Help choosing the right pontoon for rough water

[lakeliving]

I posted in your thread in the main forum at the top.  My only additional comment would be buy what you can afford now instead of ending up like so many members here who are on their second or third boat in as many years.  

Don't be hating! Maybe I won the lottery after we bought the first boat, you never know.

 

[mtudb24]

You don't get much bigger then Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron. That's where home port to our boat is.  2275 RCW with twin 32" elips with 150hp Merc Pro XS.

Does it handle the rough water great yup.  Is it fast in a striaght line.. Yup. Will it turn on a dime.  Hell no, but the ESP will.

We go out all summer long. Do I go out in 4 footers, nope.  I go golf.  Do I go out in 2 footers and some 3 footers.  Depends on how the fish are biting and if the kids really want to goto the sandbar and swim.  But you can't always predict the weather.  I've been stuck going home in a nasty late summer squall that came across Sagainw Bay from the north nad small craft warnings were out.  I got home fine. It was slow going.  Took a couple over the bow, but you just need to go slow and know how to hit the waves at certain angles and understand what your boat is capable of.

I would have gone with a ESP is price was no object and I was truely into water sports.  But I don't. If you carry lots of people, the elips are great.  Looking at the spec sheet.  you can carry as many people as a ESP, far more then standard 25" tubes and more then the EPP package.  The hull weight is the lighest excet for std 25" toons.

I also think that going with ESP was at least another 3K over th price of my twin tube boat.  I would not have done a ESP boat justice and used it for what it was capable of, so it would have been a waste of money in my opinion

Hope this helps

Todd

Package with Transom Length Person Capacity Hull Weight
[SIZE=.8em](no engine)[/SIZE] Max HP Pontoon Gauge With 25" Tubes (20") 11 People 2,384 lbs 150 HP 0.080 ESP Performance Package (25") 13 People 3120 lbs 250 HP 0.100 Express Performance Package (20") 11 People 2,384 lbs 150 HP 0.080 With 32" Elliptical Tubes (20") 13/11 People 2,715/2,795 lbs 150/200 HP 0.100 SPS Performance Package (25") 12 People 3,064 lbs 150 HP 0.080 / 0.100