Thanks for taking the time to make this video! We are thinking of downsizing from a V8 Mercruiser 19’ open bow to a 115hp pontoon. Your video is perfect for explaining what it can do! Thanks again!😎
Thanks for the video! We are buying a 22ft Suntracker with a 150hp Mercury. I have been doing my research and everybody is pointing towards a tritoon. Good to see that a traditional pontoon will be fine! Can’t wait for summer on the lake!!! 🤙🏼🇺🇸
Yep tritoons are nice but they cost a lot more too. You should have no problems with what you are getting doing this kind of stuff. I bet you are excited! Wish you the best.
22 with a 150 should go around 24-25 mph using power prop for faster starts, lower top speed. 22.5 with a 115 goes 22-23. If you can afford, get a tritoon. Then slap a 200 on it
I will keep an eye out for that video. Thanks for all the helpful information. Hopefully I will be posting videos of us on a pontoon within the next few weeks.
Hey Ken great video! I was just searching for info like this and there you were! Long time no see. Great job. I've for a 22ft crest with a 115. My grandson who's about 90 lbs can waterski behind it. Pops right up. I was surprised. Didn't think it would work. I'm going to see how heavy a person it will pull.
Hey Ralph. Good to hear from ya. Thanks for the comments. Mine motor is a 115 as well. You should have no problem with a larger adult. You can do more things than what a lot of people think behind a pontoon!
@@timshull59 Don't get me wrong the tri toons are nice but they come with a hefty price tag. This 24 ft with 115hp has served my family well and let's us do everything we want to with it whether it is watersports, striper fishing, catfishing or just out for a family joy ride.
haha You don't need much power for kneeboarding, I was kneeboarding today with a 15 HP yamaha and two people in the boat no problem. Still going 35 km/h ( 22 mph )
Where was the rope connected to the boat? I've seen those factory rope mounts that are up high behind the motor but they dont look like they're trust worthy for the weight of pulling anything...
Great video. I have a question about your setup that day. Do you recall how many people you had on your 24' boat that day. I am wanting to know if your boat with 10 people on it would still be able to pull you on a wake board or knee board at a fast enough speed with Yam 115.
So that day there was 5 of us. Three adults and 2 kids. Having said that I routinely go out with 5 adults and 4 kids or 5 kids/teenagers and there is no difference in performance. Now I have had the pontoon loaded with 10 adults some of which were larger than average. I do notice a lag on the turns for sure at that point but I can still wakeboard no problem. The tubing is what is impacted with 10 adults when I hit the turns. It bogs down and I lose about 6-7 mph. That is the only time I have seen an impact is with 10 adults with a number of them large.
William, with a 175hp tri-toon you should be able to do absolutely whatever you want! No problems ahead for you man. Enjoy the boat. We have a blast on mine.
So what about those of us who weigh 200 - 220 lbs? Do you think 115ph would be enough, or would it be better to get a 150 or 200hp for us larger folks?
I'm not really sure to be honest. I mean I pop up pretty quick and the key is to get planing so if you can pop up and get planing I think it will be ok, but might be on the safe side to jump up in hp.
@BooneDownSouth would you mind looking at the prop next time you are around the boat? It will be engraved on it. 21,22,23, etc.... I'm going through the same thing you were when doing research and your video was super helpful. The prop pitch would be super helpful to me as well!
Thanks for the info. Just curious .. with your 24ft pontoon with 115hp ..were you still able to pull a ski'er up out of the water with more people on the boat .. if so how many people did you have? I'm looking to buy a pontoon with a 115hp, but in the peak summer i will probably have 8-10 people on board. Just wondering if it would still pull a ski'er with the extra weight.
