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Reading Time: 6 minutesLast Updated on July 20, 2025 by Paul Clayton
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New 3 Pontoon Boat Faster Than Old 2 Pontoon Boat?
Earlier, pontoons were designed to be sailing boats with lower horsepower engines, comfortable seating, and a speed of no more than 15 miles per hour. However, many advanced models have been developed in recent times. Today, pontoon boats feature fast-sailing decks with modern designs and features, making them ideal for leisure boating.
Key Takeaways:
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- Pontoons Have Evolved: Once slow, leisure-focused boats (under 15 mph), modern pontoons (especially “tritoons” with three pontoons) can achieve significant speeds, with some reaching over 50 mph and the fastest hitting 114 mph. This evolution enables them to be used for various water sports, such as tubing and waterskiing.
- Factors Affecting Speed: A pontoon’s speed is primarily influenced by:
- Engine size (horsepower)
- Number of pontoons (two vs. three-tritoon)
- Total load (weight of fuel, passengers, gear)
- Enhancing Pontoon Performance: Several modifications and practices can increase speed:
- Reduce Drag/Resistance: Add underskinning, lower the bimini cover, and keep the hull clean.
- Weight Management: Keeping fuel tanks half-full for shorter trips, reducing overall load, and distributing weight towards the back of the boat.
- Hydrodynamic Improvements: Installing lifting strakes (metal strips that create lift) and utilizing V-Toon technology (a V-shaped center pontoon for better lift and stability).
- Propeller Optimization: Upgrading to a prop with the correct pitch can improve acceleration and speed.
- Booster Ball: For towing, a booster ball lifts the tow rope, reducing drag and improving the experience for skiers/tubers.
- Speed for Water Sports: While extremely fast pontoons exist, most common water sports (kneeboarding, tubing, wakeboarding) require speeds of 10-22 mph. Slalom water skiing typically requires speeds of 16-32 mph. A 90 hp motor can often achieve the necessary speeds for most of these activities.
- “Tritoon” Advantage: A “3 pontoon boat” (tritoon) generally offers improved maneuverability, stability, and the ability to accommodate more passengers, in addition to often being faster due to better planing capabilities.
The engineers of the best brands have topped the game. This means you can now obtain fast-production pontoons that serve as substitutes for many hull boats. For this reason, pontoon boats are now quite expensive.
So, are pontoon boats fast enough to give you that speed thrill?
Usually, pontoon boats are not known for their speed. However, water enthusiasts yearn for greater speed, and the times demand it. Pontoons are also used for various water sports, including tubing and waterskiing. The fastest pontoon boat can reach up to 115mph, which is fast in anyone’s books.
How Fast Can Pontoon Boats Go?
On average, pontoons can travel at speeds of approximately 18 to 25 miles per hour when fully loaded. In comparison, some faster models can even reach speeds of over 50 miles per hour.
The speed of pontoon boats depends on multiple things, which are as follows:
- Size of the engine
- Number of tubes beneath the deck
- Load the boat
New 3 Pontoon Boat Faster Than Old 2 Pontoon Boat?
You can always enhance the performance of your pontoon boats. Their performance has become less of a secret and more of a feature people look forward to. Likewise, leisure enthusiasts won’t compromise on their sailing living room.
The following are some of the ways through which you can elevate the performance of your pontoon boat.
Enhance Performance
Add underskinning to reduce drag from splashing water and lower the bimini cover to reduce wind resistance. When pontoon boats are clean under the waterline, their movement becomes smooth through the water.
Moreover, try to keep up with the daily maintenance of your pontoon boat to meet its needs. This maximizes the performance of your boat.
Use of V-Toon Technology
The V-Toon technology enables faster acceleration. This feature is designed to lift like a fiberglass boat, maintaining the stability of your pontoon.
Add More Speed
The speed of a pontoon boat is affected by multiple factors mentioned above in this article. If you want to speed up your pontoon, keep scrolling to read on to speed up your boat.
10 Tips For Making Your Pontoon Boats Go Faster
Here are some tips through which you can maximize your pontoon’s speed and performance:
Trim Up the Engine
Trimming your engine means tilting it to a higher angle with the boat’s hydraulic motor. This raises the front of the pontoon out of the water a bit. Without a doubt, trimming your engine up is the most straightforward fix to improve speed.
