Press Room

Our First Impression

As we took a glance around the boat, the first word that came to mind was comfort. It appeared that this PARTY BARGE^® was set up to be a practical pontoon that focused primarily on user-friendly amenities and features that would make your day out on the water more relaxing.

Consumer Test

SUN TRACKER^® does well in this taupe and tan color scheme; in fact the manufacturer rep hinted that this might just be its most popular interior. The seats are nice and comfy, but what make the two bow lounge chairs so unique are the pullout benches. They fold out to create a wider seat for the lounge. The two bow loungs mirror each other, but when both are pulled out they don't connect and they don't lay completely flat either. There is also a third pullout for the rear lound in the L-shaped seating in the stern.

Below the one-person sundeck is the easy to operate pop-up changing room. You have to step up in the enclosure because of the I/O engine compartment, but the inside is quite spacious and even includes a bench for added comfort.

Included with this rear entry design is an extremely tall boarding ladder that nicely folds down. Using this four-step ladder to get out of the water would be easy, but the only downside from a cosmetic standpoint is that when the ladder is folded up, it's as tall as the sundeck.

At the helm, the console uses easy to read gauges and is loaded with features like a 12-volt receptacle with cell phone storage tray, Lowrance^® depth finder, AquaTronics^® CD stereo, iPod^® hookup, dual cup holders, an enormous glove box and a fire extinguisher mounted on the floor. The bucket helm chair provides adequate comfort and is solid in design.

We like that all three gates not only have positive latches, but also lift and lock for added safety. Each gate also has good pinch guards and the extra support braces are carpeted to protect your toes if you happen to kick them.

Other amenities worth noting are the enormous 11-foot bimni as well as the refreshment center that has a nice electric faucet with sink and just enough counter space.

 Inspection Test

There are three pontoons below, each 26-inches in diameter with three chambers, plus a modified porpoise nosecone. There are lifting strakes on all three pontoons as well, plus splash guards on the nosecones.

The all-aluminum deck is interlocking, and the wiring below deck is well secured and protected.

Up top there is over 18 feet of usable deck space, and the Rotocast seat bases are through bolted to the deck as well as the helm console that has a Rotocast bottom with a fiberglass top. The wiring below the helm is bundled with wire ties and tape and is well secured.

This boat earned high marks for its safe design and quality construction. The vinyl could be a little tighter, but the fit and finish work overall is above average.

Performance Test

With a MerCruiser^® 4.3L engine, we were able to reach speeds over 30 miles per hour at full throttle. The acceleration was strong out of the hull, and the corners we wide and flat. This is a PARTY BARGE^® that's made for entertaining but does have some performance qualities as well. We did get a little vibration noise at idle from the aluminum deck, but it's nothing to really be concerned about.

Final Thoughts

SUN TRACKER^® loaded up this boat with a lot of great features, while still keeping the price down. All the options it has are really standard, so everything that we saw is included in the standard price. This boat is made for entertaining, and with a 14-person passenger rating, this toon will live up to the SUN TRACKER tradition. And since we were doing our test near Party Cove on the Lake of the Ozarks, we have to cruise over in the PARTY BARGE^® just to see what Craig Morgan was singing about in his country song, Redneck Yacht Club.

Reprinted with permission from PDB Magazine, Jan. 2006.