"Heck of a pontoon boat you got there." You don't usually start off most boat tests with a compliment from a perfect stranger, especially while backing down the launch ramp. But you usually don't test a boat like the Premier 310 Boundary Waters PTX with the sky deck option. It's clear from the awe in his voice that he's never seen a floatboat with the steroid-like proportions of the 310, with its 10-foot-wide beam, Flexsteel livingroom furniture, and second-story lounge. Truth is, you haven't ever seen a pontoon boat like this either. Fast, spacious and luxurious, it's got everything - all you need are 28 friends.

LOA 31'2"
Beam 10'2"
Weight 5,245 lbs.
Fuel 53 gal.
Maximum HP 600
Base Price $87,583
(w/o engine)
Price As Tested $123,416
(w/350-hp Yamaha 4-stroke outboard)
Hull Warranty Limited Lifetime
NMMA Certified? Yes
 

Premier Marine Inc.
26612 Fallbrook Ave.
Wyoming, MN 55092
(651) 462-2880
www.pontoons.com
 

Test Data

Performance data was gathered with a 350-hp Yamaha 4-stroke outboard, two passengers on board and a full tank of fuel.
 

Top Speed 38.7 mph
Time To Plane 3.2 seconds
0-30 mph 7 seconds
Decibels @ Idle 60 dB-A
Decibels @ 30 mph 87 dB-A
Decibels @ WOT 97 dB-A
  

Notable Standard Features

PTX triple-tube performance package, walk-on upper sky deck with bridge and circular staircase, 27-inch tubes, bimini trailering kit, blender, Berber carpeting, Caribbean galley with 12-volt refrigerator, three chaise Flexsteel lounges, compass, courtesy lights, oval and corner tables, raised Imperial helm, fire extinguisher and caddy, Kenwood CD stereo with a set of four premium speakers, Command-view raised helm, rear permanent stainless-steel ladder, stainless-steel bow rails, fiberglass slide, trash door on lounge's exterior, LED light package, X52 Lowrance Graph and NANO vinyl.

Notable Options

American flag kit, Flexsteel king helm chair, Flexsteel pullout sleeper, freshwater wash down system, Kenwood six-disc CD changer, 110-volt inverter system with microwave, porta-potti with pumpout, Sirius satellite radio system.

This Premier is no ordinary floatboat. Just the name is a mouthful. Think Cadillac Escalade, and compare it to the Saturn VUE to get a sense of its proportions and luxury. While gas-guzzlers like the Escalade are becoming politically incorrect dinosaurs, the Premier is packing the new eco-friendly 350-hp Yamaha 4-stroke outboard to keep it in the green zone. The 5.4L V8 behemoth isn't a fuel miser, but it is quiet, efficient and minimizes emissions. And it's a good engine to have on the 310, pushing the 3,800-pound boat to 38.7 mph, while delivering up to 45 percent more thrust than most 250-hp motors, which also makes it a good choice for family watersports. It's definitely the perfect engine to handle this 310's rated load of 28 people - 23 on the main floor and five on the upper sky deck.

It's hard to convey the sense of space and luxury on the 310 - pontoons can be spartan, utilitarian and slow. But this Premier has a triple crown of features - the wide Boundary Waters beam, a PTX hull and the sky deck. The

10-foot-2-inch beam gives it more than 300 square feet of usable deck space below, while the sky deck adds another 120 square feet on top.

There's something special about the design of the sky deck - not just the extra space it provides, but the sense of proportion it brings to the boat. In short, the sky deck makes the boat. Particularly, it adds a nice second layer to the 310, but one that isn't just cobbled on - it fits like a cool-looking top on a convertible. The large 10-foot-2-inch by 12-foot-

7-inch format of the area allows for extra passengers on board, but the matching lounges (both measure 5 feet 5 inches long by 18 inches wide) have a nice sloped-back rest so you can take in the view of the lake by lying down. There are also two storage compartments underneath (an 8-by-18-foot space at the front of the lounge, and a larger 12-by-38-foot space at the rear).

The Premier representative drives the boat at full throttle and makes sharp turns while I'm lounging around on top, and it feels incredibly safe lying down, and even while standing. The only criticism is the amount of open space at the back of the Sky Deck. It seems a little too open, and it could probably even fit another lounge. It's certainly a good place to put a deck chair so as to watch the constant flow of kids running up the stairs to the slide.

Speaking of the kids - they're going to love the slide, which isn't your chintzy run-of-the-mill aluminum job. It's solid fiberglass, with some nice slopes to it, and is angled to shoot kids well beyond the outboard. At 16 inches wide, it'll  handle a thin adult, and even has a waterspout to keep it slick. Forget electronic babysitters like the Nintendo DS or portable DVD. This slide will   keep the kids occupied all day long - especially if there's a group of them.

There's a true sense of quality, part of the Boundary Waters package, that runs throughout the boat. You can see that in the circular staircase from the cockpit. It's 20 inches wide, with diamond patterns in the aluminum steps to prevent slippage. It feels solid going up - no swaying when you push your weight hard from side to side - and adds a touch of class to the boat. Premier could've simply strapped on a vertical ladder and called

it a day, but everyone (aside from the kids) would've noticed the ergonomic pitfalls every time they tried to rappel to the sky deck to carry up snacks or gear.