Well I haven't ski'd in years but I can tell you that with the boat loaded with 10 adults it has pulled me up wakeboarding so I would think it would pull a ski'er up but I am not a ski'er and have not done that in over 25 years. I am normally wakeboarding and tubing with 5 - 10 on board. Usually half of that is kids - teenagers. Where I see a difference is when I am loaded with 10-12 adults and I am pulling a tube. It pulls just fine, but the boat lags a lot on the turns so you can't really whip an adult on a tube out at that point. I can however still pop up a wakeboarder.
Read my comment above. Depends on the length of the boat, the furniture, the weight of the passengers, the prop you use, the skier and their weight, the type of ski(s). A 24 ft with a 115 will pull a skier, maybe 20mph. 22.5 with a 115 top speed is 22-23. With two passengers, driver and spotter. 8-10 people on a 24 with a 115 will go slow af, will still pull a skier, but don’t dream of slaloming with max capacity. 115 on a smaller / fishing boat though.....you’d probably hit 30+, probably 40+
Well neither is really hard. It just takes most people a little longer to learn how to get up on the wakeboard. I can generally get even small kids going on a kneeboard on their first ride. It is rare for someone to stand up and ride on their first wakeboard run.
knee boarding is very easy. can get on first try. wake boarding is quite hard if u r starting from the water. u need to muscle ur way up to standing position. i havent tried starting from land, but its probably alot easier that way
@@ZOMBEY-KILLUR i didnt do anything but hold on and i was wakeboarding, just underwater. If u start up standing on land and then go, i could understand. Sorry, but i dont agree
@@rtgbhreth when you start in the water, all you do is keep your arms straight and legs bent, the boat will pull you up and you don’t have to do a thing, I guess everyone is different, but if you do it right then it should be much easier than a dry start
That’s hard to believe. 28 mph with a 90, motor must be engineered differently. 22.5 with a 115 merc top speed is 22-23 driver and spotter using power prop for faster starts. Depends on your furniture weight too
@Rick Brown - I would say at least 3/4 but I don't concern myself with the throttle. I am more focused on MPH. I typically kneeboard and wakeboard between 14 - 18 mph.
How does it do with people in the boat? I’m looking at getting a very similar pontoon length, HP and all. I guess I’m asking at what total weight or adults do you notice a big slow down?
I normally run with two families, 4 adults, 2-3 young adults and 2-3 teenagers with no problems what so ever, kneeboard, wakeboard and tubing. Once a year I take a group of young married couples out for a lake day and on that day I am fully loaded with 12 - 14 adults. I can still do everything, but at that point I do feel the weight slowing me down and I can't reach top speed. I can still kneeboard, wakeboard and tube but you do feel it. But again 12- 14 is way too many people on the boat. 8 - 10 people with a mix of adults and teens works great.
Yes I went with a 115hp mercury motor. 90hp might work but I figured that might be pushing it on a 24 ft long pontoon. The 115hp works great for doing all the stuff we do with it.
Kelsi I don't know. It came on the boat. I can tell you I have had 2 large adults on a 3 person D-Tube and doesn't seem to be any problems with the tow bar at all.
We were tubing behind our 150hp pontoon and the tube got water logged and broke the tow bar right off. It has a warning label on the tow bar that says it has a 700 pound tow limit so we are nervous to wakeboard behind it.
Nope. It is just a pontoon with two tubes. The tri-toons can go a lot faster and turn quicker than a regular pontoon, so if you have a tri-toon you might be able to do more stuff. Everything I do is behind a 2006 24' Starcraft Pontoon with a 115hp Mercury.
Thanks for the reply. We are looking at pontoons to do exactly what you are doing. While searching the web I read conflicting opinions but your video answered all my questions. Thanks for posting it!
Well that's great man! I went through the same thing when I was looking to get one myself. I wanted some definitive proof of what I could do with it before I bought it. We were out on it today and if the video footage worked out I will be posting another video in a day or so of tubing on a round 56" tube behind the pontoon as well. That thing really rockets out on turns. Best of luck to you!
