A Customizable Boat at a Budget-Friendly Price

By Capt. Bob Smith

JC Manufacturing introduced the TriToon to the world 25 years ago and it continues to be a big hit. While everyone else continues to use round pontoons, the unique shape of JC’s tri-hull delivers great performance and ride. The NepToon was released about 12 years ago. It fits into more budgets and you can still customize and personalize it to your specific needs.

Solid Features

JC uses lots of marine grade stainless steel fittings on their boats, including the docking lights out front. The cleats on these boats are also very durable and useful. They have a large center eye. Corners are protected with an edge guard in case you make contact with the docks when coming in. Rails are powder-coated rather than painted which is much more environmentally friendly and the sides are covered with 5ml vinyl-coating that improves durability and makes them very easy to clean.

The bow entry gate leads you into a highly customizable lounge area. For one, you can add a bow lounger and close off the entry gate, which expands the seating significantly. The loungers all have modular end caps. These end caps allow you to choose what you want, such as the fixed back with two stainless steel drinkholders in the top and an access door to storage inside the end cap. Movable drinkholders on the seats allow your guests to keep their beverages close to them even when they are sitting in the center of the lounger. Another modular end cap has a tip-out trash bin inside. JC gasket these doors to reduce noise and rattle. Two more entry gates are on either side of the boat, just ahead of the helm and aft loungers.

At the Helm

The helm has a flip-top dash that allows you excellent access to the wiring and cable runs in the dash. You have great leg room at this dash as well. The driver’s drinkholder flips out from the side of the dash. The dash has wood accents for an elegant look that matches the tilt three-spoke wheel. Lighted rocker control switches are protected by push-button circuit breakers and grouped at your fingertips. You can add an optional GPS unit in the space to the left of the wheel. Beede analog gauges are arranged high on the dash for good view. To the right are two 12volt sockets to charge you cell phone and other portable gear and also located here is the Clarion Marine AM/FM/CD stereo with Sirius Satellite reception is also to the right. JC provides six months of Sirius reception with every radio.

Aft Seating

The seating in the aft consists of an “L” bench lounger. Roto-molded seats with hinged seat bottoms offer huge storage capacity and in the end of the port bench is another example of the modular end cap with a nested 36-quart Igloo cooler nested in the side. If you would like to set up the snack table, this one is really great. It is constructed of durable starboard-style material with a sea rail lip and twin stainless steel drinkholders. You can adjust it from a low coffee table to a standard level table for snacks. Overhead is an in-house custom designed bimini top with thick polished tubes and Sunbrella canvas. Tubes are inserted into zippered pockets so it is easier to change bimini bows or you can remove the canvas for cleaning or repair without disassembling the entire bimini.

Behind the driver’s seat is a two fender stainless steel rack to keep your bumpers organized and ready. A stern gate leads you aft where our test boat had twin swim platforms on either side of the outboard engine. The telescoping swim ladder is concealed under the starboard swim platform. Our test model also came equipped with an optional ski tow rack mounted on the back.

Specifications

The NepToon 23TT measures 23 feet in length overall and has a deck width of 8’6”. She weighs 2075 lbs and can carry up to 3600 lbs of people and gear combined. She is rated for a maximum of 225-hp outboard engines and has a standard 55 gallon fuel cell in her center tube.

Test Results

I tested the NepToon 23TT on an inland lake in calm summer conditions. She handled very well and maneuvered easily around the docks and underway. The big block Suzuki DF175 had plenty of power for this model. I found she was at cruise around 16.3 mph turning 3000 rpm and up to maximum speed at 36.1 mph turning 5900 rpm. At cruise, you travel about 237 miles on a full tank of fuel. She is on plane in 3.4 seconds and up to 30 mph in 7.2 seconds.

For versatility and performance, it will be hard to beat the NepToon 23 TT and its great ride.

• Top speed for the JC Pontoon NepToon 23 TT (2007-) is 36.1 mph (58.1 kph), burning 15.5 gallons per hour (gph) or 58.67 liters per hour (lph).


• Best cruise for the JC Pontoon NepToon 23 TT (2007-) is 16.3 mph (26.2 kph), and the boat gets 4.79 miles per gallon (mpg) or 2.04 kilometers per liter (kpl), giving the boat a cruising range of 237 miles (381.41 kilometers).


• Tested power is 1 x 175-hp Suzuki four-stroke.