The greatest thing to happen to alloy boats in the last decade is the continuing development of flotation technology, stability, and most of all, aesthetics. The early generations of pontoons were serviceable in the extreme, with notoriously hard lines and about as nautically attractive as a car accident. Part of the joy of boat ownership is the look of the thing; we don’t buy ugly cars or houses and boats are even more susceptible in the beauty stakes. It has to appeal.