Floating Minivans Pontoon Proponents Forsake Stylish Looks For Boatload Of Utility

Even here, situated as we are in the midst of big lakes, pontoon boats are still widely known as the dogs of powerboating.

“Slugs,” one boater called them.

“Barges,” said another.

Candid conversations with half a dozen traditional boating enthusiasts found little enthusiasm for the spacious vessels. But further questioning found that few of the critics had set foot on a pontoon boat.

“Most people still think they’re for old folks,” said Jerry Paulus of Cheney Weeder, the Spokane manufacturer of Chinook pontoon boats.

Some boaters are taking a closer look and changing their minds.

Pontoon boats may be emerging as the minivans of the boating world.

“We sell most of our pontoons either to couples with young children or couples looking for a comfortable fishing boat now that their children are grown and gone,” said Dean Zinnecker of Big Sky Recreation in Helena, Mont. In 1987, Zinnecker was one of the first dealers in the Northwest to sell Tracker pontoons.

No one is touting pontoons as the ultimate in performance. But a 115-horse outboard on a 24-foot Tracker can snap a slalom skier out of the water with four adults on board, stretching out in more space than some household bedrooms.

Pontoon boats are so spacious, you can convert them to floating campers. Chinook boats are built with a hardtop that swings up and into place in seconds. All pontoons can be equipped with side curtains to keep out weather.

At $10,000-$15,000 for a boat in the 20-foot range, that’s a cheap compromise for a lake cabin. The price also is a reasonable alternative to spending $3,000 on a houseboat for a week at Lake Roosevelt.

This region is blessed with big water. Chelan, Pend Oreille, Koocanusa and Dworshak Reservoir as well as Kootenay Lake in British Columbia also have stunning opportunities for boat campers.

So why aren’t pontoons more popular?

“Perception, mainly,” said Paulus. “They look boxy, but they perform remarkably well.” Chinook pontoons were designed primarily as working boats for scientific research and other industrial uses, Paulus said.

“The aluminum may be thicker than it needs to be, but they’re stable and bombproof and we’re finding that fishermen are interested in them,” he said.

Tracker boats already have dressed up their interiors with pleasing color schemes, stuffed seats and options that allow one to turn a useful fishing vessel into a dining room in seconds.

“If you’re looking for the sleek, pointy look, fine,” said Paulus. “But compare a 20-foot Bayliner - I own one, so I know - to the 20-foot pontoon. The pontoon has about 60 percent more space - and it’s all usable.”

Paulus said he went camping on Lake Roosevelt with his 20-foot V-hull boat this summer and the five family members felt like sardines.

“In the pontoon, there’s enough room for the kids to get out of your hair,” he said.

Buying a pontoon boat requires study and trade-offs. Many pontoons are no wider than an 18-foot V-hull. Others are slightly wider, a consideration if you park it in a garage.

Foam-filled pontoons are more rigid and less susceptible to losing flotation in case of damage.

Chambered pontoons, however, are easier to repair than those with foam cores.

Pontoons are easier to maintain that standard boats. There’s no bilge to clean, no bilge pump and blower to maintain. The gas tank and battery are on the deck and easy to service.

With no hidden spaces, you an clean a pontoon with a vacuum or simply tilt the trailer and hose it out. The aluminum hulls are maintenance-free, with no fiberglass hull to clean and wax.

Best of all, there’s no drain plug to forget. No more Three Stooges acts at the boat launch.

Zinnecker said the image of pontoon boats has been tainted because many are underpowered.

“They have greater wind resistance so they need more power to maneuver in wind,” he said.

The 50-horse outboard Paulus puts on his 20-foot pontoon is about as low as one should go for power.

On a recent boat camping trip with another family, the 20-foot Chinook pontoon shined as a workhorse. There was no head-scratching over where to put the coolers, the clothes bags, the barbecue or the portable toilet.

Heck, we tossed on a sailboard, two 6-foot tables and the dog kennel without a second thought before setting off on the 10-mile run to a campsite.

Once we found a sandy beach free of rock, we just ran the pontoons aground and started unloading kids and gear off the front as easily as a ferryboat at port.

Didn’t even get our feet wet.

The pontoon compared favorably to our friends’ V-hull boat on a windy day at the big lake. Pontoon boats don’t plane. They plow. But under power into the wind, that translates into a boat that doesn’t slap against the oncoming waves. It charges comfortably through them.

While trolling or with the engine off, the V-hull boat rocked significantly, making it difficult to stand in the boat. Meanwhile, the pontoon boat swayed in the waves, not even hinting at tipping the cup of lemonade on the console.

Of course, the V-hull boat was much faster, cornered more tightly, had less wind resistance and looked flashier.

But I noticed we always had the coolers on the pontoon. Maybe that’s the best advantage pontoons can offer macho boaters who thought they’d never be caught dead on a barge.

When you have all the food and beverage, you’re in control.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo