PartyFoil: Pontoon Boats Go Airborne
In a surprising development, a well-known pontoon boat builder has announced the first foiling model.
It isn't often that the pontoon boat market borrows from the sailing industry, but (whether they admit it or not), that's just what happened last week when pontoon boat builder Partyflote announced their first foiling model, the PartyFoil.
"Our models have a reputation for speed that never spills a cocktail," Partyflote's marketing manager Harry Partynius explained. "So we couldn't let sailors be the only ones grabbing air."
According to the PartyFoil brochure, once at a cruising speed of 17 mph, the aluminum hulls automatically lift up on two pairs of T-shaped blades. One pair is attached to the underside of the logs about four feet back from the bow, and the other pair hangs off the aft end of each log. The aft foils also control the angle of attack, which keeps the bow from nose-diving if an oblivious guest wanders forward to admire the view.
Once aloft, all that is left in the water are the four skinny appendages—and the propellers, of course.
"Of course you'll need to retrofit your outboard(s) with shaft extenders," Partynius admitted. "But the PartyFoil kit includes those as standard items."
Any of Partyflote's existing models can be PartyFoiled, except for their deluxe PartyPool. "Unfortunately, we're still working on a way to reduce the water weight of the onboard infinity pool enough to foil with that model," Partynius said with a grimace. "And our customers aren't willing to empty it just to fly around the lake. But our engineers are hoping to work out a solution by model year 2016."
If you've never understood how sailboats could fly, that's okay—neither do we. All we know is that now there's a party barge that can airlift you to your next waterside party.
Editor's Note: Last we checked, the PartyFoil web page was still under construction. Stay tuned for further updates... and before you place your order, check the date above; this might just be April Fool's Day.
