Where safety and performance meet!

The T.A.P.^® Fin System has been installed on the following manufacturer's pontoon boats:

The list goes on...

The patented T.A.P.^® Fin System...
Listen to what they're talking about

From The Experts...

Dick Snyder, retired Mercury Marine Engineer:

   Over my past 42 years as an engineer for Mercury Marine I have had numerous occasions to drive various brands of pontoon boats from 20 ft. to 26 ft.  Generally, they have had on-plane handling characteristics that were not as controllable as conventional planing monohulls. These pontoon boats were powered by outboards and stern drives and had a top speed of 25 MPH.

     Recently I had an opportunity to drive a typical, nice looking 24 ft. pontoon boat equipped with the T.A.P.^® Fin System developed by Malcolm Sohm of  Conrad Marine. I drove the boat, which was powered by a 115 HP outboard, in calm water, as well as in a 1 ft. to 2 ft. chop.  I drove at a variety of speeds, both planing and off plane, including at wide open throttle (25 MPH). I crossed the waves at a variety of angles, and put the boat into a variety of turns from sharp to mild.

     My findings were that the boat handled precisely and predictably under all test conditions. The handling feel was clearly superior  to any pontoon boat that I had previously driven. This was the best ride.

Dick Snyder, P.E.

One of Marine Industry's Top Engineers Retires From Mercury

By 1984, Snyder was named director of the high-performance
racing division at Mercury. By 1987, Snyder left the racing division to devote his time  to product safety evalution and engineering. He worked as director of the product and safety division until his retirementlast month, but he still does contract work for Mercury.

Reprinted From an Oshkosh Northwestern article appearing Sunday, August 26, 2001 with permission from Sean Fitzgerald

From The Media...

"T.A.P.^® is a major breakthrough in Safety combined with Performance to meet the demands for pontoon boat owners...especially in rough, choppy waters."
  Boating Magazine...June '99

" This is going to revolutionize the pontoon boat industry"
 Greg Larson, Pontoon/Deck Boat Magazine

"This is unbelievable!! Performance Plus!! You carve a turn, you don't slide through it!!"
 Charles Plueddeman, Feature Editor, Boating Magazine

BILL RUNS HIS BOAT ON CHESAPEAKE BAY & IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN!

Bert Neuland from Lincolnwood, Illinois said after his speedboat broke down, "What a surprise!  A pontoon with performance and ride in a 3-4 foot chop."

EAA TV crew with ESPN cameraman Dave Max noted the stability for capturing the precise footage of the seaplanes.

Dave Bigler from Smyrna, Georgia says, "while driving the pontoon boat I was amazed by how the boat turned and crossed the wakes of other boats so smoothly!"

From Pennsylvania, Daniel Phillips first said, "You look at the fins and you think something that simple couldn't work or make that big of difference."  Now after installing them on his 24'(150 HP) Harris Kayot he says, "I'm sold!"

Don Atkins from Texas installed the fins on his 20' (70 HP) Landau Bandit and said, "It runs higher and dryer and it also turns flatter and bob's less!" "I also increased my speed" "I'm surprised that other boat manufacturers' haven't jumped on this!"

"It turns on a dime!" This said by Mark Oltra of Wisconsin after he installed the "SS Package" on his 24' (115 HP) Harris Kayot. He further added, "because of the added lift I received I had to re-prop to compensate for the adjusted R.P.M."

Eb Pyle, owner of Long Island Marine and a 3 log Sundance 2000, said "This is unbelievable!  I can't believe what these fins [Conrad Marine's T.A.P.^® System] have done to handling and speed of my 3 log 22' pontoon boat."

Pat Marone, partner of Titletown Fitness Center of Green  Bay and owner of a 1999 22' Bennington 50 horsepower, said "Goofy's right. We glide over rough water and the bottom is dry. My handling is 100% better.  In fact, I am up-grading to a 120 horsepower to boat around the Bay of Green Bay."

Al McGee of South Carolina and owner of a 1997 Crest HPT pontoon boat with 150 Johnson outboard, said "My boat was supposed to be Crest's best performing boat; but, now that I added the T.A.P.^® System, I have the finest performance. It turns flatter and it can handle anything. Goofy, you sure know your 'toons!".

Rolling through the water as steady as a rock!
The T.A.P.^® Fin System gives this fisherman an extra edge.

   Hi Malcolm,

     I have made numerous changes on my pontoon boat (1991 Grumman 24' with Honda 90HP 4stroke) over the years to make it more wheelchair/fishing friendly. The large bench seats were removed
and replaced with the shorter lounge seats. This way I can fish from the front sides of the boat whereas  before I was limited to fishing sitting between the bench seat and console. I replaced the 4 bow square tube bimini top with a lighter/shorter 3 bow bimini that I can easily raise and lower myself. The shorter height also keeps  you dry. ( I wish someone would make a telescoping frame for these tops. The high
tops are useless in a rain storm.) I use a motorguide trolling motor with the Servo Positioning Steering foot pad which can be operated by hand very easily. I removed the privacy curtain and placed a chest of
waterproof drawers in the compartment to make up for some of the storage space lost from the removal of the bench seats. The prop guard has made it much easier to dock, especially in windy weather.  I made other small adjustments over the last 14 years to make this old boat as wheelchair friendly as possible.

     This year I added the T.A.P. Fins and its one of the best additions made to date.  Boating in rough water can be a painful ordeal when you've had a serious back injury.  I have been using a wheelchair for over 30 years and back pain can be excruciating after a windy day on the lake.  These fins have made an incredible difference on how the boat rides on rough water. The boat seems to glide over the waves instead of bouncing over one then plowing through the next. WOT on big waves is a kick!  I also noticed a much drier ride , better mileage and improvement in top end but its the smooth ride that I appreciate most. I did have a concern with being able to park close enough to the dock to wheel on and off but as you can see in the photos, its not an issue.

     I originally considered the waterglide but was told it would make a ponton boat ride more like a v-hull? A third pontoon was another option but I was concerned about sitting too high in the water when fishing. If the deck was any higher off the water it would be very difficult to net a fish.  Also, the higher profile of tri-toons make them difficult to dock in windy conditions. My pontoons are 23" so with the TAP  fins I get to keep the low profile.

Bottom line.........Great product!

   .....Scott Magring