Pontoons and deck boats both carry a crowd, and both get chosen for family days, swimming and relaxed cruising. They're built very differently, though. A pontoon sits on aluminum tubes with a flat, square deck. A deck boat is a runabout with a hull under it and a wide, open bow that carries the boat's width forward for more seating. This guide compares the two using the models in our data.
The short version
- Pontoon: the most deck space and the easiest boarding for its size, built for an easy pace on lakes and rivers.
- Deck boat: a hull that's made to run faster and handle chop better than a typical pontoon, with seating that still wraps around the bow. A good fit if watersports matter.
Choose a pontoon if
- Most of your time will be cruising, lounging, swimming or casual fishing on lakes and rivers.
- You want room to move around, a lot of seating, and easy boarding for kids, older passengers or dogs.
- You want plenty of choice. Our data has 436 pontoon and tritoon models from 32 brands, against 38 deck boat models from 9 brands.
Choose a deck boat if
- You'll pull tubers, skiers or wakeboarders, or you want a boat that feels sporty at speed.
- You boat on bigger water where wind chop builds and you'd rather ride it in a hull.
- You'll trailer often and want a boat that's shaped like a runabout on the road and at the ramp.
What our data shows (checked 2026-11-05)
| Pontoon / tritoon | Deck boat | |
|---|---|---|
| Models in our data | 436 | 38 |
| Brands | 32 | 9 |
| Length (LOA) | 8' 6" to 34' 5", median 23' (n=283) | 16' 2" to 27' 2", median 20' 9" (n=31) |
| Beam | median 8' 6" (n=248) | median 8' 6" (n=37) |
| Draft | median 21 in (n=8) | median 12.5 in (n=23) |
| Dry weight | median 2,275 lb (n=176) | median 2,685 lb (n=25) |
| Fuel capacity | median 37 gal (n=246) | median 46 gal (n=36) |
| Max horsepower | median 187.5 hp (n=304) | median 200 hp (n=36) |
| Passengers | median 11 (n=228) | median 12 (n=29) |
| Published prices | $23,970 to $418,939, median $54,119 (n=163) | $27,024 to $98,932, median $56,066 (n=28) |
| Priced under $50,000 | 69 | 9 |
| Priced $50,000 to $99,999 | 51 | 19 |
| Priced $100,000 to $249,999 | 40 | 0 |
| Priced $250,000 and up | 3 | 0 |
Figures checked 2026-11-05, computed from the model pages on this site (each value links to the builder's own page there). "n" is how many models publish that figure. Prices are the builders' published base or starting prices, not dealer or out-the-door prices, and many builders don't publish one, so treat the price rows as a rough picture of what's listed, not market prices. Medians are the middle value, so half the models are above and half below.
A few things stand out. The two types overlap a lot on published price: the medians are $54,119 for pontoons and $56,066 for deck boats. The pontoon price range runs much higher, up to $418,939 against $98,932 for deck boats. The deck boat list is short and comes from few brands, so check models on their own pages before reading too much into the medians.
Questions to ask before you buy
- What will we do most: cruise and swim, or tow watersports?
- How rough does our water get on a typical summer afternoon?
- How many people will we carry, and how often?
- Where will we keep it, and can our vehicle tow it? See Trailering Basics.
Next steps
- Compare models on the Pontoon / tritoon hub and the Deck boat hub.
- See state-by-state ownership costs for typical pontoon and deck boat models in Cost to own a boat.
- Deciding between two or three tubes? Read Pontoon vs. Tritoon. Also comparing runabouts? Read Bowrider vs. Deck Boat.
- Put a real price into the True Cost tool to see loan payments, sales tax, registration and upkeep for your state.
- Start from a monthly budget with Shop by Payment, which lists models whose published price fits.
- See the wider picture in Choosing a Boat Type and The True Cost of Boat Ownership, Explained.