How Much Does a Used Pontoon Boat Cost? (Live Prices by Brand & Age)
Pontoons are the most-searched used boat in America for a reason: they carry a crowd, sit flat, and are simple to inspect. Here is what they actually cost right now, and how to tell a good one from a tired one.
By Joey Bouza, Founder, US Marine Connection · Updated August 29, 2026
The used pontoon market runs from a twenty-year-old two-tube boat with a 40-horsepower outboard to a late-model tritoon with 300 horsepower and a lounge that rivals a living room. The price spread is wide, and the reasons are specific: number and size of tubes, engine, furniture, and whether the boat lived on a lift or sat in the water. The numbers below are live from listings on this site; the buying advice is from watching which pontoons sell and which sit.
Live pontoon asking prices
The table shows the current median, lowest and highest asking price of every boat type on this site, recalculated hourly. The pontoon row includes tritoons; the spread between its lowest and highest number is the two-tube-versus-performance-tritoon gap described below.
| Type | Median asking | Lowest | Highest | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bowrider / deck boat | $42,149 | $500 | $389,950 | 105 |
| Pontoon & tritoon | $34,995 | $2,999 | $149,995 | 89 |
| Center console | $109,000 | $6,500 | $994,595 | 67 |
| Ski & wake | $81,900 | $7,999 | $269,995 | 33 |
| Fishing boat | $29,995 | $3,800 | $299,000 | 31 |
| Personal watercraft | $7,999 | $3,999 | $15,499 | 27 |
| Cruiser / yacht | $124,995 | $8,000 | $425,500 | 17 |
| Sailboat | $31,500 | $5,000 | $58,000 | 2 |
| Other | $14,448 | $4,900 | $23,995 | 2 |
What makes one pontoon cost three times another
Two tubes or three
A tritoon adds a center tube, which adds buoyancy, stiffness and the ability to carry a big outboard. That combination — three tubes plus 150 horsepower or more — turns a pontoon into a boat that pulls tubes and skiers, handles chop and cruises at highway speed, and it is the segment the market pays up for. A traditional two-tube boat with a smaller engine is the family cruiser: slower, cheaper, and perfectly suited to a calm lake.
Engine
On a pontoon the outboard is a large share of the value. A modern four-stroke from Yamaha, Mercury, Honda or Suzuki with documented hours and service is worth more than the same boat with an older two-stroke or an engine of unknown history. Check the hour meter, the lower-unit oil (milky means water intrusion), and ask for the dealer service printout.
Tubes, deck and lifting strakes
- Tubes: look for dents, weld repairs and pitting, especially on the underside and at the nose cones. Sound tubes are the whole boat; damaged ones are an expensive repair.
- Lifting strakes and under-deck skinning: performance features that add speed and efficiency; boats with them ask more.
- Deck: walk every square foot. Soft spots mean water in the plywood; a re-deck is a big job.
- Fencing and rails: dings and cracked panels are cosmetic but tell you how the boat was handled at the dock.
Furniture, bimini and options
Upholstery is where sun and mildew show first. Original seats in good shape are a strong sign of covered storage; cracked, torn or re-covered furniture means either a hard life or a recent investment — ask which. A bimini top, a ski tow bar, a changing room, an upgraded stereo, underwater lights and a trailer all move the price, and a trailer moves it the most because it saves the buyer transport and storage.
Live prices by brand
Pontoon buyers search by brand more than any other boat type — Bennington especially, followed by Harris, Tracker's Sun Tracker line, and the Manitou, Barletta and Avalon boats that show up in our listings. The table below ranks every brand on the site with at least five priced listings by median asking price; pontoon builders sit alongside runabout and fishing-boat builders, which is useful context for what the money buys elsewhere.
