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Buying a used Bennington

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WLake

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Hi All
My neighbor is offering a 2011 Bennington 20SLI with a Yamaha 90 hp.
53 hours. Are there any known problem areas I should look for? Seems boat has carpet, I'd like to upgrade to vinyl, not sure of cost for that upgrade.
Even with such low hours it's still an 8-9 yo boat. Can't afford a new Bennie, but could swing a new Sweetwater with a 90 Yamaha for 10-12k more.
thanks in advance for thoughts and suggestions.
 
Welcome! In my opinion, if the used Benny meets your current and future needs and is reasonably priced, you'll be further ahead then buying the Sweetwater. Of course, going from carpet to vinyl will be a chore but it can be done. Finally, knowing a used boat's history is worth quite a bit in my book. Post some pictures if you move forward!
 
We bought our 2007 two years ago from my sister-in-law. Here's my comments:
  • I was daydreaming about upgrading the carpet to Seagrass (which is much more expensive than carpet or vinyl, admittedly). Just the fabric is $2,500. I believe that the adhesive is about $100. DIY is 40 hours per another post in this forum, so I'm guessing having it done by somebody will be $1,500 to $2,500. Instead, I did a good job of cleaning my carpeting and am delightfully surprised at how good it looks (translation: the carpeting is now worth about $4,500 per my way of thinking, that makes it beautiful!)
  • If its been in a lift, make sure that the lift has bunks, not straps. Using straps voids the warranty, so its obviously important. That doesn't mean it ruined it, but its an area of concern. My brother had it in straps for 11 years. I didn't realize the importance of this until after I bought it. It doesn't seem to have caused any problems, but I wish he'd done it right.
  • Get underneath and look for damage on the very bottom of the pontoons - especially toward the stern. This can be very difficult to see if its sitting on bunks (on a lift or on a trailer) - ask me how I know! Not all damage is a big gouge... it can be a long indentation on one side of the lower half of the pontoon where it went over a stump - again, ask me how I know! Use a flashlight.
  • My engine had 110 hours. I am very confident in the engine itself (inboard/outboard) as my brother did all scheduled maintenance. However, I had to rebuild the out-drive because all the seals had dried and cracked (the outdrive was exposed to sun all afternoon in his boathouse in TX). I changed the water pump impeller at the same time, and I think the cost was about $500 done at a local shop. Because of the low hours, you should be concerned about the same. Look for signs of streaking at the water intake. If you are on good terms with the neighbor, ask if you can have that checked by a local dealer (or if he can give you a reason to not worry about it, or a guarantee). A key question - when was the last time the boat was in the water?
  • Get a test drive in the water. Or at the very least, attach a hose and run the engine for a while. Check all the gauges.
  • How old is the battery?
That's all I can think of.
 
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I understand switching to vinyl from carpet is not going to happen. thanks for the pointers--I'm try ing to have a mechanic check the boat with me. I'd replace battery if older than 3 yrs.
 
You'll be surprised what a new 20' Bennignton will cost. If you can swing a new sweetwater, you can swing a new Bennington and have a 10 year warranty and at least 3 years on a new motor. You owe it to yourself to at least price one.
 
lakeliving said:
You'll be surprised what a new 20' Bennignton will cost. If you can swing a new sweetwater, you can swing a new Bennington and have a 10 year warranty and at least 3 years on a new motor. You owe it to yourself to at least price one.
Click to expand...
The quote for the 20 ft Bennington was about 10k higher than the Sweetwater.
I will look into this further
 
Based on what a new 20 slx was going for a few years ago that would put the sweet water at around $10k!! Keep looking!
 
Here are a couple of my thoughts.
1. Check out this thread. I installed seagrass on my 2003 Bennington. If you can find a deal on the vinyl, it can be cost effective. http://club.benningtonmarine.com/threads/carpet-replacement.10002/
2. An old Bennington is nicer than a new sweetwater. We have been looking at new boats as well and most of the other manufacturers just feel and look cheap. Benny seats are like couches.
3. Must have a sea trial
4. Must have inspection
 
Tin Diesel hit it on the money. Our boat mechanic installs seagrass and vinyl in the off season. But it is a job! For a 22-24 footer he charges about $1200-$1400 for material and $1100-$1200 labor. He removes EVERYTHING. Rails, furniture, helm, etc. He then inspects the plywood and replaces it if needed. He installs the new floor and reinstalls EVERYTHING. Not an easy job....
 
Looking at the NADA price guide the boat with motor is listed at 13k-15k retail. Do these prices refer to buying a used boat from a dealer? Should I expect to be able to purchase from a private party at a lower price? She is asking 15k for her boat.
2011Bennington SLI with 90 hp Yamaha. Under 60 hours.
Thanks in advance
 
Seems a little high to me but depends on condition etc. Did you price a new one yet? Depending on where you are many folks on here can give suggestions.
 
When we bought our 2007 from my sister-in-law, the NADA price seemed fair compared to the admittedly minimal amount of research/shopping I had done in the south-central region.

