Manitou Sweeps Race Third Consecutive Year

Bloomington, IN - For the third consecutive year, Manitou Pontoon Boats finished first in all three outboard motor categories in Pontoon and Deck Boat Magazine's McKainer Pontoon Barrel Race. This year the annual event took place in Bloomington, IN. The race showcases the speed and maneuverability of the top pontoon boats on the market. 12 brands of pontoon boats participated in this year's PDB Days and Roundup.

The three outboard motor categories of the Barrel Race included: Pontoons with outboard power of up to 150hp, pontoons with outboard power from 175-200hp and pontoons with outboard power of 225hp and more. One notable entry was a Sylvan pontoon with twin 250 HP Yamaha engines. After everyone ran the course Manitou's 23 Encore RF SHP with an Evinrude 250 HO gen 2 finished 5 seconds ahead of the next closest boat, the twin outboard Sylvan. Once again this demonstrates that simply adding more horsepower to a pontoon is no match for a superior hull design. Interestingly the 21 Oasis SHP with a 200 G2 HO would have also beaten the Sylvan by roughly 2 seconds.

"To witness these results year after year is a testament to the superior design and unrivaled efficiency of our V-Toon® Hull" remarked company President Steven VanWagenen.

Pushing the Perception of Pontoons

At Manitou Pontoon Boats, we've never been content with the status quo. Oh sure, we've won the CSI Award for customer satisfaction thirteen years in a row, but aside from that, we don't like to repeat ourselves. So while other Pontoon boat manufacturers tinker with simple upgrades to seat fabrics and color schemes, we're continually innovating.

We're known for our fresh template and clean slate approach, but we're also all about ramping up performance, building in more features, and developing new types of Pontoon boats altogether. It's all part of our ongoing mission to make the best Pontoon boats even better.

Construction and Quality

The Best Performance Pontoon on the Market Starts with the Strongest Frame in the Industry.

When it comes to how our boats are built, and the quality of the materials used, "good enough" never is. From the fit and finish of a bench seat, to a single weld on a barracuda nosecone - we take the time to ensure every component meets an exceedingly high level of performance. As far as we're concerned, there simply is no room, or need, for anything but the very best.

1. On average, we use more crossmembers than anyone else. Rather than 17 inch intervals, we often place our crossmembers just 7 inches apart. Especially in areas that need extra strength, like where the most force from the engine and water are felt.
2. Manitou Pontoon Boats delivers the best welds in the industry.
3. Hat shaped, extruded aluminum cross-members make up the structure of the strongest frame in the industry. Manitou offers the only frame that can withstand forces associated with the speed and razor sharp turning of V-Toon technology.

There's a Reason the Industry Looks to Us for What's Next

Nothing gives us greater pleasure than enhancing our already strong performance. From handling to power to design upgrades, we're always innovating. As our long time customers know, Manitou is all about starting from greatness and making it even greater. It's this restless passion to define "what's next" that has made the Manitou name synonymous with some of the best luxury pontoon boats in the world.

For one thing, we're constantly researching how our boats work in the water. Then we translate these insights into the higher horsepower, superior handling, and impressive styling that make today's Manitou your ideal performance pontoon boat. Choose from two different hull configurations, and multiple packages - each one developed using this performance enhancing research and design.

New Generation Pontoons for the Next Level of Performance

More than just a third tube bolted to the deck, this Manitou innovation was engineered to optimize performance, beginning with the size and precise positioning of the center tube. Here's the proof:

The 27" tube, positioned 1.25" lower than the 23" diameter outside tubes, results in a 5.25" differential between the bottom of the center tube and the bottom of the outside tubes. It's this precise positioning, along with strategically placed positive angle lifting strakes, that results in the exact degree of deadrise and water displacement needed to simulate the standard v-hull. Extensive research has confirmed that an inch higher or an inch lower will detrimentally affect ride quality, stability, acceleration, speed, and handling.

Lifting Strake Design

In other words, it's all about balance. Like reverse angle chines on a monohull, negative angle lifting strakes can increase lift, but have negative impacts on ride quality due to increased slamming loads. By contrast, our strakes facilitate a smooth ride and enhance the nimble reflexes of a V-Toon. Are strakes detrimental to performance when placed on the outside of the lateral tubes? That may be true on our competitors' boats, which are less agile and less predictable at higher speeds, but not ours. When speed and agility are what you desire, only the V-Toon hull can deliver.

Why Your Next V-Hull Should Be a V-Toon

How can we possibly compare the performance of a traditional v-hull boat with that of a pontoon? It's all in the details. The optimal angle of the hull's surface deflects energy created by wakes and waves. This also ensures dynamic lift. As a boat accelerates, forces increase between the surface of the hull and the water. With the right amount of speed and angle of surface, a boat will plane, or lift to the top of the water. Manitou gets everything just right.

Traditional Triple Tube vs V-Toon: One Increases Flotation, The Other Enhances Performance

Adding a third tube to a pontoon will make the boat more stable and buoyant on the water. But it does very little, if anything at all, to improve handling or performance.

Their Flat Bottom:

The competition's TriToon boat uses a wider center tube on their boats, along with a variety of strakes. They have been successful at getting their boats to bank at slow speeds, but they handle erratically at planing speeds. Without a v-shaped hull, pontoons have very little rise. To correct this, some manufacturers have added reverse chines or negative angled lifting strakes. That may improve lift but it makes for a jarring ride.

V-Toon® Hull

Without question, our boats handle more like a v-bottom monohull than any other pontoon in the industry. We've engineered a hull that heels into a turn like a racecar on a banked track. As speeds increase, the natural ability of a hull to heel becomes increasingly important, not only for comfort, but safety. At the end of the day, the safety of your family and friends is most important of all.

Manitou delivers a three-tube experience that outperforms all others. The patented technology adds a larger center tube, then drops it down 1.5" to create a 5.25" differential. This, plus our lifting strakes, allow for unprecedented maneuvers-no more flat cornering or banking to the outside. Expect better hole shots, improved acceleration, higher speeds, and better stability. Not to mention the pure enjoyment of having up to 300 HP at the ready.

The Sport Handling Package (SHP) is designed to deliver maximum performance on boats featuring 150-300 HP engines. Cruise through even turbulent water with confidence thanks to features like these:

Designed for boats that operate at less aggressive speeds and lower horsepower, the VP provides the performance you expect from our V-Toon hull at a surprisingly competitive value. It offers: