​​And Why Have They Become So Popular?

Pontoon boats are in the middle of an amazing growth in popularity. The National Marine Manufacturers Association says that "sales of pontoon boats were up nearly 48 percent for the year, and this is an ongoing trend". That would be the biggest segment growth in the entire US boating market. To say that pontoon boats are growing in popularity, in a gross understatement. Just take a look around you on your local lakes, rivers, and waterways. They are all around you, and it won't take long for you to understand why, until you have spent the day on one. Cruising, fishing, watersports, beaching it...  and then"GETTING BACK IN THE BOAT"... ! These boats are designed for ultimate function today. Gone are the days of that flat barge looking put around boat, and welcome to hands down one of the most versatile vessels on the water. Listen to Gene Myers of Paradise Marine in Gulf Shores, Alabama tell you about his experiences selling and maintaining pontoons, and a little about the Forest River Marine brands of boats he sells.

They're Not The Boats
They Started Out As.
They Are So Much More Than A
​"Slow Moving Party Barge" 

​Pontoon Characteristics 

Generally speaking a pontoon boat, is any sort of boat with a large, flat deck that’s mounted typically on least two or three sealed metal or aluminum tubes called pontoons. Boats with three pontoons are sometimes called triple toons or “tri-toons.” These pontoons are what allows the boat to float, and gives the designers the ability create massive combinations of deck plans fitted with all sorts of accommodations. These hot-rod living rooms on water have expansive lounge areas, stand-up bars, and sun bathing pads, tow hooks for water sports, canopies for shade, ladders for swimming, some even have slides from second story decks, custom fishing platforms, custom high end colored lighting, some are outfitted with high end stereo and electronics, and the list goes on.

Better tube design has also allowed builders to put ever-increasing amounts of horsepower on the sterns of these boats, making there predecessor pontoons a very distant cousin to the boats of today. The person who is thinking about buying a new pontoon boat today is someone who basically wants it all in a boat. You may not want to take it deep sea fishing, but other than that, they can pretty much do anything else, and then some.