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It’s mid-July on the lake, the anchor is set in a quiet cove, and three kids are lined up on the top deck while a grown-up at the bottom yells “clear!” One by one they whoosh down a glossy slide and land with a splash ten feet from the stern, then swim straight back to the ladder for another go. That is the picture most people have in mind when they search for a double decker pontoon with slide: a pontoon boat with a second, upper deck and a slide that runs from it down to the water. This guide explains what these boats are, which builders have documented them, what to check before you buy one, and how an inflatable slide compares if you’d rather keep the boat you have.
In short: a double decker pontoon with a slide is a pontoon boat with a raised upper deck (often called a “top deck” or “upper deck”) and a factory slide, usually fiberglass, from that deck to the water. Bennington and Premier are two builders whose upper-deck slide models are documented. If you already own a single-deck pontoon, an inflatable pontoon slide is the far cheaper way to get the same fun.
What is a double decker pontoon with a slide?
A standard pontoon has one flat deck on two or three tubes. A double decker adds a second level, reached by a ladder or stairs, usually over the rear half of the boat. The upper deck gives you a sun deck with a view, and it gives you height: the one thing a slide needs. Builders use that height for a slide that starts at the upper deck and ends just above the water, so riders get a real drop instead of the gentle ride an inflatable gives from the main deck.
The slide on these boats is part of the boat. It’s installed at the factory, it’s built to fit that hull and deck, and on documented models it has its own water supply so riders don’t stick to a dry surface. That’s the big difference from the inflatable slides most pontoon owners buy and strap on. (Search engines and dealers also use “pontoon with slide” for these boats: it’s the same idea, and about 1,600 people a month in the US search for it.)
Pontoons with slides you can document today
Builders change their model lines every year, so treat this as a starting list and confirm the current year’s layout with a dealer. These are the upper-deck slide boats we found with published details.
Bennington Top Deck
Bennington offers a “Top Deck” layout with a fiberglass waterslide from the upper deck, and describes it as having adjustable water pressure. Boating Magazine reviewed the 2022 Bennington L25 Quad Bench Top Deck and reported that the upper deck is rated for four people or 585 lb, that the slide is “lubricated with water fed by the shared washdown pump”, and that the upper rail sits at about knee height. The reviewer suggested separate shutoff valves for the slide and the washdown, since they share a pump. The tested boat was priced at $122,961 with a Mercury 250 outboard in that 2022 review. A 2025 Bennington 26 LSRTD listing on boats.com also describes a Top Deck with an integrated water slide.
Premier Escalante
Premier Marine introduced the Escalante as a walk-on upper-deck pontoon for the 2016 model year. Trade Only Today reported that the upper deck has “a slide, two lounge couches and the best views on the lake”. Powerboating.com listed the Escalante at 31 ft 5 in (9.6 m) long and 10 ft 2 in (3.1 m) wide, with a capacity of 24 people: 20 on the lower deck and 4 on the upper deck. Those are 2015–2016 articles, so ask Premier or a dealer what is built today.
Upper-deck pontoons in rental fleets
You’ll also see upper-deck pontoons with slides in peer-to-peer rental listings, such as a Premier 250 Sunsation Upper Deck in Miami and an Avalon upper-deck boat in Clearwater on Boatsetter. Renting one for a day is a good way to see whether your family actually uses the top deck before you spend six figures.
Bennington Top Deck slide (factory option)
by Bennington
- Stated capacity: Upper deck rated 4 people / 585 lb
Factory upper-deck slide vs an inflatable pontoon slide
| Double decker with factory slide | Inflatable slide on a single-deck pontoon | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it starts | Upper deck | Main deck, strapped to the side |
| Material | Fiberglass (Bennington) | Reinforced PVC |
| Water on the slide | Pumped (Bennington: shared washdown pump) | Splash it or use a hose; most have none |
| Who can be up top | Upper deck limits: 4 people / 585 lb (Bennington L25, 2022); 4 people (Premier Escalante, 2016) | One rider at a time, 200 lb on the slides below |
| Setup | None, always there | About 5 minutes (RAVE, Airhead) |
| Cost | Part of a new boat’s price | About $230–$605 (October 2026) |
| Moves to another boat | No | Yes, rolls up for storage |
Want the boat-shopping view of every pontoon that comes with a slide? Our pontoons with slides page keeps that list, and boats with slides covers yachts and tour boats too.
What to check before you buy a pontoon with a slide
- The upper deck’s own capacity. It is much lower than the boat’s. Bennington’s L25 Top Deck was rated for 4 people or 585 lb up top; Premier’s Escalante for 4. Read the plate on the boat you’re buying.
