The Sun Tracker Party Barge 22 DLX is a pontoon boat that can get your whole family on the water in an affordable, trailerable and fun package. It features a classic interior layout with opposing couches in the bow and stern of the boat. The couches feature a key twist though—in addition to the copious underseat storage, the Sun Tracker’s patented Stow More system builds additional storage behind the flip-up backrest cushions. These storage spots are a great place to throw a purse, a rain jacket just in case, or a change of clothes after a quick swim or to hit the nearest dockside restaurant. All the furniture features stain- and UV-resistant vinyl over multidensity foam cushioning. The movable armrests with built-in drink holders can be placed anywhere to improve the comfort of the crew.

This classic ’toon has plenty of modern amenities, including the standard Wet Sounds stereo and the 7-inch Omni2 touchscreen MFD at the dash. The ­soft-touch steering wheel is adjustable to the driver’s preferences, as is the high-backed bucket seat captain’s chair, which is matched by a co-captain’s chair to port. Woven marine-grade flooring is easy to clean and comfortable underfoot, making for safe and easy transit around the boat.

The twin log 22 DLX can be powered with an array of Mercury FourStroke outboards up to 150 hp. With the max power, the boat is capable of breaking into the mid-30 mph range at top speed. With the advertised 90 hp FourStroke, the 22 DLX can economically cruise all day in the 20s, with enough juice to pull tubers and skiers. The extended ­outboard mount keeps the engine farther away from the aft swim platform and allows Sun Tracker to extend the platform fully across the beam. It’s a great place to stow a tube or swim mat to keep it out of the main cockpit, where it might interfere with loungers. The four-step telescoping swim ladder to starboard ensures easy reentry after taking a dip.

Add up all of these great features and factor in the price, and the Sun Tracker Party Barge 22 DLX makes a great choice for getting the family on the water.

High Points

• Patented Stow More storage system provides bonus spaces to store gear behind the lift-up seatback cushions.
• Flip-up cleats can be folded out of the way at the sandbar or while at anchor, so nobody stubs a toe while jumping in for a swim.
• Great pricing allows you to get the family on the water without draining your life savings.
• QuickLift Bimini top is easy to deploy and features storage pockets and built-in LED lighting.

Pricing and Specs

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The Party Barge 22 XP3 takes the comfort and fun features found aboard Sun Tracker’s DLX model and adds on the Sun Tracker exclusive XP3 performance package.

With three performance logs — each fitted with lifting strakes — a 150-horsepower rating and hydraulic steering, the Sun Tracker Party Barge 22 XP3 is ready to take your family on a great ride.

Thanks to the rear-facing aft lounge with changing room and stowage, your crew has the best seats to watch the water-sports action, not to mention enhanced comfort and space for all their gear. Another new feature is an AM/FM Bluetooth-capable stereo with both MP3 and USB ports and four speakers. Upholstery is upgraded and sports a 26-ounce vinyl, which is resistant to ultraviolet rays, covering multiple densities of foam.

The console is made of fiberglass and features a removable windshield, a padded shelf and a drink holder. The 22 XP3 comes with a removable table, and the boat is rated for up to 10 persons.

Families seeking a pontoon owe themselves a look at the Sun Tracker Party Barge 22 XP3.

Buyer’s Spotlight
*The helm houses gauges in a shielded, curved panel that presents an attractive and ergonomic array. The three-spoke steering wheel is sporty, yet elegant, and offers perfect directional control.
*The sun pad, with its bolstered headrest, is a feature crew and guests will be fighting over, whether underway or while relaxing at anchor.
*It’s your deal. The handy table stows away, yet it’s ready to deploy for lunch, snacks or a relaxing game of cards.

Price
$26,595 (with Mercury 90 ELPT FourStroke)

Contact
Sun Tracker Springfield, Missouri; 417-873-4555; suntrackerboats.com

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The biggest Sun Tracker dedicated (but not limited) to fishing, the new Fishin’ Barge 24 XP3 should prove a hit with pontooners.

