6 Reasons to Buy a Pontoon Boat

Precision Boats in Idaho Falls is excited to announce that we are now offering South Bay Pontoons. This company is known for luxury rides, outstanding amenities and superior-grade components. We believe that what South Bay Pontoons brings to the world of boating options is creating new opportunities for families and first time boat buyers. 

Not everyone thinks of a pontoon boat as their first choice of style, but I would bet a lot of that is because of lack of knowledge or misunderstandings. So, let me walk you through 6 reasons why you would want a pontoon boat and why a South Bay Pontoon boat is the best option.

1. Family First

If you have a family interested in boating and water sports, these pontoon boats allow for everyone of every age group to have fun. It's frustrating for the little kids who are always told where to not be in the boat..."don't stand on that", "don't sit there", etc. On a pontoon boat, kids have a ton more space to run around and be wherever they want without hurting anything. This makes it easier for them, but also easier for you because you don't have to be constantly worried about where they are and what they're doing.

Older kids and teenagers tend to be a bit more standoffish when it comes to quality family time. That is of course, unless you have the ultimate toy... a pontoon boat! With our pontoon boat, I can convince my teenagers to join me every time. The boat is big enough that everyone has their space and still be all together. Pontoons, unlike traditional wake and ski boats, have more seating options. This means that teenagers can invite their friends along and there will still be plenty of room. 

2. Fishing Boat 

Now, you may not want all the kids to join you every time. Maybe instead of a ski and tubing trip, you're ready for a nice relaxing fishing day on the boat. Fishing from a pontoon boat is nice because of all that room to walk around. When you're reeling in a big one and need to let it buck, you can chase and reel all over the place in one of these pontoon boats! If you're a social fisherman, again, there is ample room for any and all fishing buddies you want to bring along. 

My favorite part of fishing trips on a pontoon is the space available, not to walk around in, but to have for coolers. How many times did you wish you had more room for coolers? 

For fishing, a pontoon boat is stable so it doesn’t spook fish, has plenty of room to walk all around the boat to fish in different locations, and can even have full enclosures to fish through the cold winter months with a heater inside.

The under-seat storage is yet another area to let yourself spread out. I hate feeling cramped or cooped up on a boat. I like to stretch and spread out. 

3. Ease of Maintenance and Use

Pontoons are made of quality aluminum, so they dent very easily. If you commonly boat at a lake or river with rocks or shallow areas, you can expect sooner or later, you will get a hole in your hull. With pontoon boats, it’s much less likely to happen, and usually much cheaper to fix if it does. 

Pontoon boats sit much higher on the water and on a trailer. It's a common "rookie mistake" for any boat owner to forget to trim up the engine while trailering. On a pontoon boat, there is usually so much clearance already that if you do forget to raise the trim, it's not nearly the end-of-the-world feeling as it is on a lower wake or ski boat. 

Also, when someone finishes a day of boating on a ski boat, they have to wipe everything down afterwards because water spots on the gelcoat paint are very difficult to remove. Pontooners can simply trailer and drive away. It’s nice to quickly pack up after a day on the water when everyone’s tired and ready for food.

4. Comfort

Did you know that on all 500 series pontoons by South Bay Pontoon you will have you cruising in style and comfort with the woodgrain steering wheel, pillow top furniture, woven, wicker or teak 2 vinyl flooring, and a Super Sport helm with a 7-inch Simrad display? Someone can fall asleep lying down and taking up a whole couch, and you can still have 7 other people in the boat skiing on the back. With a large area and comfortable couches to sit on, it’s tough to beat the comfort of spending a day (or multiple days) on a pontoon boat.

Speaking of spending multiple days on a pontoon boat...have you heard about the "tiny houses" being built on top of pontoon boats? These boats are so comfortable that people now want to live on them. 

Some folks will have a full barbecue right on the boat. Some pontooners even install a fire pit right in the deck! Spending a day on a South Bay Pontoon boat makes you feel like an instant millionaire—without spending tons of money on the fanciest pontoon boat to do so.

One advantage that makes pontoon boats particularly comfortable is the stability of the ride. Every single person who gets in my pontoon boat for the first time eventually says something like, “Oh, that was really pleasant. I expected to be rocking around side to side and up and down all day. Even when we were going fast it was still flat and comfortable.” That obviously isn’t true on blustery days when there’s lots of chop and rough waters, but on average days—the boat stays very level.

5. Safety

Pontoon boats have high safety railings that keeps kids safe. And also related to kid safety, there are fewer of those "don't go there" areas on pontoon boats like we discussed earlier. Pontoon boats are huge and heavy. They are much harder to capsize and tip and few pontoon boats tend to exceed their max speed of about 28 mph. But that said, don't forget that you make any boat go fast with the right motor. . . 

Even the US Coast Guard has mentioned that pontoon boats, as a class, are typically one of the safest water crafts on the market. Precision Boats and South Bay Pontoons have always and will always have your safety as our number one concern. Though these pontoon boats are typically and generally much safer than any other type of water craft, there are still safety requirements as there are for all boats and we will make sure you are well equipped and ready for a day on the water with your family. 

6. Storage

I know I get overly excited about storage space, but if you've ever been on a boat with 7 kids plus adults during a meal time, you know that storage can be a luxury you didn't know you were missing until you wished you had more.  And I am telling you, on these South Bay Pontoons, you will never be lacking storage space. Between the under-seat storage and the multiple other compartments, you're more likely to have forgotten where you put something before you have a problem finding a place to store it.
It. Is. Awesome. 

Whatever your boating habits are, a pontoon boat can very commonly compete. If you want your summer focused around family and friends, a South Bay Pontoon boat should be greatly considered. 

I have unfairly summed up the features of these watercrafts into a handful of short paragraphs. There is always more to see, read about, and experience. 

Stop by Precision Boats in Idaho Falls and let us show you exactly how a summer with a South Bay Pontoon boat can and will create lifelong memories for everyone aboard.