- Rail height up top. Boating Magazine described Bennington’s upper rail as about knee height. If small children will be on the top deck, see it in person and decide how you’ll supervise.
- How the slide gets water. A shared washdown pump works, but you may want separate valves.
- Where the slide ends. Walk to the bottom of the slide and look at what’s around the landing: the motor, the ladder and the swim area. The engine must be off and the propeller still whenever anyone is in the water.
- Storage and trailering height. An upper deck adds height on the trailer, under a boat lift canopy and in a boathouse. Ask the dealer for the trailering height and measure your own spaces.
- Water depth where you anchor. No builder we found publishes a minimum depth for a factory pontoon slide. For comparison, RAVE asks for at least 5 ft of water under its inflatable pontoon slide. See water depth and clearance.
No upper deck? Add an inflatable pontoon slide
Most families get the slide without the second deck. An inflatable pontoon slide straps to the side of a regular pontoon, inflates in minutes and rolls up under a seat. You give up the height and the pumped water, and you gain a slide for a few hundred dollars that fits the boat you already own. Fixed slides, by contrast, “require an upper deck and professional installation”, as the review site Lake Lubbers puts it. These are three inflatables that we checked on Amazon in October 2026:
RAVE Sports Pontoon Slide
- 9 ft slide, 10 ft overall
- 200 lb rider limit
- 12V inflator runs off the boat battery
Airhead Spillway
- 8 ft slide
- 200 lb rider limit
- 1,000-denier PVC, 4 molded steps
O'Brien Pontoon Slide
- 105 x 70 x 24 in
- Welded footsteps, molded handles
- Heavy-duty anchor straps
The RAVE Pontoon Slide is 10 ft long, 25 in wide and 68 in high with a 9 ft sliding surface, weighs 30 lb, and comes with a 12-volt inflator that runs off the pontoon battery. RAVE rates it for riders up to 200 lb and says the slide must be in at least five feet of water. We saw it at about $320 at RAVE and on Amazon. The Airhead Spillway is 10.5 x 2.75 x 4.5 ft with an 8 ft slide, made of 1,000-denier PVC, and Airhead says it inflates and attaches in five minutes or less; it has no pump in the box and was about $605. The O’Brien measures 105 x 70 x 24 in and was about $234. For the full side-by-side, see the best pontoon boat slides, and for setup, how to set up a pontoon slide.
Check the RAVE Pontoon Slide price on Amazon
Safe slide days on a two-deck pontoon
A slide from the top deck is more fun and more height, so the basics matter more. Anchor in calm water, switch the engine off before anyone climbs up, and keep everyone off the back deck and swim platform while the engine runs: the US Coast Guard warns never to sit or hang on the back deck or swim platform while engines are running, because of carbon monoxide. Send one rider at a time, feet first, and have one adult at the top and one watching the landing. Our boat slide safety tips cover the rest, and Setup & Safety has the full set of guides.
More on pontoon slides: how to buy a slide for a pontoon boat, pontoon waterfall slides and every kind of slide in our marine slides guide. All pontoon pieces live in pontoon boat slides.
Double decker pontoon slide questions
Which pontoon boats come with a slide?
The documented examples are Bennington’s Top Deck models (a fiberglass slide from the upper deck) and Premier’s Escalante (introduced for 2016 with an upper-deck slide). Model lines change, so ask a dealer which current models offer a slide. Our pontoons with slides page tracks them.
How many people can be on the upper deck?
Only what the builder states for that deck. Bennington’s 2022 L25 Quad Bench Top Deck was rated for four people or 585 lb, and Premier listed four upper-deck seats on the Escalante. Never go by the boat’s total capacity.
Can I add a slide to a double decker pontoon later?
Ask the builder or dealer first: a slide adds loads and needs solid mounting points. We didn’t find a maker that sells a confirmed bolt-on slide kit for pontoon upper decks. An inflatable pontoon slide strapped to the main deck is the simple alternative.
Does the slide need water running on it?
Factory slides are designed with water: Bennington feeds its slide from the washdown pump. Inflatable slides are usually splashed or wetted with a hose before use, and makers such as SPECRAFT recommend spraying water on the slide first.
Is there a wind or age limit for pontoon slides?
No pontoon or boat slide maker we checked publishes a wind limit or a minimum age. Use the rider weight limit the maker does publish, keep slides for calm, protected water and supervise children closely. See our FAQ for more.