Boating USA — January 2018

WE SAY The Princecraft Vogue 29 XT
meets the pontoon-boat mission with
aplomb, filled with crowd-pleasing amen-
ities and enough seating to entertain
a large crew. Powered with a Mercury
Racing 400 outboard, our triple-tube test
model climbed onto plane in 3.5 seconds
with just a hint of bow rise — meaning
the captain never loses sight at the helm.
We hit 30 mph in 7.1 seconds. These
are impressive numbers, but the true
benefit of installing a 400 hp engine on a
pontoon is the boat will never bog down
when loaded to its 16-person capacity.
Our test model featured Princecraft’s
Sport Edition package, which includes
snazzy all-white vinyl over the plush
furniture, LED lighting galore, and a
color-coordinated snack table. Our tester
also had the optional sport arch, which
will please the wakeboarders in your crew.
The aft couches have rear-facing recliners,

PRINCECRAFT

Vogue 29 XT

SPEED EFFICIENCY OPERATION

rpm knots mph gph naut. mpg stat. mpg range range n. mi. s. mi. angle levelsound

1000 3.74 4.30 1.10 3.40 3.91 150 172 1 68

1500 6.00 6.90 1.50 4.00 4.60 176 203 1 72

2000 7.65 8.80 2.80 2.73 3.14 120 139 2 75

2500 13.21 15.20 5.00 2.64 3.04 116 134 3 76

3000 15.90 18.30 5.40 2.94 3.39 130 149 2 77

3500 18.07 20.80 7.00 2.58 2.97 114 131 2 78

4000 21.29 24.50 9.20 2.31 2.66 102 117 2 79

4500 27.03 31.10 12.10 2.23 2.57 98 113 2 81

5000 29.89 34.40 14.00 2.14 2.46 94 108 2 82

5500 33.11 38.10 17.20 1.92 2.22 85 98 2 87

6000 37.80 43.50 22.10 1.71 1.97 75 87 2 88

6600 41.10 47.30 24.00 1.71 1.97 76 87 2 90

MOST ECONOMICAL CRUISING SPEED

·LOA: 29'10" ·BEAM: 8'6" ·DRAFT: 3'0" ·DISPLACEMENT:

3,603 lb. ·FUEL CAPACITY: 49 gal.

HOW WE TESTED

ENGINE: MERCURY RACING 400 VERADO PROP: ENERTIA

15" X 15" 3-BLADE STAINLESS STEEL GEAR RATIO: 1.75:1

FUEL LOAD: 49 GAL. CREW WEIGHT: 170 LB.

so any spotters can ride in comfort.

The furniture features roto-cast seat

bases with plenty of storage underneath to

load your gear. The forward couches can be

connected by a removable gate seat to form

a conversation pit, and the portside seating

hides a pop-up changing room that can be

equipped with a portable marine toilet.

Besides being easy to clean and maintain,

the faux-teak vinyl flooring under-

foot gives the boat a touch of

classic elegance that works

well with its stylish features.

— Pete McDonald

WHO’D WANT ONE

Boaters looking for a

pontoon that can carry a

crowd and entertain them.

ANOTHER CHOICE

The Bennington 28 QSR

TESTS///#3048

Fastback runs about $125,100 when

powered by a Yamaha F350 outboard.

BOTTOM LINE $105,584 (as tested);

princecraft.com

PHOTO: COURTESY PRINCECRAFT