Known as the "party boat", it is no surprise that used pontoon boats find a reasonable demand among buyers of pre-owned boats. With a large and flat deck and spacious seating capacity, pontoon boats make ideal locations for lake parties with family and friends.
A pontoon boat is a boat with a hull that is constructed of two or three-welded round aluminum tubes known as "sponsons". These sponsons are tapered at the forward ends to facilitate movement and speed. They are attached to the rigid deck platform by means of an aluminum frame, which forms a deck made out of aluminum, wood or fiberglass.
Safety railing surrounds all sides of the deck with the helm station placed either in the middle of the deck or off to one side.
The smaller pontoon boats can sit around six people while the bigger pontoons can accommodate as much as twelve. The ordinary versions of pontoon boats use lawn furniture for seating but the more sophisticated and expensive models feature upholstered seating, a small dining table, a roof, a cooler and maybe even a toilet.
Measuring 16 feet to 22 feet in length, pontoon boats are powered by outboard, gasoline engines (either the 2- or 4-cycle version) in generally 10 to 100 hp models.
Often covered with canopy, pontoon boats make a good investment for boaters who love to take their family and friends out on a boat with them. Aside from holding lake parties, you can use your pontoon boat to take your family and friends out for an afternoon cruise on small, inland lakes, rivers or other protected waters.
Pontoon boats are also good for still fishing as they provide stable platform. You could also opt to use pontoon boats for overnight camping provided you take all the necessary measures and precautions to ensure your safety.
Pontoons are easy to operate and economical to run, but can achieve speeds of up to 50 mph on calm water. You also get a good and smooth ride with most pontoon boats.
However, pontoon boats are not good at seawaters. Although they are stable in calm waters, large waves growing beyond one to two feet can easily toss them.
Prices for new pontoon boats generally range from $8,5000 to $30,000 with the motor installed, though you can find a few smaller paddle pontoons for around $1,000. Used pontoon boats can fetch from as low as $1,500.00 to $15,000.00 (with motor).
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