22ft vs 24ft

peeruwp

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I had my mind set on the 22 ft because it fit the floor space we need, seems like a more manageable size to maneuver/dock... BUT.... I will be boating on a large river (St.Croix) in MN, and there are large boats with large wakes, would I be foolish not to go larger than a 22ft? FYI - It will be a tritoon SPS package. Ive been on the river with smaller pontoons and it was ok, water over the front every time.

Thoughts?
 
We went from a 22 footer to a 24 footer and never had a problem with maneuverability or docking. You will get used to whatever you get. As far as getting water over the front?!? Never experienced that in owning a tritoon for 12 yrs....
 
We went from a 22 footer to a 24 footer and never had a problem with maneuverability or docking. You will get used to whatever you get. As far as getting water over the front?!? Never experienced that in owning a tritoon for 12 yrs....
Great, thank for the reply. Why did you go to 24?
 
Great, thank for the reply. Why did you go to 24?
We had our previous boat for 12 yrs. We picked out a different floorplan and it happened to be a 24 footer ....
 
If it's in your budget (and depending on the trim level you are targeting), take a close look at the ESP package for tritoon or the TEPP...either will add quite a bit of buoyancy and cause the boat to ride higher out of the water. That would probably help with curtailing water coming over the bow when encountering larger wakes/waves.
 
The longer the boat, the smoother it rides, particularly across wakes and waves. We went with our 24’ pontoon for a few mains reasons, but one of them was its ability to ride more smoothly in rougher water. If the river you are talking about gets rough for various reasons, the added length will help with that.

On top of that you typically have more seating and space flexibility, which is great.

Docking a smaller boat is always easier. Always. No way to avoid that truth. That said, and as mentioned above, you adjust and get used to whatever you own. In rough water and wind, I struggled my first year. Was slightly better in adverse conditions my second year. And finally started finding my comfort level my third year when conditions were not ideal. When conditions are nice and calm, the difference between 22’-24’ wont matter. In calm conditions, both are pretty simple to dock.
 
Ive never heard anyone say I wish I would have gotten a smaller boat or less horsepower, on the other hand when people talk about their next boat they always bring up bigger and faster...IMO buy once, cry once...if it is with in your means of course. And btw, I have a 24 SPS and love the size, you get alot more room up front and it rides great.
 
I don't think I would enjoy boating at all if I had to deal with rough water and boat traffic waves... especially ones large enough to swamp a 22' pontoon boat.
 
That must be a very rough river. I've only had water over the bow once. It was with a previous pontoon (24') and we had a full load of guests. Another boat cut right in front of us and there was no time to avoid that wave from smacking the front door and walls. Luckily, no damage. Now we usually roll up the Lilly pad and strap it to the front deck as a safety cushion.
 
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