Tin Diesel
Well-Known Member
Hello to all,
we just bought my brother's 2007 Bennington 2575 RL Super Sport. This is our first boat (other than my old 18' Hobiecat), so I've been reading through this forum a lot in preparation.
We had decided to get a pontoon boat a few years ago, so there was no decision there. When my brother's boat came available, that simplified things also - no decisions on model or accessories other than picking a trailer (he kept the boat on a lift in a boathouse). More on the trailer later.
My brother, as was typical for him, loaded the boat up with whatever options were available at the time. What I've noted so far:
I researched trailers for a long time. We also have a 30-foot Airstream that I tow with a diesel F250; at 8,000 lbs on 2 axles, it can get a lot of induced sway from wind and big-rigs. We got a Hensley Arrow anti-sway hitch to fix that problem, but a Hensley won't work on compression-brake trailers. So, I got a big 3-axle rig from Mid-America Trailers (trailersforpontoons.com), counting on the 3rd axle to help reduce sway. This will be an always-trailered boat, and nothing in Texas is close, so we'll drive a minimum of one hour to put the boat into the water.
When we go camping, I'll drive the big Airstream and my Chief Mate will be driving the boat, and she likes things stable (not sure why she married me, but that's another story). That was the main reason for getting what might be overkill on the trailer. After towing for 175 miles yesterday, it towed like a dream! I don't know how it would have done with 2 axles, obviously, but I'm happy with having spent the incrementally small cost for a 3rd axle.
I hope the picture uploaded OK... I'll post more later.
Some questions:
Kevin & Tricia
p.s. my 'handle' is from the Airstream owner's forum. Hers is 'Tin Fairy'. We will definitely be 'miles of aluminum' when we're towing both to a campground/lake!!!!
we just bought my brother's 2007 Bennington 2575 RL Super Sport. This is our first boat (other than my old 18' Hobiecat), so I've been reading through this forum a lot in preparation.
We had decided to get a pontoon boat a few years ago, so there was no decision there. When my brother's boat came available, that simplified things also - no decisions on model or accessories other than picking a trailer (he kept the boat on a lift in a boathouse). More on the trailer later.
My brother, as was typical for him, loaded the boat up with whatever options were available at the time. What I've noted so far:
- Mercruiser 5.0L Alpha MTI with only 110 hours (he didn't get a chance to use it much)
- Hydraulic steering
- Optional bow seat (I've seen comments pro/con this seat, and I'm not sure this will stay in the boat)
- Alpine stereo
- Garmin fishfinder
- Single bimini
- Full strakes
- Gas tank: the difficult-to-read label seems to indicate 62 gallons!!! Could this be accurate?
I researched trailers for a long time. We also have a 30-foot Airstream that I tow with a diesel F250; at 8,000 lbs on 2 axles, it can get a lot of induced sway from wind and big-rigs. We got a Hensley Arrow anti-sway hitch to fix that problem, but a Hensley won't work on compression-brake trailers. So, I got a big 3-axle rig from Mid-America Trailers (trailersforpontoons.com), counting on the 3rd axle to help reduce sway. This will be an always-trailered boat, and nothing in Texas is close, so we'll drive a minimum of one hour to put the boat into the water.
When we go camping, I'll drive the big Airstream and my Chief Mate will be driving the boat, and she likes things stable (not sure why she married me, but that's another story). That was the main reason for getting what might be overkill on the trailer. After towing for 175 miles yesterday, it towed like a dream! I don't know how it would have done with 2 axles, obviously, but I'm happy with having spent the incrementally small cost for a 3rd axle.
I hope the picture uploaded OK... I'll post more later.
Some questions:
- Like every I/O power boat I've been in, the trim indicator is incorrect. Any way to calibrate it?
- Can the gas tank really be 62 gallons?
- The hydraulic steering seems tight, and kind of 'klunky'. Any comments or suggestions
- The throttle/shifter is pretty sloppy. Hard to put into forward or reverse, hard to move, difficult to tell when in neutral. Maybe its suffering from lack of use? Any suggestions?
Kevin & Tricia
p.s. my 'handle' is from the Airstream owner's forum. Hers is 'Tin Fairy'. We will definitely be 'miles of aluminum' when we're towing both to a campground/lake!!!!
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