Searching for our 1st Pontoon

[Princessdi]

Hi Everyone,

We have been seaching for our 1st pontoon (first boat ever) and have narrowed it down to a Bennington 22gcw or a Harris Flote boat. I'm guessing that since I chose the Bennington forum, most of you will chose the Bennie but we are just looking for some honest answers.

Just when we get close to choosing, I read something negative. We have 3 adult boys starting their own families and want to be safe with grandchildren but also have fun tubing. Probably no water-skiers. I would greatly appreciate some help.

So do we need the third toon? Carpet versus vinyl? Floor storage? Elevated captain's chair? What size engine? THey are trying to sell us the Yamaha 60 instead of the 90 or 115 stating that is is built specifically for pontoons.

Does anyone really use the dressing rooms?

I would appreciate any comments that might help us narrow this search down.

Princessdi

 

[kaydano]

Welcome to the forum Princessdi!

We recently bought a Bennington, and I gotta tell you, this forum itself was a big part of our buying decision. There are a TON of helpful people here, and they've saved me lots of $ and frustration. So, if you go with Bennington, you will have this forum as an invaluable source of information and advice. Since this is your first boat, this forum will be like gold for you.

I can't answer all your questions, but I throw out a few thoughts that came to mind as I read your post. First is "3 adult boys starting their own families and fun tubing". I don't think you'll like the 60 for that purpose. Having a lot of people on board really slows a boat down, so you'll want as large of an engine as possible. Know that you can go up to around 115 HP without having hydraulic steering. At 150, the motor gets pretty hard to turn under throttle, and some sort of power steering (hydraulic steering being the cheapest step) is needed. We bought the 115, and it was a tough choice (to not get the 150). My advice would be to at least get the 115.

I think the general consensus is to go with 3 pontoons. You get better stability, higher speed, and better resale (or trade).

Somewhere on this site is a chart of all the pontoon manufacturers and their JD Powers (I think) customer satisfaction and quality rating. It's a blue scatter chart. I'm hoping another forum member knows where that it. It might be in the gallery. Or buried in a forum topic. But Bennington is right at the top of that list.

We looked at a Harris, but it wasn't for us. We like the "center walk through" style, and the Harris we saw wasn't that style. I can tell you the Bennington factory is great to work with (and our dealer was awesome too). Before I bought the boat, I wanted to "test" the factory a little, just to see how their response was. I was impressed. We had two minor things wrong with our boat, and they were both fixed promptly. The more difficult of the two was done before we picked up the boat. The other was a small plastic door stop that was defective, and they sent me a new one in the mail. I had emailed the factory directly and they were very quick to respond and very polite. I knew this was the right company to buy from.

What was the negative comment you heard? Maybe if you told us what it was, we could help you out. There's always something negative out there on just about everything. You have to look at the quality of the post, and the number of negative posts. A better way to judge is the number of "good" posts, and especially those posts where someone had problems with the dealer/factory and how they were treated. Anyone can look good when there's no problems. It's how the manufacturer deals with problems that sets them apart from everyone else.

I know it takes time, but if you spend a few hours browsing through this site, I think you will find a number of answers to questions you didn't even think of yet, and that should help you whichever boat you decide on.

I hope others will post some thoughts and answers for you. Good luck.

 

[Gastonguy]

Good morning your Highness,

I'm sure there is a bit of bias toward Bennington here since most of us chose this brand. I too was looking at Bennington and Harris Flotebote as they are two of the best pontoon builders IMHO as well as JD Powers surveys. Owners of both brands are fiercely loyal due to the quality of construction.

I chose the Bennie over the Harris for several reasons. I knew the GCW/RCW platform with the rear facing lounges would be a huge hit since we do tubing and other water sports. They are always the first seats taken when we go out on the boat. Bennington's 5 year warranty is outstanding. The Harris boats looked a little dated to me. The center tube storage is huge and keeps the topside clear of clutter. I like the third tube for the additional stability and passenger carry capabilities. You will get various opinions on two VS three tubes and a lot depends on how you will use your boat. Elevated captains chair is nice to help see over the passengers sitting directly in front of the driver. No one has used the dressing room on our boat but we have a home on the water and it just has not been necessary.

