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Looking for advice/opinions on new build with w/ twin ellipticals vs express tube/standard tubes

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Jayp1919

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Hello,

Working on wrapping up my decision and pulling the trigger on a 22LFB...the fastback with quad benches are perfect for our family I think...wish they offered it with the SX trim but it is what it is. My only hang-up is how much performance to sink into the boat as well. Budget is a concern for sure but I want to do this once. We are a family of 5, kids are 11, 7, 4. We are using this almost exclusively on a narrowish river...at some point I can see having them do tubing but there isn't really open water to do S turns and stuff all over the place so its mostly north-south stretches with slow winding turns at parts. River is also congested on weekends so I can only see tubing during the weekdays and that's if we are off from work.

General recommendation from the dealer was the twin elliptical freshwater package with a Yamaha F150...said with two people, nice day and half tank of gas boat would get 38-42mph. They discouraged looking at the express tube package stating that it was actually less performance. SPS was of course recommended but they said I should only do that with a 175sho or a F200lb...and that for sure puts us out of our price range even with stretching. I have only used standard two tube configurations in the past...boats only got low 20s in speed and turns were hard and slow but it got the job done. I truly dont know what i'm missing though...never been on a tritoon/express tube/twin elliptical before and dealer doesn't do demos.

Is there anyone who has experience with the twins and could comment? I have heard that turning is a little better than standard two tubes but its still similar but with better buoyancy and speed. Is the express tube setup really that bad? How much better is the express tube vs your traditional two tube setup? For how I plan to use the boat it seems like the twins make sense and a SPS would be overkill price aside. Still kind of curious if the express tube makes any sense to look at though.

The rest of the build is as follows:
-Double Bimini
-RGB Controller
-Toe Kick Lights
-Sea Star Hydraulic Steering
-Ski Tow Bar

Am I missing any must haves? Again its the 22LFB.

Thanks so much!
 
IMHO the express tube DOES NOT make sense, and your dealer is doing a nice job steering you away from that. It will give some better performance than normal twin tubes, but is a far cry short of the full SPS tritoon or the twin elliptical. Also, the dealers advice on the Twin Elipticals sounds about right in regards to what to expect. Given your described body of water, that does sound like a nice set up for you.

The ONE thing I disagree with your dealer about is advising you to avoid the SPS unless you step up to a 175 or 200. There are A LOT of members on here with an SPS and 150. It is a GREAT combination. They rave about it often. If you can fit an SPS in your budget with the 150, I would 100%...100%...go for that combination. You wont regret it, especially as the kids get older and if you trailer it to other bodies of water.

If a 150 + SPS is still outside of your budget, and given your described river usage, then I would absolutely go with the twin elliptical over the normal twins OR the express tube. No matter what you decide, congratulations on finalizing a build and getting set to place an order. Exciting days ahead!
 
I have no advice on the twin ellipticals, but I've had the express tubes with a 115 and currently have the sps package with a 150. Like Vikingstaff said the dealer is correct in steering you away from the express package. It doesn't turn that much better than a regular pontoon. Now, the sps with a 150 will touch 40 in absolutely perfect conditions but 38 is an all day speed when light. It turns very sharp and handles waves and chop awesome. If the 150 and sps is in budget, you won't regret it. Also, resale should be higher and easier with the sps.
 
I appreciate the replies. I think when the dealer said the twins with 150 would outperform the SPS+150 it was in reference to top end speed maybe since the boat is heavier? Is that true? In all honesty the 150 with SPS was my original thought after kicking the tires now for a few years. I just played with the config on the boat builder and it was only like $1500 msrp to go from twins to SPS. Any downside to the in floor storage other than water getting in?
 
Jayp1919 said:
I appreciate the replies. I think when the dealer said the twins with 150 would outperform the SPS+150 it was in reference to top end speed maybe since the boat is heavier? Is that true? In all honesty the 150 with SPS was my original thought after kicking the tires now for a few years. I just played with the config on the boat builder and it was only like $1500 msrp to go from twins to SPS. Any downside to the in floor storage other than water getting in?
Click to expand...

Ah...that makes sense. Yes, top end speed would be slightly more with the twin ellipticals vs. the SPS - but not by much. The SPS will certainly give better handling should you ever find you want it. But bouyancy and top end speed will be slightly better with the twin ellipticals. Me...for the cost...I’d go the SPS for its all around benefits, and top end speed on that is still going to be great.

Other than cost, no other downside on the in floor storage. If you don’t live on your body of water, it is an awesome feature for the extra storage space. It’s also great for a certain layouts that have less under-seat storage. As to how wet it gets, that varies from boat to boat for a variety of reasons. Mine gets damp, but never standing water.
 
We get 39mph with the ellipticals and 150 Mercury. It is a great boat but it is not a great watersport boat. It turns flat and can throw people around if they are not prepared for a hard turn. It can take 10 adults fishing and handles 2' to 3' waves safely.
 
Jayp1919 said:
I appreciate the replies. I think when the dealer said the twins with 150 would outperform the SPS+150 it was in reference to top end speed maybe since the boat is heavier? Is that true? In all honesty the 150 with SPS was my original thought after kicking the tires now for a few years. I just played with the config on the boat builder and it was only like $1500 msrp to go from twins to SPS. Any downside to the in floor storage other than water getting in?
Click to expand...

If you go to the SPS, might as well bump the engine up to the 175...The SHO 150 vs 175 is the same price, not surprising...so you could get a little more engine if you wanted. We did the 22' with SPS and the 175. I ran it by people and they all felt the 175 SHO is a nice middle ground for fuel conservation and still having some performance.
 
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