Helping you get the most fun out of your boat for less has been Sylvan's mantra ever since its beginning in 1947. The 8522 Signature Sport proves some things never change with only 150 hp pushing this 22-foot-plus pontoon to impressive performance stats.
Unique Factor
From the waterline up, the pontoons on the Sylvan 8522 Signature Sport look like most others, but like ducks, it's what goes on beneath the water that really moves the boat. We got a close look at this pontoon's pontoons as it pulled up to the boat ramp on a blustery day in Northern Indiana. Instead of being round, the bottom of each log is shaped like a mini boat hull. Unveiled in model year 2008, Sylvan's Revolutionary Planing Tube (RPT) logs allow owners to get more speed and better performance from less power than anything else on the market.
The 8522 may have the longest settee on any 22-foot, 3-inch pontoon. Located on the starboard side in front of the helm station, this longest of couches can seat six side-by-side because the captain's station is set as far sternward as possible without obstructing the rear walk-through. This keeps the driver in the chat circle and also creates more wide-open space for activities such as impromptu dance parties (don't laugh, this happens every time my family gets together on a pontoon). The aesthetically pleasing scalloped seat bottoms do an effective job of breaking up the extra length to prevent the super lounge from looking like a church pew. There's an incredible amount of storage underneath all the settees, with rotomolded bins for long life.
Performance
Usually when we get top speeds of 43 mph on a pontoon boat — as we did with the Sylvan 8522 — it's being pushed by 200 hp-plus V-6 or even V-8 outboards, but in this case we did it with an in-line, four-cylinder Yamaha F150 four-stroke. Of course low to mid-40s speeds aren't unusual for three-tube pontoons thanks to the extra lift they provide, but surprise, surprise, this is only a two-logger.
Not only does this boat reach higher speeds, but the incredible lift from the V-bottomed logs gave us an outstanding holeshot as we reached plane in just 2.5 seconds. We could hold plane at a very slow 14 mph, which was only 2500 rpm on our barely wound-up Yamaha. Time to 30 mph was a brisk 8.2 seconds.
Handling
Our test boat is equipped with the optional SeaStar hydraulic steering system, which is the perfect match for the Sylvan 8522 and makes steering very easy. Usually, twin-log pontoons have a distinct lean toward the outside in hard turns, which feels unnatural. But because of the lift generated by the RPT tubes, cornering is decidedly flat, with just the barest hint of outward lean. This means that when performing a 180-degree turn (like when retrieving a downed skier), the Sylvan can whip about-face without needing an acre of water or causing passengers to go, “Oooooh,” and not in a good way.
Dillon Donnelly
Dillon Donnelly
When fully planed off, the 8522 rode high over the choppy conditions on Lake Wawasee and, thanks to the V-design on the pontoons' running surface, we sliced through the tops of knee-high waves rather than slapping over them as a flatter bottom would do. The sharp nosecones of the RPT tubes turn up like Santa's elves' slippers, which make them highly resistant to stuffing or submarining when running into a wall of water on those extra-large solo waves we occasionally encountered.
Best Uses
The powder-coated, low-profile backward-swept wakeboard tower option was our first clue that this pontoon is watersports ready. This, along with the black fence panels and edgy graphics, gives the 8522 Sport some lake-cred among the wakeboarding elitists who may have spent double the amount or more for their weapons of slash destruction. The Sylvan has a respectable launch platform at wakeboarding speeds and flattens out at 30 mph for slaloming. If you don't want to spring for the $2,830 upcharge for the sporty tower or just want a lower tow point, you can substitute a sturdy ski tow bar that encircles the outboard engine for only $325.
Ski spectators have some good vantage points with a layback couch that's part of the stern L-lounging area. The port and starboard couches up front curve toward the centerline at the bow to create comfortable rearward facing loungers with plenty of stretching room. There's an available cockpit table that's extra large but could use a nonskid surface over the very slippery top as I found out the hard way while inadvertently testing my handheld GPS for durability.
Preferred Setup
Sylvan gets owners off to a good start with a standard elevated helm station with an adjustable deluxe captain's throne. The 8522 comes with a changing station located at the end of the cockpit L-lounge, and there's room for an optional Porta Potti. Our test boat comes with the standard 20-ounce textured carpeting that is good looking and comfortable, but for a more upscale experience there's a Pebble Beach Berber available. The standard 8-foot Bimini top tucks in close to the tower when not in use and when unfurled creates a wide swath of shade. The standard stereo is MP3 ready and has elevated, recessed speakers for better sound, but the optional four Infinity tower speakers would put it over the top. Unless your waters are infested with piranha, you'll definitely want the optional boarding ladder on the abbreviated stern swim platform.
You could upgrade to three tubes, but the performance is so exceptional with two pontoons that this is one of the rare cases where we don't recommend it unless you will be consistently carrying a load that approaches the maximum of 14 people.
Priced with the Yamaha F150, the 8522 Signature Sport comes in just below 30k, which is as sweet as the ride.