JC's Most Popular Pontoon with a Sterndrive

By Capt Bob Smith

The TriToon 306 is JC Pontoon’s largest and most comfortable in the line. While she is heavy, compared to other competitor’s boats in the size range, she is definitely agile. No two boats are alike at JC Pontoon. These are all built to customer specifications with many options and alternative designs.

Bow Construction

Beginning at the bow, the TriToon has corner guards that are very heavy duty that protect against that ultimate bump into the dock. Almost all metal fittings on the TriToon are stainless steel and that includes the docking light housings. The cleats are extra large and have an eye that you can pass large line through, so no excuses on tying the boat up at the slip! The largest entry gate is through the bow which has a dual gate that you can easily pass a wheelchair or dock cart through. A shallow anchor locker in the bow can handle a folded Danforth style anchor and line.

Optional Seating Arrangements

Our test boat had a unique optional seating arrangement with two small benches on either side that swung around and faced the two fixed benches. Talk about having room to hold a meeting! Corner pods have a little cargo net pocket on the front to hold your sunglasses and sunscreen. You can store larger things in the big tip out glove box in the top. Over on the side is a stainless steel drinkholder and a locker door to store large items.

One of the neat things about the loungers is the end unit is modular. This allows you to have some choices, such as the unit which features stainless steel drinkholders in the top and a tip-out concealed trash can inside. Another option includes a tip-out concealed hand pump sink. Our test boat also had a clever cooler drawer option to keep plenty of cold beverages at hand in the bow lounging area. Movable drinkholders allow your guests to keep their beverages by their side. The coffee table is also rather unique with a sliding split top that allows you to add another leaf and expand the size, as well as a concealed 36-quart Igloo cooler.

At the Helm

The helm pod has a hinged top allowing for unlimited access to the wiring and cables leading to the dash. The helm has three 12 volt receptacles to charge your portable gear, lighted rocker switches, and push button circuit breakers provide power to all your electronics. Beede gauges are arranged across the top of the dash and the Clarion AM/FM/CD stereo is located down on the right side. This has six months of service included. A Hummingbird Matrix 727 fish finder is standard on this model, but we had the upgraded 787 c2 color version. The captain’s chair was a high back model with bolster and had a mesh back and seat, which was very comfortable and much cooler than padded and cushioned models.

More Features Aft

The aft seating was in the shape of a large “L”. A portable snack table is easily set up for serving at the aft lounge and the snack table has an adjustable height mechanism. Seat bases are all roto-cast, vinyl-covered and have hinged seat bottoms with plenty of room for storage.

Custom Made, More Options

The bimini is custom constructed right at the plant with heavy-duty thick tubes and Sunbrella material. The rod pockets are all zippered to quickly change out a tube or change the top completely if you like. A small pad across the back has a deep storage bin running the length of the aft bench.

Two fenders store neatly in a stainless steel rack behind the driver’s seat. Through the aft gate is a large swim platform with a concealed swim ladder tucked under the starboard side. Our test model also came equipped with the optional ski tow rig and wakeboard storage rack.

Specifications

The TriToon 306 measures 30 feet front to back and has an 8’6” wide deck. This model weighs 4600 lbs and can handle up to a 320-hp sterndrive engine. It has a standard 55 gallon fuel cell and can carry up to 4900lbs of people and gear.

Performance & Handling

I tested the TriToon 306 on a relatively calm day on Lake Wawasee in Syracuse, IN. We found she could reach a top speed of 39.8 mph with the Volvo 5.7 GXi installed. She is at cruise at 17.8 mph turning 2500 rpm for up to 183 miles on a full tank of fuel. She is on plane in 3.8 seconds and is up to 30 mph in 6.6 seconds.

With all the features and performance, it is easy to see how this model is so popular.

• Top speed for the JC Pontoon TriToon 306 (2007-) is 39.8 mph (64.1 kph), burning 22.9 gallons per hour (gph) or 86.68 liters per hour (lph).


• Best cruise for the JC Pontoon TriToon 306 (2007-) is 17.8 mph (28.6 kph), and the boat gets 3.70 miles per gallon (mpg) or 1.57 kilometers per liter (kpl), giving the boat a cruising range of 183 miles (294.51 kilometers).


• Tested power is 1 x 320-hp Volvo Penta 5.7GXi.