One of the advantages to owning your own boat company is that you can design whatever you want. Bob Menne, who founded Premier in 1992 after owning several other successful brands, decided he wanted a boat like the 310 at his home along the Gulf Coast - so he built one. Menne opted for premium features only, from the furniture to the engine to the helm console. The Boundary Waters package for the Premier 310 and 275 includes Flexsteel furniture, the Command View helm and the "Caribbean galley." The BW test model includes a Flexsteel seat that can be moved from the side lounge to fill in the door space at the bow. 

The Flexsteel seats and lounges, with their innerspring design, are like bringing a good living room onto the boat. Some are designed to recline, others simply feel like a high-end couch. Even the helm seat is a Flexsteel design. The quality and comfort of these luxary seats are simply outstanding. The seat envelops you in cushions and innersprings.

The custom-designed seating arrangement for Premier is another Menne success story. In 2000, he tried to find a seat that would really raise the bar of comfort for owners. But nobody in the boating business made one. Menne approached Flexsteel, a 100-year-old furniture company with a presence in the RV market, and the two companies have collaborated on marine seating since. But the 10-Star marine lounges aren't simply RV seats stuck on a boat. The Premier seats have been built with powder-coated and non-corrosive metals for extended exposure to both salt and fresh water. Premier offers a five-year warranty on all boat components, and seven years on all of its new NANO-block upholstery.

The heavy-duty, 34-ounce fabric will withstand years of rain, and even if you were to write on it with a marker, a special cleaner can remove marks immediately. Premier has a three-year exclusive in the marine industry with this fabric. The test boat has a moonrock base color with platinum accents, and the NANO-block fabric has three colors of piping, with sewn-in Premier logos. The interior has a soft, subtle look. Additionally, there are nine other color options.

Despite all the upscale features, the boat is a blast to drive. The cushy helm seat sits on the Imperial helm platform, which is raised by 6 inches to heighten visibility. The boat's console also has a sharp new bird's-eye maple finish, with easy-to-read gauges, a nicely positioned throttle, and toggle switches for engine functions. Premier should consider replacing the cheap-looking stick-on labels on the switches, though. There's also an upgraded Lowrance Color 520 GPS with depth sounder.

The GPS isn't exactly a necessity on Forest Lake outside of Minneapolis, where the test occurs on a beautiful late-fall day. But it'll come in handy on coastal waters or even on large, channel-filled lakes, where the 310 will run just fine in rough conditions.

In fact, the ride is a strong suit. Who would've figured it could run from 0 to 30 in about seven seconds? The secret is the PTX hull. It's a blast to drive, with the front of the pontoons rising up out of the water as it runs on the mid-pontoon planing surface. Like a sport boat, it banks during tight turns. What a contrast to some pontoon boats that feel like you're stuck on a kiddy ride at an amusement park.

The PTX  - proprietary to Premier - is a triple-tube configuration that handles like a planing hull. Virtually every pontoon boat manufacturer has some three-log running surface that delivers speed, and often a sense of stability in rough conditions, but some run like they're on rails - try a tight turn and you're turning the wheel forever, with very little response. With its hydraulic steering, however, the PTX package is designed for tight radiuses. It doesn't turn as tight as most 31-foot sport boats, but it comes pretty darn close.

The PTX is actually a confluence of features that work well together. The package includes a 36-inch U-shaped center tube, made from .125 heavy-duty aluminum, with a 12-inch flat surface amidships that allows the boat to stay on plane. Lifting strakes on the inside tubes get it out of the hole faster, and according to Premier's engineers, it increases the boat's overall top speed by 10 percent. The engineers found that the strake placement worked best on the inside of the tube - strakes outside the tube actually decreased performance and handling. A 53-gallon center fuel tank in front of the engine provides a lower center of gravity than a stern tank, without any listing, and it also delivers a lot of extra mileage.

Premier has also incorporated a 7-foot-long storage area into the center tube, accessible via the cockpit floor. It's ideal for a boatload of gear, and the top is vented for mildew protection. The creaturebcomforts extend across the cockpit: a Norcold fridge under the console, an integrated garbage bin under the portside lounge, and a galley behind the helm seat, with its Corian countertop, stainless-steel grabrail and even a Lazy Susan cabinet.

The U-shaped Flexsteel lounges in front measure 8 feet across (with the inset seat), and the rear port lounge is 5 feet 3 inches long along the gunwale and 4 feet long along the stern. There's a big 54-by-72-inch stern lounge that conceals the pop-up changing room (with a 5-foot-9-inch headroom). Hanging off the back, a five-prong ladder offers cockpit access to the kids coming off the slide, and the rest of us who need that extra prong to get back in the boat. 

Of course, given the beam and overall length - not to mention the sky bridge - this isn't a pontoon boat you'll want to trailer. On the launch ramp for the test, the truck struggles to pull the 310 out of the water. It isn't just because of the boat - it's a two-wheel drive pickup, and the ramp has serious ruts - but such an anecdote serves to give a much better sense of the 310's scale. A huge two-story layout, luxury furniture and impressive overall performance - as the man said, it's a heck of a pontoon boat.