Rocky wrote:
I rented a pontoon boat this week on a lake. The family really enjoyed the
wide open floor and seating compared to the confined cuddy on the Bayliner
we used to own. How would a pontoon boat ride and handling compare to my
old bayliner on long island sound with 1 to 3 foot waves and strong current?
We've been on Lake George, NY with wave crashing over our bow and
windshield - can pantoon safely handle that kind of condition or are they
prone to capsize? I haven't seen many articles on them in the boating
magazines. How much HP would I need to pull a wake boarder?
Rocky

Rocky, I wouldn't want to buy a pontoon boat for water sports unless it
was a triple tube model with a minimum of 140 horsepower in a typical
22 to 24' outboard model; v6 power if it's an inboard. There are also
various performance options like deck underskinning and lifting strakes
that help with speed and maneuvering. Even so, it's really a
compromise solution.

Pontoon boats with bigger tubes (25" to 27") can do ok in moderately
choppy water, with pretty good stability (like a catamaran in some
ways), but offer very little in the way of protection from wind and
water.

If I wanted one sport boat with maximum deck space for both fresh and
sal****er, I would lean toward a fiberglass constructed deck boat.