Like A Dream
The PDB magazine crew had the
opportunity to test drive this beauty and
we had a blast doing it. At a whopping
28-foot length, you might be tempted to
think that getting behind the wheel of this
bad boy will make for some cumbersome
driving, but the SportToon still manages to
handle like a dream despite its remarkable
size.
“It handles like a 24-foot boat,” said
JC TriToon’s National Sales Manager
Chris Stockbridge, “but it’s rated for 18
passengers.”
The boat drives beautifully with
flawless banking in both directions. When
you turn, it’s incredibly smooth and it can
perform impressively tight turns especially
for its size.
Plus, this thing flies (not literally, but it
sure goes fast!). We went from zero-to-20
mph in under five seconds with the Suzuki
300 four-stroke on the back and reached
speeds of up to 45 mph. That’ll get your
heart pumping.
The 28 SportToon also comes with
the SeaStar Optimus hydraulic steering,
making the boat super responsive to every
minor adjustment and movement of the
spoke steering wheel. It really isn’t an
overstatement when we say this thing
handles like a dream.
Then without surrendering agility,
you still have room for almost a score of
people. We’re talking an open, spacious
layout with plenty of seating and room for
entertaining. Being popular won’t ever be
a problem when you have room for all of
your friends. So let the good times roll!Kick Back & Relax
Not to mention the entire boat just
shouts comfort. The moment you step
onto the deck you instantly feel this is the
perfect place to kick back and enjoy a cold
one with your buddies.
There are a couple of chaise lounges
with fold-down armrests in both the bow
and the stern that come fully-equipped.
Seriously. These lounges in the stern are
on a whole different level with their power
backrests and 12-volt and USB ports.
Everyone will feel pampered when hanging
out on this model.
Speaking of pampered, let’s talk about
cupholders. You can never have enough of
those, am I right? Well, on this particularJC there seems to be an almost infinite
number of glorious drink holders. Perhaps
that sounds like an exaggeration, but we
can almost guarantee you’ll lose track if
you try to count them all because we sure
did. They even put four on the swim deck
next to the ladders, which is unexpectedly
convenient.
Then to top it all off, the Sport Arch
has two JL Audio 8.8 tower speakers to
keep the party pumping. The Sport Arch
also has a power fold-down option to make
life a little easier. The entire setup looks
sporty and attractive while still offering
an excellent sound system. Now you can
crank up your music in style.Captain’s Orders
Get ready for some easy navigation
because the 28 SportToon partnered with
Simrad and the elevated helm console
sports the exceptionally large 9-inch GPS
map touchscreen with analog gauges on
each side and rocker switches below.
The whole arrangement makes driving
the boat a piece of cake. In fact, it’s so
easy to handle, it practically drives itself.
Speaking of which, for a small upgrade
price, you literally could have the boat
driving itself.
Nope, it’s no joke. Thanks to JC
TriToon’s partnership with Simrad, you
can integrate an auto-pilot system through
the Simrad radar option. That’s right. This
SportToon is so clever it will drive you
wherever you want to go! It’s like having a
built-in chauffeur, sort of.
Naturally, the captain’s seat also has
access to the JL media master head unit so
the driver can blast his personal choice of
tunes through the speakers. You’ll also find
a switch to control the RGB interior and
exterior lights located on the dash as well.
One of the many options offered on
the 28 SportToon is the Mister Comfort
single-zone floor misting system that runs
off its own 5-gallon freshwater tank. This
misting system is also controlled from the
captain’s chair. This handy feature will be
sure to help you keep your cool on those
sweltering summer days.
Something else neat about the boat
is its easy access to the console wiring
through the patented flip-up helm cap. No
more struggling to reach those pesky wires.
On top of that, it has a lockable glove box
for the captain, which is just absolutely
genius. We feel like all boats should havea captain’s glove box. JC TriToon really
thought of everything.
The captain’s chair and the companion
seat directly across from the helm
both have tall, comfortable seatbacks
with lumbar support. Additionally, the
companion seat has the ability to recline.
It’s reminiscent of your favorite reclining
chair back home.The List Goes On
One of the most distinguishing features
is the ample amount of space, and that
goes double for all the storage. There are
tons of options under the seats in the bow
and in the stern, so you’ll never run out of
room for all your stuff. Plus, the in-floor
ski locker alone is big enough to fit a few
full grown men... uh, not that you’d ever
want to put full grown men down there.
Anyway, the fiberglass pods in the
bow with stainless railings have become
somewhat of a signature look for JC
TriToon and now those pods have been
integrated into the stern as well, which
looks exceptionally attractive. Another
unique feature is the stainless “saloon”
style gates on each end of the boat and
the JC Grass flooring helps tie it all in
together.
All the added touches contribute to
the gestalt of the SportToon, making it a
boat of superior quality, performance and
comfort.Comfort And Quality
JC TriToon Marine has been building
pontoon boats for more than 40 years,
earning them a strong heritage in the
boating industry. All the major components
of their boats such as the rail systems,
upholstery, pontoon tubes and Bimini tops
are made in-house, which allows them to
have control over the final quality of their
pontoon boats.
This particular boat is no exception
to these high standards. Its exceptional
performance and undeniable comfort
speak for themselves as soon as you step
aboard. Every feature on the 28 SportToon
has been placed with care and it shows.
The size of the boat allows for everyone
to spread out and have a great time, but
the way the boat handles is what truly sets
it apart. We think you’ll agree when we say
that every minute spent on the water in the
JC is a minute well spent.http://www.pdbmagazine.com Pontoon & Deck Boat March (^201827)