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Express vs SPS

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blacksapphirez

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the pontoon bug bit me ... i have been looking at pontoon ALL summer long... bad timing because the season is half way over! but during my short period of studying them...I have decided I want a Tritoon and 150hp. 

question is.....

how terrible is Express compare to the SPS? 

I see about $3000 difference and that is a lot of $$$$ i can put towards other things... 

I did test drive the 24 SSRX SPS w/150 about a month ago
 
blacksapphirez said:
i was not aware of that... but dang SPS with infloor storage is $6500 or so option... :(
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I have SPS and in floor storage. It can't be kept dry, big disappointment to me.
 
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SPS will give you:

Sharper turning,

Larger engine capacity,

Better resale.

Only you can decide which is the right direction for you.

There is no wrong answer.
 
I've got a 24SSLX with the Express Tube and a F150 Yamaha. As far as I can tell, Express Tube and the SPS run exactly the same speed--40 mph @ 6000 rpm's with a Reliance 15 pitch stainless steel propeller.


My boat's got the extended rear end, which I would suggest to anyone--about $1K extra.


The Express Tube's rear sits a little lower when dead in the water--no big deal. The main thing is to have lifting strakes to get the nosecones out of the water to get higher speeds, better fuel economy and smooth ride.


If I was going SPS, I'd be also going with a F200 (+$2800) and SeaStar's power steering assist (+$3000ish).


Options do quickly add up.


We love the way our boat rides, and it's just so quiet at cruising speeds. We've not found any waves we cannot handle on our rather wavy, wide and deep waterway. We have done some long distance river cruising, and enjoyed it immensely.
 
Your weight capacity is different 

http://www.benningtonmarine.com/Boat-Builder.php?id=817

Express Performance Package (20" transom)10 People 2,702 lbs150 HP0.080     SPS Performance Package (25" transom)14 People2968 lbs200 HP.080/.100

Also part of the price difference is ,A wave shield  Hydraulic steering and a 32 gallon fuel tank 

Sport Performance System with Transom Fuel (23 G/RCW) REQUIRES 25 INCH TRANSOM. Includes 3 full-length 25" diameter pontoons, lifting strakes on the center pontoon, performance foils inside outer pontoons, solid round keels on all 3 tubes, underdeck wave shield, SeaStar hydraulic steering and a 32 gallon transom fuel tank
 
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And depending on the Lake you will be boating on, you may need the thicker pontoons, or it may also assist in opening up areas for resale (.08 vs. ,10).
 
I test drove boats with every pontoon option before purchasing mine.  What do you plan on doing with your boat?  Do you want to be able to take you wife and some friends out for a nice cruise? If so Express or SPS would work just fine. Twin elliptical would even work great IMO.  If you have kids and want to have fun with towable toys 150hp or larger with the ESP package is a MUST.  I found my boat used on boat trader and got a great deal on it but I wasn't in a rush to buy one.  It doesn't have everything but most options I may have wanted I can add later with all the money I saved not buying new. 
 
I vote sps. I have it and love it. The handling is great and so is the ride. You can get an express tube boat to run as fast as sps, but you can't get an express tub boat to handle like sps. It is worth the money. Remember also that the prices on the boat builder are msrp. I would say the typical sale price is 17-21% off depending on your market and when you buy.
 
When I originally ordered mine ,I had ordered the Express .When I realized it was only $1200 more for the SPS  ( based on the options ),I changed the order to the SPS .

So glad I did .
 
I have the express and am glad I added it to my setup however if I was ordering a new boat it would not even be a consideration.  I would only consider SPS or ESP.  ESP will give you better sharp turning ability than SPS if you are towing tubes a lot; so decide how you are going to use your boat and get the appropriate one.

I also disagree with BillN about SPS having better resale value, I would think ESP would resale higher
 
We have the SPS on our 21slx. Love it. Great in rough water. Get the biggest motor you can. Nobody says I wish my motor was smaller.

I wish I had gotten the power assist steering. I will be looking at adding it over the winter.

No matter what you do, Benny's are great boats.

Brian
 
I would definately recommend the SPS with a 150 or 200. We had 12 people on our boat a few weeks ago and we were able to hit 34 with the 150. We also tubed a lot that day and even with that many people on board it was a blast and we had people flying off the tube.
 
patcraver said:
I would definately recommend the SPS with a 150 or 200. We had 12 people on our boat a few weeks ago and we were able to hit 34 with the 150. We also tubed a lot that day and even with that many people on board it was a blast and we had people flying off the tube.
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S series boats must be much lighter then the G series.  I can hardly hit 35-36 mph with just me on mine and I have a 150.  No chance of over 30 with 12 people unless they were all little kids!
 
I believe the S is a bit lighter as is the SPS compared to the ESP. Sorry I did forget to mention there were 2 kids on the boat but I figured the total weight of everyone was 1500 to 1600 lbs so still pretty good.
 
I've had 9 adults including a couple big boys and was almost at 40 with my 200 and SPS. I've never been on an ESP hull but would imagine it is nice. Here is my famous bad movie of my boat showing off the SPS setup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR-1yh3MYjI
 
Link said:
Link, on 22 Jul 2015 - 07:46 AM, said:
I also disagree with BillN about SPS having better resale value, I would think ESP would resale higher
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The ESP would be the best re-sale.

But the originator of this thread was asking about SPS vs Express tube
 
Yeah...ESP is an overkill..SPS is so much money compare to express if express will perform the same, id like to save the money
 
I actually may have to get the express...weight for the sps is 3000 and add motor and trailer, it would exceed my towing limit ...I got a wrangler unlimited which is capped legally at 3500
 
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