Center Tube Design

The exact depth of our center tube with positive angle lifting strakes provides stability, razor sharp turning and the superior ride normally associated with V-hulls. The precise degree of deadrise is the key that unlocks a hull's performance characteristics. Too much or too little dead rise, can detrimentally affect ride quality, stability, acceleration, speed and handling. At Manitou®, our engineers have spent years testing pontoon hull configurations resulting in our industry leading V-Toon® Technology.

Lifting Strake Design

Much of the critical engineering in a performance triple tube hull is in the balance of precise hull geometry and strategically designed and placed lifting strakes. Like reverse angle chines on a monohull, negative angle lifting strakes can increase lift but have negative impacts on ride quality by increasing slamming loads. Conversely, positive angle lifting strakes provide the needed planing surface, deliver a smooth ride and enhance the nimble reflexes of a V-Toon. Inferring that strakes are detrimental to performance when placed on the outside of the lateral tubes may be true on our competitors boats, which are less agile and less predictable at higher speeds, but not ours. When you need to get back to a downed skier, want to get to a fishing hole first, or need to outrun the weather, you need the speed and agility only found on a V-Toon hull. Don't fall for the smoke and mirrors of false claims, demand V-Toon Technology with Positive Angle Lifting Strakes.

Theirs

Simply adding a center tube will increase stability and buoyancy but will not necessarily improve handling. By widening the center tube and adding strakes, our competitors have been successful at getting their boats to heel (bank) at slow speeds, but these boats handle erratically at planing speeds. Without deadrise, the lateral forces exerted on a hull, during a turn, overcomes the boats ability to bank. This causes uncontrollable heeling to the outside. At Manitou® we believe your family deserves safe, confidence inspiring, predictable handling and we deliver nothing less.

Elliptical Pontoon

U-Shaped Pontoon

Almost every pontoon company claims that their pontoon boats handle like a runabout or v-bottom boat. But without a v-shaped hull, it is simply impossible to have v-bottom handling. Passengers that have ridden in flat bottom crafts or ones with very little deadrise have experienced the bone jarring ride and inadequate handling they produce. Adding reverse chines or negative angled lifting strakes only makes matters worse.

Ours

Manitou's V-Toon hulls perform like hard chined, v-bottom mono-hulls. Precise deadrise and strake combination allow our hulls to heel into a turn like a race-car on a banked track providing passengers with a more comfortable and safer ride. When heeling, centrifugal forces are directed downward through the hull, making it easier for passengers and gear to remain in place. As speeds increase, the natural ability of a hull to heel becomes increasingly important, not only for comfort, but safety.

Deadrise

It is deadrise that softens a boat's ride in rough water by deflecting the energy created by wakes and wave action. The angle of a hulls surface (deadrise) also contributes to a boats ability to heel into a turn. Finding the ultimate deadrise angle, that provides excellent ride qualities as well as nimble handling, for triple tube pontoon hulls is something that only the engineers at Manitou have mastered.

Dynamic Lift

All boats at rest and prior to planing speed are supported by simple buoyancy. As a boat accelerates,forces dynamically increase between the planing surface of the hull and the water. With adequate speed and enough planning surface, a boat goes from its maximum displacement speed to planing. At planning speeds static buoyancy contributes very little to boat performance. So, why buy a boat that has an unnecessarily large center tube that only contributes unneeded buoyancy during displacement speeds or at rest? Hauling around the added weight of an unnecessarily large center tube only hampers a boats ability to perform above displacement speeds.

Deadrise

Dynamic Lift

Stability at Speed

Performance hulls respond positively and instantly to throttle and steering input. Flat bottom style pontoon hulls, while stable, are difficult to turn and react inadequately to driver input during planing speeds. Our V-Toon Technology, by virtue of deadrise and dynamic lift, provides a confidence-inspiring platform when coupled with large engines. Soft ride, great acceleration, higher top end speeds, razor like handling and unwavering stability at speed, that's V-Toon Technology.

Bottom Line

No one builds flat bottom performance boats for a reason. Maneuvering would be horrendous if not dangerous and the slam loads would make the ride bone jarring. So why would anyone, interested in performance and handling, buy a flat bottom pontoon boat?