Boat Test: 2026 Sun Tracker Party Barge 22 DLX
Tracker Boats’ offerings are well known for high-value, full packages that are excellent performers loaded with features at an extremely affordable price point. They are well-designed and well-built for first-time buyers as well as seasoned boaters and anglers looking for an easily serviceable package. With Bass Pro Shops retail dealerships located within a reasonable drive of nearly anywhere in the country, owning a Sun Tracker is a very attractive way to hit the water.
The 22 DLX combines quality construction, sporty luxury and fun performance.
Courtesy Sun Tracker Boats
Engine
The Sun Tracker Party Barge 22 DLX serves as a great example of Tracker’s pontoon boatbuilding capabilities and value for the dollar; with a standard Mercury 90, it retails for just under $40,000; when optioned with maximum Mercury 150 power, it’s still out the door for just under $46,000 including freight and prep. Adding a custom painted trailer jumps the price up to around $50,000—still a bargain for a well-equipped 22-foot pontoon.
And a pontoon this is; it’s not a tri-toon. Under the deck, dual pontoon logs are 24 inches in diameter, through-bolted to the deck supports. The decking is 3/4-inch-treated plywood, covered in woven 16-ounce marine-grade flooring. Tracker covers the boat with a 10-year bow-to-stern warranty, and lifetime hull and deck warranty. LED docking and navigation lights are built into the perimeter fencing, which is sound-deadened aluminum with 1.25-inch, .090-inch thick railings.
Even without a center log, the 22 DLX is an excellent performer. The quiet Merc 150 had it planing in just 3 seconds flat and sprinting to 30 mph in 8.7 seconds. It peaks at 32 mph and is stingy with fuel. Our two-way test regimen revealed that the Sun Tracker Party Barge 22 DLX offers its most economical cruise speed at 16 mph, with the engine turning 3,000 rpm. At that speed it consumes just 3.5 gph, or 4.6 mpg. There’s over 130 miles in the 32-gallon fuel tank at that speed, leaving 10 percent in reserve. On the lake, it turns smoothly, with no leaning, and as tightly as you want (or as you dare, because fast, tight, flat turns can be jarring for guests). Underway, wind chop and passing boat wakes disappear beneath the ’toons without drama.
At the helm, there’s the Sun Tracker Flare digital touchscreen gauge display with a 12-button switch panel.
Courtesy Sun Tracker Boats
Interior and Accessories
The perimeter enclosure is traditionally styled and our tester was painted Heritage Red with clear-coated aluminum railings. There’s an extended bow just forward of the bow entry gate, which makes for easier docking and beaching. The interior layout features traditional twin facing lounge sofas in the bow, separated by a captain’s console and high-back chair, with a second set of even longer facing lounges at the stern. The seatbacks flip-up to reveal hidden compartments; Tracker calls them “Stow-More”, and they’re unique in the industry. A removable snack table is standard. Answering customer requests, Tracker’s Product Specialist Connor Smith noted that the company has incorporated more standard drink holders. Portside, the boarding access gate is wheelchair accessible; again, Tracker is listening.
All four corner seating areas feature deep storage cubby pockets with cup holders inset just below the top backrest cushions, and more storage under the butt cushions. Tracker really maximized the under-seat storage on the Party Barges for 2026, and the results are outstanding; counting the traditional under-seat storage plus the Stow-More backrest pockets: the hinged backrests lift open to reveal big storage that would otherwise be wasted space. There’s more useable storage on this Tracker than on many larger pontoon boats. All storage compartments have overboard drains, so any water that gets in quickly drains out, ensuring your gear doesn’t sit in a puddle. There’s even locking storage on the starboard side to keep items secure when you’re not aboard.
Twin captain’s chairs are make for a comfortable ride.
Courtesy Sun Tracker Boats
The captain’s console really impressed me. The roto-molded dashboard is nicely contoured and incorporates the standard Wet Sounds stereo, with four speakers, into the Sun Tracker Flare digital touchscreen gauge display with 12-button switch panel to control all boat systems. Notably those speakers are shielded on their back sides so that stowed gear doesn’t mess with them. Sun Tracker Flare also features GPS and new Partymore audio which lets you share music at the anchorage, beach or cove. On each side of the digital dash are pocket cubbies, great for stowing little items such as sunglasses, keys and wallets. A double-row of traditional pushbutton switches within easy reach of the captain provides control of all the electric functions on the boat. Cable steering with a tilt helm is standard, with an optional upgrade to hydraulic. The twin captain’s chairs swivel, slide back and forth, and recline.
Out at the stern, a watersports tow pylon is standard, as is a stainless-steel telescoping boarding ladder.
Read Next: Sun Tracker Party Barge 20 DLX
The seatbacks conceal patented Stor-More compartments.
Courtesy Sun Tracker Boats
An extended aft deck provides plenty of room for water sports prep, sandbar gatherings or comfortable and safe handling of lines at the dock or launch. I liked that a very stylish stainless-steel integrated four-step telescoping boarding ladder and removable ski tow pylon are both standard.
Shopping around? G3’s 2026 SunCatcher Select 22RC features a twin-lounge layout fore and aft, maxes out with a Yamaha 115 hp outboard, and can be equipped with a single-axle trailer complete for $55,450.
How We Tested- Engines: Mercury 150
- Drive/Props: Outboard/Mercury Enertia 15.6″ x 13″ 3-blade stainless steel
- Gear Ratio: 1.92:1 Fuel Load: 21 gal. Crew Weight: 375 lb.
- Standard Sun Tracker 10-foot QuickLift Bimini top with built-in courtesy lights and a storage boot makes the Party Barge a more versatile platform in the blazing sun or cloudy days.
- Patented built-in “Stow More” storage system is included in all seat backs and under bow cushions.
- Peace of mind comes from the “10+Life” warranty, which covers everything bow to stern for 10 years, and covers the deck and all structural components for life.
- A see-through bow gate, as many manufacturers are incorporating lately, would make forward visibility much better, and therefore docking easier.
- Upgrading from the 90 hp to the 150 hp outboard should include hydraulic steering as a package upgrade.
Sun Tracker Party Barge 22 DLX Certified Test Results
Boating Magazine
Contact Sun Tracker
Sun Tracker Boats – Springfield, Missouri; suntrackerboats.com
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