With any big purchase, buyers want to know they’re making a good investment. A “good investment” can mean a lot of things, though. That perfectly describes a pontoon boat investment. You probably won’t be able to sell one for more than you paid for it, but you will get your money’s worth.

What is the Average Size of a Pontoon Boat?

• Small Sizes in Length: 12′,13′,14′,15′,16′,18′,19′
• Medium Sizes in Length: 20′, 25′, 30′, 35′, 40′
• Large Sizes in Length: 30′, 35′, 40′, 45′, 50′, 55′, 60′

Most new pontoons will cost you somewhere between $30K and $60K, but that price can climb once you start with accessories and upgrades. Some pontoon brands do start with a higher NAP (Nationally Advertised Pricing), like Bennington, so arm yourself with a budget and stick to it when you begin your pricing research.

Three-tube pontoons are very stable and typically have bigger engines with more horsepower when compared to traditional two-tube pontoons. The additional buoyancy and better weight distribution created by the third tube allows for more people, more entertainment options and better handling at higher speeds.

Average 150 HP pontoon boat speed – 33 to 39 mph.

It will also depend if you want to buy from new or on the used market. As a general rule of thumb though, the best time to buy a pontoon boat is in the Fall and Winter which is the off season.

Pontoon boats are so expensive because they are luxury boats with high production costs. High demand, and a rising trend in pontoon boat sales, allows manufacturer’s and retailers to ask high prices.

In general, you can probably take your pontoon boat into water as shallow as two feet of real depth, but this, of course, depends on several factors.

Whether you’re looking at a boat from a dealership or a private seller, you should be negotiating — it’s just like buying a car. But negotiating doesn’t come naturally to everyone.

FALL. Many people will argue that the fall is the best time for buying a boat. This is because most of the manufacturers start offering discounts around September and October. When demand begins to decline, dealers often provide incentives for buyers in the form of discounts and deep cuts in pricing.

The cost of actually building a boat is ultimately the main reason for their high price tags. Unlike cars, whose manufacturing process is now almost wholly automated, boats have to be built mostly by hand. Vast shipyards are required, where often just a handful of boats can be built over the course of several months.

“Demand will be high, but growth will be hard due to lack of inventory,” said one retailer. “Prices have been jacked through the ceiling by the manufacturers, and this will hurt us in 2022, as prices never seem to come down.”

5 Best Starter Boats

• Dinghies.
• Aluminum Fishing Boat.
• Pontoon Boat.
• Fish-and-Ski.
• Bowrider.

Pontoon Boats and Bow Rider boats cost between $15,000 and $50,000. Deck Boats cost between $20,000 and $50,000. Fishing Boats cost between $25,000 and $100,000. Airboats cost between $30,000 and $100,000.

RVs generally cost less to buy than boats do. You can easily buy a small travel trailer that you can live in for less than $15,000.00. A new houseboat will easily cost you five times that much. In fact, even a small houseboat from the 1980s might end up costing you over $25,000.00 to purchase.