Top Features to Look for in a Pontoon Boat

Pontoon boats today have come quite a long ways since the days of yore. From an evolutionary standpoint, the pontoon is probably one of the oldest style of boats known to man. The first boat builders probably invented the raft as a means of transportation on water, but then they realized they needed something with more stability. Two big logs were used instead of multiple twigs cinched together. Add a deck to secure the logs, and thus, the pontoon boat was born.

On the outside it may look like little has changed from the original concept, with the exception of using high-grade TIG-welded aluminum tubes compared to logs or oil drums. Numerous upgrades to engineering and materials make these boats ultimately versatile with endless options. Some options even make pontoon boats handle like sophisticated cruisers.

So where do you begin in your search for the ideal pontoon boat? Here is a few things to consider in your search.

Evaluate where you will be spending most of your time. Do you enjoy cruising with the family around the lake? Or maybe you spend most of your time fishing with your friends. Both of these scenarios lead you to a different style of pontoon. Fishing style pontoons have chairs on the corners of the deck versus leisure pontoons have more lounge and bench-style seating.

Take note of how much room you need. Do you like entertaining? If so, how many people on a given time will you host on your pontoon? I know of some folks who like hosting large get-togethers and they love spending a lot of time taking out everyone on their 25′ pontoon. They are looking at getting a larger one!

Think of how you’d like to travel. These days, you can get a lot more than just a floating barge. Modern triple-tube pontoons like the Premier’s PTX 3-tube allows your pontoon to carve corners, handle and plane like a modern v-hull style cruiser. With a 300 hp Mercury Outboard on back, it’s hard to believe you’re riding in a pontoon boat! Many new pontoon boats come without the outboard motors attached, so you can choose how much power you need.

How far is your destination? Will you transport your pontoon 150 miles to your cabin on the lake? Or are you keeping your pontoon primarily at the site where you launch? Knowing that will help you decide if you need a bunk-style trailer for stable hauling, or a  scissors-style trailer for moving your pontoon boat across the yard to the shed.

Consider your style of entertaining. Do you have a lot of friends who enjoy the night life, and they like hosting happy hour on the water? Premier Pontoons offer a full bar as an option on the Grand Entertainer model. Stainless steel grills, refrigerators, and a cabana top make you think you’re at your favorite floating bar.

Some other options include changing rooms, galleys, power Bimini tops, satellite radios, MP3 inputs, ski tow bars, and more.

Hopefully this can get you started in determining your needs for a pontoon boat. There are numerous options out there if you are looking for a specific style of pontoon boating. Nowadays, it seems like every niche is covered, so the perfect model for your is a few options away. If you need more help, we’d be happy to assist you here at Shipyard Marine! Call us at 920-434-2000. Happy boating!

Boating Season Opening 2012 at Shipyard Marine

Can there be anything better than summer? A lazy Saturday at the dock…a cocktail on the boat watching the sunset… or as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band would interlude: “Crickets singing and lightning bugs floating on a breeze…” My stress eases just thinking about it! There’s a lot of activity in the yard these days at Shipyard Marine – but that can only mean that summer is right around the corner.

Lately the weather has been excellent the last few days in Green Bay, with clear skies and high temps in the mid-80′s. This is welcome after a pretty cold and wet last couple weeks. As we continue to see the warm temps, we will definitely see more boaters getting their machines shined up and in the water at a weekend’s notice.

Here’s a photo gallery from last Saturday May 12th, 2012 at Shipyard Marine:

Pure 80′s cool – 1988 Tempest 32 Europa, performance boating history

The Eighties were known for many amazing things… Def Leppard, The Ghostbusters, Punky Brewster, big hair, the original Nintendo and Mario Bros., Back to the Future… and the list goes on and on. Many of the things I grew up with in my childhood I see a resurgence in popularity. Stuff from that time is now considered vintage memorabilia. Wow, where did the time go?

But there is a certain style and appeal about products of the eighties that is now ultra-cool in a vintage fashion. Hi-tech, cutting edge stuff was considered a Walkman, a big analog boom box or an Apple II computer. And we loved that stuff didn’t we? When I see items like that today it always puts a smile on my face.

88 Tempest – in sepia tone

So when I saw this ’88 Tempest come in at Shipyard Marine, I couldn’t resist. This thing rocks, from it’s (then) state of the art interior design to the hundreds of esoteric analog gauges and dials on this thing.

Look at all the dials on here!

This thing oozes cool from every square inch of its 32 feet of vintage fiberglass. The Tempest was considered the quintessential performance boat of its time. You can tell because reading the advertisements from that time, the company allowed you to personalize every aspect of the boat down to if you wanted an outboard or a stern drive. They didn’t care – if you want to pay for it, they’ll throw it in. Massive Pac-Man arcade  game console built-in? They probably would’ve made it happen.