Starting a new paragraph on engine size due to the importance of this decisions. If you are going to be tubing, you will not be happy with the 60hp engine. Have no idea why a dealer would push this instead of the 90 or 115hp except for pricing/availability reasons. Get the largest engine you can afford as this is the best time to do it. Biggest regret for most pontoon buyers is they wish they had chosen a bigger engine.

Best of luck in your decision.

 

[Friar]

Welcome Princessdi

Agree with everything kaydano says, especially concerning evaluating comments! I have had my Bennington for two summers now and have been reading 4 or 5 pontoon related websites for almost two years. A constant among them is that rarely does someone "bad mouth" their own type of pontoon, however another constant is the high regard that Bennington has (as well as Premier) among all pontoon owners in general.

As for your specific questions:

Go with the largest horsepower motor you can have and afford (and force yourself to afford more if necessary!) I have a Yamaha 90 and wish I had gotten a 115 or 150. Buying it upfront is the best time to do it. Pretty much all we do is cruise around and tube - I sense my 10 year old grandson already wanting more speed than I can produce.

Third toon - I do not have it but the overwhelming consensus (regardless of manufacturer) is that they are great for speed and handling.

Carpet vs vinyl - I have all carpet except for vinyl on my extended rear deck. The carpet looks nice but then so does the vinyl. In 100+ degree Texas weather, I have not noticed any difference in comfort level with either floorcovering. If I could go back, I would have gotten all vinyl flooring only because the carpet is a pain to keep clean. Cleaning off sand, mud, and general dirt from the carpet is a chore - hand-held vacuums are worthless so I frequently have to run extension cords to run our Dyson vacuum cleaner over the deck to get the sand up.

Floor storage - Again, I do not have but wish I did. It is amazing the amount of "stuff" you bring onboard on an outing - more storage is better!

Elevated captains chair - Do not have this either but wish I did. I put a cushion on the seat to "raise me up a little" If someone is sitting on any of the seat directly in front of me, I find myself leaning left or right all the time to see around them when underway. (but then I am only 5'8" and I do that for everything!)

Dressing rooms - Yes we use it all the time. It was one of the most important considerations when we were looking at boats. The one on my Bennington enclosed the largest amount of space of any I looked at; it encloses almost the entire rectangular space of the rear sundeck in the rear or about 12 square feet. Most of the others that I saw were usually squarish (about 4 to 6 sq ft) and some were located sort of in the middle, side of the boats. I cannot imagine how the smaller ones are conducive to changing clothes or using the porta-potty. We use ours for changing clothes all the time and without fail, as soon as I clear the no-wake areas, someone needs to go to the bathroom (usually my grandson, my adult niece, or me).

Other - You did not say where you are located but a double bimini is a lifesaver for my family in Texas especially when we anchor or beach somewhere to eat.

Have fun shopping around. Don't know if it helps but I don't think you can go wrong with a Bennington if the the layout and equipment suits what you are lookng for. The body construction, furniture quality, workmanship, and appearance are outstanding.

 

[Princessdi]

Thank you so much for your input. This forum has been a great resource already. We were concerned about the engine size and that is what peaked our interest to ask those of you already lucky enough to be enjoying your boat. The open floor plan of the Bennie is exactly what we love the most. All the Harris's seem to be jammed together behind the captain's chair. It makes it so tight back there. This boat could definately be worth more than our home if I keep adding features.

Thanks again for all of your help.

Welcome to the forum Princessdi!

We recently bought a Bennington, and I gotta tell you, this forum itself was a big part of our buying decision. There are a TON of helpful people here, and they've saved me lots of $ and frustration. So, if you go with Bennington, you will have this forum as an invaluable source of information and advice. Since this is your first boat, this forum will be like gold for you.

