Oh the PADs...

bcpnick

Nick
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I've got a bad case of PADs guys. If I were out east where demand is a lot higher than it is here, I think I'd have my boat up for sale right now! But while I'm dreaming, I'm curious about a couple things on a possible new boat. 

First, for a guy like me who is doing long trips with heavy loads, what is going to be better, twin ellipticals or SPS? I don't care much about turning, I want maximum buoyancy and speed to cover long distances. Or would SPS with full strakes be the best choice?

And on colors, I love my black SSX, but it sure is a water spot magnet. I imagine it's still pretty bad with all the other colors and the water splashing around back by the motor?

Thanks in advance for the opinions. If my wife knew I posted this thread, I'm pretty sure she would install some sort of net filter and add this forum and the Bennington boat builder site to the black list. :)
 
More toons means more load carry capacity.

I have a white truck and a tan boat. Neither shows water spotting. Would love red boat.

Bought my wife a Mac and now she knows zip about my computer.
 
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I don't have a problem with water spots on the red ,now the motor ,that is another story . Once a week to the sand bar with some vinegar and spray marine wax cleans it up .
 
I personally would go with SPS or ESP, not for either speed or buoyancy, in floor storage. That for you is a HUGE factor. So I would say ESP since it gives you an extra 7" of width at one point. Come to the dark side, the water is nice!
 
I would definitely ask your dealer to check the buoyancy numbers with Bennington engineering before I made that decision. Of course, the ESP has the most, but it's a huge jump in price because of everything you need with it. As Derrick said, the center tube cavern would be awesome for your trips. This inflatable kayaks (very cool!) would drop right in there. I was amazed at ride and buoyancy of the twin ellipticals, so I'd be curious what they come back with. When you see those tubes compared to anything else they do look huge (32" wide). Bigger engines are going to decrease your range for equivalent fuel, so it's obviously going to be a trade off there too.
 
Nick,

After reading and SEEING what you do, I'm surprised it took this long for you to be infected. I wondered where you put all that stuff.

Whatever you get, I WOULD INVEST IN extended aft deck. Gives you lots of spare storage space for coolers, containers, etc., which frees up deck space. As for performance info, I'm lost there as I only have a 20hp motor on mine.

One concern you may need to verify also before you upgrade is your towing vehicle capability.
 
Awesome input here! 

The thought of that third tube storage has my mind a little blown. I always knew it was an option, but the opening looked small on the boat I saw it on so I didn't really take it seriously. I saw somewhere on here a while back how big it actually is inside and now I'm sold. It's really tough fitting all I do onto the boat for those big trips. On our trip over Memorial weekend, I started out so heavy in the back that my pee stream was underwater! It was fixed quickly with a little readjusting, but having that kind of space to actually get things out of the way would be priceless. Not to mention the possibility of a larger fuel tank. I was just out and about with my wife and we decided to drop by the dealer and take a look at it on another boat. Unfortunately, they were closed, but I think she is pretty excited at the prospect too. That's like half way there! :)

I'd definitely do the extended aft and probably the bow too. I should be good on tow vehicle. I have a '13 Toyota Tundra Rock Warrior with the 5.7L v8. 

I've been looking at efficiency of different engines. That was one of the reasons the 90 seemed like a good idea at first. On my current boat, the 150 is the max, but I'm even thinking about a different boat to get to 200. According to the performance bulletins, the 200 is nearly as fuel efficient as the 90 but the 150 isn't as good. This is what I'm looking at:

F200LB:

http://www.benningtonmarine.com/publications/uploaded_files/389/BNT-2250GSR-F200LB-2013-05-07-BNT.pdf

F150LA:

http://www.benningtonmarine.com/publications/uploaded_files/356/BNT-24SSLX-F150LA-3tube-2012-08-24-PNT.pdf

F90LA:

http://www.benningtonmarine.com/publications/uploaded_files/557/22-SSLX-w-Yamaha-F90LA-2013-08-20-PNT.pdf

If the above is accurate, then it seems like I could get nearly the same MPG out of the 200 while going 23mph vs. 13mph. That would be awesome for zipping down lake 50 or 60 miles before going into 'cruising' mode in the side canyons. 