80′s brochure ad Tempest Marine

Very few items are like this nowadays. In the streamlined factory production pace of the post rescission world, “custom” comes from which options you check on the factory order list. They need to reduce costs from optimizing lines to produce the highest yield. Keeping costs to an absolute minimum is the name of the manufacturing game today.

That’s what makes boats like this so unique.

80′s Tempest Boat Advertisement

Gotta love these vintage boat ads…

Vintage Tempest Boats Ad

Tempest Marine also built a 44 foot FCI (Fast Coastal Interceptor) boat for the US Coast Guard at the same time that this boat was being built. The FCI was powered by twin CAT motors and was used for chasing down drug traffickers in the waters off Florida.

They built serious stuff.

This boat is the DeLorean of the water. Few items like this come up these days. Many collectors keep them forever and they get put in a museum somewhere. But the cool thing is we have the ’88 Tempest 32 Europa at Shipyard Marine! Get it and you may just go Back to the Future! I’ll check our service department to see if we have any Flux Capacitors lying around….

Check it out at www.shipyardmarine.com.

Post by Steve Vogel, Shipyard Marine

New Yamaha 212X at Shipyard Marine

The new Yamaha 212 X jet boat has awesome power to weight ratio, excellent handling and is perfect for sport enthusiasts and power cruisers alike. Twin High Output 1.8 L’s, this bad boy goes from 0-30 in 4 seconds. Coming to Shipyard Marine next week:

Check it out here on Shipyardmarine.com : Yamaha 212X

What’s the best reason for owning a boat?

Summer is fast approaching. Being in Wisconsin, this is a very welcome thing. Cold weather and winter for me never really jived together. Though we’ve tried to get acquainted with a weekend at the ski hill, the whole numb-limbs thing always put on a damper. Even my winter activities this year had a summer-like vibe: Lighting a campfire in my fire pit in December; Grilling out steaks in January…

So summer and I have always been friends. And what better time of spending those valuable summer days than those on the water? We at Shipyard Marine have always known the value of summer and life on the water. But what about you? What’s some of the reasons why you own a boat?

I’ve talked to a few boat owners and the reasons seem to vary. What I’ve noticed it goes much beyond the love of the water.

It’s the best time of your lives.

Many of my favorite summer memories involved going to Haines Beach up in Door County, Wisconsin with friends. If I was lucky, my friends would be down there on their boat. Tossing the Frisbee around in the water, sun going down…having some drinks… can it get any better?

It gets your friends together.

What better way to spend a hot summer day with a bunch of friends getting pulled behind a Malibu Wakesetter as you’re splashing through waves at speed. With your adrenaline pumping, you nail a trick and everyone is cheering and talking about it for the rest of the day. These are the times when lifelong memories are made.

It makes your family stronger.

Many times in the hustle finds ourselves drifting away from our family during the average week. Kids can lock themselves to video games and cell phones as we immerse ourselves in our jobs, paying bills, and other weekly commitments. Find a great way to bring your family together on the water. Reconnect by actually talking while sitting around hanging out on the boat instead of sending text messages to each other in different rooms in the same house. De-clutter and simplify. Feel what it’s like to get close to your family again!

Tip: go to a secluded campground on a body of water out of cell phone range!

As you can see, owning a boat can run a lot deeper than water. What about you? What floats your boat? 

Crack the Ice Party Recap

Thanks to all who joined us for the Crack the Ice Party at the Green Bay Yacht Club last Saturday night. Good food, drinks and a great time was had by all. Our friends always know how to take a party to the next level!

There was a buzz in the air of how everyone is ready for summer weather to come so we can do some boating. Our Donzi 38 ZR Competition was on display for drooling.

A special thanks goes out to the Madcats band who performed. My personal favorite was a rendition of Toby Keith’s “Red Solo Cup” – a classy tune that always gets everyone singing and dancing.

Check out our photo album from the party:

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Shipyard Marine’s Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/AdrenalineRefined

Madcats Band Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/madcatsband

Spring Update 2012 at Shipyard Marine

It’s springtime at Shipyard Marine! That can only mean one thing: everyone is getting excited about the upcoming boating season. Green Bay, Wisconsin had an unseasonably warm winter with not much snow. I was quite happy about this because my back loved seeing the snow shovel hanging on the wall of the garage.

March had temperatures off the hook as we approached 80 degrees around St. Patrick’s Day. I thought it was really interesting hearing that my friends living in Seattle were getting snow and rain while we were tuning up our lawnmowers and motorcycles to hit the road in the hot sun (finally, Wisconsin gets justice!). I know that personally because I couldn’t wait to get my Harley roaring down the road.

Shipyard is buzzing with activity because of the warm temperatures. Even though we got back down to normal temperatures for March, it hasn’t helped the summer itch our customers have been having!

We’re in the process of recommissioning and upgrading peoples boats so they can have it hooked up with the onset of a nice weekend. Not only that, but sales have been HOT as new customers come in looking to stir up their fun level for the summer.

