Tritoon vs. Pontoon vs. Advantage Party Cat
 

I must be getting old and don't get me wrong I'm in love with my Fountain and love going fast and poker runs however there times when I just want to putt around with the wife, kids, grand kids, mom and the dog. So I'm looking at Pontoons, Tritoons and I've found a great deal on a really nice Advantage Party Cat. Which would you guys buy for my stated purpose? :cartman:

31 views and nobody has an opinion! Unbelievable!

if you wanht to just putt putt the advantage is not gonna work lol..i would also look into a 30; searay so you can spend weekends on the boat..

The Skater open bow in the classifieds is my vote. I tried to get my wife to bite....did not work. We still have the Sea Ray.

A friend of mine had a Party Cat. Rode in it at the Parker Strip which is a busy body of water. I did not like the ride. It seemed to really follow the wakes and roll. I would pass on the Party Cat for that reason as well as it is strange boat that in my opinion has a very limited buyers market making it a hard sell in the future. I would go with the tritoon.

BTW he only had that boat for 1 season.

Paul

my buddy has a tritoon and the ride is 10 times better than a pontoon. his is 24 ft with a v6 sterndrive. it runs mid 40's all day with 10 people and will go over all the slop and wakes in lake lanier with no problems. we use it more than any of the other boats.

Yeah I agree, the Advantage is a really strange boat and not really an obvious pick for anyone. Then between pontoon and tritoon, ride in a tritoon and you'll know your answer. Worlds better than the pontoon.

I rented a 26' tritoon at LOTO last Friday. First time driving a tritoon. How much did I like the boat? It will also be the last time I drive a tritoon!! These things absolutely suck around the docks!!!! Hit 4 different on-water bars (son just turned 21 so I DD'd and took him bar hopping) and I made sure I was always pulling into a slip on an end dock so I wasn't playing bumper boats between docks. These single engine outboard toons have way too many turns of the wheel lock to lock and you put them in gear and the do nothing without giving them some onion. The ride was pretty good in the Friday afternoon main channel slop with the exception of those big gentle rollers the big crusiers put off behind them when they are rolling bow high. You come up on them and everytime you nose into the next roller if feels like someone slams on the brakes as the water hits the underside of the floor in front. I think if this boat had twins or a larger single with power steering (the rental had a 150 Suzuki) it would have been way better. There must be something to them as I passed about 100 of them between the 13MM and 38 MM!

You are alittle optimistic. 24ft tri-toons are very generic hulls and no matter what tweeks they do to the toons (to differentiate from the competition) they are all within a few mph of each other for a given power. A 150hp is basically a 35mph boat, a 200hp is maybe a 40mph boat. A 4.3 v6 with 10 people on it is maybe a 30mph boat.

We have a few of these "Lake Erie Barges" on our inland lake. I apologize if I'm insulting - I hate them - they think and act like they are a Ferrari when in fact they are my dad's Buick. Sure they can get up to speed considering they have outboards in the 250hp+ range- but they take up so much lake real-estate, wide turns and heaven forbid a skier falls - takes them forever to come back for a pick-up. The other thing that drives me crazy is when they are going slow around the lake - they fail to realize that they can get in closer to shore - (stay in the right lane unless you are passing!!!). I agree with you - there must be something that we are all missing - it seems everyone wants one -- what is even more upsetting is that Cobalt has come out with one for 2014.

I agree with whomever said this - I would opt for a Sun Deck type of boat - lots more speed, maneuverability and for sure would be a heck of a lot easier to trailer.

Sorry if I offended.

3pointstar

then Garmin needs to improve their product because on my GPS showed 46 with 4 people on it.

check out a 28 magic cat, its a real powerboat that you can be proud of yet it will hold 10 ppl (not the mid cabin) a tri toon is also awesome once you learn to maneuver them for docking. You can share the boating fun with friends much more easily than in a fountain. I would only get a tri not a pontoon because of the speed, stability and fuel economy benefits and you can also run 70 with twins lol. You can also check out some of the newer deck boats like a searay sunesta they look a little odd but have a v hull and inboard and seat 10.