Top speed of a 22.5 foot Bennington pontoon with a mercury 115hp using power prop for faster starts is 22-23 mph with 2 passengers, driver and spotter. It’s not a tritoon. 150 is the max you can put on it, but not much gain from a 115, since 150 is a heavier motor causing more drag. Best option is to get a tritoon, if you want a pontoon with a big motor, then you can go nuts. Boat near us has 2x200s. Nice info video, but crossing wakes isn’t really a trick. Hope you find some waves for you boards
Thanks for sharing!! I will be getting a wake board for the family
Yep you guys will enjoy it for sure.
I have a 20ft Avalon pontoon with a 90hp Yamaha and no problem kneeboarding and wakeboarding.
That is awesome!
Thanks for sharing!!! Just what I was looking for !!
Thanks for taking the time to make this video! We are thinking of downsizing from a V8 Mercruiser 19’ open bow to a 115hp pontoon. Your video is perfect for explaining what it can do! Thanks again!😎
Glad you enjoyed it. A lot of folks don't realize you can still have a lot of fun on a "family" boat!
Thanks for the video! We are buying a 22ft Suntracker with a 150hp Mercury. I have been doing my research and everybody is pointing towards a tritoon. Good to see that a traditional pontoon will be fine! Can’t wait for summer on the lake!!! 🤙🏼🇺🇸
Yep tritoons are nice but they cost a lot more too. You should have no problems with what you are getting doing this kind of stuff. I bet you are excited! Wish you the best.
22 with a 150 should go around 24-25 mph using power prop for faster starts, lower top speed. 22.5 with a 115 goes 22-23. If you can afford, get a tritoon. Then slap a 200 on it
@@honesteagle98 top speed getting 33mph alone, heavy cooler, half tank of fuel. Cruise around 17-20mph to save on fuel.
Thanks for making this! We have a 22’ 150 horse and hoping it works for us for the water sports too!
Yea man you will have no problem doing water sports with that setup! Wish you the best.
I will keep an eye out for that video. Thanks for all the helpful information. Hopefully I will be posting videos of us on a pontoon within the next few weeks.
Thank you for this!!!
You bet!
Good job Ken!
Hey Ken great video! I was just searching for info like this and there you were! Long time no see. Great job. I've for a 22ft crest with a 115. My grandson who's about 90 lbs can waterski behind it. Pops right up. I was surprised. Didn't think it would work. I'm going to see how heavy a person it will pull.
Hey Ralph. Good to hear from ya. Thanks for the comments. Mine motor is a 115 as well. You should have no problem with a larger adult. You can do more things than what a lot of people think behind a pontoon!
My exact info I wanted, thank you
Chris hope it helps you man!
Great vid 👌 I'm thinking the 2 toon 24ft with a 150 should be just fine.
Yep. That will be just fine!
@@BooneDownSouth all these so called experts say tri toon tri toon you gotta have it
@@timshull59 Don't get me wrong the tri toons are nice but they come with a hefty price tag. This 24 ft with 115hp has served my family well and let's us do everything we want to with it whether it is watersports, striper fishing, catfishing or just out for a family joy ride.
haha You don't need much power for kneeboarding, I was kneeboarding today with a 15 HP yamaha and two people in the boat no problem. Still going 35 km/h ( 22 mph )
Where was the rope connected to the boat? I've seen those factory rope mounts that are up high behind the motor but they dont look like they're trust worthy for the weight of pulling anything...
It is connected to a factory installed ski rope bar. It is as sturdy as a rock.
Or a pylon
Thanks for the video. That answered some of my questions
Glad it helped Ky!
Boone Down South hey.... if your in California go to lake Shasta it’s rlly beautiful
Great video. I have a question about your setup that day. Do you recall how many people you had on your 24' boat that day. I am wanting to know if your boat with 10 people on it would still be able to pull you on a wake board or knee board at a fast enough speed with Yam 115.
