Sun Tracker Party Barge 20 DLX

Sun Tracker’s best selling pontoon deckboats are now available from the Gold Coast’s Fishing And Leisure Boats. The first of the new models is the Signature Series Party Barge 20 DLX, a spacious, family-friendly day boat with economical Mercury 60hp four-stroke outboard power. 

OVERVIEW
- Family friendly party pontoons
The US Sun Tracker range of pontoon deckboats have landed on Australia’s east coast with the local release of the Party Barge 20 DLX – one of a dozen or so models in the Sun Tracker boat range.

Sun Tracker boats are part of the US Tracker Marine Group – which also manufactures Tracker Boats and Nitro bass boats, Regency pontoon boats, Tahoe family bow riders and runabouts, Mako sport fishing boats, and Ascend kayaks.

The Tracker Marine Group itself is owned by the Bass Pro Group, famous in the US for the huge Bass Pro Shops retail chain. Tracker Group boats are sold at Bass Pro Shops throughout the US in substantial numbers.

In Australia, all of the Tracker Marine Group brands are imported and distributed by the Gold Coast’s Fishing And Leisure Boats.

The first of the Sun Tracker models to land locally is the family friendly Signature Series Party Barge 20 DLX. We spent several hours on the Gold Coast’s Broadwater in the new pontoon boat to bring you this test report.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
- Ready for the water at a competitive price
Aussie boaters are warming to pontoon deckboats as the benefits of these ultra stable and spacious platforms becomes more widely acknowledged and accepted.

And they do have plenty going for them. For sheer deck space, lounge seating and storage, no other type of boat comes close on a length-for-length basis.

Pontoon deckboats are ideal for enclosed-water family boating and the models from the Sun Tracker range are among the best available. Sun Tracker has been building pontoon deckboats for more than thirty years, so you would expect them to have perfected the design, layout and construction of these innovative craft.

The Sun Tracker available for our review is one of about 20 models in a range that caters for both fishermen and family boaters. Fishing pontoons are available from 4.3 to 7.3m in length, while the Party Barge family orientated models run from 4.9 to 7.3m.

Our review model falls somewhere in the middle of the Party Barge series with a model length of 6.1m – though the overall length with rear motor pod is 6.68m.

The Party Barge 20 DLX test rig was supplied by Brisbane’s Karee Marine. Fitted with a 60hp EFI Mercury four-stroke Command Thrust outboard and single-axle Sun Tracker braked trailer, Karee has the Party Barge 20 priced at $49,990.

This price is for the standard boat – as tested, but with 12 months registration and inshore safety gear.

There were no options fitted as just about everything you need to get out on the water is included in the standard inventory – with the exception of electronics.

That said, the standard boat does come with a four-speaker AM/FM Bluetooth-capable stereo with MP3 and USB ports.

The only options available include a rail-mounted barbeque, ski-tower, a full vinyl deck covering (in place of marine carpet) and a storm/mooring cover.

Standard features abound. The full kit can be viewed on the Sun Tracker website, but key features include the open bow platform, rear boarding platform, extended motor pod with built-in 121-litre fuel tank, navigation and courtesy lights, sports dash, console and steering wheel with simulated burl wood trim, pop-up change room, chemical toilet, overhead bimini and sock, four mooring cleats (one on each corner), lockable storage compartment, roto-moulded storage lockers under most lounge seats, 670mm high side fencing with inward opening gates at the bow, stern and port side (wheelchair accessible), removable table, lots of drink holders, and a ten-year warranty that is transferable to the second owner.

MECHANICAL AND HULL
- Multi-chambered pontoon cylinders with sharp entry
With regard to construction, the all-welded pontoon tubes are 610mm in diameter and have a multi-chamber configuration to create a series of airtight buoyancy tanks. There is no foam placed in the tubes, but the air trapped in the separated chambers creates sufficient flotation to meet Australia’s Basic flotation standard.

The pontoon tubes, or 'logs' as they are also called, have a pronounced cutting shape at the bow with welded wave deflectors to suppress spray. Aft of these bow sections, the tubes are completely round or cylindrical – which Sun Tracker claims provides greater strength than the elliptical or U-shaped tubes of its competitors.

Connecting the pontoon cylinders is an aluminium bracing structure topped by a carpeted marine-plywood deck.

The bracing structure has evenly-spaced Z-shaped cross rib bars through bolted to M-shaped brackets which are pre-welded to the top of each pontoon tube.

At the stern, the outboard is mounted on a separate, all-welded pod or module that extends out beyond the deck area. The pod also houses a US EPA compliant 121-litre fuel tank.

INTERIOR LAYOUT
- Lounge seats at all corners and loads of space in-between
A well-designed pontoon deckboat needs to combine plenty of standing and walk-thru space with ample seating and dedicated storage areas. All are well catered for with the Sun Tracker Party Barge.

When boarding from the bow, an inward-opening gate leads to a walkway which stretches through to the stern. On either side are large lounge seating areas with roto-moulded storage compartments underneath.

The starboard-side lounge has two separate compartments and a very small rope locker forward. This is the longest, most comfortable lounge in the boat – big enough for most adults to stretch out full length.

A shorter, two-person lounge seat is situated opposite, beside a second entry gate that is wide enough to accept a wheel-chair.

