10 Top Pontoon Boats: Our Favorites
If you're in the market for a new pontoon boat, there is a good chance one of these will fit the bill.
Many of the latest and greatest pontoon boats offer speed, handling, seaworthiness, and even the ability to be used as legit tow boats for skiing and wakeboarding. Yet they haven’t abandoned their historic strengths: passenger comfort and amenities have never been more cushy or diverse. Thinking of tuning into the ‘toon? Here are 10 of our current favorites (in no particular order), guaranteed to please any passion—and any depth pocketbook.
- Godfrey AquaPatio Twin
- Premier 250 Sunsation Angler
- Sea Doo Switch Cruise Limited 21
- Manitou 27 XT
- Harris Grand Mariner 250
- Sylvan M5
- Sun Tracker Bass Buggy 16 XL
- Bennington 30 Q
- Avalon Catalina Entertainer Funship
- Starcraft GX 22 R DH
Godfrey AquaPatio Twin
Here's a pontoon that is clearly targeted to appeal to adventurous boaters. The AquaPatio Twin is available in lounge or split bench layouts, stretches to 25'9" LOA, and can carry a whopping 14 passengers aboard. It rides on 27" outer tubes and a 29" inner tube, and the 29" iMPACT+ triple tube package also has oversized six-inch lifting strakes, under-deck skin and skirting, and a boosted fuel capacity of 121 gallons. In addition to the extra power, twins make handling the boat in confined quarters a breeze, taking the hassle out of docking.
See Godfrey AquaPatio Twin pontoon boats for sale on boats.com.
Premier 250 Sunsation Angler
Plenty of entertaining gets done aboard pontoon boats, but these versatile platforms also see a lot of one other favorite pastime—fishing. Premier’s Sunsation Angler caters to the latter crowd with a their Sunsation Angler line, and the 250 Sunsation Angler is a model that can take that entire crowd fishing. It has a monstrous max capacity of 17 people, and can be laid out with six individual pedestal fishing seats in addition to the helm and settee. It also has front and rear angler's stations with livewells, rod holders, tool and cup holders, and tackle stowage.
The 250 Sunsation Angler can be rigged with pro-level fishing features, too. You can add on a bow-mount electric trolling motor, and have a seven-inch Simrad NSX at the helm. Two- and three-tube packages are available as well, and power options range up to 300-hp.
See Premier 250 Sunsation Angler pontoon boats for sale on boats.com.
Sea Doo Switch Cruise Limited 21
The Sea Doo Switch Cruise Limited 21 is so different from the other boats in this roundup it feel strange lumping it in with the rest, but it's a boat and it floats on pontoons of a sort, so here it stays. Those pontoons are rotomolded rather than being welded, as is the rest of the boat's structure. That allows Sea Doo to make it modular, so you can move seats, lock down coolers, and make other adjustments on the fly. It's also quite different in that you don't steer this boat with a wheel, but instead have a set of PWC-like handlebars at the helm. And when you do that steering the thrust comes via a jet drive and Rotax 1630 ACE engine.
Setting aside those major differences the basic accouterments are on a pontoon boat scale, with lots of comfy seating, a Bimini top, swim platform with reboarding ladder, and a six-speaker stereo system. The boat also has both a 10.25" touchscreen display at the helm and a seven-inch Garmin MFD for navigation. Learn more about this one by checking out our Sea Doo Switch Cruise Limited review.
See all Sea Doo Switch Cruise Limited 21 pontoon boats for sale on boats.com.
Manitou 27 XT
Remember when pontoon boats were thought of as clunky, slow, inelegant boxes? Manitou offers the 27 XT with up to a hair-raising 900 horses and this boat blazes up to speeds in the upper 70s, leaving no doubt that the days of clunky are long gone. The platform runs on 25" outer tubes and a 27" center tube dropped five inches lower in the water, so it handles like a V-hull and powers through turns with predictability.
Aside from performance there's a lot to love about this pontoon. It looks sharp thanks to fiberglass sidewalls, has a powered tower with a Bimini and tow pylon, and if you go for the SRW layout it includes loungers on the stern with powered backrests. Many pontooners would call it the ultimate mix of performance and luxury.
See Manitou 27 XT pontoon boats for sale on boats.com.
Harris Grand Mariner 250
Bulky engine enclosures were once standard issue, partly to drown out a noisy two-stroke engine, but today’s four-stroke outboards are clean and quiet so Harris completely opened up the stern of the Grand Mariner 250. A large, low-profile sunpad is positioned aft. A pivoting backrest moves to the rear to bring the focus into the main cockpit, or forward to turn that attention to the swim platform and water when lounging on the hook. The quality of the upholstery, teak-look padding on the swim platform, multiple cupholders, and handy stereo remote will tempt you to float the day away.
But trust us, get underway. The third pontoon drops lower than the outer tubes, and that tube tapers back into an angular motor pod aft. Lifting strakes enhance the outer tubes. The result is an aggressive lean-in ride reminiscent of a fiberglass V-hull. It's a bit dated at this point, but if you're looking at used boats watch our video boat review of the Harris Grand Mariner SL 250 for more insight into the model in its older form.
