Boat Dealers in Oklahoma Help You Decide: To Pontoon or Not to Pontoon

Oklahoma could have been called the ‘land of lakes’ with its more than a million surface acres of water. The boat dealers in Oklahoma stay busy keeping inventories supplied with new and used boats for water lovers, and answering questions like, “Should I buy a pontoon boat or a deck boat?”

Over the decades, pontoon boats have earned a reputation for being slow, lumbering, and mostly good for comfortably sitting while enjoying the view. Times have sure changed. The modern pontoon boat offers a blend of features that turns it into a more powerful boat that can accommodate hobbyists, leisure riders, and extreme sports enthusiasts.
New Generation of Pontoons

The following are just five advantages of today’s pontoon boats to keep in mind when shopping for a new or used boat.

1. Comfort – The pontoon boat’s design caters to space lovers. The rectangular shape of the deck means there is wide space from bow to stern. It is like a floating backyard deck and can hold more people than the deck boat of equivalent size, which is why it has inevitably become popular as the “party boat”.

2. Stability – The pontoon boat is stable since the deck sits on two or three aluminum tubes. It never seriously rocks, making it an excellent option for fishing hobbyists, families—even the seniors—and boaters who enjoy inviting friends for a day on the lake.

3. Power – The Gen Y version of the pontoon boat outperforms the older or Baby Boomer pontoons. The new generation of pontoon boats is equipped with up to 250 hp engines and can reach cruising speeds of up to 45-60 mph.

4. Aesthetics – Once, the pontoon boat was the bulky elephant plodding through the water, and the deck boat was the sleek eagle flying across the lake. Pontoons are now stylish vessels with decorative sides, plush seating, newly designed railing, and also able to do its own version of flying.

5. Recreation –The tubers, medium-skilled skiers and fishing enthusiasts will be pleased with the transformed and more powerful pontoon boats. Some pontoons even have wakeboard towers.

Adding the Pontoon Boat Option

The performance and design gaps between pontoons and deck boats are narrowing. When Oklahoma jewels like Tenkiller Lake and Grand Lake drive you to check out the boats for sale in Oklahoma, consider bot pontoons and deck boats from shops like White’s Marine Center. You may be pleasantly surprised to discover the pontoon boat is now a great option.

Sources:

ALUMINUM PONTOON VS FIBERGLASS DECK, boatingmag.com

‘Toons vs. decks, pdbmagazine.com