New and Used Pontoon Boats for Sale

A lot has changed in the Pontoon boat world in recent years. They’ve always been a feature on inland waters, the trusty ‘float boat’ as they became known promising a day of enjoyment and sunshine on the water. You would have described Pontoon boats as fun and functional, but probably not cool until now. Fast forward to today and the pontoon boat is a very different looking animal. They’re fast, sexy, and packed with features such as waterslides, stand-up bars, sun pads, fishing equipment, watersports tow bars, and BBQs.

You’ll find new and used pontoon boats for sale with widely varying price tags, from ultra-luxurious to affordable and family-friendly. They’re the perfect day boat, and no longer restricted only to gentle inland waters. With buckets of space, stereo systems to pump out music, comfy lounge seating, and all the watersports fun you could imagine, it’s no surprise that their popularity is soaring. There are some excellent brands out there, some stalwarts of the industry and others that are exciting newcomers. It’s important to remember that while it’s not definitive, this list is a good starter guide to some of the best brands to consider when buying a pontoon boat.

The Best Family Pontoon Boats

Most pontoon boats are excellent boats for families, with comfortable seating for up to 10 people, swim platforms, sun shades, and lots of storage for all the water toys, and food and drinks. Add in some cool speakers and you’ve got yourself a seriously fun day on the water to make memories.

The Best Family Pontoon Boat Brands to Buy

• Premier Pontoons: Premier is producing some of the industry’s top-of-the-range pontoons, with each model focusing both on speed and family comfort. But of all their models, the Escalante is a dream come true for any family. With two-stories and a slide coming off the top, it can accommodate 18 people—the kids and all their friends. It even features a hard-sided changing room with portable toilet, sink, and shower, as well as a refrigerator and sink for the full family package.
• SunChaser: Watersports rank highly on family pontoon boats, and kids big and small all like to get involved. The hugely popular SunChaser range of sports pontoons can accommodate up to 11 people and offer huge swim platforms, powerful outboards, and a wide choice of layouts so you can find the perfect one to suit your family.

The Best Fishing Pontoon Boats

It might not be the first style of boat you think of for fishing, but pontoon boats offer stability, deck space, and a low draught making them excellent options. Combine this with a suite of fishing equipment and accessories and you have a mean fishing or wildfowl hunting boat.

The Best Fishing Pontoon Boat Brands to Buy

• Suncatcher: Suncatcher’s vast range of pontoon boats includes an impressive selection of versatile family fishing boats. Suitable for fresh and saltwater, they offer space for up to 10 people, stern fishing platforms, and livewells.
• Lowe: One of the biggest players in the pontoon world, Lowe has an impressive range of watersports, family, and fishing boats. Versatile and well-thought out, their boats can be customized with different accessories based on how much fishing or sports you plan on doing. And the hefty Mercury outboards will get you to the fishing grounds in record time.

The Best Electric Pontoon Boats

The boating world is certainly embracing electric power, and with great success. And pontoon boats are the perfect candidates for making the switch as they aren't typically expected to cover long distances (a shortcoming of electric power). There are many brands now manufacturing electric models, and although they don’t offer the huge horsepower speeds of their diesel counterparts, the quiet, emission-free days on the water are worthwhile to many.

The Best Electric Pontoon Boat Brands to Buy

• Princecraft: Princecraft’s reputation precedes them, and they’re top players in the fishing boat, deck boat, and pontoon boat sectors. So it comes as no surprise perhaps that their new Brio Electric Series is as impressive as all their other models. With three models ranging from 17 to 21 feet, they are geared towards fishing and recreation, with lots of features. With a top speed of 8.2mph they’re not exactly speedsters, but they’re perfect for cruising the lake.
• Crest: Crest has taken the proven innovation and craftsmanship they display in their other non-electric ranges and created the electric Crest Current. The 20-foot model features an ePropulsion Navy 3.0 Evo motor with E175 battery allowing you to travel farther and longer than many competitors, content in the knowledge that it’s friendly for the environment and beautifully silent for you.

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The Best Affordable Pontoon Boats

Affordable is a relative term, and one we use at Rightboat with caution. What is affordable to one is a king’s ransom to another. Instead we focus on value for money, focusing on brands which offer the best features, size, and reputation for the best price. Luckily for those looking for used and new pontoon boats for sale there are many contenders for the best value for money pontoons.

The Best Affordable Pontoon Boat Brands to Buy

• Avalon: You get a whole lot of boat for your money with award-winning Avalon, a company that prides itself on high quality at competitive prices. In fact, you get many of the features you’d expect of a luxury brand—high speed, plush interiors, a sleek design, and custom-made furnishings—for the price of a mid-range one.
• Sylvan: Sylvan offers some excellent family-friendly pontoon boats packed with high-end features, without the luxury price tag. They’re ultra-sleek, with underwater lighting and some even have a seating area that converts into a bar for when you have friends aboard. But they’re great for the kids too, with watersports towers, large biminis, and an expansive swim platform.

See our guide on Best Pontoon Boat Brands Priced Under $30,000

The Best Luxury Pontoon Boats

A decade or so ago, the idea of a luxury pontoon was a novel concept. Today, however, there are some seriously beautiful pontoons on the market, with serious price tags to match. Offering bespoke interiors, elegant styling, underwater lighting, and the latest electronics, they’ll turn heads as you cruise by.

The Best Luxury Pontoon Boat Brands to Buy

• Bennington: Bennington’s pontoon boats epitomize the new era for the float boat, and there are few that are more luxurious or downright cool. They feature futuristic styling, with handmade leather seats, a robotic watersports tower, built-in refrigerator, tinted windshield, and the latest in electronics. They’ll set you back a few bucks, but they’re worth the premium price.
• Manitou: Manitou produces some really luxurious speedsters, some of which are capable of speeds of just shy of 80mph. They’re gorgeous and sleek, too, and packed with high-end features such as joystick control, digital switching, and the ability to control many onboard functions via an app. Manitou’s models range from value for money to recreation, sport, and luxury.
• Berkshire: No list of luxury pontoons would be complete without Berkshire, which has been making exquisite pontoons for decades. You’ll find many Berkshire used pontoon boats for sale at attractive prices, but while you’ll need to dig deeper for one of their new models, you get a whole lot of boat, technology, craftsmanship, and customer service for your money.

The Best Small Pontoon Boats

Pontoon boats come in all shapes and sizes, but for those wanting to easily trailer their boat to and from the lake, there are some excellent pocket pontoons on the market. Most brands offer a range of sizes, with 18 feet being most common. Because of their design, even the smallest of pontoons can seat several passengers for a day on the water and still have all the features you’d find on a larger model.

The Best Small Pontoon Boat Brands to Buy

• Starcraft: This brand has an excellent reputation for producing compact high quality aluminum and fiberglass boats, from surf and deck boats to runabouts and jon boats. Their small pontoon boats are a great option for families on a budget, starting from just 16 feet in length.
• SeaDoo: Renowned for decades for their jet skis, SeaDoo is a relative newcomer to the pontoon world, but offers some excellent compact, versatile, and good-value-for-money pontoons. Great for families, watersports, fishing, and more, the Switch range offers an ultra-compact 13-foot model, as well as larger models at 18 and 21 feet LOA.
• Pond King: If you want to talk about mini pontoon boats for sale then mention must be made of Pond King and their 10-foot pocket-sized option. Equipped for a day of fishing for two people with a 3.5HP outboard and a basic but functional selection of accessories, Pond King takes small pontoons to new levels.

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This article was written by Samantha Wilson in November 2023.