The 26' rental with a 150 HP 4-stroke Suzuki ran 26 MPH GPS at 5K RPM. I have no idea what the top speed was as it sounded like I was killing the motor at 5K!

Hey, is that a rental? Why yes, yes it is!

Wow opinions are all over the place but I really apreciate all the input. This is going to be a tougher decision than I thought. Maybe I should just leave the fam damily on the dock and enjoy my Fountain by myself. LOL

Agreed with the magic deck! Thats what I run and there is a huge resale market for them out west. mine will do 70 all day long. Also look at the eliminator deck, shockwave, conquest and caliber 1. They are all the same hull design, the deck layout is the only big difference.

Just wondering, if a tri toon is your dad's Buick, what would your cobalt be?

A Mercedes-- any model would do - they are all great!

3pointstar

I have an Aqua Patio 24' pontoon. Had a 60 bigfoot. Wanted to go faster, put a 135 on it, went 2 mph faster, burned twice the fuel. I have a third "toon" in the shop to add in the center with lifting strakes, which will be installed shortly. Research says tritoon is the only way to go if you like getting anywhere in a reasonable amount of time. I added the pontoon to a fleet with a 30' surface drive Scarab and a 20' Chaparral SSI. I guarantee it will be a speed and culture shock.

My buddy has the Advantage Cat. Very strange handling boat. All weight MUST be distributed equally around the boat for it to run right at speed. Very touchy to load, conditions, wind etc. Seems like a lot of work just to go boating.

I also have a buddy that found a 2000 Chaparral 236(?) Sunesta! That's what I would get! all the room of a pontoon but speed of a runabout!!!

Cobalt is releasing a "platform" boat...

Marker One

I saw the video/press release --- It does look very nice - and I'm sure that it is built with the Cobalt Quality ethic- I understand they are competing with Bennington. However, I'm sorry it doesn't do a thing for me. I just don't like them. Kinda like an elephant - I like to look at them but don't want to own one!

3pointstar

I've spent a ton of hours on pontoon boats over the last 10 years or so. My dad has had a 24' tri-toon Bently with a 115 hp mercury (28 mph) and now has a 26' Southbay with a 250 Yamaha SHO (48 mph). A good friend just bought a 25' Excursion with a 300 Verado. (52 mph)

I can remember being shocked when dad told me he was selling his 35 Fountain and buying a party barge. Fast forward 10 years and we spend way more time on the 'toons than the performance boats. Carry 10+ people easily, can walk around, fix drinks, hang out, talk, sit in the shade, etc. Good triple toons ride amazingly well in big chop as long as the waves aren't tall enough to break over the front deck. We've done club runs across Lake Maurepas and Pensacola Bay on choppy days and beat single engine performance boats across.

A few thoughts:
*The 3rd pontoon is worth every penny. I wouldn't even consider a 2 pontoon boat. Extra lift, speed, rough water ride, fuel efficiency, etc aren't even close.
*The more horsepower, the better. Dad's 250 SHO boat burns the same amount of gas as his old 115 while cruising faster
*Top speed is fun to talk about but with the wind and everything else these boats are way more fun at 25 - 35 than at 40+. We usually cruise 25 - 30 unless we have a reason to get somewhere quicker. Open a Corona and enjoy the trip.
*Take test drives, some boats handle better than others. Have heard horror strories about the boats that have outer lifting strakes and how bad they turn. Bennington used to be like this
*To kind of disagree with Knot4Me, they handle fine around the dock EXCEPT when you really have to spin it around and spin the wheel lock to lock back and forth. You learn quick how to ease in without doing this. Turning around in a tight area with high winds can suck, usually easier to back straight into the wind and get away from the docks before you turn around.