I can't answer all your questions, but I throw out a few thoughts that came to mind as I read your post. First is "3 adult boys starting their own families and fun tubing". I don't think you'll like the 60 for that purpose. Having a lot of people on board really slows a boat down, so you'll want as large of an engine as possible. Know that you can go up to around 115 HP without having hydraulic steering. At 150, the motor gets pretty hard to turn under throttle, and some sort of power steering (hydraulic steering being the cheapest step) is needed. We bought the 115, and it was a tough choice (to not get the 150). My advice would be to at least get the 115.

I think the general consensus is to go with 3 pontoons. You get better stability, higher speed, and better resale (or trade).

Somewhere on this site is a chart of all the pontoon manufacturers and their JD Powers (I think) customer satisfaction and quality rating. It's a blue scatter chart. I'm hoping another forum member knows where that it. It might be in the gallery. Or buried in a forum topic. But Bennington is right at the top of that list.

We looked at a Harris, but it wasn't for us. We like the "center walk through" style, and the Harris we saw wasn't that style. I can tell you the Bennington factory is great to work with (and our dealer was awesome too). Before I bought the boat, I wanted to "test" the factory a little, just to see how their response was. I was impressed. We had two minor things wrong with our boat, and they were both fixed promptly. The more difficult of the two was done before we picked up the boat. The other was a small plastic door stop that was defective, and they sent me a new one in the mail. I had emailed the factory directly and they were very quick to respond and very polite. I knew this was the right company to buy from.

What was the negative comment you heard? Maybe if you told us what it was, we could help you out. There's always something negative out there on just about everything. You have to look at the quality of the post, and the number of negative posts. A better way to judge is the number of "good" posts, and especially those posts where someone had problems with the dealer/factory and how they were treated. Anyone can look good when there's no problems. It's how the manufacturer deals with problems that sets them apart from everyone else.

I know it takes time, but if you spend a few hours browsing through this site, I think you will find a number of answers to questions you didn't even think of yet, and that should help you whichever boat you decide on.

I hope others will post some thoughts and answers for you. Good luck.

 

[Smoky Mountain]

Looked at the boat show boats and the dealers inventory yesterday. Studied late into the night. There were a few things we wanted that none of the inventory rigs had.

Returned to the Knoxville show today and started out building up a GLSeries 2274. No trailer or LED lights but just about every other option including vinyl deck with in/out carpet and extended stern platform. Layout is basically the standard. Dual Bimini as we have had too man years of sun. 115 Yamaha, extended performance package, triple with 25 inch tubes.

6-8 weeks so by May we should be riding high and dry. This is boat number 10, and our first pontoon.

It will be docked at the Tellico Village Yacht Club, Lake Tellico.

We did the larger fuel tank, dual battery with switch and the G starts out with certain up grades as do all as you move up the lines.

We definitely wanted vinyl floor with snap in out and sectionalized carpet.

I may go back and add the 150 although I think I would be happy with the 115....cruise at 20 top at 32 is kind of my expectation.

The flip up bolster seat might cover the seating height challenge. I have found them comfortable. I actually perfer to stand 50 percent of the time.

 

[dmctruby]

Get the largest engine you can afford. I have a 2250 with a 115 4 stroke. I thought I would only be doing minimal tubing. I have a 4 seater tube (I call it the comfy couch), which we use for very small kids as its very stable. We also have a steerable single person tube. Even with the 115hp, tubing with the small tube is OK, with the large tube it's not really enough HP. We are tubing more then we thought, and I wish I had purchased the 150.

We have the RCW model, which has the loungers. We love the layout of the boat, it works great for entertaining large groups, and when it's just my wife and I the loungers can't be beat for relaxing. Those seats are by far the most popular, and can fit a child and adult or two kid on each. We also like the pop-up, and have added a porta potty. Nice to not have to worry about finding a restroom or have a place to change when your out all day. I don't believe there is another boat out there that can beat Bennington style, quality and performance.

