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First boat!

Kent

Kent

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Location
Haughton, Louisiana
Hello all! This will be my first post on here, but probably my millionth time looking at this forum! Let me start by saying that this has got to be the most helpful site/ forum for anyone looking at buying a Bennington! I am 29 years old and just bought my first boat, a 2013 Bennington 24SSLX SPS with a Merc 150. I decided on this boat after 2 years of research and reading this forum (kinda creepy that I've been looking on here that long without anyone knowing, right??) Anyway, I originally wanted a pontoon boat (South Bay or SunTracker) with a 115, and that's what I would've bought had I not done a lot of research on this site and others. After reading so many posts about people asking how difficult it would be to add the third log, and people asking how much it would cost to upgrade to the 150, I decided on the boat that I bought 2 weeks ago. Now, I know I'm breaking a major rule by only having one pic up so far, but I've only had it on the water one time, and I was NOT getting off of it to take pictures! I am still in the motor break-in period, so I still haven't done anything too exciting or found my top speed yet. I am taking it out again this weekend, and will try to get some pics on the water. Finally, I have to brag on the service so far. The dealership I bought from (White's Marine Center in Pittsburg, MO) made me a deal that made it well worth the 17hr round-trip drive! Not to mention, they took all of the time I needed to go over every inch of the boat and answer all of my questions, as well as helping make sure I was completely road-ready for the long drive home. I've only had to contact Bennington a couple of times with questions, and I was met with quick, helpful responses. It's been a great experience so far, and I'm so glad I chose the boat that I did! So, a big THANK YOU to everyone on this forum for all of the posts! Looks like y'all are some pretty good salesmen!!
 
Congrats and welcome Kent!! It seems like you know the rules of the forum already!!!! If I pull a Derrick (I'm sure your familiar with him due to your lurking) I would do the same set up as you. We currently have the 22sslx with a 115 and I wish we had more. Let me know what you think about the sps and 150 as I have a feeling our next boat will be that setup.
 
Welcome Kent. You have made a great choice and will have many hours of enjoyment ahead of you. Glad you have a good dealer. I also have a great one and they help make Bennington what is is today.
 
Welcome to the party Kent and enjoy your new boat. B)
 
Welcome and have fun with the new boat!

Jack
 
Welcome and congratulation on a well thought-out purchase. How did you search the dealers for the boat you wanted? Your process could help other buyers.
 
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Thanks for all of the welcomes! Will definitely post some numbers once I get past the break-in! Boattrader.com seemed to be the biggest help, but also Googling Bennington dealerships in the states that I was willing to drive to helped. I just made a list of all of the dealerships, and saved them in a file on my computer. Tip 1: Call the dealership and tell them exactly what you're looking for. What they have listed on their website as inventory is commonly not what they have since most do not update it after every boat sold or delivered. The dealership I bought from had mine in stock, and it was nowhere on their website. Tip 2: If you're waiting on end-of-the-year deals, do not wait until fall, unless you're looking for a very common boat that is kept in large quantities (20-22 foot.) The next year model pontoon boats begin being delivered to the dealerships in August. I began calling all of the dealerships I found in late June, and over half had sold out of the boat I wanted. They had also already received their last shipments of the 2013 models and would not be receiving any more new boats until the 2014 models in August. From what they told me, they consider the "pontoon season" to be over since now the water is warm and they will now turn their focus to selling the deep-hull boats for water sports. I hope maybe this helps someone!
 
Congrats on the new toon..
 
Welcome to the Family !!!!! I see you know the rule, so I won't mention about PICS !!!!!! Lol !!!!

Sounds like a beauty !!!
 
Welcome aboard, and congratulations! Many days of floatin' ahead!
 
welcome aboard. See, Stalking does have its advantages right? Well, on a boating forum anyways. Nice boat. BTW, nobody said how many pics you had to post but that you just had to post a pic. Congrats on your purchase and look forward to seeing more pics of that great boat

Todd
 
Welcome!! Well done on the research! Probably if I had done that I wouldn't be on my third already!! Haha well, probably my second, I knew everything I wanted on my second boat, but then this darn tower became more "available" so I had to make it number three. The nice thing about doing all the research and forward thinking is you know EXACTLY what you want and what to expect, from real world use and true owner experience, it makes a world of difference! I know I probably didn't give you the most knowledge about boats and Bennington, but hopefully my stupid comments and stories kept you interested enough to keep reading it!! Haha oh, and also how not to get fuel when you're on your way to trade in your boat!! Haha
 
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