So that day there was 5 of us. Three adults and 2 kids. Having said that I routinely go out with 5 adults and 4 kids or 5 kids/teenagers and there is no difference in performance. Now I have had the pontoon loaded with 10 adults some of which were larger than average. I do notice a lag on the turns for sure at that point but I can still wakeboard no problem. The tubing is what is impacted with 10 adults when I hit the turns. It bogs down and I lose about 6-7 mph. That is the only time I have seen an impact is with 10 adults with a number of them large.
enjoying your videos, I just bought a 24 foot tri toon with a 175 HP OB, i was worried it might not pull stuff but now I am not worried!
William, with a 175hp tri-toon you should be able to do absolutely whatever you want! No problems ahead for you man. Enjoy the boat. We have a blast on mine.
So what about those of us who weigh 200 - 220 lbs? Do you think 115ph would be enough, or would it be better to get a 150 or 200hp for us larger folks?
I'm not really sure to be honest. I mean I pop up pretty quick and the key is to get planing so if you can pop up and get planing I think it will be ok, but might be on the safe side to jump up in hp.
How about pullling you up on 1 ski? Also, what prop do you have?
Haven't touched skis since I was like 17 so I don't know about that. The prop is the standard prop that came on the motor.
@BooneDownSouth would you mind looking at the prop next time you are around the boat? It will be engraved on it. 21,22,23, etc....
I'm going through the same thing you were when doing research and your video was super helpful. The prop pitch would be super helpful to me as well!
What size prop ?
Hot Dog - I am not sure. It is the factory prop that came with the Mercury 115 hp motor in 2006.
Thanks for the info. Just curious .. with your 24ft pontoon with 115hp ..were you still able to pull a ski'er up out of the water with more people on the boat .. if so how many people did you have? I'm looking to buy a pontoon with a 115hp, but in the peak summer i will probably have 8-10 people on board. Just wondering if it would still pull a ski'er with the extra weight.
Well I haven't ski'd in years but I can tell you that with the boat loaded with 10 adults it has pulled me up wakeboarding so I would think it would pull a ski'er up but I am not a ski'er and have not done that in over 25 years. I am normally wakeboarding and tubing with 5 - 10 on board. Usually half of that is kids - teenagers. Where I see a difference is when I am loaded with 10-12 adults and I am pulling a tube. It pulls just fine, but the boat lags a lot on the turns so you can't really whip an adult on a tube out at that point. I can however still pop up a wakeboarder.
Read my comment above. Depends on the length of the boat, the furniture, the weight of the passengers, the prop you use, the skier and their weight, the type of ski(s). A 24 ft with a 115 will pull a skier, maybe 20mph. 22.5 with a 115 top speed is 22-23. With two passengers, driver and spotter.
8-10 people on a 24 with a 115 will go slow af, will still pull a skier, but don’t dream of slaloming with max capacity.
115 on a smaller / fishing boat though.....you’d probably hit 30+, probably 40+
Is wake boarding or knee boarding harder?
Well neither is really hard. It just takes most people a little longer to learn how to get up on the wakeboard. I can generally get even small kids going on a kneeboard on their first ride. It is rare for someone to stand up and ride on their first wakeboard run.
knee boarding is very easy. can get on first try. wake boarding is quite hard if u r starting from the water. u need to muscle ur way up to standing position. i havent tried starting from land, but its probably alot easier that way
@@rtgbhreth it’s honestly the opposite for me, but muscling up to stand up is definitely wrong. It should do all the work for you
@@ZOMBEY-KILLUR i didnt do anything but hold on and i was wakeboarding, just underwater. If u start up standing on land and then go, i could understand. Sorry, but i dont agree
@@rtgbhreth when you start in the water, all you do is keep your arms straight and legs bent, the boat will pull you up and you don’t have to do a thing, I guess everyone is different, but if you do it right then it should be much easier than a dry start
I've got a 2020 Godfrey Sweetwater 20ft. With a 90 Yamaha SHO it will go 28mph with 2 people and 5-8 people 23-25mph. How fast is your pontoon?
