Republished from Boating Magazine. By Pamela A. Keene
For several days on Lake Lanier earlier this summer, there was a new kid in town. Floe International brought its newest model – Afina – to the lake to showcase the leading-edge technology behind this hybrid cruiser-pontoon.
“Afina takes pontoons to the next level,” said Wayne Floe with Floe International, developers of Afina. “It has all the comforts of a pontoon with the ability to transform as quickly as the weather changes. With one-level living, it’s ideal for entertaining and families.”
Afina in Georgia debuted at the Atlanta Boat Show earlier this year. “Consumers loved it, so we wanted to bring it back to Lake Lanier for people to take test trips.”
Floe said that the week at Margaritaville at Lanier Islands brought out plenty of people to board the boat, take rides and find out more about it. “While it was beached it attracted a lot of attention.”
The 39.5-foot boat has an 11-foot beam and carries 200 gallons of fuel. There’s 6.5 feet of headroom in the cabin and can comfortably seat 18 people. Styled to be beached with a flat bow and an open front deck, it has an electric sunroof and electronically controlled windows. The bow, cabin and open back offer seating.
The company contracted with local captains to take consumers around the lake and demonstrate the features.
“We picked Lake Lanier because of its reputation as an excellent recreational lake,” he said. “We’ve already got three dealers and we’re hoping to soon have a dealer on Lanier. It’s a half-million-dollar boat, very high end, and it’s a really fun boat to own. There’s a real place for Afina in the recreational boat market.”
