Boating — December 2018

SEE THE

VIDEO

SPEED EFFICIENCY OPERATIONnaut. stat. n. mi. s. mi. sound

rpm knots mph gph mpg mpg range range angle level

1000 3.5 4.0 0.8 4.3 5.0 195.5 225.0 0 50

1500 4.9 5.6 1.4 3.5 4.0 156.4 180.0 1 61

2000 6.8 7.8 2.4 2.8 3.3 127.1 146.3 1 63

2500 10.1 11.6 3.2 3.2 3.6 141.8 163.1 2 67

3000 14.2 16.3 4.4 3.2 3.7 144.9 166.7 1 71

3500 18.3 21.1 6.7 2.7 3.1 123.1 141.7 1 74

4000 23.1 26.6 8.0 2.9 3.3 130.0 149.6 1 79

4500 27.9 32.1 11.3 2.5 2.8 111.1 127.8 1 82

5000 30.2 34.8 12.7 2.4 2.7 107.2 123.3 1 89

5500 33.8 38.9 15.5 2.2 2.5 98.1 112.9 1 89

6000 36.8 42.3 18.7 2.0 2.3 88.5 101.8 1 91

6500 39.8 45.8 24.6 1.6 1.9 72.8 83.8 1 94

6600 41.2 47.4 27.1 1.5 1.7 5.5 78.7 1 95

MOST ECONOMICAL CRUISING SPEED

High Points

XWakeboard tower with Bimini and

board racks adds rakish look and

plenty of fun.

XMercury’s 250 hp outboard is

exciting, but many pontooners

will be pleased at 30 mph with a

150 outboard.

XPowder-coated side rails are

elegant and highly corrosion-

resistant.

Specs

· LOA: 23'7" · BEAM: 8'6" · DRY

WEIGHT: 3,042 lb. · SEATING/

WEIGHT CAPACITY: 14/1,608 lb.

· FUEL CAPACITY: 50 gal.

How We Tested

ENGINE: Mercury Verado 250

DRIVE/PROP: Outboard/Enertia 15"

3-blade

GEAR RATIO: 2.00:1

FUEL LOAD: 28 gal.

CREW WEIGHT: 400 lb.

Price

$70,344 (with wake tower,

Polk speakers and racks; does

not include optional trailer)

LOWE

Retreat 230 RFL

chest, the triple 25-inch-diameter tubes

on the model we tested will tame rough

water and return a soft ride on the padded

vinyl deck. Lifting strakes help it climb on

top, surfi ng over the slop with ease, and we

appreciated the rattleless way it took the

waves, allowing us to hear the shush of the

water rushing under the tubes.

You’ll look cool in the Retreat, espe-

cially sitting on your reclining lounge

chair behind the wood-tone wheel and the

array of precision engine gauges and LED-

lighted toggle switches.

Yep, the Retreat is well-named

for its intended purpose, but when

our team grabbed the throttles, we

yelled “Charge!”

When we slapped the throttle down and

the engine pushed us back in our reclin-

ing captain’s chair, we grinned wryly at

this pontoon’s name. At 47.4 mph, this

was a high-voltage thrill, not a retreat!

But there’s a more sedate meaning to

that name as we sampled

the comfort of every lounge

and wraparound seat and

pressed our toes against

the padded sea-weave fl oor-

ing. This was a pontoon

designed  to recreate, relax

and unwind ourselves for

Monday’s battles.

With a powder-coated

wakeboard tower sporting

powerful speakers and an am-

plifi ed Polk audio system with

a subwoofer pumping tunes,

kids will be rocking to the mu-

sic and rolling on the waves be-

hind the boat on wakeboards.

Nobody said a retreat had to be stately.

But this one sure is luxurious. The

vinyl seats are thickly padded with mul-

tidensity foam that cradles the body

in softness, but the seats won’t bottom

out in rough water, so the ride is always

secure and comfortable. The upholstery

itself feels buttery like fi ne leather, but

it’s water- and mildew-resistant vinyl,

and you can have it in the latest shade

of gray or a warmer-looking tan. Either

color will complement the black or white

exterior. Choose white if you want, but

our test crew leaned toward the more

menacing black to back up the excitement

of the tower and stereo.

While the stereo may thump in your

PHOTOS: BILL DOSTER

LOWE BOATS

Lebanon, Missouri; 417-532-9101; loweboats.com

To watch our
video review of
the Retreat 230
RFL, scan this
tag or visit boating
mag.com/
bbg18/lowe
retreat230rfl.

C

CERTIFIED

TEST

RESULTS

PONTOON

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