Riding a solid foundation of three robotically welded 26-inch logs — with lifting strakes and splash guards that make your ride drier and quicker — this boat offers the toughest construction in the business, with full-width, heavy-duty, extruded Z-bar deck supports that are through-bolted to the M-brackets on the pontoons.

Fishing features include an easy-clean vinyl floor so you can spray the craft down, plus four fold-down seats with pedestals, two livewells and a lockable rod box that stows up to 7-foot-6-inch rods. The 24 XP3 also boasts a padded aft sun deck with a pop-up changing room and UV-resistant upholstery with 26-ounce base vinyl and multiple densities of foam for comfort.

The boat can be powered by up to a 200-horsepower engine. All in all, the Sun Tracker 24 XP3 is one of the biggest and best fishing pontoon boats available — aboard which you can look forward to years of fun afloat with friends and family.

Buyer’s Spotlight
*The helm of the Sun Tracker Fishin’ Barge 24 XP3 features a wraparound gauge array set into lovely nonglare fiberglass. In fact, the entire console is made from gelcoated fiberglass.
*Serious anglers will love the amount of rod stowage Sun Tracker has incorporated into the new Fishin’ Barge 24 XP3. This rod locker stows poles up to 7 feet 6 inches long.
*Sun Tracker boats are known for comfort and amenities as well as for utilizing choice materials in every feature. At left we can see storage for the gear an avid angler requires.

Price
$29,595 (with 115 hp Mercury outboard)

Contact
Sun Tracker Springfield, Missouri; 417-873-4555; suntrackerboats.com

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Sun Tracker Regency 254 XP3

Sun Tracker Regency 254 XP3

Sun Tracker Regency 254 XP3

Sun Tracker Regency 254 XP3

Sun Tracker Regency 254 XP3

Sun Tracker Regency 254 XP3

Sun Tracker Regency 254 XP3

Sun Tracker Regency 254 XP3

Plenty of luxury, triple-tube performance and high-tech Verado horsepower are the ingredients of the Regency 254 XP3 pontoon fun machine.

On deck is a spacious, passenger-pleasing seating arrangement. An aft-facing lounge gives a relaxing view over the transom and an ideal place for the driver to “spot” while towing riders on boards to tubes. Hook the tow rope to the pylon that keeps the rope clear of the outboard. A full-width swim platform with fast-draining vinyl surface and deep boarding ladder eases reboarding and allows riders to shed the water outside the luxuriously carpeted deck.

Triple tubes add extra buoyancy, increasing passenger carrying capacity, and that allows for added luxury seating forward. They also give increased security when riding the waves on the Midwest’s enormous impoundments. Added buoyancy also means amenities like a refreshment galley are easily added without concern for the all-important in pontoons — passenger capacity.

The extra surface on the water also gets the Regency up on top of the water, reducing drag and taking full advantage of the 300 ponies of Verado power. Electrically assisted hydraulic steering makes guiding the Regency through hairpin turns fingertip-easy, and the tilt wheel and adjustable helm seat with armrests allow it to be done in near custom comfort.

Step through the transom gate past the raised helm station and you’re in a living room afloat. A pop-up changing room gives privacy for switching from shorts to suits. Seating is supple and upholstery is carefully stretched and stitched over resilient, contoured foam. None of this forward seating interferes with the captain’s forward lookout, thanks to the helm’s elevated platform. The aft lounge wraps around the aft portside quarter in a conversation-pit style, and forward seating wraps from midships to the bow, leaving the bow walkway open.

Exterior styling is top shelf. Bow rails and side gates are set inside the rub rails to prevent unexpected dings. Gates are shaped in a D-cross section, welded, and then anodized for long life and good looks. Three gates — portside amidships, bow and stern — give plenty of mooring and reboarding options. The Bimini top with lights is standard and stretches from stern to just forward of the helm station.

