Back to the main site

Question For HP For "Old Schoolers" on New Bennington 22 SSX

Curly Q Link

Curly Q Link

New Member
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Location
Belle Plaine, MN
I have a general question on what your thoughts are on the motor I should get on a new Bennington 22 SSX.  My only choice is Yamaha, and I'm fine with that.  The pontoon is priced out with the T50.  The other option I might consider is the F90, but I'm not sure what to do.

I'm 68 years old and my wife is 65.  In spirit we like to think of ourselves as 25 but reality gives us a wake up call with some aches and pains and trying to remember how many doctor's appointments we have lined up in the next couple months.

I've done some general boating 30 to 40 years ago so I'm mildly familiar with rules of the road and operating a small motorboat. We did go out a week ago and rented a 20' pontoon for half a day just to see how we liked it for something to do in retirement.  You probably guessed it, the fever hit us and we were off to the pontoon dealers and decided on the Bennington.

At first we were going to get the 20 S which is probably the basic new entry line pontoon.  It was a nice looking pontoon that came with some options and nicely appointed.  It had the T50 Yamaha (high thrust).  The 20' we rented had just a standard 40hp Mercury and we felt that did pretty good for our type of boating.  So I was feeling the T50 Yamaha on the 20' Bennington would be more than adequate. Keep in mind that our boating will be pretty much what I would call  "old school", putting around the lake for slow rides, getting out for fresh air rides, anchoring off and doing what I do best - trying to take a short nap for an hour in the afternoon.   The lake is in Minnesota and is 1,600 acres.  A nice lake for cruising around, fishing and just relaxing.  We'll be happy with a top of speed of 15 to 20 mph but most of our running will probably be in the 4 to 5 mph cruising speeds.  There are not a lot of places to go other than going around in a large circle and one restaurant and bar on the lake.  A couple larger bays and maybe try a little fishing for something to do.   Probably in my life time the pontoon will never get off this lake other than for maintenance.

So we figure 90 percent of our use will be with just the two of us.  A couple times a season there might be 4 to 6 of us going out for a ride.  My thoughts were that this 20' would probably be adequate for our use.  Then I started doing some math and checking and realized i could upgrade to the 22 SSX  for $2,500 with a few more standard features, two feet longer and might be more comfortable than the entry level 20 S.  A year from now I didn't want to be saying, "We should have bought the 22 SSX when we had the chance."  We might not need the extra room but it is a nice pontoon and we will probably be glad we upgraded.

Here is where I'm at with the motor.  This $2,500 to upgrade is still with the T50.  The 22 SSX is probably 300 to 400 pounds more in weight than the 20 S but for our kind of pontooning with the 22 SSX would the T50  be an adequate motor?   Like I mentioned, I'm fine with top speeds of 15 to 20 mph.  My main concern is would I be putting a lot more stress on a 50 hp motor running at 1500 rpm four or five hours in a day's outing than would be stressing a 90 hp motor maybe only having to run at 1100 or 1200 rpm to get the same speed.  I guess I'm more concerned about putting wear and tear and the longevity of a T50 as opposed to a F90 that would probably be operating under less stress pushing the pontoon at a lessor rpm.  I hope this explanation is making sense.  Also I suppose a 90hp motor would be a positive selling point for resale.

Another question is if I do go with the 90hp motor, what do you think the upcharge should be going from the T50 to the F90?

Sorry this ended up being so long.  I will more than likely base my decision on what feedback I get here rather than from the dealer. Thanks for your thoughts and help.
 
Welcome to the party Jim. I'll be 65 next month and my wife is 63 so I know how you feel. I am a buy the biggest motor the boat will hold kinda guy and in your case I would still do the 90. You don't always need it but it's there if you do. Idling around all day isn't good for any motor be it a 50 or a 350 so you'll have to open it up some to keep it clean inside. good luck on your quest.
 
One thing you didn't mention is the diameter of the pontoons on each model. A T50 should be able to achieve similar top speeds if the 20' boat has 23" logs and the 22' has 25's.  My local lake is 2,700 acres and it only takes about ten minutes to cross it so 50 hp is more than adequate. I've found it's much nicer to cruise at 10-12 mph rather than 20, conversations aren't interrupted, I can hear the music, and my significant other isn't complaining about her hair blowing around.
 
