home Pontoons Should I Buy a Used Pontoon?

Should I Buy a Used Pontoon?

Advantages of Used Pontoon Boats

Used pontoon boats certainly can be a good starting point for boat buyers.  Obviously the main advantage to purchasing a pre-owned boat is in the financial aspect.  Pre-owned boats, just like any other vehicle, depreciate over time which could allow you to save money over a new vehicle.  New cars and trucks tend to take a significant hit once they drive away from the dealership for the first time.  But are new boats the same way?  The answer might surprise you.

Depreciation

Although new boats do depreciate just like any other new vehicle, they typically do not depreciate nearly as fast.  Boats tend to have a much longer lifespan than vehicles do, especially in certain regions.  In areas that have warm summers and cold winters, boats might only be used for 3-6 months of the year.  They are also not used on a daily basis like your car or truck is.  To touch on the financial aspect, when financing a new vehicle, most banks will give you 5-7-year terms at most.  On the other hand, boat loans over $25,000 are commonly financed for 10-15 years, and sometimes even 20!  Although this might seem strange to you, banks would not offer these terms if the boats didn’t hold their value that long.

Improvements

Pontoon boats, like any other boat, have seen a substantial number of improvements in recent years.  Take one step into a new boat showroom.  You will see that pontoons are much different than they were 10+ years ago.  Although some of these changes are just “bells and whistles,” there are also some key components that many people are looking for in a pontoon boat that you just can’t find very easy in used models.

Tri-Toons

Although tri-toons have been around for several years, they have just had their boom in popularity over the past 3-5 years.  This makes finding a used tri-toon very difficult.  To top it off, because the market is so limited in used tri-toons, the prices tend to be quite high in most cases.  At the price point of many of these used boats, you will find that you are close enough to a new boat price for it to make sense to just buy new.  This way you can choose your color, options, layout etc. and get the full warranty without any problems.

Vinyl Flooring

Vinyl flooring is another option that has just recently become a common feature in pontoon boats.  If you look at pontoon boats that are 5+ years old, you find that most boats have carpeting rather than vinyl.  Carpeting can be fine, but there are so many advantages to vinyl flooring that it can be a must have item for many buyers.  Check out our article on boat flooring options for more info on the advantages of vinyl flooring.

4-Stroke Outboards

Most, if not all new pontoons will come equipped with a 4-stroke outboard motor.  4-Stroke motors are much quieter, run smoother and much more efficiently.  They are much more dependable as well.  Re-sale value is much higher for boats with 4-Stroke motors.  If you plan on trading or selling the boat after a few years, keep this in mind.  The engine will be a strong factor in how much you get and how easy it is to sell.  Older pontoons typically have 2-stroke outboard motors, and this can be another deal-breaker for many buyers.

Overview

As you can see, there are many reasons to check out new pontoons if you were originally planning to shop for a used boat.  That being said, as time goes on, there will be more and more used boats available with some of these popular features.  And there are always those great deals that come along every so often on used boats.  These are the exceptions to the rule though.  Our recommendation is to keep an open mind and check out what your local dealer has to offer.

7 thoughts on “Should I Buy a Used Pontoon?

  1. My brother and I have been thinking about getting pontoon boats that we could go out fishing on, and I think that being able to find some information about it would be good. I’m glad that you talked about the depreciation of pontoon boats, and how boat loans are usually financed over 10-15 years. I’m going to have to see if getting a new or used pontoon boat for sale would be better, and see what we can find as far as deals! Thanks!

  2. I’m trying to decide if I should get a pontoon boat. It’s nice that they can make for such a good investment! I like that they last longer and don’t wear down as fast as cars. That’s certainly a benefit that I can get behind.

  3. I didn’t realize that vinyl was something used in pontoon boats! My husband and I have been looking for something that will be really steady on the water so we don’t have to worry about kids getting sick. If there is a good sturdy vinyl floor on the boat then maybe that will help as well!

  4. We bought ours used with everything we wanted and extras. 3 years old…
    Saved over $20,000.00. 22 foot Tri-toon, 115 horse, ski tow bar, trolling motor ( I Pilot), 360 sonar, 2 eagle talons, fish finder with everything, 2 live wells, changing room, plenty of seating… only added a BBQ.

    1. Sounds like a great find Will! Unfortunately, great used boats like yours can be hard to come by. Enjoy your boat!

  5. I loved what you said about the improvements pontoon boats have been seeing in the last decade in more than just the ‘bells and whistles’ category. My father-in-law wants to buy a boat for fishing and is considering getting a brand-new pontoon. Thank you for the information about how he couldn’t find the new changes very easily in used models, so a new one is likely to be his best bet.

  6. I like that you mentioned how boats are going to depreciate just like a vehicle will. You recommend buying used, but you could even just rent when you want to go out. This way you can save even more.

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