Tritoons vs Deck Boats: What's Right For You?

So you’re looking a boat – there are tons of options out there, but to start, what kind of boat is right for you? At Charles Mill Marina we sell a wide variety of tritoons and deck boats and we are often asked what the advantages of each type of boat are. Read on below for some reasons why you might want to consider a tritoon or a deck boat.

What are the advantages of a deck boat?

A deck boat will offer more responsive handling and a tighter turn radius than a tritoon. Deck boats have hydro-dynamic fiberglass hulls that are smoother and have less drag in the water than a tritoon, even a tritoon with aluminum under skin. A deck boat will also handle rougher water better than a tritoon, with less side-to-side rolling.

Deck boats are also easy to trailer – they are shorter in overall length and height than a tritoon,  and use a cradle style trailer, which is typically a little easier than the bunk-style trailers for a tritoon.

Deck boats offer more bang-for-your-buck than a tritoon. Due to material costs, the average deck boat is typically about $5,000 less than a comparable tritoon. The fiberglass hull design requires less fabrication than tritoons with welded aluminum tubes, aluminum under skin, decking, flooring and furniture. A deck boat is a boat with fewer total components and this tends to make them more friendly on your wallet.

All in all, deck boats offer families a great way to get on the water at an affordable price with great performance.

What are the advantages of a tritoon?

Tritoons have become immensely popular in recent years, by far the fastest growing segment in the boating market. It’s not hard to see why. Where traditional two tube pontoons were historically seen as slow cruising boats, modern tritoons offer an adrenaline-fueled ride that can pull tubers, skiers and wakeboarders with ease.

Tritoons are almost exclusively powered by outboard motors and recent advances in engineering have produced boats capable of handling over 700 HP. There’s definitely no shortage of horsepower available with tritoons and there is a wide range of build options that let you

Tritoons and pontoons also maximize the amount of floorspace on a boat. Because of their rectangular build, they can offer about 30% more deck space than a V-bottom boat or a deck boat.

The options available on a tritoon also far exceed those available on a deck boat or V-bottom boat, which are constrained by how they are built. We’ve seen everything from bars, to pull-out beds, to upper decks with slides on tritoons. The options are nearly endless – if you can imagine it, it’s probably been tried on a tritoon.

Should I buy a tritoon or a deck boat?

No matter what you choose, you can’t go wrong! Deck boats and tritoons both offer great features and ways to get on the water. At the end of the day you should choose the boat that is right for you and your family.

Deck boats can give you more performance for your dollar, are easier to trailer and can be great boats for families that want to tube and ski.

Tritoons provide flexibility with layouts and options while also delivering top speeds and performance thanks to increasingly large outboard motors.

About Charles Mill Marina

At Charles Mill Marina, located in Mansfield, Ohio, we offer quality tritoons, pontoons and deck boats made by Starcraft and SunChaser. These great American-made boats come with the best warranties in the industry are powered with reliable Yamaha and Suzuki outboard motors.

Every new boat sold at Charles Mill Marina come standard with a free mooring cover, free safety package, on-water lesson with your boat and free delivery anywhere in the state of Ohio.

Click here to view our inventory of Tritoons, Deck Boats and Pontoons.