I offered to pay NADA because it avoided negotiations in a scenario where the longer term relationship was more important than a thousand bucks - or a couple of thousand bucks. Perhaps that is the case with your neighbor? (sometimes getting the best deal is not always the best deal)

Also, I was willing to pay NADA because I knew that the boat had been very well maintained, and covered, throughout its 11 years before we got it.

If we'd bought from a stranger with an unknown maintenance history, I probably would have negotiated a below-NADA price to hedge my bets.
 
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What Tin said above about price and NADA.
 
Tin Diesel said:
When we bought our 2007 from my sister-in-law, the NADA price seemed fair compared to the admittedly minimal amount of research/shopping I had done in the south-central region.

I offered to pay NADA because it avoided negotiations in a scenario where the longer term relationship was more important than a thousand bucks - or a couple of thousand bucks. Perhaps that is the case with your neighbor? (sometimes getting the best deal is not always the best deal)

Also, I was willing to pay NADA because I knew that the boat had been very well maintained, and covered, throughout its 11 years before we got it.

If we'd bought from a stranger with an unknown maintenance history, I probably would have negotiated a below-NADA price to hedge my bets.
Click to expand...
It is a member of our lake community. Never met them and they are moving. Spotty maintenance records. I’ll always be looking at the carpet and wishing for an upgrade. We’ll see what happens.
Thanks for your advice.
 
Lets talk about low engine hours on motors.

I don't think that low engine hours are always a reason for a higher price. There are many engine components that benefit from (if not require) regularly running the engine up to operating temperature. Engine and outdrive seals and gaskets are one example. Fuel systems and cooling systems are another. If the fuel had ethanol and sat in the fuel system for 1+ years (untreated), I would be highly concerned!

Low engine hours on a relatively new boat & engine is a good thing. But assuming the engine came with the boat, then extremely low engine hours vs the age of the boat indicates the engine has sat unused for long periods. I think that ceases being a benefit and may in fact become a negative factor (depending on service history, etc)

In my post above, I noted that my outdrive had to be rebuilt because all the gaskets had dried and cracked. This happened because the boat had not been in the water for at least 3 years. I had concerns about the engine itself for the same reason before I bought it, but my excellent mechanic of 30 years said my Mercruiser 5.0L I/O is an F150 engine and could be pulled for overhaul more easily than the one in my truck... so I figured I could minimize my downside there (I hoped that the regular fall/spring winterizing & de-winterizing would help. I've run it for 50 hours since we bought it, so I'm more confident now).

Just my two bits from an old shade-tree mechanic before the days of computerization and bureaucratization!
 
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Agree with everything Tin said, except maybe that last word, which I’ll have to look up in the dictionary. Not sure where you are at in the states, but even in northern Michigan, you’d expect about 25 hours per year average. So it probably has sit idle quite a bit, and the fuel and gaskets do funny (well, not-so-funny) things. So have it checked out thoroughly and have them do compression testing etc. so you know that everything about the engine is solid. This costs a bit, but the piece of mind, and knowing that a tear apart and rebuild is not in your future, is well worth the cost.

When I used NADA in the past, it gave the option of looking at purchasing from dealer vs. private owner.
 
lakeliving said:
Seems a little high to me but depends on condition etc. Did you price a new one yet? Depending on where you are many folks on here can give suggestions.[/
Click to expand...
Tin Diesel said:
Lets talk about low engine hours on motors.

I don't think that low engine hours are always a reason for a higher price. There are many engine components that benefit from (if not require) regularly running the engine up to operating temperature. Engine and outdrive seals and gaskets are one example. Fuel systems and cooling systems are another. If the fuel had ethanol and sat in the fuel system for 1+ years (untreated), I would be highly concerned!

Low engine hours on a relatively new boat & engine is a good thing. But assuming the engine came with the boat, then extremely low engine hours vs the age of the boat indicates the engine has sat unused for long periods. I think that stops being a benefit and may in fact become a negative factor (depending on service history, etc)

In my post above, I noted that my outdrive had to be rebuilt because all the gaskets had dried and cracked. This happened because the boat had not been in the water for at least 3 years. I had concerns about the engine itself for the same reason before I bought it, but my excellent mechanic of 30 years said my Mercruiser 5.0L I/O is an F150 engine and could be pulled for overhaul more easily than the one in my truck... so I figured I could minimize my downside there (I hoped that the regular fall/spring winterizing & de-winterizing would help. I've run it for 50 hours since we bought it, so I'm more confident now).

Just my two bits from an old shade-tree mechanic before the days of computerization and bureaucratization!
Click to expand...
Tomc said:
Agree with everything Tin said, except maybe that last word, which I’ll have to look up in the dictionary. Not sure where you are at in the states, but even in northern Michigan, you’d expect about 25 hours per year average. So it probably has sit idle quite a bit, and the fuel and gaskets do funny (well, not-so-funny) things. So have it checked out thoroughly and have them do compression testing etc. so you know that everything about the engine is solid. This costs a bit, but the piece of mind, and knowing that a tear apart and rebuild is not in your future, is well worth the cost.

When I used NADA in the past, it gave the option of looking at purchasing from dealer vs. private owner.
Click to expand...
 
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