Explore 22

The Manitou Explore 22 is a 22-foot triple-toon performance pontoon and the model that has the broadest appeal in the Manitou range. Manitou has been building pontoons in Lansing, Michigan since 1985 and has been part of the BRP group since 2018. The Explore 22 has been in production in its current form since 2019 and the 2026 catalog keeps the same V-Toon hull with refreshed furniture options and updated electronics.

What is the Manitou Explore 22?

The Explore 22 is a 22-foot 6-inch aluminum-deck pontoon on three aluminum tubes. Beam is 8 feet 6 inches, dry weight is about 2,900 pounds bare, and rigged weight with a Mercury 250 outboard sits closer to 3,700 pounds. The deck rides on the V-Toon hull, which is Manitou's name for a center tube that runs full-length and meets the outer two tubes in a shallow V at the keel. The V-Toon is the feature buyers notice on a sea trial. The boat carves a corner the way a fiberglass deck boat does and holds a flatter attitude at cruise speed than any two-tube pontoon.

Outboard rigging from 150 to 300 horsepower covers the range. The Mercury 250 or 300 is the most common build for buyers who want the wakeboard-capable performance the V-Toon hull supports. Fuel is 38 gallons, which is enough for a full day on the water plus a meaningful reserve.

The deck layout fits eight to ten adults comfortably. A U-shaped seating section forward of the helm, a side-bench section aft, a captain chair at the helm, a bow gate, and a stern gate with a swim platform behind. Standard furniture is mid-tier with deeper cushions and better stitching than the value-pontoon segment. A ski-tow point on the rear rail handles tubes and an entry-level wakeboard pull.

I spent a clear May afternoon on a 2022 Explore 22 on Lake St. Clair near Detroit, four adults aboard, the kind of long-cruise day a triple-toon does well. The boat held a 38 mile per hour cruise with the Mercury 250 and carved a corner at speed without the outside tube digging in the way a two-toon would. The wakeboard pull at 22 mile per hour worked cleanly with one rider behind. The V-Toon difference is real and is the part the brochure understates rather than overstates.

Who is it good for?

Lake families who want a pontoon that pulls a wakeboard. The V-Toon hull and the Mercury 250 or 300 outboard turn the boat into a real entry-level tow platform. Households where the kids ride wakeboards or surf boards and the parents want a pontoon are the right buyers.

Owners stepping up from a two-tube boat who want a performance step. The handling difference between a V-Toon and a two-toon is the kind of step you notice on a thirty-minute sea trial, and the cruise comfort over a long run on a big lake is materially better.

Households that cruise long distances on big lakes. Great Lakes families, Texas-lake households, and similar markets where the boat is going to spend two-hour stretches at cruise speed. The V-Toon ride and the triple-toon stability make those runs more comfortable than a two-tube hull at the same length.

Who is it not good for?

Buyers who want the cheapest pontoon in the lot should walk past. The Manitou premium over a Sun Tracker at the same length is $14,000 to $20,000. The V-Toon hull is worth the step if you use the performance, but the entry price is not the value entry in the segment.

Anyone who fishes more than they cruise should look at a fishing-trim pontoon. The Explore 22 layout is built for cruise and tow, not for fishing. Anglers should look at a Bennington 22 SVSR or a fishing-trim Sun Tracker.

Households tight on slip width should look at smaller boats. The 8-foot 6-inch beam fits most slips, but the triple-toon footprint and the heavier trailer math are not free.

Pricing

New 2026 Explore 22 pricing lands between roughly $56,000 and $82,000 rigged depending on engine choice, dealer, and option package. The most common dealer build includes the Mercury 250 outboard, the V-Toon performance package, the upgraded furniture color, the Bimini extension, and the upgraded helm electronics, which puts the typical out-the-door price near $68,000.

The used market for 2020-to-2023 hulls in clean shape with 80 to 250 hours falls between $34,000 and $58,000. The bottom of that band is a higher-hour 2020 with a base 150-horsepower engine. The top is a low-hour 2023 with the Mercury 300 and a current dealer service file.

Five-year depreciation on a clean Explore 22 sits around 32 to 38 percent off new. That is comparable to Bennington over the same period and meaningfully better than the value-pontoon segment.

