BORELLI CONSULTING: Recreational Equipment Reviews

Sun Tracker MegaHut: Enjoying The Water A Little Slower
11 June 2007

All photos courtesy of Sun Tracker

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Thanks to my relationships with folks who used to work in the military - in or near the water all the time - I've had some decent exposure to boats that go fast. Indeed, I became quite disappointed with my own boat that topped out at about 45 MPH. But I've come to realize that many water recreational activities such as skiing, tubing, and swimming don't require a boat to go more than 25 to 30 MPH. That led me to thinking about comfort as it applied to enjoying the water more and more. I discovered, as funny as some may find it, some pontoon boats that provide quite a bit of comfort compared to other similar length boats, and enough speed to still enjoy skiing and tubing as well as a better platform for swimming.

Now, I live in a fairly water-oriented community. There are still a large number of folks who live in my area who make their living on the water either fishing, crabbing, running a charter service, or in other ways. Add to that a much larger number who enjoy their recreation time on the water, and it's easy to see why there are a fair number of places available locally that I can go boat shopping. Bearing in mind that I am NOT in the market for a boat, that doesn't make it any less fun to go look and see what's new. When I take my nine year old son along it gets even more fun. One of our largest nearby retail outlets for boats is Bass Pro Shops - and they are dealers for the Sun Tracker line of boats. That is where I came into contact with the Sun Tracker pontoon boats... and actually had a conversation with my wife about whether or not a pontoon boat would suit our needs as we spend leisure time on the water.

Once I had taken the mental step of accepting pontoon boats as an option to V-hull "speed boats", I immediately wanted the best - which means the biggest. Just down the street I have a neighbor who has, trailered in his driveway, a fifteen foot long pontoon boat. I ask, what's the point? At Bass Pro Shops I enjoyed touring and discussing the various Sun Tracker pontoon models ranging from 18 feet to 30 feet in length. I would definitely prefer the 30-footer over the 18-footer, but at some point trailering and putting the boat in becomes enough of a challenge that you ahve to just get a slip for it.

When I asked the dealer's representative if there was anything bigger than the 30-footer, I was actaully surprised to hear him say YES. Sun Tracker has just released their 36 foot long MegaHut. Pictured above, the MegaHut actually provides to deck levels and a number of amenities common to houseboats or other boats designed for overnight trips on the water.

At 36 feet long by 10 feet wide, the first the MegaHut offers is plenty of flat deck space. When you look at the second level above the cockpit (and some other amenities we'll discuss) you find more deck space that is ideal for sunbathing or climbing onto the wet slide.

Yeah, wet slide... but we'll get to that in a minute. Let's get the basic stats out of the way first. The MegaHut 36 is actually 37 feet long and is rated to carry 14 people or a maximum weight of 2,000 pounds. That's a TON of people - literally. It's 30 gallon gas tank supplies fuel to your choice of outboard motors ranging from 90 to 150 horsepower. The estimated maximum speed with the 135HP motor is 26 MPG. That's fast enough for most water sports that involve towing someone. It's certainly fast enough for me to cut through a wake and dump one of my kids out of the tube. The downside of a pontoon boat is that you WON'T get the kind of handling you get with a v-hull vessel. It wasn't designed for that - but it can still offer a lot of fun.

Before I even talk about the head or the galley I have to talk about this wet slide. Sure, swimming is fun, as is tubing and skiing, but if you have children or grandchildren under the age of twelve or so, this is the bomb. By climbing up to the second deck they can slide down this wet slide, dropping off and splashing down into the water. The slide stops at the rail at the rear of the lower deck which gives them about a three foot drop into the water as far away from the back of the boat as their momentum will carry them. To get back on the boat they just swim to the other side of the motor and climb up the fold-down ladder. Obviously, safety precautions such as life-jackets should be adhered to.

When my son saw the slide feature that was available he immediately wanted to know when we could buy one of these boats. Sometimes there is no logic in trying to explain to a nine-year-old that you're not buying a boat you don't need. In his infinite wisdom he wanted to know who, besides the Coast Guard and the Navy, really NEEDED a boat. Well, there are those fisherman I mentioned earlier...

On the lower deck, directly under the cover provided by that upper deck, is a fully enclosed head which serves as both a changing room and has a portable toilet. The boat is equipped with tanks to hold six gallons of fresh water and six gallons of waste water - obviously not enough fresh water for the boat to have a shower capacity. The galley has plenty of storage as well as a refrigerator and microwave. The dining area has spacious seating which can be converted to a sleeping space, as can the aft seating areas.

Having looked and learned, while I really like the fun sound of that wet slide, I can't justify needing 36 feet of boat for my family. Even if all four of my kids went out with my wife and I and we took both dogs, there'd still be more room than we needed on this boat. I'm thinking I need to come up with a justification for a 30-footer...

Find out more about Sun Tracker boats by visiting them online at http://www.suntrackerboats.com.

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