So this is a 2006 24 ft with a 115hp and it will do about 20-22 top. Normally I have a crew of about 8-9 on there with a mix of adults and teens.
That’s hard to believe. 28 mph with a 90, motor must be engineered differently. 22.5 with a 115 merc top speed is 22-23 driver and spotter using power prop for faster starts. Depends on your furniture weight too
How much throttle are you using ? 1/2. 3/4. ?
@Rick Brown - I would say at least 3/4 but I don't concern myself with the throttle. I am more focused on MPH. I typically kneeboard and wakeboard between 14 - 18 mph.
Thanks , I was just wondering how much % of your 115 hp you needed to use .
How does it do with people in the boat? I’m looking at getting a very similar pontoon length, HP and all. I guess I’m asking at what total weight or adults do you notice a big slow down?
I normally run with two families, 4 adults, 2-3 young adults and 2-3 teenagers with no problems what so ever, kneeboard, wakeboard and tubing. Once a year I take a group of young married couples out for a lake day and on that day I am fully loaded with 12 - 14 adults. I can still do everything, but at that point I do feel the weight slowing me down and I can't reach top speed. I can still kneeboard, wakeboard and tube but you do feel it. But again 12- 14 is way too many people on the boat. 8 - 10 people with a mix of adults and teens works great.
Boone Down South good deal. I appreciate your response & videos. This is very helpful in my search.
jmm55 at least get 150hp on a pontoon boat
I’m 2 years late, but... 150 on a smaller boat or a tritoon. Skiing at 22 mph is pretty slow.
“You’re gunna need a bigger boat.”
When you say 90 and you went with a 115 are you talking clout horse power?
Yes I went with a 115hp mercury motor. 90hp might work but I figured that might be pushing it on a 24 ft long pontoon. The 115hp works great for doing all the stuff we do with it.
How many horses does this pontoon have?
Mercury 115 Hp
What is the weight limit on your pontoon tow bar?
Kelsi I don't know. It came on the boat. I can tell you I have had 2 large adults on a 3 person D-Tube and doesn't seem to be any problems with the tow bar at all.
We were tubing behind our 150hp pontoon and the tube got water logged and broke the tow bar right off. It has a warning label on the tow bar that says it has a 700 pound tow limit so we are nervous to wakeboard behind it.
@@kelsibanks8396 Wow I have never seen that happen. That is crazy! Sorry that happened to you guys.
Does your pontoon have a third tube in the middle?
Nope. It is just a pontoon with two tubes. The tri-toons can go a lot faster and turn quicker than a regular pontoon, so if you have a tri-toon you might be able to do more stuff. Everything I do is behind a 2006 24' Starcraft Pontoon with a 115hp Mercury.
Thanks for the reply. We are looking at pontoons to do exactly what you are doing. While searching the web I read conflicting opinions but your video answered all my questions. Thanks for posting it!
Well that's great man! I went through the same thing when I was looking to get one myself. I wanted some definitive proof of what I could do with it before I bought it. We were out on it today and if the video footage worked out I will be posting another video in a day or so of tubing on a round 56" tube behind the pontoon as well. That thing really rockets out on turns. Best of luck to you!
Ted Waga I have a tri-toon 2016 24ft aquapatio with a Yamaha 250 v-max
What size/pitch prop are you using?
I'm using the original prop that came with the 115 hp Merc.
Top speed of a 22.5 foot Bennington pontoon with a mercury 115hp using power prop for faster starts is 22-23 mph with 2 passengers, driver and spotter. It’s not a tritoon. 150 is the max you can put on it, but not much gain from a 115, since 150 is a heavier motor causing more drag. Best option is to get a tritoon, if you want a pontoon with a big motor, then you can go nuts. Boat near us has 2x200s.
Nice info video, but crossing wakes isn’t really a trick. Hope you find some waves for you boards