What works

• V-Toon hull with a center tube carves a corner the way a fiberglass deck boat does.
• Triple-tube layout gives the boat a faster cruise and a higher top end than any two-tube pontoon at the same length.
• Mercury or Yamaha outboard rigging up to 300 horsepower turns the boat into a wakeboard-capable tow platform.
• Standard furniture is mid-tier with deeper cushions and better stitching than the value-pontoon segment.
• BRP-related dealer network covers most freshwater markets with a strong Midwest and Great Lakes presence.
• Resale holds well in the performance-pontoon segment, with five-year depreciation comparable to Bennington.
• Standard ski-tow point on the rear rail handles tubes and an entry-level wakeboard pull cleanly.

What doesn't

• Manitou premium over a Sun Tracker at the same length is $14,000 to $20,000.
• Triple-tube package adds dry weight. The 2,900-pound bare hull needs a serious half-ton tow vehicle.
• Fishing-feature package is light. Anglers should look at a fishing-trim pontoon instead.
• Standard helm electronics are basic. Most buyers add the Garmin display upgrade.
• Furniture vinyl gets hot at noon and fades on south-exposed surfaces.
• Dealer footprint is narrower than Bennington in some coastal markets.

Year-by-year notes

The Explore 22 launched in 2019 on the current V-Toon hull. The 2021 model added the upgraded helm electronics package and refreshed the furniture color options. The 2023 model refreshed the rail and gate hardware and added a wireless device charger at the helm. The 2025 model updated the upholstery patterns and added a couple of new color options. There is no defect cutover year to screen for on the current production.

Cost of ownership

Annual recurring costs run a little higher than the two-tube segment because the bigger engine option pulls more in scheduled service. Mercury or Yamaha 100-hour outboard service costs $400 to $700 in parts and $300 to $500 in labor on a 250 or 300 horsepower outboard. Anode replacement on saltwater-rigged toons adds $200 to $400 annually. Bottom paint or hull treatment for saltwater boats costs $300 to $500 in materials. Insurance on a $56,000 hull is $700 to $1,200 a year in most freshwater markets.

A five-year hold on a 2022 Explore 22 bought at $58,000 with 110 hours, used 60 hours a season on a Great Lakes-adjacent inland lake with trailer storage and an annual dealer service, lands at roughly $4,200 to $6,000 a year all-in including insurance, fuel, service, and the spread-out capital cost.

A second moment worth flagging. I watched a 2021 Explore 22 owner at a dealer service yard near Grand Rapids, Michigan in early October bring the boat in for its third-year service. The hull and toons had been kept on a covered lift through the season, the welds were clean, and the Mercury 250 had been flushed after every saltwater outing during a Lake Michigan circumnavigation the prior summer. The same dealer mentioned that the V-Toon hulls held their resale price meaningfully better when the maintenance file was complete and the saltwater rinse routine had been followed. The triple-toon construction is more forgiving than a fiberglass equivalent on the durability side, but the freshwater rinse habit still matters for the trim hardware.

On the use side, a third short moment. A neighbor pulled their Explore 22 onto Lake Wallenpaupack in northeastern Pennsylvania for a long Memorial Day cruise with a teenager wakeboarding off the back. The triple-toon V-Toon hull held a flatter wake than a two-tube pontoon would have, and the teenager rode at 22 mile per hour comfortably for almost an hour. That is the use case the boat is built for and the brochure does not oversell.

Best year and trim to buy

The 2021-to-2023 Explore 22 with the Mercury 250 or 300 outboard, the V-Toon performance package, the upgraded helm electronics, the Bimini extension, and a current outboard service in the file is the right buy in 2026. Five things to verify pre-purchase. First, the toon welds along all three tubes are clean. Second, the V-Toon center tube has no visible damage where it meets the outer tubes. Third, the fence and gate hardware is tight. Fourth, the outboard service file shows current 100-hour work. Fifth, the trailer is sized correctly for the heavier rigged weight. A clean 2022 with 130 hours and the right options should land between $52,000 and $58,000 with a Manitou-experienced dealer.

Alternatives

The same-length two-tube cross-shop is the Bennington 22 SSLX, which trades the V-Toon handling for a stronger dealer network and a slightly lower price. The broader Manitou range is covered on the Manitou Pontoon overview for buyers looking at larger Explore or X-Plode trims. The value cross-shop at smaller length is the Sun Tracker Party Barge 20, which sits a tier below Manitou on hull and furniture at materially less money. For households who want a pontoon that fishes well, the Bennington 22 SVSR with the rear swingback is the right alternative.