor?

Oh NO carpet! Impossible to keep clean.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Twin engine boat dead in the water. D'oh

I know, right?? I forget now what they said the problem was. May have been an electrical problem rather than engine-related. Whatever it was, I'm guessing it was considerably more expensive to fix than my little 40 hp outboard.

 

[Leadeye]

Oh man, an old Chris Craft (either a runabout or a cabin cruiser - I ain't picky!) is a "bucket list" boat for me. Love those old wooden boats. Several years ago we ran across some folks in a big Chris Craft cabin cruiser down at Lake Monroe that was dead in the water and needed a tow back to the marina. They gave us a walk through tour of the boat and it was really cool. Had twin Hercules straight 6's in it and of course all the beautiful teak woodwork.

Did that for a while, you learn patience and new finishing skills.

 

[nra4ever]

Was that the Chris craft with the hula girl picture on the back. That's a cool boat.

 

[femurphy77]

Oh man, an old Chris Craft (either a runabout or a cabin cruiser - I ain't picky!) is a "bucket list" boat for me. Love those old wooden boats. Several years ago we ran across some folks in a big Chris Craft cabin cruiser down at Lake Monroe that was dead in the water and needed a tow back to the marina. They gave us a walk through tour of the boat and it was really cool. Had twin Hercules straight 6's in it and of course all the beautiful teak woodwork.

Many moons ago when I lived in Key West I was leaving Garrison Bight in our old fiberglass boat that someone had sawed the "cabin" portion off of long before we bought it. It was basically an open hull with a homebuilt console on the right side and a wooden seat my dad added to it. Emblazoned on each side in bright red letters was the name; "GRUNT". As I was leaving the bight headed out I passed an old man, at least 50 or 55 years old who was coming into the bight in his old fully restored chris craft similar to the one chewed up by a large prop in the Indiana Jones movie. The most impressive thing about this "old" mans boat was the two DELICIOUS totally nude babes dancing around waving at everyone as they came in.

I swore on that day that I would one day own a boat just like that!


Never got the Chris Craft or the two naked babes. . . . but other than that I bear a close resemblance to the "old guy" that day!

 

[two70]

When you do buy I suggest a Yamaha 4 stroke. They are the best out there. Not the cheapest though.

This! Stay away from Merc 4 strokes on shallow reservoirs like Geist.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Was that the Chris craft with the hula girl picture on the back. That's a cool boat.

Not sure if this was to me, but I don't think the one I was talking about had a hula girl on it. I'm not even sure it had a name on the back. They kept it docked at Fourwinds Marina, but I haven't seen it there for a few years now.

 

[Caleb]

I wanted to buy a cheap one then turn it into a tiny house boat