Lake Texoma last couple of days....

[HawkTX]

Only in Texas can you have 72 degrees and sunny days around Christmas! Took the family out to our docko and spent a few days and wow was the weather awesome! Got a chance to break in the new Bennington. Here's a few pics. Merry Christmas everyone!

Coffee the first morning

Mad because she can't have any coffee

Breaking in the new motor

My first mate looking for icebergs

She's not impressed with my driving

Having fun

Last night was smooth as glass

 

[DCB-270]

Looks like fun. Wish we were there.

 

[txav8r]

Great pics and weather! Looks like you had a nice ride on that big tubed machine. Is it the addition you commented about or is it a replacement for the Yammi?

@DCB-270 , hope you guys had a great xmas and year. Maybe we will see you this coming season!

 

[HawkTX]

Great pics and weather! Looks like you had a nice ride on that big tubed machine. Is it the addition you commented about or is it a replacement for the Yammi?

@DCB-270 , hope you guys had a great xmas and year. Maybe we will see you this coming season!

Yes sir... that is our new Bennington Tritoon, which we traded the AR240 for. We love it so far.

 

[DCB-270]

Back at you Mel. Hope for better lake levels next year. @HawkTX us and @maboat were looking at the twin motor pontoons at last years Dallas boat show. Super nice.

 

[txav8r]

I bet about 400hp strapped to the back of a toon would fly!

 

[HawkTX]

I bet about 400hp strapped to the back of a toon would fly!

@txav8r I would be all about it, but the girls freak out when I go over 40mph. LOL!!!

Maybe one day this will be me going across Lake Texoma!!!

 

[txav8r]

You know what sells a pontoon is the stable and wide open living spaces. It doesn't really seem like a stable platform for anything other than motoring around at a casual pace. I know they are building them with big power these days but they don't look very good ripping across the water. They are the perfect floating patio with as many or more amenities than your backyard patio! Getting to they perfect anchorage is all that matters. But I don't know whether the journey should be part of the fun or just being there...I always seem to be a little impatient and push to get wherever we are going. The host has been a good experience to slow me down, and set a comfortable cruise speed, turn up the tunes, and enjoy the boat. And our motorhome just expands on making the journey part of the trip. So I can get behind the idea of a more leisure pace. What I would like to hear @HawkTX , is how it rides when Texoma gets those big rollers and the journey to where your going is miles away. In the 230/240, you have to find a "turbulence speed" and do your best to reduce the shock on the boat and occupants. We have been to at least two gatherings with our group here, where we had to make a 5-10 mile run at the beginning and end of the day, and many times, additional runs during. The Yammi handles the job well, but not like a 30' searay would. So how does the toon compare?

 

[HawkTX]

When we went out on Lake Texoma Tuesday it was pretty choppy, but nothing bad while Wednesday was very smooth. My wife and I were shocked at how it handled the chop. I was worried about only going with the 150HP vs the 250HP, but we were able to hold 40mph in the semi choppy waters with the 150HP. The next day on very smooth waters I was able to hit 43mph, which I confirmed with my iPhone GPS speedometer. 43mph on that tritoon feels much slower than 43mph in the Jet Boat we had. Overall, it's a much better fit for my family because even at max speed the girls weren't white knuckling the seats.

The best part was when it was 72 degrees and sunny on Wednesday and I pulled out to the middle of the lake, turned the tunes on, and sat in these while having a cold one.

That was as close to relaxation heaven as I have been in a while. My daughter sat on one of the couches and read a book and ended up falling asleep. Since we are more pleasure/take it easy type people I think this boat will fit our family much better. I do however miss the handling of the jet boat and this pontoon will take a bit to get used to. The jet boat could make tight turns and had much more maneuverability while the pontoon is more like a camper in that you must make wider turns, etc. Tuesday afternoon while the girls were making lunch at the docko I practiced pulling in and out of the slip, which after about the 5th time I got it down. The big difference is the jet boats have a v-hull and these pontoons sit on top of the water and you have to adjust for the wind a little more, but overall no big deal.

At the end of the day we were finding ourselves less on the patio and more on the recliners on the back of the docked tritoon.

A buddy of mine stopped by for a drink

 

[jawsf16]

@HawkTX
The more I read and se your pics, the more I am leaning the direction of a pontoon with a jet ski, so cut it out!! I have a feeling when we meet up this summer, I will be woefully sold on the idea...

Kind of like buying a minivan. We all know they are comfortable, practical, tech'd out, but no-one really wants to own one! (I own a minivan too.)

 

[HawkTX]

@HawkTX
The more I read and se your pics, the more I am leaning the direction of a pontoon with a jet ski, so cut it out!! I have a feeling when we meet up this summer, I will be woefully sold on the idea...

Kind of like buying a minivan. We all know they are comfortable, practical, tech'd out, but no-one really wants to own one! (I own a minivan too.)

Yes sir!!!! Come on summer!!!!

 

[PEARCE]

That's really nice setup @HawkTX . I agree with @jawsf16 on this one. However, I think our first "slow boat" is gonna be a cruiser. We enjoy zipping around in ours too much to give it up yet. Besides, for as much trailering and traveling that we do with the boat in tow I'm thinking trailering a pontoon around that much which become a real pain in the arse and we wouldn't use it as much.

 

[HawkTX]

That's really nice setup @HawkTX . I agree with @jawsf16 on this one. However, I think our first "slow boat" is gonna be a cruiser. We enjoy zipping around in ours too much to give it up yet. Besides, for as much trailering and traveling that we do with the boat in tow I'm thinking trailering a pontoon around that much which become a real pain in the arse and we wouldn't use it as much.

I totally agree. Unless you commit to one lake and get a slip or docko a pontoon wouldn't be right (even though a lot of people would disagree and actually tow them all over). While it did tow fine it didn't tow like the jet boat. You know you have something back there.

 

[HawkTX]

@PEARCE .... You could get this one.......

 

[PEARCE]

That's a cool pontoon, and a fast one! But I like all the Lazy boy type loungers that you have on yours. I followed one of the YouTube links to a Premier toon with the PTX package and that thing was fast too and it leaned in the turns like a V-bottom boat. One of them even had twin 300 outboard Mercury's. Impressive, and I'm sure over a 100k.