| Brand | Median asking | Lowest | Highest | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yamaha | $31,999 | $3,999 | $136,999 | 43 |
| Bennington | $47,499 | $9,999 | $149,995 | 38 |
| Sportsman | $119,808 | $89,995 | $406,875 | 28 |
| Bayliner | $35,000 | $500 | $109,930 | 27 |
| Grady-White | $199,000 | $19,900 | $390,000 | 15 |
| Sea Ray | $154,972 | $3,835 | $425,500 | 12 |
| Boston Whaler | $154,995 | $24,988 | $994,595 | 9 |
| Harris | $52,595 | $5,495 | $108,500 | 9 |
| Malibu | $79,995 | $13,999 | $169,995 | 9 |
| Sea-Doo | $12,988 | $4,999 | $30,449 | 9 |
| Stingray | $40,950 | $7,998 | $74,900 | 9 |
| Crownline | $39,648 | $4,500 | $124,995 | 8 |
| Lund | $42,639 | $19,900 | $96,499 | 8 |
| Crest | $66,000 | $2,999 | $88,500 | 7 |
| MasterCraft | $124,595 | $62,495 | $174,900 | 7 |
Bennington is the brand that most often anchors the top of the pontoon market: broad model range, tritoon and performance packages, and dealer networks that keep resale strong. Harris competes in the same premium space; Sun Tracker and Lowe boats dominate the value end and are often the best buy for a calm-water family. The brand hubs linked below show current inventory and a buying guide for each.
A used pontoon inspection checklist
- Match the HIN on the deck frame to the title; confirm the trailer is titled separately and included.
- Inspect every tube from below — dents, welds, corrosion, and whether the tubes have been foam-filled after a leak.
- Walk the deck for soft spots; check under the seats and the changing room for water and mildew.
- Run the engine on a hose or, better, on the water: cold start, idle, full throttle, trim range, and steering feel.
- Pull the lower-unit oil dipstick or drain screw and look at the oil.
- Test every switch: nav lights, bilge pump, livewell if fitted, horn, stereo, trim gauges.
- Check the bimini frame and canvas, the ladder, the gate latches and the mooring cleats.
- Ask where the boat was stored each winter and whether it was on a lift in season.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a fair price for a used pontoon boat?
- There is no one number; the live table above shows today's median and range on this site. Use it as the market, then adjust for tubes, engine, furniture and trailer as described in this guide.
- Is a tritoon worth the extra money?
- If you want to tow skiers or tubes, run in chop, or carry a big crowd at speed, yes. For a calm-lake family boat that idles around the shoreline, a two-tube pontoon does the job for much less.
- How many hours is too many on a pontoon outboard?
- Hours matter less than service history. A well-maintained four-stroke with several hundred hours is a better buy than a low-hour engine that sat unused for years; the latter tends to have fuel-system and corrosion problems.
- Do pontoons hold their value?
- The performance-tritoon segment holds well; basic two-tube boats follow the general depreciation curve. See our boat depreciation guide for the live decade medians.
- Why are Bennington pontoons more expensive?
- Broader model range, more premium options, and a dealer network that supports resale. Whether that premium is worth it for you depends on how you use the boat; for many lake families a Sun Tracker or Lowe is the smarter buy.
- Can I use a pontoon in salt water?
- Yes, with a saltwater package (sacrificial anodes, sealed wiring, stainless hardware) and rigorous rinsing. Inspect a used saltwater pontoon's tubes and hardware much more carefully than a freshwater boat.
- Does a used pontoon come with a trailer?
- Often not — many pontoons live on a lift or at a dock and never see a trailer. If one is included it adds real value; if not, budget for a pontoon trailer or a hauler.
- What size pontoon do I need?
- Length sets the crowd: most families are well served by 20–24 feet. Beam and tube count set the ride. Look at the capacity plate for the rated persons and weight before falling in love with a layout.
About the author
Joey Bouza — Founder, US Marine Connection
Working musician and founder of Prospects International, a marketing firm that runs lead and appointment campaigns for dealers — including boat dealers — across the country.
Prices and counts in our guides come from live listings on this site and are recalculated hourly. Where we quote industry-typical figures (transport quotes, survey fees, winterizing, repower quotes) we say so, and we never publish a number we haven't measured or sourced.