What makes this a better boat than the SunTrackers? I understand that the
suntrackers are the basic pontoon boats, but this is about $10k over the
price of a SunTracker.

The Yamaha motor will add a few bucks - I've heard that they are excellent
motors.


"George" wrote in message
...
I would like your opinions about this pontoon boat as I am thinking about
buying the 2004 Alante 225 RE Premier pontoon boat with a Zieman trailer
from the Pacific Marine Center in Madera CA.
It will have a 90 hp Yamaha engine, I will be used for fishing and comfort
and speed is not what I am looking for. I have added a couple of options
such as additional fishing chairs, port-a-potty, fishfinder, BBQ and the
price comes in the 26 thousand range.
It all looks well built but what do I know LOL! Please let me know what you
experts think and please be kind as I am new at this :-)
Thanks in advance,
George

What makes this a better boat than the SunTrackers? I understand that the
suntrackers are the basic pontoon boats, but this is about $10k over the
price of a SunTracker.


Things on a SunTracker that could use a little help:

- Deck, rails and furniture are screwed down. Bolts are better.
- I feel the rotocast furniture bases are not as sturdy (thick) as they should
be
- Wiring could be beefier.
- Some of the fittings are poor quality pot metal. Discovered this while
looking at a SunTracker one day, tried adjusting the seat position and the
lever broke off with little encouragement. Looked more closely, and sure
enough, the seat hardware was poor quality pot metal.

Add to this Tracker puts small motors on their boat to keep the price low, and
advertises their "national price" without freight and rigging.

SunTracker does some things well. The vinyl is good quality, and the carpet is
pretty fair. They're not bad boats, but the cost cutting shows if you know
where to look.

$26K is premium pricing for a pontoon boat. Check some other brands. I have a
Crest, and I purchased it because it represented much better quality than
SunTracker for similar money.



-- Rich Stern
www.nitroowners.com - The Nitro and Tracker Owners Web Site
www.mypontoon.com - The Pontoon Boat Web Site
www.fishingreportdatabase.com - The Fishing Report Database
www.mysporttrac.com - The Sport Trac Web Site