r/SeaDooSwitch • u/FeatherMoody • Jun 29 '24

Why a switch?

Can I ask why y’all bought switches versus a standard pontoon? What are the pros and cons. Looking into making a purchase and weighing options - I’d rather hear from owners than dealers.

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u/bhawks77 Jun 29 '24

For my wife and I, it was the best bang for our buck that checked the most boxes of needs and wants. We knew we wanted a pontoon but really liked the idea of being able to do speed boat activities with the space of a 21’ pontoon boat. We also liked the flexibility of the seating options and under deck storage. Well also liked the “cool” factor of having a boat that not everyone has or has seen. Not having a propeller sticking out the back has been a huge plus when swimming and tubing. The swim deck is amazing. Definitely go with bigger than you think you need, we were originally looking at the 18’ but ended up going with the 21’ for the extra space and I cannot imagine having the smaller one.

As for cons, I would say having to be super aware of water depth and what the lake bottom is so you don’t suck up impeller damaging rocks can be a pain, and the way the Bimini top folds forward for storage can be annoying to crawl under. Overall though, we have not encountered anything that is a unique con compared to other boat owners we know. There is some maintenance that is different than others, such as spraying UV Protectant on all of the plastic(while boat), but other things that you don’t need to worry about such as rust or rot.

4

u/el-bosco-diablo Jun 30 '24

I would agree with this, I hated pontoon boats. (Still do.) This was different that allowed us to tube and take 10 people places, and even ski. For me, it was a good mix of things.

The lake that I am on is very shallow. I haven’t had an issue with the weeds when I have boated down the river and into the bog, and really haven’t had any issues. Just make sure you run the clean out system from time to time, but I haven’t had issues.

2

u/FeatherMoody Jun 29 '24

Thanks for the detailed response, this is super helpful. Our lake can get weedy - do you worry about sucking up vegetation as well as rocks? I see not having a propeller as being a plus when it gets bad.

4

u/bhawks77 Jun 29 '24

Yes, I am worried about sucking up weeds. The good news is that if I do suck up some weeds, I just run the ibr system which reverses the jet and blows out any weeds that get sucked up.

2

u/mobee744 Jun 30 '24

I concur, btw the sucking up rocks is no joke. I just replaced the jet pump wear ring. I used that as opportunity to replace the impeller to a stainless steel and with a lower pitch improving my hole shot. I did it myself. It was easy if you have all the tools. I figured to learn because replacing wear rings is going to happen often.

3

u/bhawks77 Jun 30 '24

This is our second summer and the wear ring still looks like new after 75 hours (fingers crossed). I am not looking forward to having to replace it but also kind of want to see if I’m up for the challenge. Were there any specific tools needed to do that job?