I highly recomend them and don't plan on being without one. In our area they're perfect for bar hopping and hanging out at the sandbar.

build your own pontoon boat, using a pair of 41 apaches for the pontoon... trailering it will however suck... so buy a waterfront home on a wide canal

I'll be honest with ya....we have a 22 foot pontoon with a 90 outboard. Its cheap to operate, it stays covered and on the trailer unless its being used and it has been one of the best boat purchases I have made. Its not the fastest thing out there, but thats not its purpose. I can put 10 people on it, a big cooler, my lab, and ride all day for $50 of fuel and everyone is comfortable. I have even towed the kids on the tubes...not much cutting up with it, but it will tow. You can purchase this same boat brand new for $23-25, depending upon equipment and engine. it handles our rough lake here well, never had any issues with handling period. The tritoons in my opinion are not bad boats, but keep in mind, especially if you already have a go fast, do you need to spend the extra cash for that 3rd toon and a 200HP outboard on something you just want to cruise around on with the family??? Its all in what you want...but a 22 with a 90 or even a little bigger will be cost effective on every end...purchase and operation. I think weigh capacity on mine is 2240 with people and gear. It fits exactly what we use it for and does it well.

Wrong web site buddy!

Well maybe it is but the whole point of the question was to get the opinions of other go fast boat guys. I have gotten a lot of great responces and thougts now. It's not that I don't like or am planning on selling my go fast it's just the need for a family type boat also. So what better web site than this one to see what other go fast boat guys have or would want as ther second boat. For all of you that have given ideas, thoughts and suggestions, thank you. Exactly the input I was looking for. Another thumbs up to all the OSO guys that have given there thoughts on this topic.

I would not touch the boat the OP is asking about with a 100 foot pole

I know nothing of the brand, but I do know the old adage that trying to do two things well means you suck at both

a pontoon is for one thing and one thing only and that is cramming it full of all your friends and family that you do not want to take on your other boat so they can be on the water (and hopefully away from you) while you are on the boat you want to be on.....then at the very end of the day you can load them all up a few at a time and take them in small groups in a really fast run in your regular boat, scare the crap out of them and drop them back off at the barge and have ZERO complaints that they had to sit on the shore all day or did not get to cram onto your regular boat

they are for wives, daughters, girl friends or any combination of the above or for drunken foolish friends that are OK on land, but unbearable on water

there is ZERO need to try and have one that goes "fast" and there is even less need to have one that is made of fiberglass and resin.....they are pontoon boats for a reason and party barges for a reason......you can easily replace 100% of the furniture on it, the pontoons and under supports do not rot and if marine plywood for the floor you are good to go

I am of the opinion that more than 4 or maybe 5 people (all EXPERIENCED) on a boat is just a great way to ruin a day at the lake and the only way to get past that is get a slow boat to nowhere that you can pile fools on and not worry too much about the interior of it and then tell then hasta la vista as you ride off to somewhere else FAST......and if you have to captain them occasionally you are going slow to nowhere anyway so who cares that is just one of your duties as a husband, boyfriend, dad, friend with boats or combination of the above

start mixing in trying to ski, pull a tube, fish or go fast and start mixing in stupidity, tickets, buzz kills, drama and a terrible day at the lake

Couldn't have said it any better Texas Vines. You are right on all counts. So a big NO to the Party Cat. What I need is just your older run of the mill Pontoon or Titoon. Not to new but just nice. Something where it doesn't matter if the dogs claws scratch a seat or some idiot spills their beer or coke on the carpet. Just something to get the whole fam damily and not so close friends out on the water for a few hours. Just enough to satisfy there need to go boating and then I can go play in my Fountain. Thanks you all. Now I know what I'm looking for.

tritoon with big motor. My son has one. Max speed we saw was 53 with the two of us. It can go slow all day and if you need to get going you can & ride is great.

I hear there not to good in the inlet at night :lolhit:

Post 22 Jmeng and 29 TurboJack sum it up best. I've driven a Premier 29' w twin 300's.. 10' beam..awesome tritoon..handles some rough water way better than I would have expected. These tritoons are all different in quality, ride quality, and little differences that make them appealing to different buyers. Some have different shaped center tubes, mostly larger center tubes but some with notches, lifting strakes, some lowered 5" to bank in turns..and now PlayCraft is building steps into them. They all ride different. I drive a 26' SouthBay w a 225..and bring it to the islands regularly. Very nice boat. I am looking at a PlayCraft with twin 300's..so its just what your looking for. Take a few out for a ride.

Also look at AJ's 32 Skater version..or my other favorite..29 E-Ticket. Good Luck..