Buyer’s Spotlight
*Triple pontoons enhance buoyancy and passenger ­carrying capacity.
*Seating arrangement is one of the most pleasing and functional to be found.
*Extra-long Bimini top stretches past the helm ­station and is standard.

Specs
LOA: 27’5″
Beam: 8’6″
Dry Weight: 3,300 lb.
Seating/Weight Capacity: 15/2,150 lb.
Fuel Capacity: 35 gal.

How We Tested
Engine: Mercury Verado 300
Prop: 14¾” x 16″ Enertia 3-blade ­stainless steel
Gear Ratio: 1.75:1
Fuel Load: 30 gal.
Crew Weight: 550 lb.

Price
$49,895 (with test power, plus freight and prep)

Contact
Sun Tracker
Springfield, Missouri; 417-873-4555; suntrackerboats.com

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Sun Tracker Regency 254

Sun Tracker Regency 254

Sun Tracker Regency 254

We Say: The Sun Tracker Regency 254 raises the stakes in the pontoon game from party wagon to luxury liner.

Our tester sported a 250 hp Mercury OptiMax Pro XS outboard for spicy acceleration and exhilarating top speed. The power was maximized by Tracker’s use of a center engine pod that induces lift to the boat upon acceleration. Wide tracking tubes ride high and with a firm, secure ride even in power turns.

A full-width swim platform with a durable vinyl deck surface is equipped with a sturdy reboarding ladder. You can also equip the Regency with a tow pylon to satisfy the water-sports crowd.

On the luxury side, the aft lounge is spacious enough for two to sunbathe and could make a stateroom for balmy camping in dry weather. Beneath it is a changing room that can easily be equipped with a portable head.

Sun Tracker’s sturdy rails and tight panels prevent rattles and minimize the drumming typical aboard low-end pontoons. Boarding gates feature polished cast aluminum brackets through-bolted to the deck. These sturdy substitutes forgo toe-stubbing gussets and enhance this finely finished pontoon.

Who’d Want One: A boater left with the blahs by low-end, slow ‘toons would be refreshed by the Regency 254’s luxury fitting and sporty performance.

Another Choice: Lowe‘s X254 also sports triple tubes and horsepower as high as 250 hp ($44,200 with a 200 hp Mercury Verado outboard). The X254 has a cool aft boarding deck as well.

Bottom Line: $43,070; trackerboats.com

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Sun Tracker Regency 254

Sun Tracker Regency 254

Sun Tracker Regency 254

The post Sun Tracker Regency 254 appeared first on Boating Mag.

Our tester was powered with a 250 hp Mercury OptiMax outboard for spicy acceleration and top speed. The power was maximized by an extended center engine pod that adds lift. Wide tracking tubes provide stability in power turns. Stately and luxurious, the Regency 254 is also tuned for water sports.

A full-beam-width swim platform with a vinyl deck surface boasts a sturdy boarding ladder. A tow pylon is available.

The aft lounge comfortably fits two, and could make balmy camping in dry weather feasible. Beneath it is a changing room, which can be easily equipped with a portable head.

Thoughtful design gleans stowage from nowhere: The lounge’s corner molding is a perfect example. A chromed, three-tiered shelf is ideal for sunscreen, keys or cell phones.

Sun Tracker’s rails are sturdy and the panels tight, preventing rattles and minimizing the drumming typical of low-end pontoons. Gateways feature polished cast-aluminum brackets through-bolted to the deck. These sturdy substitutes forgo toe-stubbing gussets and enhance the finely finished pontoon.

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The flagship of the Party Barge fleet is the Regency 25 XP3. The company’s sole three-log offering, it boasts premium materials and construction methods and can go head-to-head with other luxury brands in terms of both performance and creature comforts.

Because all three logs are 26 inches in diameter, and are fitted with lifting strakes, the Regency rides high, even when fully loaded. As a result, this 26-footer can reach speeds approaching 40 mph with a 200 hp, four-stroke Merc, and also deliver enough hole shot to justify the optional ski-tow bar. When throttled back to midrange, noise levels are low enough to allow for normal conversation, and at 20 mph you’ll have a cruising range of around 150 miles.

