Deck boats

[njmr2fan]

Anybody know anything about deck-boats? My father-in-law is shopping them and pontoons in Cape Coral and doesn't know a thing about them. He's asking me because we own a boat, but I'm certainly no boat expert by any means. Maybe one of you have owned or been around some? Are there any brands to stay away from, problems that wouldn't be realized until you own one? Just looking for some insight. They own a new home in Cape Coral with lagoon access to the river. He'll want to pleasure cruise to restaurants and fish the river. Maybe head out to Captiva and the Gulf once in a blue moon. Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[swatski]

I would ask @robert843, he is usually in the know about those things.

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[haknslash]

If I were shopping for a lounge boat I would look into the Benningtons. They are IMO some of the nicest, well-equipped and built pontoons out there. I always like to check them out during the boat shows and the Benningtons always stand out to me. Get one of those tritoons with the twin Mercs or Yami's and they haul major butt and ride like a caddy! Or if they want a big swim platform like we have they could go for an I/O pontoon. I'm not a huge fan of deck boats mainly because of the bow and they don't offer anywhere near the space of a pontoon.

IMO these look pretty cool being fiberglass...

 

[Lpennington]

Before getting our boat, I researched a fair bit about the Bayliner Element deckboats. Check the Bayliner owner forum for details, but this model had significant issues with water in the hull and the owners by and large were not happy with Bayliner's proposed warranty "fix" of the issue.

 

[druppert]

A friend of mine bought a 20’ Hurricane FunDeck several years ago after researching extensively. All of his research led him to believe this is one of the best brands in the segment. In my opinion the build quality appears to be far superior to something like a Tahoe but the price also reflects that. The Hurricanes are very heavy & ride quite nicely and they’re also pretty versatile when it comes to water sports, not sloppy like most pontoons I’ve been on. Perhaps my favorite part about his boat is the angled brace on the Bimini, which I think is pretty common across their model lineup. It really helps keep the Bimini stable in chop. I actually thought about making something like it for my Yamaha.

 

[2kwik4u]

We looked heavily into the deck boat/pontoon boat segment before homing in on the Yamaha's......A tri-toon in the 22-24 ft range is similar price to a 23-24ft deck boat, and in our opinion rode nicer, had more features, more space, and just generally worked better. If it would've fit in the garage we would have brought home a very nice 24ft tri-toon at one point. We slept on it and decided to wait. We were close though!

 

[OrangeTJ]

In the deck boat arena, I personally like the offerings from Chaparral and Regal. Big differences between a deck boat and a toon. Deck boats really aren't all that different from any other spaciously laid out bowrider in my opinion. If deck space is what you're after, there's no beating a 'toon. I looked pretty seriously at tri-toons at one point and camepretty close to deciding to get a "performance" triple with either a 250 or 300 horse outboard. Ton of seating and walk-around space, lots of layout configurations to choose from, 40 - 45 mph top speed, super quiet cruising, the ideal drive system for leaving in the water, huge biminis, and smooth ride. Something like that would probably best meet the use described in the OP. The biggest downside, in my opinion, is just the look.

 

[robert843]

I would ask @robert843, he is usually in the know about those things.

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I agree with @druppert on the hurricanes I owned on for about 9 years and loved it never had an issue. Only reason I upgraded was I wanted a boat I could take to Bimini nd the 20ft model I had wasn't self draining if it would have been I would probably still be rolling in that boat. The newer out board models are great boats almost bought one just before picking up My Yamaha but it sold before I could get my hands on it. as some have mentioned if its all about deck space the pontoon will win. So many options in the deck boat market now its tough to keep up with. My next boat will probably be the Sea Ray 270 SDX OB sundeck.

 

[swatski]

Sea Ray 270 SDX OB sundeck

That would be extremely high on my list. That side passage to the swim deck is simply awesome, and this maybe the best lay out in any boat in the size range, hands down. My wife wants it. We just can't have it right now because it would be siting on the lift whenever the river is low though.

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[robert843]

That would be extremely high on my list. That side passage to the swim deck is simply awesome, and this maybe the best lay out in any boat in the size range, hands down. My wife wants it. We just can't have it right now because it would be siting on the lift whenever the river is low though.

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LOL I want it as well tell your wife she has great taste but I can't justify the cost. If I lived in Florida and boated 52 weeks a year I would already have it. So I'm trying to be for the used market to get into a comfortable range for me to buy a used well cared for low hour boat I figure I have one to two years before my upgrade.

 

[Jgorm]

I like the kayots and sea ray sundeck boats. I always considered a deck boat to be a pontoon seat setup on a v based hull. They cost substantially more than a pontoon. I think the Yamaha is almost a deck boat.