Pontoon Boat Sizes

The length of your pontoon boat is another consideration that is of primary importance when considering which boat best meets your needs.

In a separate article we've covered the materials that can comprise a pontoon tube (aluminum, steel, fiberglass, and plastic covered foam) and here we'll briefly highlight considerations with respect to the length of the boat - essentially the length of the pontoon tubes.

At a recent trip to a regional state park boat rental dock suggests that 24 foot long pontoon boats are the norm. However, you can find boats as short at 12 feet (rare) and as long as 53 feet (but these are generally the houseboat variation of pontoon boats).

Most pontoon boats range in size from 16 to 24 feet in length. The 12 foot long boat mentioned in the previous paragraph would have some severe weight limitations and be limited to only six people. Any boats longer than 24 feet will fit more people and handle more weight, but transporting them and storing them will prove to be more of a challege for the average pontoon boat owner.

How many people do you ever want to have on your pontoon boat?

The typical 24 footer should handle 12 average sized persons. The typical 16 footer should handle 6 average sized persons (around 850 pounds). Remember that uncle Joe may weight 300 pounds, but that nephew Jake may only weight 90 pounds soaking wet. Most folks are somewhere in between.

Deck widths are around 8.5 feet for 24 foot long boats, and can be as narrow as 6 feeet for 16 foot long pontoon boats. So keep this in mind as you're considering whether or not you need a trailer of a specific width for your newly targeted (purchased) pontoon boat.1