See Harris Grand Mariner 250 pontoon boats for sale on boats.com.
Sylvan M5
The obvious standout feature of the M5 is the luxury level. There's room to stretch out all over, panels are carbon fiber, vinyls are Cool-Touch, and there's extensive LED lighting. Then, there's the Bar model to consider. Pontoons have always been made for the cocktail cruise. This model takes that mission literally, offering up a faux-granite countertop and four stools beckoning passengers to belly up.
Beyond this, however, Sylvans offer a number of standout features. The SPX triple pontoon package includes robotically welded 0.100" tubes with extruded lifting strakes and splash fins on the nose cones. Hat channels get mylar PVC foam tape in the seams to reduce vibrations. And lifetime-warranted PTP decking is fastened with flanged elevator bolts and self-tapping screws.
See Sylvan M5 pontoon boats for sale on boats.com.
Sun Tracker Bass Buggy 16 XL
If your name is Bass Buggy you’re sold at Bass Pro Shops, and you count brands like Tracker, Nitro, and Mako among your family members. It’s obvious you'd better be good. This longtime favorite has received multiple makeovers through the years, resulting in fishing chairs on pedestals at the bow, an aerated livewell, vinyl flooring or 22-oz. marine carpet, rod holders, and a molded livewell unit with rod and drink holders. There’s even a lid ruler to measure your catch. And that’s before you even add the optional fish package, which throws in a Lowrance fishfinder and Minn Kota trolling motor.
But perhaps most appealing about the Bass Buggy isn’t its fishing credentials, but its price. With a pair of 24” diameter multi-chamber pontoons, the Sun Tracker Bass Buggy 16 XL lists for a mere $19,795, including a 20-hp Mercury FourStroke. That's a price point that's very, very difficult to beat. Add in a trailer for another $3,195 and you'll be ready to hit lakes near and far.
See Sun Tracker Bass Buggy 16 XL pontoon boats for sale on boats.com.
Bennington 30 Q
The entire Bennington Q line gets a call-out for over-the-top luxury and tech, and the 30 Q wins top honors since it's queen of the fleet. Just what can the Q line deliver that sets it apart from the crowd? Start with seats that are heated and cooled. Then consider that the Bimini top is powered, lighting is RGB LED, upholstery is diamond-stitched, and sidewalls are fiberglass. Plus, whatever system or accessory you may want to control, it's all via a digital-switching 12" touchscreen at the helm.
Q series boats can be had in three different layouts: a quad bench, a swingback lounge, or an aft stern lounge. Go big with the 30 Q and you can have twin outboards up to a whopping 1,000 hp. There are also gobs of different color patterns and accessories to choose from, so you can customize these pontoon boats however you'd like.
See Bennington Q pontoon boats for sale on boats.com.
Avalon Catalina Entertainer Funship
If you have kids you'll love the Avalon Catalina Entertainer Funship. And if you don't, you'll still love it. How could anyone not love a pontoon boat with a second story and a water slide? These double-deckers have extended sunning space and a bar-style layout, plus three settees. Two versions are available, a 25' and a 27', which carry a core set of features and a long list of custom options you can add. Oh, did we mention there's a water slide?!
See Avalon Catalina Entertainer Funship pontoon boats for sale on boats.com.
Starcraft GX 22 R DH
The biggest problem with modern high-end pontoons is a lack of affordability, and while it was once unthinkable for a pontoon to top $100K, these days plenty cost double that amount. On the flip side of the coin, nobody wants to buy a cheap boat that's poorly built and outfitted. Starcraft plugs this gap with boats like the GX 22 R DH, which the average American should find affordable since it costs about as much as the average new car. Yet it delivers significantly more value for the cost than most pontoon boats.
The GX 22 R DH comes with everything you need to sign on the dotted line and then go hit the lake: 23" diameter logs, a Bimini top, tilt-steering, vinyl Sea Weave flooring, and a Wet Sounds MC-5 Bluetooth stereo system are all on the stock boat. And you can jazz it up as much as you'd like, with goodies like a ski-tow bar, fish finder, powered canopy, or a three-tube upgrade. Note that the construction is solid, and Starcraft backs it up with a lifetime warranty on major structural components like the tubes, deck, and transom.
See all Starcraft GX 22 R DH pontoon boats for sale on boats.com.
Entertaining? Rockin’ house party? All-day fishing? Lounge lizard lifestyle? Whatever your desire, there’s a good chance one of these top 10 pontoon boats is going to be perfect for your needs. So ditch that old mentality, and get ready to experience the pleasure of pontoon boating.
See more in-depth pontoon boat reviews and videos on boats.com, or see our other top picks at:
- Top 10 New Fishing Boats for Under $20,000
- 10 Bass Boats That Will Blow You Away: Cast Action Heroes
- High Performance Marine Engines: The Fab Five
- 10 Best Tow Boats for Water Skiing and Wakeboarding
- Classic Plastic: 10 Affordable Used Sailboats for Cruising
Editor's Note: This article was more recently updated by the boats.com editorial staff in December of 2025.
