Best Pontoon Boats of 2024
We round up the best pontoon boats of the 2024 model year.
Pontoon boats are one of the hottest, most exciting segments of the boating market. Entry-level models perfect for a family outing or sunset cruise embrace classic pontoon features, whereas mixed-audience offerings add amenities for fishing and watersports outings. You can even find high-end luxury pontoons that'll fit in at the yacht club alongside more traditional craft. This year, as usual, the pontoon scene is flourishing with a variety of innovative boats embracing varied propulsion, options, and features.
Here's a sampling of our favorite pontoons in 2024:
- Bennington 30QX
- Sun Tracker Party Barge 24 DLX
- Harris Crowne 250
- Ranger 2500LS
- Tahoe 25 Grand Tahoe QL Windshield
- Barletta Cabrio 24 Ultra Entertainer
- Starcraft CX 25 DL Bar
- Sea-Doo Switch Cruise Limited
- Princecraft Vectra 21 RL
2024 Bennington 30QX
Sticking to the top of our list of best pontoons this year is Bennington's 30QX. Known for its distinctive style, she can fly across the water at speeds of over 60-mph with powerful twin-engine options. This energetic fiberglass-clad pontoon features over 20,000 different possible color combinations to adorn the frame, a curved bow with stainless trim, and composite glass skin.
The emphasis Bennington places on enhancing the passenger experience is evident across the 30QX model. The incorporation of low-profile windshields and a dual-console design ensures sufficient protection during cruising. Additionally, the 30QX has the unique ability to convert into a floating boombox, boasting an impressive array of LED-illuminated speakers that extend beyond the confines of the boat's interior. Last year the 2023 updates brought forth remarkable new features that catered simultaneously to performance and comfort. These enhancements included the introduction of standard-beam twin-engine models, SX Pillowtop furniture featuring thicker foam, fastback pods, as well as console pockets designed to hold cups and phones conveniently. Now for 2024 the cell phone holders have optional wireless charging abilities and the captain's and co-captain's chairs can be heated and cooled for all-weather pontooning.
See Bennington 30QX pontoon boats for sale on boats.com.
2024 Sun Tracker Party Barge 24 DLX
Last year Sun Tracker didn't offer the Party Barge 24 DLX and the 24 had become the Sportfish 24 XP3, a tri-toon model with fishing features like a 7’6″ rodbox, a 16-gallon livewell, rod and tool holders, and fishing chairs. For 2024 they've brought the 24 DLX back in a new and improved form. The boat now comes stock with a 150-hp Mercury outboard. It also coms with a huge list of standard features ranging from a Wet Sounds Bluetooth stereo system, to a portside wheelchair-accessible gate, to a Bimini top with LED lighting built in.
One real standout feature of the Party Barge 24 DLX is the backing Sun Tracker provides for it. The boat has a 10-year, bow-to-stern warranty coupled with a limited lifetime structural warranty. That's unheard-of factory-backed coverage in the boating world.
View Sun Tracker Party Barge 24 DLX pontoon boats for sale on boats.com.
2024 Harris Crowne 250
The Harris Crowne 250 benefitted from a major redesign for the model year, which resulted in a sleeker, more modern fiberglass exterior and interior furnishings designed to enhance both form and function. It now offers features like wireless charging, sit-through suspension seating, and a "Zero G" lounger with electrically adjusted backrest and leg supports. The Crowne 250 got a new tech injection, too, now boasting dual 12" Simrad NSX touchscreen displays at the helm, engine connectivity, and RGB lighting with smart controls.
The Crowne 250 was introduced at the 2024 Minneapolis Boat Show, where it made quite a splash. In fact, judges for the NMMA Innovations Awards found it so impressive, they gave it an award for being the most innovative new pontoon boat at the show.
See Harris Crowne 250 pontoon boats for sale on boats.com.
2024 Ranger 2500LS Pontoon
Last year we featured a Ranger 2500LS pontoon boat and for 2024 it makes the list once again thanks to several upgrades. The current flagship pontoon from Ranger, this boat leaves nothing to be desired, from a pontoon boat owner's perspective. Each element has been meticulously crafted to redefine the level of opulence and satisfaction one can experience during a day spent on the lake. From the indulgent overstuffed pillow-top seating and the ultra-premium upholstery to the speaker housings that can change colors to set the mood, the 2500 LS model introduces a level of sophistication uncommon even on today's luxury pontoon boats. That level went up a notch this year with the addition of new luxury weave cushioned flooring that stays up to 20-degrees cooler, and an upgraded Wet Sounds Bluetooth stereo system with a sub-woofer and six speakers.
The helm also has a new touch, featuring a Medallion Viper III touchscreen multifunction display that empowers you to manage every aspect of your boat's operations, and a rear-facing camera activated in reverse provides a clear view of what lies behind. Ample storage can be found beneath every seat and seatback with Ranger's DoubleUP™ lounges, and for added security, a pair of lockable compartments offer peace of mind. The trio of powder-coated pontoon logs collaborates seamlessly with the PowerPod™ motor extension, delivering an invigorating getaway whenever desired. The fences, boasting a high-gloss, rattle-free finish and adorned with stainless steel accents, radiate a majestic design that lives up to the esteemed Ranger name.
View Ranger 2500LS Pontoon Boats for sale on boats.com today.