Make sure to keep in touch with us for the summer! We’ll keep you informed where the party is happening. Or, just take a tip from Brad Paisley and just “Drive ’till the map turns blue” because that’s where you’ll find us!!

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Captain’s Blog 6 – We Thank You!

Good Saturday morning and welcome to another installation of the Captain’s Blog! I have some big news about new boat owners, some awards we have received and a few photos to share with you! So let’s dive right in and get you up to date.

First of all, we have a few proud new boat owners to mention. Christopher Noack and David Granthom just purchased a beautiful new 2011 Premier 221 Explorer pontoon and are hoping to get a bit of time in on the water yet this year. Barb Stencil is an extremely happy new owner of a 2011 Premier 250 Sunsation PTX with a 200hp Mercury Verado! That pontoon is one of the best performance and luxury pontoons on the market. A final congratulations goes out to our Canadian neighbor Mike Cameron; his garage has a new addition of a 2011 Larson LX 850 Ski-Fish with a custom trailer! So a congratulations is in order for Christopher, David, Barb, and Mike, you’ve all been a great pleasure to work with thus far.

Now for the BIG news. We cannot thank you guys enough for the amount of support we have gotten over the years. You guys are some of the most loyal customers around, without you we wouldn’t have achieved the reputation and status that we currently have. This year, many of you voted for Shipyard Marine in the category of Favorite Boat Dealer and Best Marina in Powerboat Magazine’s annual awards. Thanks to your voices Shipyard Marine won both for the 2nd year in a row! The official published articles announcing our awards can be viewed by clicking here (Our article can by found by simply clicking or arrowing over to pages 17 + 18).

In marina news, there is an incredible amount boats in our yard and slips at the moment. It’s really quite a sight. Pictures of our full lot with a variety of boats can be seen by clicking here. Our service team has been working hard to make sure all of these boats get taken care of before the snow flies.

In conclusion, I’d like to reiterate how thankful we are to have a customer base like you guys! You’ve done great things for us and we hope to continue doing great things for you in future. Also, a final congratulations to our new boat owners. Enjoy your weekend everybody, Halloween is right around the corner!

It’s all said and done, it’s been real, and it’s been fun!

Captain’s Blog 5 – One More Time!

Hello everyone and welcome back.  October hasn’t been a typical October so far!  We all expected the leaves to start falling as fast as the temperature, but mother nature has thrown us a curveball (imagine that).  In the prime of winterization season we have been given a couple gorgeous weekends to work with!  I can’t tell you how many calls we get at the marina with the customer on the other end yelling “Don’t winterize my boat yet! I can get out one more time!”  How can you blame them, we live in Wisconsin.  It isn’t too often that an October like this happens here.

In other news, we would like to congratulate Aaron and Melissa Socha on becoming the owners of a new Chaparral 264 Sunesta, as well as Mike Cameron who is now the proud owner of a 2011 Larson 850 Ski Fish!  There’s still a bit of time for them to enjoy their new toys yet this year; I know they have every intention of doing so.

On a side note, it has been a joy to see some of the gorgeous vessels coming back for the season to be stored with us.  Some of these have been with us for a while; others are new to Shipyard Marine.  They’re all welcome and in good hands here.

Also, a quick thanks needs to go out to everyone who attended and had a part in the Shipyard Marine Customer Appreciation Party at Townline Bar and Grill last weekend.  It was a good time and a nice exit to another superb boating season.  Thanks for stopping by, next time I’ll touch on a new addition to our inventory we are expecting soon!

It’s all said and done, it’s been real, and it’s been fun!

Captain’s Blog 4 – Sneak Peek into 2012!

Greetings everyone!  This week I’m going to give you a bit of a glance into the future, and a rundown of life around the marina as of late.  I have a lot to cover here so let’s get started!

I’ll begin with the day to day activities of the marina.  As we all know, the temperatures in Wisconsin are getting considerably cooler (as mentioned in my last post).  Our loyal customers are in the process of bringing their vessels back home to Shipyard Marine from wherever their summer travels may have taken them for winterization and storage.  Yes I know, this means the end of the boating season is upon us, but we get to see friendly faces and the gorgeous boats that belong to them!  It’s been a real treat getting to see a lot of you guys again and there’s still more to come!

On a side-note, Shipyard Marine has become a proud sponsor of a Green Bay Area city league football team!  We wish them the best and home they bring home the gold (an office trophy would be nice).

Now for the sneak peek!  I’ve already spilled the beans and told everyone about the new Malibu MXZ coming to Shipyard Marine… but we have some exciting new additions coming in the Premier Pontoon line and perhaps the Chaparral line.  Chaparral is releasing an all-new line of bowrider called H2O.  Chaparral provided a great video explaining what the H2O line is all about, watch it here!  Let me know what you think of it, we just might have some on the lot to start 2012!

**One last reminder**  October 1st is the Shipyard Marine Customer Appreciation Party.  Details here!  Thanks for reading, see you next week!

It’s all said and done, it’s been real, and it’s been fun!