There are additional storage lockers under the port-side seat, but there is no provision for an anchor anywhere up at the bow. The rope locker is tiny, so the anchor will need to be stowed under the port or starboard lounge seat – or carted around in a portable Nalley box or similar.

The large, well designed helm console is offset to starboard, 2.0m from the bow entry gate, abaft the starboard side lounge.

The console is moulded with rounded curves and a recessed fascia with an attractive, burl wood timber-look insert. The matching sports steering wheel (with tilt facility) is well placed on the dash and the binnacle-mount throttle is easy to reach from the plush, soft vinyl cushioned helm seat.

The console is topped with a small, tinted, removable windscreen while the flat dash area can accommodate a bracket-mounted GPS/fish finder combo unit.

There is also a drink holder on the dash, but no glove box.

On the positive side, the included ice box/cooler fits snugly underneath the console – and slides easily out from its compartment when required.

Opposite the swiveling and fore-and-aft sliding helm chair is a dinette area with removable table and L-shaped lounge.

There is more general storage space under the seating area, as well as a lockable compartment for your valuables. We expect this is where you will keep your car keys, phone, etc., in the absence of a glove box.

Astern of the lounge is a compartment with a pop-up changing room which will provide enough privacy to change out of wet swimmer gear into dry clothes. It contains a bench seat and can also accept a chemical toilet.

The third entry/exit gate is situated on the starboard side at the stern. It leads out to a large swimming/boarding platform and folding boarding ladder.

POWER AND PERFORMANCE
- Modest performance, but great economy with 60hp four-stroke Mercury
The Sun Tracker test rig was powered by a 60hp Mercury four-stroke outboard with the heavy-duty Command Thrust (previously known as Big Foot) gear case leg. This engine and gear case combination is specifically designed for pushing big loads like pontoon boats and house boats – and it does a good job of it.

During our water test we achieved a top speed of 19 knots with two adults and barely any weight onboard. However, Fishing and Leisure Boats’ Tim Stessl told us that the engine has been propped to achieve similar performance when fully loaded with ten adults and a truckload of gear. With a smaller propeller the boat would achieve a higher top speed when lightly laden, but performance would suffer when the boat was loaded up.

Optioning the boat with the maximum, 75hp outboard, would gain a little more grunt in the low and mid range, but the top speed attained is unlikely to be significantly higher.

ON THE WATER
- A supremely stable, comfortable platform
Conditions for our test on the Gold Coast were mild but there was enough wind about to whip up a short chop and to throw a bit of spray about. We expected to get a bit damp behind the wheel of the Party Barge but were pleasantly surprised. We took barely any water over the bow and the interior stayed dry throughout.

We did expect the Sun Tracker to be stable – and it was. Stepping aboard the Sun Tracker from a wharf will feel almost like stepping from one wharf to another. Any heel or list is barely discernible when you walk from one side to the other – it is that solid and stiff.

It feels equally secure when underway and it sits nice and flat through slalom turns.

The Party Barge planes quickly at a low speed and in a mild chop there are no real bumps or thumps to speak of, thanks to the sharp entry of each pontoon tube.

VERDICT
- Be the life of the party
Pontoon deckboats are enormously popular in the US and there are many brands to choose from. In Australia pontoon party boats have yet to make much of a splash in the new boat buyer market, but we expect this will change during the next few years – especially if we see more good quality models like the Sun Tracker Party Barge.

If you would like to enjoy lazy days on the bay or harbour, picnics and beach-side, late afternoon barbeques with family and friends, then take a close look at the new Sun Tracker Party Barge 20 DLX.

LIKES
>> Massive stability
>> Pop-up change room
>> Cleats on all corners
>> Easy opening entry gates
>> Lockable storage compartment

NOT SO MUCH
>> Modest performance from 60hp outboard
>> No anchor well.
>> No glove box

RATINGS
Overall rating: 4.62/5.0
Mechanical/equipment: 4.7/5.0
Packaging and practicality: 4.7/5.0
On the water Performance: 4.6/5.0
Value for money: 4.6/5.0
X-factor: 4.5/5.0

PERFORMANCE
3.8kts (7km/h) @ 1500rpm
4.7kts (9km/h) @ 2000rpm
5.5kts (10km/h) @ 2500rpm
7.0kts (13km/h) @ 3000rpm
9.1kts (17km/h) @ 3500rpm
11.8kts (22km/h) @ 4000rpm
13.3kts (25km/h) @ 4500rpm
15.3kts (28km/h) @ 5000rpm
17.2kts (32km/h) @ 5500rpm
19.1kts (35km/h) @ 6000rpm

Specifications:
Price: $49,990 including 60hp Mercury EFI four-stroke outboard with Command Thrust gear case, Sun Tracker single-axle braked trailer (galvanised and painted), 12 months boat and trailer registration, and smooth-water safety gear.
Length overall: 6.68m
Tube length: 6.2
Tube diameter: 610mm
Maximum beam: 2.59m
Hull weight: 770kg
Towing weight: Approx. 1520kg
Towing length: 9.1m
Tube alloy: 2.0mm
Maximum power: 75hp
Engine as tested: Mercury 60hp EFI four-stroke
Fuel: 121 litres
Maximum Persons: 10

Supplied by:
Karee Marine
Phone: 07 3875 1600
Email: trevor@kareemarine.com.au
See www.kareemarine.com.au