Buying a new or used pontoon boat, and wondering what horsepower you’ll need? As a boat dealer on Lake Hopatcong, and a leading Starcraft Marine pontoon boat dealer in New Jersey, new boat buyers ask us questions about horsepower often:
- How much horsepower does a pontoon boat really need?
- Is a 115 horsepower engine on my new pontoon boat sufficient?
- Do I really need a 150HP engine on my pontoon boat?
All great questions! In our view at Bridge Marina, the answer to how much horsepower your pontoon boat needs actually lies within you, the buyer. When you, the boat buyer, figure out what you’re looking to get out of your new boat and boating experience, you’ll be better equipped to understand what type of engine will best suit you and your new boat.
To help our boat buying guests figure out how much horsepower their boat might need, we like to know what’s important to them when they think about what life will look like on their new boat. Is it top speed? Is it a comfortable ride with the family?
As you shop for your new pontoon boat, we suggest you consider the following to help you determine your new boat’s horsepower requirements.
Understand what you’re going to do with your new boat, most of the time.
How do you picture your life on your new boat? What do you want to do most of the time on your boat? Take a moment to think about what you’ll be doing once you are at the helm. Consider who will be on the boat? Where will you be going? What do you want to do out on the water? The answers to the who, what, where, when and how does have an effect on how much horsepower the boat you buy will need.
Consider the size of your boat, passengers and load.
The size of your new pontoon boat – whether you’re looking at a 20-foot triple pontoon or a 25-foot pontoon boat – will influence how much engine power you’ll need. Likewise, the number of people and now much gear (load) you’ll be cruising around with will also have an effect on engine performance. The more weight you put into and onto a boat, the slower it will get, as more of the boat’s hull will be in the water, which in turn creates more friction. So, if you see yourself with ten or more passengers on the boat almost every time you head out, you may want to consider bumping up your horsepower.
Some Examples of Pontoon Boat Size vs Horsepower
In our experience, most pontoon boat owners seem to find a comfortable cruising speed somewhere around 16-25 MPH.
So, to achieve this “optimal” speed, a 23 foot pontoon boat may likely require a 150HP engine. But, a 21 foot triple pontoon with performance strakes can achieve that optimal target speed with a 115HP engine. Alternatively, if you bump up the size of your pontoon to a 25 foot boat loaded with twelve passengers, you’ll probably need a 200HP engine to move you along. More details can be found on our video above.
And wondering about the difference between a triple pontoon and a pontoon boat? We did an entire blog post explaining the differences – you can check it out here.
Review a Variety of Pontoon Boat and Engine Options
As a leading boat dealer on Lake Hopatcong, we welcome you to check out our entire inventory of new pontoon boats or used pontoon boats on Lake Hopatcong.
Still Have Pontoon Boat Vs. Engine Size Questions?
We’re here to help! We love talking all things boating and welcome your questions. Check out more on our blog right here or contact us at [email protected] or (973) 663-1976.