Premier Pontoons for Sale

A Minnesota family company since 1992

Bob Menne Jr. and his wife Betty had been in the boat business since 1972, when they started a dealership called Diversified Products. Bob later became a partner in Forester Boats. After selling DPI in 1989, Bob said the idea for Premier came from listening to his teenagers argue over who got to take the family pontoon out. Bob and Betty started Premier Marine in 1992 to build a premium pontoon with features other builders didn't offer.

The NMMA credits Premier with several industry firsts: rotation-molded furniture, getting rid of all wood except the flooring, the patented J-Clip fastening system, the seagrass flooring that later became common, the first full-size cuddy on a pontoon, and 12-foot-wide models with three 300 hp outboards. Bob Menne was inducted into the NMMA Hall of Fame. In 2014, Menne told Boating Industry that Premier had about 12 percent of the pontoon market.

PTX: the performance tube

Premier introduced PTX in 1994 and calls it the industry's first performance pontoon. It was developed by marine engineer Fred Cotey. PTX boats have a third tube and are built to get on plane fast and turn tight. If a listing says PTX, it is a performance package, not just a tube count, so ask the seller what the original build sheet shows.

Model lines you'll see for sale

Premier's 2022 catalog groups the boats like this:

• Executive Series: Escalante, Accolade, Grand Entertainer and Grand View.
• Elite Cruise Series: Boundary Waters, Intrigue and Grand Majestic.
• Sport Series: S-Series.
• Cruise Series: Solaris, Sunsation and Sunspree.
• Angler Series: Castaway and Explorer.

Older listings also include the Sky Dek, a double-decker with a waterslide. Menne said in 2014 that the best sellers were the mid-level Solaris and Sunsation, so those are the Premiers you will find most often on the used market.

The Grand Entertainer

Premier started using the Grand Entertainer name in August 2011. In 2014 Boating Industry described it as up to 30 feet long and nearly 9 feet wide, with a PTX third tube, Flexsteel furniture, a changing room, hydraulic steering, an Island Bar with an electric sink, underwater LED lights and available twin 300 hp engines. The 2022 version came in 270, 270 DL, 290 and 290 DL lengths with 25-inch, .090-inch tubes, a JL stereo with four speakers and a subwoofer, a vessel sink and a refrigerator.

What to check on a used Premier

PTX center tube. Premier PTX boats have a ski locker built into the center tube. Owners report two ways water gets into that tube: a failed gasket around the locker, and the drain hose coming off inside the tube. One 2009 owner said enough water got in to slow the boat, and the gasket fix meant dropping the tube. On a test run, check top speed against what the seller claims, and pour water in the empty locker to see that it drains out the transom.

Warranty transfer. Premier's structural warranty covers tube welds, z-channels, M-brackets, furniture frames, rails and wood decking, and the bow-to-stern warranty runs ten years. Both transfer to a second owner only if the transfer is filed with Premier within 30 days of the sale, and coverage ends ten years after the first owner bought it. Get the original purchase date and file the transfer through a Premier dealer.

Saltwater boats. Premier's warranty excludes corrosion and tells saltwater owners to rinse the tubes after every use. Look for pitting at the corner castings and around the motor mount.

Old recall. A 1995 Coast Guard recall covered 370 Premier boats of all models for cracked fuel fill fittings. On a boat that old, look at the fuel fill regardless.