On deck, stylishly sculpted upholstery blends with wood-grain accents to create an upscale atmosphere. We had the full-length seating arrangement on our test boat, with plenty of deck space and room for an optional barbecue grill. Swimmers are also provided for with a reasonably roomy stern entry deck and a large changing room.

Standard features include hydraulic steering with tilt wheel, a pair of reclining captain’s chairs, a digital depth gauge and an integrated refreshment center with a 13-gallon pressurized water system. Other noteworthy amenities include a removable table, LED courtesy lighting, a flush-mounted compass and an MP3 and Sirius-capable sound system. These are the things you’d expect from a pontoon that aspires to luxury, and the Regency doesn’t disappoint.

Extra Points
• Lifting strakes raise the bow for chop-piercing performance as speed increases.
• Four-stroke power delivers whisperquiet operation at lower speeds.
• Steering and power are sufficient for everything from tubes to recreational skiers.
• The 11-foot Bimini top provides shade for more than half the deck.

Test Drive * Test Engine: Mercury 200 HP 4-stroke * Test Prop: Enertia 14 * Test Load: People (400 LB.) Fuel (29 GAL.) * Top Speed: 39 MPH @ 6,500 RPM * Time to 30 MPH: 10.5 sec. * Most Economical Cruise Speed: 19 MPH @ 3,600 RPM, 4.4 GPH Vital Stats * Length Overall: 26’11” * Beam: 8’6″ * Dry Weight: 3,230 LB.(w/ engine) * Seating/Weight Capacity: 15/2,200 LB. * Fuel Capacity: 37 GAL. * Max HP: 200 * MSRP: $38,995 (with 150 hp Mercury OptiMax) * NMMA Certified: Yes

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Wood-grain trim and curvy lines in the forward lounges bring elegance to the Regency Edition. That same panache is found at the helm station where wood-grain trim and the soft, curvy lines of the console seemed to take a sense of purpose from our test ride, converting instead to a relaxing exploration of Table Rock Lake. My compatriots lounged in twin recliners at my left hand. Tracker had opened up the deck space by eliminating built-in lounges in favor of swiveling comfort. It was definitely a change we liked. For durability, plenty of corrosion-resistant stainless-steel cleats, latches and fasteners keep the rig water-ready day after boating day.

The pontoons, shaped with oversize strakes, add lift to this rig, helping it to move faster under 150 horses. The shape of the tubes allows the performance without adding the weight of a middle tube and extra horsepower. We felt the boat would be ideal for pulling kids on tubes or even for a morning ski run.

Tracker succeeds at creating a quality pontoon experience by building boats in the heart of the Ozarks where the work ethic is strong and pride in workmanship keeps the product consistent. Our check ride showed the system is working.

Key Note: For water sports, 150 hp is an ideal power plant, but we’d opt for a Verado engine for quieter evening cruising.

Standout Features
• Wood-grain trim and curvy styling in the furnishings add a rich look unique to Sun Tracker’s upscale pontoon.
• Swapping aft lounges for dual recliners is a smart move that adds comfort and makes more-practical use of the deck space.
• Helm station’s curvaceous lines enclose storage drawers, a stowaway cooler and stereo equipment.

Vital Stats
* Length Overall: 27’10”
* Beam: 8’6″
* Dry Weight: 3,230 lb.
* Seating/Weight Capacity: 16/3,200 lb.
* Fuel Capacity: 45 gal.
* Maximum HP: 150
* MSRP (test boat w/ Mercury OptiMax 150): $37,935 (not including dealer prep, freight)
* NMMA Certified: Yes

Test Drive
* Test Engine: Mercury OptiMax 150
* Test Prop: 13-inch, aluminum 3-blade
* Test Load: People (500 lb.); Fuel (40 gal.)
* Top Speed: 34.1 mph @ 5,500 rpm

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