International Boat Industry - June-July 2018

http://www.ibi-plus.com International Boat Industry | JUNE–JULY 2018 37

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with the millennial group, mostly because the pontoon

boat seems to be a no-nonsense purchase,” says Lori

Melbostad, executive vice president at Premier Marine

Inc. “It’s something that’s functional, and versatile

enough to be able to do a lot of different things really,

really well. We have a good following among the

mid- to late 20-year-old group that doesn’t just want a

watersports boat. They’re looking for something that

can do a lot of other things too, and that’s where a

pontoon really delivers.”

That basic practicality also allows the pontoon

tremendous versatility. The same basic boat can be

used equally well for fishing, watersports, twilight

cruises, taking the family for picnics on distant

islands or just hanging out at the sandbar. Boomers

look at the pontoon’s wide entry gates as providing

easy access for elderly relatives, where millennials see

them as offering easy dock-level access for a pregnant

spouse. At the low end of the market, entry-level boats

in the 16ft range powered by a small outboard can still

seat several adults in comfort, and can be purchased

at retail for under US$15,000 complete with a trailer.

At the upper end of the market, 12ft wide luxury

models, dual level pontoons and sport boats with twin

or even triple V6 outboards carry six-digit price tags.

VERSATILITY

“We’re seeing a lot of people convert to a pontoon boat

from cruisers and runabouts,” says Greg VanWagenen,

director of marketing and sales communications for

Lansing, Michigan-based Manitou Boats. “We talk to

a lot of buyers who appreciate the additional seating

and the versatility that a pontoon can offer. They have

kids who have kids themselves, so they want everyone

to be able to go out together. But they don’t want to

putt along at 20 miles an hour, they want performance

capability as well. So a performance pontoon gives

them the best of both worlds.”

The scalability of the pontoon boat is what gives

the type such a broad appeal, says VanWagenen.

“We’re seeing more millennial buyers now than we

used to. Obviously they’re not starting out with the

800hp, twin engine, top-of-the-line models,” he says.

“But young buyers can get into a really nice boat with

a 150 on it that will let them pull the kids on a tube,

and stay in that low to mid- US$30,000 range. When

they compare that to what else they can get in the

market for the same money, they’re usually pretty

quick to realise that the comfort, space and versatility

of a pontoon boat is really hard to beat.”

MID-RANGE MODELS WITH UPSCALE OPTIONS

If dealership inventories and boat show displays

are anything to judge by, mid-range pontoons with

some upscale options appear to represent the bulk

of the market today. But high performance pontoon

boats – powered by one, two or more powerful V6

outboards – represent a growing proportion of sales.

“We are absolutely seeing the average horsepower

creep up every year,” says Smoker Craft Inc senior vice

president of marketing and corporate development,

Peter Barrett. “Performance pontoons with three

tubes, as well as traditional twin-tube pontoons with

performance packages, are becoming more popular

every year. Multi-engine pontoon boats, which used

to be a rare sight, are growing more commonplace

with their even greater performance potential. But

there’s more to it than just larger engines. Today’s

tube designs are extremely sophisticated, so rather

than plow through the water they plane up on top of

it, and provide an exhilarating ride while maintaining

all the comfort and stability that pontoon boats are

known for.”

While pontoon boats remain a uniquely North

American phenomenon, Barrett notes that interest in

the type from overseas dealers appears to be growing

as boaters in other countries become exposed to their

unique capabilities. “We offer a line of pontoons

under our SunChaser brand that are designed to fit

inside a standard shipping container,” says Barrett.

“Once people go for a ride in a pontoon boat and have

a chance to appreciate first-hand what they offer, the

appeal is easy to understand. It might take time but I

do believe they will catch on in other markets.”

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