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Coming from a Premier PTX

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Thunderchicken

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Hey gang,

New to the forum. Currently own a 2012 Premier Solaris 240 30”PTX with a 200 hp Mercury.

Love the boat but looking to get a new pontoon and really looking at Benningtons as Premier warranty work around our lake isn’t the greatest.

Thinking about the SX models with the SPS Plus and a 250hp motor but wanted to know if the ESP would better?

Thanks
 
Depends on how you use your boat; Towing toys with tubes making sharp turns would prefer ESP as that mimics an open bow hull. More straight driving and speed would prefer SPS which would give you flat turns
 
Welcome to the forum. Where do you boat? ESP is the top of the line hull for Bennington but I don't think it's available on an "S" series. With SPS+ you can get a 250 on the back.
 
I've driven both ESP and SPS, and while ESP banks better the SPS definitely banks well and doesn't turn flat. Depending on the performance you're looking for, you can stay in the S series and be happy with SPS. Can you test drive them?
 
ESP hull will for sure be the closest match to your current PTX toons. However, we have a SSBXP with the SPS (200 Mercury Verado) and it does handle very well. If trying to stay more in S-series price ranges, I think you will still really like it. I think this particularly true if you go with the SPS+ so you can drop the 250hp on the back.

IF you want the closest match to your current performance from a hull perspective, you’d want to go up in model boat (cannot do the ESP on an S-series Bennington) so as to upgrade to the ESP. It wont be identical to your PTX toons, but it will be the closest in the Bennington line up.
 
We boat on Lake Norman.

Wife likes the swing back, I like the fastback (no pun intended)....

Probably go with the 25 length as we have 3 kids and they bring friends.

What are some must have options?

Thanks
 
With 3 kids and their friends, Swingback is probably a better option...

I’d get the keeper rail too so you can use the rear while under way...
 
Thunderchicken said:
We boat on Lake Norman.

Wife likes the swing back, I like the fastback (no pun intended)....

Probably go with the 25 length as we have 3 kids and they bring friends.

What are some must have options?

Thanks
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Welcome to the forum Thunderchicken. Do you guys live on the lake? Did you get your Premier at Wher-Re boatland in Cornelius? Love the swingback floorplan!
 
If you do watersports and are considering the SPS plus, make sure you confirm your ski tow/pylon options because (at least when it first came out), the only ski tow option on an SPS plus was a turbo swing. I understood this was because the center toon wasn't capable of the pylon mount that the ESP had and the other tow bar didn't clear the larger motors in full tilt and turn.

If that has since changed and someone here has an SPS plus with a pylon, please confirm that is now an option.

Unless you prefer the turbo swing anyways...
 
I think it depends on floor model too. We have the SPS200 and we have a regular ski/tow bar.
 
We have the SPS and a 150, works great for us. We have 8 grands most under 6 and with 13 on board it pulls a tube just fine. I no longer hear go faster “Pappa.” As for must have options, power steering ( not just hydraulic ) and extended rear deck.
 
I just ordered a 23SSBXP with the SPS+ I believe you need to add the center fuel option. You then can add the pylon.
 
Comin In Hot said:
I just ordered a 23SSBXP with the SPS+ I believe you need to add the center fuel option. You then can add the pylon.
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I think the sps includes the tank in the center toon automatically. At least it did with mine in 2014. 32 gallon.
 
lakeliving said:
I think the sps includes the tank in the center toon automatically. At least it did with mine in 2014. 32 gallon.
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The center fuel option bumps up the 32 gallon on the SPS+ to either 46 or 56. I’ve heard both. I’ll let you know once mine is delivered. Without checking this option the pylon isn’t available. At least on the 23 swingback.
 
Heading to the Boat show in Charlotte Saturday with a "boatload" of questions for the Bennington dealer.

Biggest motor possible is the first thing on the list but also staying in budget. So need to see what hull I can get with the model of boat we like. Building one online certainly puts the price point way out of our budget so hopefully the boat show deals can rein that in?
 
Thunderchicken said:
Heading to the Boat show in Charlotte Saturday with a "boatload" of questions for the Bennington dealer.

Biggest motor possible is the first thing on the list but also staying in budget. So need to see what hull I can get with the model of boat we like. Building one online certainly puts the price point way out of our budget so hopefully the boat show deals can rein that in?
Click to expand...
Welcome to the Lake.
 
early congrats and i would say the steering upgrade, center storage if that is an option, and extended decks are the top ones we appreciate on our boat.
 
We have a 22 ssbxp and love the swing back configuration, though how you will use the boat will dictate what you need as a layout. If you go with a swing back, get the keeper rail. It is worth it as it makes it usable while underway.

One of the best decisions that we made was to get the center toon storage. We use it all of the time and it opens up the under seat storage for guests in a big way, and keeps stuff from getting underfoot on the deck.

We have SPS with a Yamaha 150 and it moves and handles very well. The engine is powerful while also being quiet. We have a standards tow bar and use it all of the time. That said, no one ever complained about having too much horsepower. If you want more, get more but be aware that there are minimum requirements on the hull (ESP vs SPS) and size of the boat. The 22 foot that I needed due to the size of my dock, the waters, etc matches very well with the 150 and SPS. You should test drive once you know what length you want to decide, if possible.

The SS series includes a lot of options. Our budget allowed for a "higher" trim level, but I think that Bennington provides a sold product in every trim line. Our trim cam with extended decks, and I wouldn't do without them. We didn't get an elevated helm, and that is one option that I probably would add if I ordered it again. Not a huge deal, but nice to have.

We got the changing room option and have not used it yet. It is out of the way in the swing back configuration so not a big deal on space, especially with the center toon storage.
 
Bronco said:
We have a 22 ssbxp and love the swing back configuration, though how you will use the boat will dictate what you need as a layout. If you go with a swing back, get the keeper rail. It is worth it as it makes it usable while underway.

One of the best decisions that we made was to get the center toon storage. We use it all of the time and it opens up the under seat storage for guests in a big way, and keeps stuff from getting underfoot on the deck.

We have SPS with a Yamaha 150 and it moves and handles very well. The engine is powerful while also being quiet. We have a standards tow bar and use it all of the time. That said, no one ever complained about having too much horsepower. If you want more, get more but be aware that there are minimum requirements on the hull (ESP vs SPS) and size of the boat. The 22 foot that I needed due to the size of my dock, the waters, etc matches very well with the 150 and SPS. You should test drive once you know what length you want to decide, if possible.

The SS series includes a lot of options. Our budget allowed for a "higher" trim level, but I think that Bennington provides a sold product in every trim line. Our trim cam with extended decks, and I wouldn't do without them. We didn't get an elevated helm, and that is one option that I probably would add if I ordered it again. Not a huge deal, but nice to have.

We got the changing room option and have not used it yet. It is out of the way in the swing back configuration so not a big deal on space, especially with the center toon storage.
Click to expand...
 
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