Thanks to both of you for replying so far.  I'll be keeping all the comments in mind in the next couple days when I'll have to make a decision.  The logs are 25".
 
If resale is important, consider that your boat will be easier to sell with a larger engine.
 
I'm on a lake with a 22RLi with a top speed of 12mph with a 20HP (lake restriction) and it suits me fine. We are turning 50 this year and have concluded we prefer luxury and space vs. speed. You can't go wrong going bigger on hp as you'll get it back on resale, but if you don't NEED lots of motor, I'd spend it on other upgrades.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
If you will at times have 6 people on board then I would say get the higher horsepower as you will not believe how the weight of extra passengers slows the motor down
 
We have a 22sl with the 115 yamaha.  works very well for us.  We are on a lake that is 47000 acres so the larger hp comes in handy, but I would probably go with the 90 if you are not going to upgrade anything else.  Good luck and have fun!
 
I have the 22' SSLX with the Yamaha 90 and love it. My other boat had a Yamaha 70 and there is a big difference between the 2. It will also be cheaper on the front end to upgrade. I have the 15 pitch prop and run about 26 mph with 4 people. I get 29.7 mph with 2 people and clean toons. I can pull 2 kids on the tube about 22-24 mph depending on the weight with 3 adults on board. The mileage is excellent. The 90 would make the resale value better.
 
If you are on a lake that big and the weather turns ugly, how long does it take to get to safety? On our first pontoon we went from a 50hp to a 90. A big difference.

Brian
 
We have a 21SLX with a 90hp Yamaha, upgraded from the 50hp that was originally listed in the package.  We're glad we did.  Checking with GPS, ours runs 21.8 MPH at 5300-5500 RPM with four people on board.  Idles down to a nice slow speed for trolling.  It's nice to have the extra power available when you want it, and for pulling kids around in the tube.  Tubing probably isn't a consideration for you, but it likely would be on the used market if you trade it in. 

Look closely at the different furniture layouts, etc., and figure out what features are important for you.  My wife wanted two full length loungers in the front, and the 21' has that.  Deck runs the full length of the tubes, so space is optimized.  Another nice feature that we enjoy is the extended aft deck.  Makes it so much easier to swim, put the cover on, etc.  And it gives you more room to fish from too.  Adding the ski tow bar makes it safer for walking on the aft deck, kinda like a guard rail, and its a nice spot to mount rod holders.

Another option that we added that we really like:  Added an additional rectangle table on the bow end between the two loungers. 
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm of the school that the USCG tells you which motor to get. It's on the yellow and black placard next to the helm. It's sometimes referred to as Max HP rating. I always interpret that to mean "Motor For This Boat Is...". 

There are so many buyers that have nearly immediate remorse for their engine choice. It's very possibly the-most-common-thread-topic on this board. 

For someone that is coming back to boating after years away, I just want to politely challenge your assumption that you know how you will use your new boat. When your boat can do more, you'll do more. If your boat limits what you can do, then you'll be limited in what you can do. I'm an evangelist for buying-your-last-boat-first. It's cheaper than stepping up. A lot cheaper.

In my shopping experiences, I ignore the price-point signs in the dealership and the "upgrade" prices on the boat-builder site. I just select max HP. That's the motor. The price is the price. It is what it is. And that's my recommendation.
 
My wife and I are a little younger than you (not by much), and we just bought a 20SF with a T50 Yamaha. I thought it was a little underpower for pulling a tube, but the kids proved us wrong. We're very happy with it for cruising a medium sized lake, and it idles way down for trolling the fish beds at about 1 1/2 mph.

Good luck and have fun
 
I've had engine remorse as much as anyone (see my posts), but I'd have to say based on what you said, I would spend the money on the boat upgrades before motor.  Anything 115 and under sucks at tubing, but we rented a lake house with a 24 foot pontoon a couple years ago (two toons, no strakes) and it had a T50 and we could pull my 90 lb kid on a kneeboard at around 16-17 mph, which is the right speed for our kneeboard.  Much faster and it porpoises.  Max speed on that boat was around 19-20 with just a couple people.  So, if you end up with grandkids, or friends with kids, you CAN do some watersports with a 50, but it will be  limited to kneeboarding.  In my opinion, tubing will not be exciting with either motor.