But if I want to go to the 200, I have to move away from the 22 SSX floor plan (unless they'll do a custom 24 SSX for me). I like the layout, but with that third tube storage, those loungers on other models are starting to look a lot better! Hmmm....
 
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I think you should try to swing a "promo boat" from Bennington for promoting the pontoon adventure lifestyle on backcountrypost.com, attracting young and active buyers reading it. Seriously, their marketing folks should take notice of that and somehow use it in their programs. You do great work there.
 
Now that's what I'm talking about, Tom! I do exactly that for some outdoors brands. They send us products, we use them and take nice photos they can use, etc. Not really in the same class of gear as a Benny, but it can't hurt to ask! Maybe I'll gather some info and photos and shoot them a message. 
 
Now that's what I'm talking about, Tom! I do exactly that for some outdoors brands. They send us products, we use them and take nice photos they can use, etc. Not really in the same class of gear as a Benny, but it can't hurt to ask! Maybe I'll gather some info and photos and shoot them a message. 
Send them to Mandy
 
Good luck with the PADS!  And yes, third tube storage is HUGE!  You could hide a couple of bodies in there!
 
also that 200 performance bulletin is on a G series while the others are on an S series so probably even a little better
 
At any given speed, my 150 gets better mpg than my 115. It was a pleasant surprise. I didn't even believe it at first.

Sounds like you need a trailer for your boat. Not a trailer to pull your boat with, but a trailer you pull WITH your boat to store all your stuff. Like a Great Big Mable... At those prices, I'm sure whatever company makes those would give you one just to be in your photos...
 
By the way, this has got to be one of the most interesting threads I've read in some time. You use your Benny in a very unique and adventurous way, and I think I can speak for others when I say a lot of us are excited to hear about your adventures! Your pics are outstanding too! Keep it up!
 
I have the same exact setup as the F150 boat test (24SSLX), and I'm seeing 4.5 mph more (than the test) with the engine lifted 3/4"--1 notch.  It's setup perfectly at that point with the Reliance 15 for light-medium loads.

The F200 would be nice, but it's about another $3K over the F150. 

If you're into long distance cruising, you'd do best to go for a hull that has a very large fuel tank, and the center toon storage would be great.

I made a 60 mile run downriver and back last Summer, and we're going to be taking a 200 mile one way trip next month.  My 21 gallon tank will be supplemented by three 5 gallon Jerry cans, which should give me at least a 150 mile range.   Gas is available at marinas in route too.

Hope you come out of your PADS without too much damage.
 
Step 1 of PADs: acceptance. Step 2: sell boat. Step 3: buy bigger, badder boat. Time to think about step 2 and maybe list mine for sale. That would probably knock me out of boating for the rest of the season and I'd have to cancel a handful of sweet trips, but if it meant starting next year with the boat I really want, that could be worth it. Any opinions on a fair listing price? I looked up NADA and it's quite a bit more than I even paid for it. Low 31k, high 34k. Here is my setup:

2013 22 SSX, 25" tubes, upgraded G series captains chair, ABS docking lights, echo 100, sharkhide, mocha palm carpet, slightly upgraded Infinity speakers. I'd probably leave the fixed marine radio and antenna in it (~$300). 

Yamaha F90LA with about 65 hours

EZ Loader trailer, tandem axel, surge breaks

Retail on just the boat and motor for a 2014 is about $32,800. I can't remember what my dealer said MSRP was on the trailer, but I think it was around $5k. So I'm thinking mid-high 20's for a used price? Not a lot of used models out there to compare to. Thoughts? Trading in is probably not an option as my dealer seems to have a really hard time selling pontoons. They're still trying to move a 2013 2275 GCW they've been sitting on for more than a year. 
 
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