My husband and I are buying our first pontoon. We had planned on ordering a Bennington with the swingback seat. The showroom model did not have railing and we loved the layout. However, after further thought, it seemed dangerous. We have two children(9 & 7) and railing is probably the smartest option. Does the railing feel confined? We are supposed to finalize the deal this week and I'm questioning the floor plan. If anyone can offer any insight on this type of layout, I would appreciate it. Thanks so much!
New/need advice
- Thread starter MichelleF
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Michiman
Well-Known Member
Welcome Michelle! I can't speak from experience but there are many on this site that can. However, I've seen one at our dealer with the railing and because it's fairly open to begin with I can't see where it would feel confining. That said, I'm not sure that I'd be very comfortable having kids of that age back there without an adult next to them. Even with that rail, things could blow out the back rather easily.
CTBoater
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Welcome! We have a 23 foot swingback on order. I really like the look better without the railing, however, it is required in our state if we ever want to have anyone ride back there. When I tried it out in our dealer's showroom it didn't feel too confining. Our dealer made a good point regarding the rail. He told us it was better to add it to the order now than to have it added after delivery as the boat cover must also be modified to accommodate the railing. (there is a cutout in the cover to accept each railing vertical support). We ordered it. Good luck with your decision. The swingback is a nice layout!
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We have the swingback without the rail and are pleased with the look. When underway we keep the seat back in the aft position and passengers are seated facing forward. If we have little ones on board we also close the gate. There are several on our lake that have the railing and they don't look confining at all but you do lose a little freedom moving around while anchored. I agree with kids your age the railing would give you some peace of mind as anything can happen in a split second.
Jack M
Moderator
Check the requirements in your state what ever decision you make .It will cost less at the time of build if you have to have it
Vikingstaff
Moderator
We have a 2017 swingback with the railing. We do not find it confining at all. It wouldn’t provide great protection, but simply better peace of mind, with younger kids. Nice for helping keep them from rolling off when docked, ankored, or not in motion.
With younger/smaller kids, we still require them sitting on the other side when under way unless snuggled up with a parent. Different with adults and teens, where it is plenty fine. Below are a couple of pictures of ours to give you a partial sense of how it might look. It is still a very open look to the swingback set up.
With younger/smaller kids, we still require them sitting on the other side when under way unless snuggled up with a parent. Different with adults and teens, where it is plenty fine. Below are a couple of pictures of ours to give you a partial sense of how it might look. It is still a very open look to the swingback set up.
BigKahuna
Well-Known Member
My wife and I.......Love the Swingback floor plan. Saw an R23 at our local dealership but.........We already have a boat! Ha!
Anyway if we had one We would def want the railing. That's a perfect seat to watch somebody skiing/wakeboarding back there!
Anyway if we had one We would def want the railing. That's a perfect seat to watch somebody skiing/wakeboarding back there!
PonTuna Salad
Well-Known Member
We have the swing back with the rail. I am 6’-4” with really long legs. I barely touch the rail so most will not come close. If I really want to stretch out, there is no issue with sticking my feet under the rail.
Ordering the rail was a must have for me. Only problem I have with it is the rail holds water on top of the cover. I have to put a tube on the seat to raise the cover even with the strap.
Ordering the rail was a must have for me. Only problem I have with it is the rail holds water on top of the cover. I have to put a tube on the seat to raise the cover even with the strap.
Madtowncleaners
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What was the factory add on price for the railing around the swing back? I am new to this forum but not to Benningtons.
SEMPERFI8387
Moderator
Go to the boat builder, select the model of Swingback you are interested in and there’s an option for the rail system.
kaydano
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Our 24SSL is similar. Double wide rear lounger. See my avatar to the left.
Ours has the railing (was not an option) and I just wanted to point out this is a GREAT place to buckle wet life jackets after skiing or tubing. We buckle them to the railing, then flip them out over the railing so they hang off the motor-side of the railing. The water that drips off runs right off the rear deck.
When we take a break from tubing, but are not done for the day yet, we'll set the tube on its side between the ski tow bar and the seat railing, and tie the handles of the tube to the lounger seat railing. Then we can cruise around without me having to blow up the tube again. It's the only place to keep a blown-up tube and still be able to drive the boat at moderate speeds.
We don't permanently store skis here, but when we go out with the skis, we often set them on the seat pushed all the way back towards the motor and the railing keeps them from falling out the back. This is just temporary, but it's an out-of-the-way place to keep them and the kids can still use the lounger with the skis sitting there.
We have a bag for our kneeboard, and we keep it permanently outside the fence with the bag handle (which has a velcro closure) wrapped around the railing. A kneeboard is big and bulky, and there's really no other place on the boat to keep it. Since it is velcroed solidly in place, we permanently store it there. When we're done for the day, we just flip it over the railing (still tied to the railing) so it sits on the lounger. Then the mooring cover will snap in place without the knee board in the way.
The railing has more uses than you'd think!!!
Ours has the railing (was not an option) and I just wanted to point out this is a GREAT place to buckle wet life jackets after skiing or tubing. We buckle them to the railing, then flip them out over the railing so they hang off the motor-side of the railing. The water that drips off runs right off the rear deck.
When we take a break from tubing, but are not done for the day yet, we'll set the tube on its side between the ski tow bar and the seat railing, and tie the handles of the tube to the lounger seat railing. Then we can cruise around without me having to blow up the tube again. It's the only place to keep a blown-up tube and still be able to drive the boat at moderate speeds.
We don't permanently store skis here, but when we go out with the skis, we often set them on the seat pushed all the way back towards the motor and the railing keeps them from falling out the back. This is just temporary, but it's an out-of-the-way place to keep them and the kids can still use the lounger with the skis sitting there.
We have a bag for our kneeboard, and we keep it permanently outside the fence with the bag handle (which has a velcro closure) wrapped around the railing. A kneeboard is big and bulky, and there's really no other place on the boat to keep it. Since it is velcroed solidly in place, we permanently store it there. When we're done for the day, we just flip it over the railing (still tied to the railing) so it sits on the lounger. Then the mooring cover will snap in place without the knee board in the way.
The railing has more uses than you'd think!!!
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lakeliving
Well-Known Member
I love our sslx layout. I buckle wet life jackets to the tow bar though. That way they aren't beating against the fence.
Thomas Sayle
Member
We have the Swingback and two small children as well. We elected not to put the rails on ours for a few reasons. First, according to our interpretation of the rules, no one is allowed to ride on the lounger while the boat is under power. Second, we thought that the rail, if installed, would only serve as more of a hazard than help (think child standing up holding onto rail and flipping over it).
However, I don't think that the rail would be confining by any stretch. I am 6', and my feet don't come close to the edge of the lounger when sitting back there.
Last, regardless of laws or rails, I would not have anyone sitting on the lounger while the boat was in motion. We simply flip the back of the seat and use the bench until we are stopped somewhere, then use the lounger.
However, I don't think that the rail would be confining by any stretch. I am 6', and my feet don't come close to the edge of the lounger when sitting back there.
Last, regardless of laws or rails, I would not have anyone sitting on the lounger while the boat was in motion. We simply flip the back of the seat and use the bench until we are stopped somewhere, then use the lounger.
WV Girl
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Hi Michelle! I’m just about to order my new Bennington. I felt the same way about the swing back & kids. I ended going with the SSLDXP. You can remove the table and it’s like a couch with a bench ottoman and there are the regular panels for safety.