I'm nearly 50 years old.  When I go out by myself, I'm more than happy to just float with the wind or slow cruise.  I'd trade my 150 HP model S for Semperfi's nicely appointed R with a 20 HP in a heartbeat.  BUT, I have teenagers, and 150 HP is the minimum for teenagers.  But based on what you've told us, I'd spend the $ and get a plush boat and only upgrade the motor once you've run out of other stuff to spend the money on.

Boat Length - We almost bought a 22 SSL.  The 24 SSL was just coming out, and there wasn't even a floor plan out yet.  What Bennington did with the 2 extra feet made a HUGE difference in the usability of the boat.  So, regarding boat length, look HARD at the floor plan.  If you can't see them in person, get measurements and use masking tap to lay it out on your living room floor.  It will help you with what the size really means as far as usability.  The 24 SSL added a side backrest to the port front bench where the 22 did not.  The 22 had a plain bench that might hold 1 person and no backrest on the end of the bench.  The 24 holds 3 people there easily, and when one person is sitting there, he has a very usable backrest/lounger.   Makes a HUGE difference.  It's only 2 feet, but again, world of difference depending on what Bennington used it for.  If you have 6 people on a 20 foot boat, think about where they are all going to sit...  If you think it's enough, just get the 20 footer.

People talk about the 2 feet adding more weight.  I've not drank that kool-aid yet.  The 2 extra feet buys 2 more feet of pontoon, which is more weight but also means a more buoyancy.  I've yet to hear one person here mention this.  I don't know which one comes out ahead (weight or buoyancy) but since the 22 allows more max motor, I'd say you get more buoyancy out of it compared to the added weight.

Food for thought.

Back to buyer's remorse on the motor, if you have buyer's remorse on a 90 or less, you're just a big whiner.  Sorry, just how I sea it. 

Someone said it here once, but the 115 size is evil.  They shouldn't make it.  It would make that decision much easier.  90 or 150.  Anything less than 90 is pretty much a cruiser.  Anything over 150 is just someone with money to burn.  That's not an insult.  If I had money to burn, I'd go bigger than a 150.  150 is the minimum size for me though, with teenagers, and it gets the job done.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Well said Kaydano and the truth
 
I will just add that I have a 22' SFX with a 115hp Yamaha. Feel like any smaller and I'd not be happy. My max mph is about 26mph wot. Don't go under 90hp, I'm afraid you won't be happy but I could be wrong.
 
I've got the 20slx with the 90hp. I like the combination. I've got two props; the 4 blade 13p and the 3 blade 15p. The 4 blade does 26 at 6100 rpm. The 3 blade does 26 mph at 5100 rpm. The boat was bought with the mindset of the way we bought our 33' 5th wheel camper. It was made for two people in love. We have had a couple more people on it from one time to another, and had 8 on it once. It never showed any problem with all 8. It still had all the power we needed, and no one was the least bit crowded. 

Now, if you had about 4 or 5 drunks on it, and an argument erupted, a Carnival cruise ship wouldn't be big enough. Good luck with your decisions. 
 
SpoiledRotten, in the interest of making sure correct information getting out [and I have been corrected a number of times] I would have to challenge your statement of "never showed any problem with 8, it still had all the power it needed"  I have 8+ passengers fairly often and my Yamaha 115 dogs down tremendously.  It is well known that I am not a speed demon as I prefer to cruise at 8 - 14mph.  Sometimes over wide body of water I may do 18 - 20 just to get to where I am going.  When I have 8+ people on my boat if I remember right I think 18 is my wot and my hole shot is sloooow.  It is at these times that I regret not purchasing the 150. 

I did not purchase the 150 as my dealer assured me that I would be happy with the 115 coupled by the fact that it would be another $6000 by the time I added the motor and the steering.  Now it will cost me quite a bit more to make the move 
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top