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MrFreeze

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Greetings!

I am new to the forum and I am about to purchase a new Bennington. I am hoping that with the help and wisdom of the members here, I can avoid some mistakes in this pruchase.

I currently have a 22' Aqua Patio with a 50hp Honda on it that is 10 years old and I am planning to replace it. I live on a relatively small inland lake and the boat will never leave the lake except in the winter (I live in Michigan).

I am looking at a Bennington 2275 RCW or a 2574 GCW. My questions are:

1) What is the best size motor for these boats. I have a ski boat so I will not be pulling skiers or tubers with the pontoon.

2) In your opinion, is the R series worth the extrra $'s?

3) Any thought on 25' vs 22'?

4) Does anyone have "Sea Legs" on there boat? How do you like them? How does the boat preform with the added weight?

Thank you in advance for your help.

MrFreeze
 
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Mr. Freeze: We are all happy to answer your questions. Let me suggest you use the search box in the upper right hand corner of your screen to search on the keywords. Then you will have the benefit of all the previous discussions, many of which have already come up.

Welcome aboard.
 
Welcome to the forum.

Only comment I have is I have never heard anyone say they bought to much motor.

Happy boating and enjoy the forum.

andy
 
I am looking at a Bennington 2275 RCW or a 2574 GCW. My questions are:

1) What is the best size motor for these boats. I have a ski boat so I will not be pulling skiers or tubers with the pontoon.

I believe you won't be pulling skiers, or at least that you have no plans to.

The plans not to pull tubes on the other hand...

Well, let's just say that ain't the first time I heard someone say that. ;)

A good "all around NON-performance" power level is 150hp.

Any brand engine, two or four stroke is an excellent choice, given how far they've come.

An excellent choice in a "value performance" engine is the 20" Yamaha 225. I think they call it the Sport model.

If you want to go all out, there are 350hp outboard engines available, but there is a compelling case to be made that the extra cost and weight aren't automatically worth 50hp.

Here's the one thing to keep in mind... Nobody ever goes around bemoaning the fact that they bought too much engine. If you are trying to decide between two power levels, choose the larger. You won't regret it.

2) In your opinion, is the R series worth the extra $'s?

Honestly, nobody can answer that question for you. You see, you can option out a G-Class really nicely. It's really the sweet spot in the Bennington line because you can choose as many or as few options as you'd like. The R-Class is nice... don't get me wrong. It has a lot of nice touches and it IS a step up from the G. It's just that the long list of options you can order on either boat make it far more of a grey area than most people realize.

Here's what I suggest...

Figure out what options you want to have on your boat without worrying about which class you want. Then price out both boats the way you want them to be. THEN you'll be in a better position to decide which way you want to jump.

Also, here's an answer to something you didn't ask...

Give careful consideration to whether or not your boat has a Starboard gate, especially if you think you'll take the boat out by yourself more than occasionally. Additionally, think about whether you want a boat with couches or individual chairs up front. That's more about how you use the boat and who you use it with. For myself, I really like having a couple of chairs instead of all couches.

3) Any thought on 25' vs 22'?

I have a 22, but it's just me and my dog. If your boating will almost always be just you and your spouse, 22 feet of boat will get the job done. Add even two other passengers of any age, plus all the stuff people tend to bring along, such as coolers, food, tubes, floats, whatever; and you'll be glad for the extra 3 feet.

You didn't ask, but 28 foot boats are on the big side, especially if you like to dock at various restaurants and bars around the lake. However, if you do a lot of outings with more than 6 people, it's worth thinking about.

4) Does anyone have "Sea Legs" on there boat? How do you like them? How does the boat perform with the added weight?

I don't know anyone who has them, although plenty of folks around here have dock lifts.

I might be wrong about this, but if you get them you are limiting yourself to two logs, and I'm not entirely certain even twin-ellipticals are an option.

And seriously... Probably the best thing to happen to pontoons in the last decade has been the third log. You don't want to leave that option on the table without a darn good reason.

All of the preceding is my OPINION of course, and you know what they say about those... :D
 
I just purchased the 2575 RCW with the Yamaha 250. About 2 weeks away from delivery so can't provide first hand knowledge. I did take a test drive in the 2575 with the 150 and it ran great. Just seemed to me that with several people, gear, and pulling a tube the 250 wouldn't have to work as hard running around the lake.

Plus it's nice to haul some a$$ from time to time. :)

Hurry up Bennington!!!

The people on this site are awesome so keep asking questions and you'll get all the info you need. Try typing in "Bennington 2575 RCW" into YouTube and checkout a few of the reviews. Good stuff...

Happy Shopping,
 
Welcome to the forum Mr Freeze,

Since you currently have a 22 foot toon, you probably already have an idea as to how well that size fits your needs. The 2275 RCW is actually just under 24 feet of deck space. When you add an outboard, you have about 27 feet from bow to prop so keep that in mind if you have a boat house.

We looked at both the RCW 2275 and the 2575 and chose the "smaller one" due to the way we usually use our boat. It seats 8-10 passengers comfortably with the optional bow seat. Often we go out with 4-7 passengers and it is plenty of boat. The RCW 2575 offers even more capacity, comfort, and weight.

At this level of boat, consider the 150hp as the minimum power plant. We too had a ski boat because our 3 kids and their friends were hard core water sports enthusiasts. As they have gotten a little older, they do less behind the boat. Larger engines just provide more options for recreational water sports and you may find you don't need the ski boat sometime in the future like we did.
 
Thank you guys that is some good stuff to consider. Now I have more things to hash over :blink: :D I didn't even considder a tri toon. And yes ericscher, you are correct the Sea Legs will not fit if you have elipticles. But I sure do like the idea of not needing a hoist to take in and out every year and not having to tie off or anchor in windy weather. B)

I really was leaning towards a 90hp Yamaha. My kids are 12 and I have a Malibu Response LXI with a Monsoon 335 in it and I just dont think that they would be happy on a tube behind the pontoon with any size motor if you know what I mean. That being said, you guys are very consistant so I will have to reconsider. There goes another 5G :(

Thank you very much for your help, I do appreciate it.
 
I bought a 2275 RLCI in august, with 90 HP Yamaha, and Sea Legs

I love it & wish I would have bought it earlier in the year.

Also, they make Sea Legs for tritoons, my dealer has the

same pontoon I have with the ESP package with Sea Legs.

You'll never regret the Sea Legs.
 
MrFreeze said:
Thank you guys that is some good stuff to consider. Now I have more things to hash over :blink: :D I didn't even considder a tri toon. And yes ericscher, you are correct the Sea Legs will not fit if you have elipticles. But I sure do like the idea of not needing a hoist to take in and out every year and not having to tie off or anchor in windy weather. B)

I really was leaning towards a 90hp Yamaha. My kids are 12 and I have a Malibu Response LXI with a Monsoon 335 in it and I just dont think that they would be happy on a tube behind the pontoon with any size motor if you know what I mean. That being said, you guys are very consistant so I will have to reconsider. There goes another 5G :(

Thank you very much for your help, I do appreciate it.
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That brings back some great memories Mr Freeze. We had a Malibu Response LXI with the hammerhead 400 hp. Clearly one of the best handling/performance boats I have ever been in. A true drivers boat that would amaze friends and guests the first time they came aboard. As a fellow Malibu owner, trust me when I say you will not be satisfied with the 90hp outboard.
 
We have 2275 rcw with 32" tunes and a 150 merc products xs which is a HO version. About 165hp. Plenty of power. We can hit low to mid 40's with good water and minimum load.

Good luck!

Todd
 
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