Catamarans and pontoons might look similar, but technically there are some small differences to be aware of. As a rule of thumb though, defining what the boat type is comes down to one observation.
If it has two independent hulls attached by some type of wing structure, then it’s a catamaran.
As far as basic distinctions go though, there aren’t massive differences, and the name given to either boat will typically depend on how it’s used.
Pontoon boats are intended for us on lakes and slow-moving rivers, whereas catamarans are used on the open seas.
1. Design Differences
A pontoon boat is a deck placed between two cylinder-shaped tubes (i.e. the pontoons). Most pontoon boats will have 2 aluminium pontoons that you can’t access with a deck placed on the top. Whilst a pontoon boat could technically be called a catamaran, catamaran sailors will baulk at such a description.
On a catamaran, the pontoons are actually part of the boat and can have living and storage spaces inside of them. There will be a net or canvas with mast between the pontoons.
Catamarans are usually very well engineered and designed, unlike the barge appearance many describe pontoons having.
2. Size Differences
Pontoon boat sizes range from 15 feet to 50 feet and most of them will use outboard motors on the back. Small pontoon boats will tend to start from 8 feet wide, with larger models sometimes getting as wide as 12 feet.
Catamarans tend to be larger and typically have inboard motors inside the pontoon tubes.
3. Intended Use
Pontoon boats are not designed or intended to be used on the ocean or sea (find out why here) and don’t handle waves at all well due to the hull shape. They are for freshwater use mainly.
Catamarans can be used on the open ocean or sea and will have hulls that can cut through waves, which is why they are used for racing a lot of the time.
3. Speed Differences
A typical pontoon boats will reach speeds of up to 25 miles per hour.
Catamarans can reach faster speeds on the open water will typical speeds of around 50 miles per hour. They are designed to go fast, very fast.
4. Price Differences
Generally speaking, catamarans are on the more expensive side of the market. But as with anything, price will depend on multiple factors including size, specification, and brand. Average costs can vary wildly between $50,000 all the way up to 2 million dollars.
You can pick up a cheap second-hand pontoon boat for just a couple of thousand which will get you out on the water. That’s not typically the cases with catamarans. The average cost of a pontoon boat from new can range from $10,000 to $70,000 dollars.
Did you know? The word “catamaran” is taken from the Tamil word “kattumaram”. This translates as meaning “tied wood”, in other words two logs that are tied together. In the olden days, the original catamarans were just two pieces of wood connected together with a cross structure of smaller logs.
