6 of the Best Luxury Pontoon Boats

Forget the old days of the party barge with a picnic table on it. Today’s luxury pontoon boats set entirely new standards of on-water decadence.

With their luxurious interiors, seating for the whole family and more, galleys complete with grills and refrigerators, exceptional stereo systems and all sorts of eye-popping options, today’s top-end pontoon boats bring unprecedented luxury and performance to the water. With multi-engine designs that can handle twin 300s or even twin 400s, they deliver performance to rival the best speed boats, while innovative engineering ensures that power goes hand-in-hand with nimble handling for the ultimate thrill ride.

Still think of pontoons as just glorified rafts? Perhaps these luxury pontoon boats will change your mind, as we look at six of the year’s hottest tube boats.

Bennington QX25

Bennington QX25

Love the versatility of a pontoon but really like that open transom that only comes with sterndrive-powered runabouts? Bennington lets you have your cake and eat it too with its sterndrive-powered QX25. Featuring the company’s popular Swingback stern seat, this pontoon blends stylish design with riveting performance and serious interior luxury. Standard features include everything right down to a kitchen sink so you can enjoy all the comforts of home. Just take one look at the QX25 and you can see that this is one of the best luxury pontoon boats around.

G3 SunCatcher Diamond Elite 326SS

G3 SunCatcher Diamond Elite 326SS

Plush furniture, performance tubes, the ability to handle high-horsepower engines and amenities like under-deck storage for skis and water toys make G3’s Diamond Elite 326 SS ideal for fast-paced fun at a moment’s notice. The open stern layout speaks to its fun-loving nature with two full-length lounge couches complete with LED-enhanced cup-holders, built in stereo speakers and easy access storage. Capable of handling outboards of up to 300 horsepower, it can keep up to the speed boats while spoiling its passengers with opulent luxury.

Manitou 25 X-Plode SRS

Manitou 25 X-Plode SRS

Like to get there quickly? Manitou’s X-Plode was designed from the outset with twin engines in mind, like twin 300s for spectacular acceleration, eye-popping top speed and incredible handling. Attention to details like LED lighting throughout, a rockin’ Kicker stereo, luxurious furniture including an extended starboard chaise for enjoying the sun and upgrades like a Gussi Garda steering wheel with power-assisted steering on a raised helm platform give the X-Plode more than just a swift ride. Few luxury pontoon boats can boast the pure performance of the X-Plode SRS.

Premier Escalante

Premiere Escalante

It’s big – 31 feet, 5 inches long to be precise – and a whopping 10 feet, 2 inches wide. It takes up to twin 400 horsepower outboard for 800 ponies in all – more power than found on many speedboats. And it has two decks, complete with a curved stairway and a slide for the ultimate family fun. Add in luxurious upholstery, a killer stereo, a glass helm, a unique step galley and it’s easy to see why this craft stands out among the industry’s top luxury pontoon boats.

Starcraft SX 25 C

Starcraft SX 25 C

Starcraft has been a family favorite since it launched its first boat in 1903, and one look at the SX 25 C makes it easy to see why. With its elegant design, full galley, fully loaded helm console on a raised platform, Kicker KMC20 stereo system with Bluetooth and standard LED color-changing lighting, this is one pontoon that clearly makes a statement. It even comes with Starcraft’s HMX PR25 performance package as a standard feature for jaw-dropping performance right out of the gate.

Sylvan M5 LZ DC

Sylvan M5 LZ DC

Sleek, graceful, and uber-luxurious, Sylvan’s M5 looks and feels a lot more like a flagship SUV than a pontoon boat. Supremely comfortable upholstery , an audiophile stereo, a unique wrap-around helm with sporty double bubble windshields and impeccable attention to detail are just the start. Add an optional refrigerator, stainless steel grill and Porta-potti and there’s no reason to ever return to the dock. Luxury pontoon boats like the M5 LZ DC make you want to stay out on the water as long as possible.