Pontoon vs Tritoon: Ride, Power and Price Compared

Tubes and construction

A pontoon rides on two aluminum tubes under a flat deck. A tritoon adds a third tube down the center. That extra tube is not just more buoyancy. It stiffens the platform, supports a heavier outboard and changes how the boat leans when you put the wheel over.

Builders do not all mean the same thing by "three tubes." Some sell a full-length center tube. Others sell a shorter 3/4-length center tube on the same deck. Boating magazine's April 2021 review of the Bentley 223 Navigator made the tradeoff plain. The full 25-inch tube boat ran 23'2", carried a 54-gallon tank and accepted outboards to 250 hp at a $31,900 base price. The 3/4-length center tube kept the 15-person rating but cut max horsepower to 200 and the tank to 32 gallons. Look under the deck before you trust the listing label.

On entry Bennington boats, the choice is still explicit. As of 6 Nov 2026 the S-One Collection page says you can order twin tubes or the SPS Tri-Toon package, which adds the center tube along with WaveTamer and hydraulic steering. Higher Bennington lines flip that choice. The R Line page for model year 2027 states every R Line model comes standard with a tritoon performance package.

Ride and handling

On flat water at cruise, a twin-tube pontoon feels calm and roomy. Put a big crew on one side in a hard turn and the outside tube digs while the inside lifts. The center tube on a tritoon cuts that roll and keeps more deck in the water, which is why watersports packages usually start with three tubes.

Hang a larger outboard and the gap widens. A twin-tube 22-footer with a 150 can porpoise and lean hard. The same deck with a full center tube and matching lifting strakes usually tracks straighter and planes sooner. A tritoon takes chop better than a twin of the same length, but neither replaces a deep-V in steep waves. Small sheltered lakes often need only two tubes. Open water with skiers calls for three.

Power and the capacity plate under 33 CFR 183

Match the engine on the bracket to the rating on the boat. Under 33 CFR Part 183, Subpart B requires Coast Guard capacity markings on monohull boats under 20 feet, with sailboats, canoes, kayaks and inflatables carved out. The same part's definitions say a pontoon boat is not a monohull. So the federal Subpart B plate rule does not cover pontoons the way it covers small fiberglass runabouts.

Builders still put persons, weight and maximum horsepower on the boat, and that published rating is what you shop against. Barletta's own series guide and Boating's L25UC test show how far tube count moves the rating: the L25 on triple tubes was rated to 350 hp, while the twin-tube version topped out at 150 hp. A motor that fits one setup can be illegal and unsafe on the other.

When you walk a used boat, read the plate or capacity label by the helm, then confirm the tube package under the deck. A 3/4 center tube and a full center tube can share a model name and still carry different max horsepower and fuel capacity, exactly as Bentley did on the 223 Navigator.

Published performance: Suzuki and Yamaha tests

Factory bulletins beat dock talk. Suzuki tested two Bentley Navigators on Lake Murray, South Carolina, in August 2021 with two people aboard. The 223 Navigator 3/4 Sport Tube, listed at 22'8" and 2,480 lb with a DF150AT and a 32-gallon tank, reached 36.9 mph at 6,000 rpm and posted a 6.28-second acceleration run. Best economy was 4.23 mpg at 3,500 rpm and 16.6 mph, for a range Suzuki put at 122 miles.

The 243 Navigator on full-length tubes, 24'8" and 2,540 lb, ran a DF200ATX. Suzuki's bulletin for that boat shows a top speed of 42 mph, 0 to 25 mph in 6.83 seconds, and 4.96 mpg at 3,000 rpm and 17.2 mph. Range at that cruise was 241 miles on 90 percent of the 54-gallon tank. Same brand family, different tube and tank packages, and the bigger full-tube boat both went faster and ran farther.

Yamaha's more recent pontoon bulletins point the same direction. On 19 Mar 2025 Yamaha tested a Bentley Bolt 203 with three 25-inch tubes and an F150LC. At 3,271 lb as tested it hit 44.8 mph at 6,100 rpm and ran 0 to 30 mph in 6.67 seconds. A Godfrey Xperience 2086 CXP tritoon with three 27-inch tubes and a milder F115LB, tested 11 Sep 2025, topped out at 35.1 mph. A larger Tahoe 2785 Cruise FS tritoon with three 27-inch tubes and a VF250XB, tested 14 Jul 2026, ran 38.0 mph. Horsepower, weight and tube package all matter. The third tube alone does not set the speed.

Price: new MSRP checked 6 Nov 2026

New prices swing with options and engines, so start with published MSRP before you talk dealer packages. On 6 Nov 2026 Bennington's site listed these model-year 2027 starting MSRPs, before destination:

• S-One Collection: from $34,326, with twin-tube or SPS tritoon available.
• S Line: from $36,073, offered as a pontoon or tritoon.
• LX Sport Line: from $91,217.
• R Line and Q Line: both from $148,304, with three tubes standard on the R Line.
• RX Sport Line: from $170,133.

Those are base starts with small motors, not loaded dealer boats. Add a 150 or larger and a performance tube package and the ticket jumps. Mid-market builders such as Barletta sit under Bennington's R and Q starts, still with twin- or triple-tube ratings that change by model. I am not quoting used asks without a dated public sample I can re-open today. Shop live inventory instead.

Who should buy which

Buy a twin-tube pontoon when your water is protected, the crew stays under the persons rating, and a 40 to 90 hp outboard covers cruising and swimming. You save on the boat and the trailer load. A quiet cove does not need three tubes.

Buy a tritoon to pull tubes or skiers, cross bigger water, or hang 150 hp and up. Confirm the center tube length matches the rating. Prefer full-length tubes when the label shows the higher horsepower and larger tank. Brands such as Bennington, Barletta, Avalon and Sun Tracker sell both layouts. Compare tube package and rated horsepower first.

Walk live listings next

Print the tube and plate checks, then open real inventory. Start with the tritoon boats for sale page, then filter by brand or by a lake-heavy state such as Minnesota. Ask the seller which tube package is on the boat, photograph the capacity label, and compare that label to the motor on the bracket before you write a deposit.