Don’t Fill Up Completely on Fuel
A large gas tank can last for approximately two days. A single tank can weigh heavily and reduce your boat’s performance. Fill the gas tank half if you’re not planning a long boating trip.
This way, the pontoon’s weight is reduced, and it performs better in speed.
Lighten Your Load
Never load your pontoon boat with more weight if you want it to go faster. This is a no-brainer: Reduce the weight and go faster.
Distribute Weight Better
Always keep the weight load on the back of a pontoon boat. This speeds up the ship, keeping the pontoon’s front from plowing.
Use of Booster Ball for Pulling Tubes and Skiers
A booster ball is a big, ball-shaped inflatable that floats the tow rope out of the water. It works through the rope in the water, an anchor for a ski or tube. It pulls the skier towards the middle of the wake.
You get much-enhanced results if you float the line above the water. This way, riders can roam like they can on a fast pontoon. Overall, this is the simplest yet cheapest fix if you are a skier.
Easy on the Groups
Don’t take a ride with a lot of passengers. For the ultimate ride, there should be no more than five people at a time.
Underskin Your Pontoon
Underskin refers to adding metal sheets underneath the boat so that water that splashes up hits the metal instead of the metal studs. This results in a smoother and faster ride.
Add a Third Pontoon (Tritoon)
Adding a tritoon makes the boat more maneuverable and can accommodate more passengers.
Fit Lifting Stakes
If your pontoon boat doesn’t have lifting strakes installed, I recommend you get them installed. But what are those?
Briefly, lifting strakes are little metal strips that help create lift in the water. Above all, they allow the pontoon get up on the plane rather than just plowing. They provide a smooth ride and increase the boat’s speed.
Upgrade Your Prop
Upgrading your prop is yet another fix you can try to speed up your pontoon boat. Not every prop produces the same results. However, selecting a prop with the right pitch may help you get airborne more quickly.
How Fast Do You Need to Go?
Honestly, you don’t need to travel as fast on pontoons as you think you need. Many people want pontoons to be much faster due to their taste. However, pulling a skier requires a speed of about 20 mph, and Slalom water skiing requires at least 28 to 36 mph.
Speed also varies according to the abilities and tastes of the pontoon riders. The following table shows the optimal range of average speeds required for various water sports.
| Kneeboarding | around 13 to 20 mph |
| Tubing with very young kids | 5 to 10 mph |
| Tubing with kids 8 –10 years old | 15 to 20 mph |
| Tubing with adults & teenagers | 18 to 22 mph |
| Water skiing with two skis | 15 to 26 mph |
| Slalom skiing | 16 to 32 mph |
| Wakeboarding | 13 to 20 mph |
The speed for most water sports activities is about 22 mph. Additionally, any model with a 90 hp motor can achieve this speed. Therefore, you don’t need much speed, just a good pontoon boat.
What are the Fastest Pontoon Boats?
Pontoons differ in speed. Many are not as fast as people think, but some fast models are meant for leisure boating.
If you have a question, are pontoon boats fast? Here is the list of some of the fastest pontoon boats in the world:
- South Bay 925CR Tooned In
- Harris Crowne SL 250
- PlayCraft PowerToon Xtreme 3100
- Premier 290
- Manitou X-Plode
- PlayCraft PowerToon Xtreme 2700
- Bennington QR27 10 Wide
To date, South Bay 925CR Tooned In tops the list of fastest pontoon boats in the world. It has three engines and can sail at up to 114 mph.
Are Pontoon Boats Fast? The Bottom Line
When you boil this all down, here’s the takeaway: Pontoon boats are fast enough for your needs. However, you don’t need to be too fast. Therefore, you must buy a bigger engine to shorten your pontoon’s speed range.
Multiple factors affect pontoons’ performance. However, to enhance performance, it is highly recommended to maximize horsepower.
While traditionally not known for speed, modern pontoon boats, particularly those incorporating “tritoon” designs and advanced engineering, can indeed be much faster than older two-pontoon models. Their speed is a function of engine power, load management, and various hydrodynamic enhancements like underskinning and lifting strakes.
For recreational activities, even moderately powered pontoons can achieve sufficient speeds for most water sports. Therefore, if speed is a priority, selecting a tritoon with adequate horsepower and implementing key performance-enhancing tips can transform a pontoon from a leisurely cruiser into a thrilling watercraft capable of competitive speeds.