Right on point. And of course you can never have to much HP! Big motor, yes sir I agree. I would love to find one with a 300 Verado but that will probably be way above my price point.

After several name brand offshore v-hulls and cat,'s ( cigarette,Donzi,fountain,eliminator etc...) we now cruise our Playcraft 2700 tritoon proudly :) it is a stable ride , gets on top of the chop well and is very easy to maneuver around the docks. The best part of the boat is the 496 mag HO power,the only way to go. Light load , Bimini down it will do 60+ mph....not bad. Fully loaded w 6 people Bimini up we'll still do 55 mph.

I have a go fast and a tri-toon and I can tell you the ride is better most times on the toon and the go fast sits at the dock most of the time. Keep in mind I have two 300's on the back of the toon but it will keep up with a lot of big boats on a rough day. I had a single 300 on a previous boat and it did just fine. As far as handling just get 250 or a 300 hp with power steering and you will have no issues around the docks as it can be put in any slip without an issue. Without power steering I would agree they are not fun to drive or handle around a dock but same to be said if you loose your impeller on the motor that drives any other boat it is not fun. It is a great boat to spread out on and easy to get on and off plus the resale is better by far than most other boats. Don't get me wrong a go fast is awesome and I still like to take mine out but if you are looking for something that handles the water great, is easy to get on and off and still has performance there is nothing wrong with a tri-toon with bigger power.

I have a Topgun and love it. But other than a poker run or quit ride out to see who's at the swimming hole you are limited to what you can do with them. I bought a 24 ft Parti Kraft three years ago for my wife, I have to say now that I really like it. It has a 115 hp E-Tec and run 25 wot, we cruise at 15 at 3500 rpm. Very easy on fuel. It's a great party boat. I would like to try a 26 ft tri toon with a 250 hp. I would like to cruise at thirty for longer rides, but other than that I, happy, and the wife loves it. It stays in the water all summer, taking the cover off is a pain, seems like 200 snaps. But you can't go wrong with a toon. Buy at least a 23/24 ft with at least a 115 hp are bigger and you will be happy.

Sounds like toons are the preferred boat on oso for members that have both. Who would have thunk!

Family has a 24' tritoon with a honda 150 on Norris and everything about it makes boating easy, cheap and enjoyable. Kids, dogs, grandparents......just a lot less hassle than go fasts. I'll probably never own another I/O fiberglass boat.

I will say that I was out on a friends Slingshot all day last weekend and my face hurt from smiling so much. I just don't want to maintain one anymore.

WOW a few real close minded people on here. Boating is a different sport for everybody. I have had go-fast boats for 15 years and last summer my wife was on crutches so we spent a lot of time on a buddys tritoon. Couldnt believe how much fun we had, could bring friends out, crack a drink and RELAX and enjoy the beautiful water. Liked it so much I I sold my ZT280 this spring and picked up a 25' Manitou Explode with a 250etec. i cant explain how awesome this boat is. Will run almost 50 on GPS but I never go that fast unless I need to get somewhere, usually cruise like 20-25 mph. Took up skiing and tubing again, havent done that since I was behind my old mans starcraft somewhere around 1985. the boat handles the waves as good or better then any 25-28' single engine speedboat ive ever had and it turns exceptionally well, banks the corners just like a v-boat. Its a completely different kind of boating, i do miss racing down the lake sometimes and hearing the bib block roar but having way more fun overall....NO REGRETS!!!

I have owned fast and loud boats and they are a blast. My wife and daughter will reluctantly go boating, daughter loves speed but both get annoyed with the noise and being cramped all day( and forget bringing the dog)
. We went out with my brother a few times in his deckboat and did some tubing and just cruised around sitting at the table in the shade. The silence was deafening lol and quite enjoyable. If I want to go fast I've got Miss GEICO, but for everything else which is 99% of boating, Ill take the Tritoon. Like them so much, I just ordered a 25 Avalon Ambassador Tritoon with a 250 and optional grille:evilb:. No more noise for me.....except on Race Day

Scotty B

People are going to lose Respect for you Scotty!!!! Next your are gonna get a Haircut!! Say it aint SO!!