2024 Tahoe 25 Grand Tahoe Quad Lounge Windshield
Tahoe’s 25 Grand Tahoe QL Windshield impressed us with its combination of the conventional and modern, mixed with sporty yet relaxing. The former is found in what appears to be a traditional fence enclosure, but upon closer inspection is revealed to be sleek painted aluminum panels with sculpted style lines, seamlessly blending into fiberglass modules aft. It’s a combo paired with a fiberglass day-boat trait, a wraparound windshield spread across dual consoles that offers welcome protection from the elements underway. A helm complete with multiple touchscreen displays, plush couches lining the perimeter, and Tahoe’s trademark ventilated, aluminum-framed seat bases round out interior offerings. Interior and exterior multi-color RBG lights are programmable. Below, the Waveglider Performance Package includes triple 27” pontoons with extruded lifting fins featuring a cupped design to reduce drag, plane higher on the water and deliver a fast, smooth ride.
View Tahoe 25Grand Tahoe Quad Lounge pontoon boats for sale on boats.com today.
2024 Barletta Cabrio 24 Ultra Entertainer
Barletta's Cabrio 24 Ultra Entertainer is another model that carries over from our 2023 picks, because it certainly lives up to its name. A high-topped table, dual swivel stools, and adjacent bench port of the helm are this vessel's center point, providing ample space for conversation and play. Chaise-lounge style seating can be found forward, concealing a stow-away table and quickly accessible additional stowage compartments. The 24 Ultra Entertainer's most sought-out spot, though, might be its one-of-a-kind Ultra-Lounge. Found at the stern, the Ultra-Lounge offers five different seating positions to relax in.
Barletta offers a wide array of optional extras that allow owners to customize the boat to their needs. Some of our top picks are the exterior lighting package, an ottoman with a built-in cooler and storage, a pop-up changing room in place of the chaise table, and a table with "Yeti-Ready" cup holders. For those interested in watersports, a tow bar is an option extra to consider.
View Barletta Cabrio 24 Ultra Entertainer pontoon boats for sale on boats.com today.
2024 Starcraft CX 25 DL Bar
Pontoons with actual “belly up to the” bars have been done before, but the emphasis on the cocktail in cocktail cruise often results in losing precious interior space when it’s not party time. Starcraft’s CX 25 DL Bar manages to offer up the best of both worlds. Aft, it features what looks like the familiar setup of stern bench backed by large, inviting sunbed. But pull up to the dock or sandbar, lift each half of that divided pad upwards toward the centerline, and voila - up pops a bar, with faux-granite countertop and six oversized cupholders. Rail-mounted stools are ready to be popped into a pair of floor mounts on port and starboard sides. When cocktail hour is done, lower the bar back into position and relax on the sunbed, or one of the multiple lounges surrounding the perimeter.
View Starcraft CX 25 DL pontoon boats for sale on boats.com today.
2024 Sea-Doo Switch Cruise Limited
Sea-Doo managed to send waves through the pontooning world when they launched the Switch, the manufacturer's first pontoon, and for 2024 they've expanded the lineup with the Switch Cruise Limited. This version of the Switch carries a 1630 Rotax 230-hp engine, comes in Caribbean Blue with special badging, trim, flooring, and seating. It also has a 10.25" glass helm integrating the onboard tech with a seven-inch Garmin GPS. It also boasts a new captain's chair with folding arm rests and an adjustable pedestal.
Sea-Doo's history as a PWC manufacturer shines through in the Switch's many innovative aspects— most notably, that it's the only pontoon propelled by jet power, skimming the surface aboard three of Sea-Doo’s Polytec tubes. The Polytec tubes are made of the same lightweight and easy to repair material as their jetskis. At the helm, you'll find further PWC influence in the controls, as its steering system closely resembles that of a jetski. The Switch further strays from traditional 'toons, but still embraces the pontooning culture of community in its innovative modular deck design. The floorplan can transform as owners' outing call for, with furniture and accessories the modular tile system. See 2024 Sea Doo Switch Updates to get the full scoop.
View Sea-Doo Switch Cruise and Cruise Limited pontoon boats for sale on boats.com today.
2024Princecraft Vectra 21 RL
Looking for an affordably priced, highly-customizable pontoon in the 20’ range? Princecraft’s Vectra 21 RL delivers, with prices ranging based upon location and chosen options, such as engine configurations, which range from 40 hp to 150 hp. No matter what your speed, you won’t feel as though you’re on a basic model. The helm may be rotomolded plastic, but it adds an acrylic top and molded dash panel, complete with lit aircraft-style toggles and a 160-watt Bluetooth Jensen stereo. The Bimini is standard, as is the stainless steel four-step stern ladder for easy access to the water. Below deck, choose from double or triple pontoon configurations. A tow bar is included among the plentiful options for owners, leveling up this vessel's watersport's capability. A removable table with four built-in cup holders, a deluxe driver seat, and a safety railing are a few more options that truly allow captains to craft this vessel into their own.
View Princecraft Vectra 21 RL pontoon boats for sale on boats.com today.
Pontoon enthusiasts interested in buying a new boat have many excellent options with this year's lineup, from vessels that focus on accommodations for fishing and watersports, to embracing the classic party-barge lifestyle that pontooners love. Hopefully, one or more of these will fit the bill for you!
