SPEED EFFICIENCY OPERATION
naut. stat. n. mi. s. mi. sound
rpm knots mph gph mpg mpg range range angle level
1000 3.22 3.70 0.50 6.43 7.40 156 180 0 54
1500 4.43 5.10 0.80 5.54 6.38 135 155 0 58
2000 5.65 6.50 1.00 5.65 6.50 137 158 1 66
2500 7.21 8.30 1.60 4.51 5.19 110 126 1 70
3000 10.34 11.90 2.20 4.70 5.41 114 131 1 70
3500 13.03 15.00 2.90 4.49 5.17 109 126 1 74
4000 15.55 17.90 3.50 4.44 5.11 108 124 2 81
4500 17.81 20.50 4.50 3.96 4.56 96 111 2 78
5000 20.51 23.60 5.60 3.66 4.21 89 102 2 80
5500 22.70 26.60 7.40 3.07 3.59 75 87 2 84
5800 23.90 27.50 9.90 2.41 2.78 59 68 2 86
MOST ECONOMICAL CRUISING SPEED·LOA: 22'1"·BEAM: 8'6"·DRAFT: NA
·DISPLACEMENT (AS TESTED): 3,078 lb.
·FUEL CAPACITY: 27 gal.·PRICE
(BASE WITH TEST POWER): $33,000
without trailer
HOW WE TESTED
ENGINE: YAMAHA F90B PROP: YAMAHA
TALON PONTOON 14" X 11" STAINLESS
STEEL GEAR RATIO: 2.15:1 FUEL LOAD:
25 GAL. CREW WEIGHT: 360 LB.VERANDA MARINE
501-262-3876; verandamarine.comVERANDA VR20L
This is a great example of pontoon
value. The brand-new VR20L has
an attractive price but looks deluxe,
with its fancy curved fence and
plump upholstery, roto-molded
seat bases, Simrad glass helm
display, standard 8-foot Bimini,
and aft sun deck. A key feature is
an all-aluminum deck formed of
interlocking 2-by-6-inch “planks”
that are welded every 6 inches to
a stout M bracket. This deck will,of course, never rot, and it’s lighter
than wood and very fl ex-resistant.
We tested the VR20L with
optional twin 27-inch-diameter
tubes, a step up from the standard
25-inch tubes that provide a little
more buoyancy and are a good
choice if you head out frequently
with the entire extended family.
Triple tubes are also off ered and
increase the rating to 150 hp.
This setup is more about relaxedcruising, and the Yamaha F90B
keeps it laid back with extremely
quiet operation. At idle we
measured just 54 dBA on our
Radio Shack sound meter and
really could not hear the outboard
— just water and birds chirping.
The sound level at 4,500 rpm
is just 78 dBA. Get on an older
pontoon with a conventional two-
stroke outboard and you’ll wonder
how we ever tolerated the racket.82 | BOATINGMAG.COM | FEBRUARY 2018