 

[1roadking]

I would get at least a 150hp and triple toon. When you load the boat up it puts alot of strain on the engine and slows you down alot when tubing. We have a 150HP and can have fun tubing with 8 people on the boat. I went through this as well and am extremely happy with my decision to go to a 150HP. I dont think the 115hp would have made me happy.

 

[ericscher]

If you're planning on any sort of social boating (4 or more adults on board) or any sort of watersports at all; 150hp should be your STARTING point. You should also get three logs.

If you plan on no watersports, but you will do social boating, and you can afford EITHER the 3rd log OR the 150hp engine, go with the 3rd log. The extra flotation will be more important than speed.

If you plan to pull water skiers, you shouldn't even think about less than 200hp.

If I could pick ONE boat to cover all the different things that people do with pontoon boats these days, I would choose a 25' boat with ESP and 250hp. That'll get you 40mph or better even with a full load, the ability to pull a skier and the handling that you'd want for towing anything at all... ski OR tube.

Plus, if you happen to live on a lake that's big enough to have 2 or 3 foot waves or where weather is a consideration beyond mere inconvenience, then the monohull-like handling characteristics of the ESP and ability to outrun bad weather that the 250hp engine gives you are WELL worth it.

 

[dmctruby]

Nice reply and I agree with all points with one comment. A 25' 250 hp boat is going to run well north of 60K. On our 2250 we have had 13 people on with no issues of crowding,even more true when one or two are in the water with the tube. A tri tube 22" with 150 for me is the best all around boat at nearly half the price of the 25. I took a 2011 tri-tune 25' out with a the 250 and was wowed by the power and handling but not so much by the floor space. I think my 2010 2250 RCW has a better entertaining layout overall even though they were both RCW floor plans.

If you're planning on any sort of social boating (4 or more adults on board) or any sort of watersports at all; 150hp should be your STARTING point. You should also get three logs.

If you plan on no watersports, but you will do social boating, and you can afford EITHER the 3rd log OR the 150hp engine, go with the 3rd log. The extra flotation will be more important than speed.

If you plan to pull water skiers, you shouldn't even think about less than 200hp.

If I could pick ONE boat to cover all the different things that people do with pontoon boats these days, I would choose a 25' boat with ESP and 250hp. That'll get you 40mph or better even with a full load, the ability to pull a skier and the handling that you'd want for towing anything at all... ski OR tube.

Plus, if you happen to live on a lake that's big enough to have 2 or 3 foot waves or where weather is a consideration beyond mere inconvenience, then the monohull-like handling characteristics of the ESP and ability to outrun bad weather that the 250hp engine gives you are WELL worth it.

 

[Smoky Mountain]

Nice reply and I agree with all points with one comment. A 25' 250 hp boat is going to run well north of 60K. On our 2250 we have had 13 people on with no issues of crowding,even more true when one or two are in the water with the tube. A tri tube 22" with 150 for me is the best all around boat at nearly half the price of the 25. I took a 2011 tri-tune 25' out with a the 250 and was wowed by the power and handling but not so much by the floor space. I think my 2010 2250 RCW has a better entertaining layout overall even though they were both RCW floor plans.

What is the typical price to go from a 115 to a 150??

 

[dmctruby]

Allot of variables there, and hopefully a Benny rep can better comment, but average ballpark difference is about 2K.....but that can change real quick with exact model chosen.

 

[dmctruby]

For clarity on previous statements. I have a 2010 G model 2250 (I used the term RCW) for rear center walkthrough. That being said I think the floor plan on that model and year does a great job of maximizing the space. In my test drive of the 2011 2275 R model, the seating and walkabout space was about the same. If money was no object, I would gladly take the 2275 with the 250...but I can't personally justify the jump in cost.

 

[spinzone]

Based on the build a boat section of the Bennington website 115hp - 150hp difference:

Yamaha - $3545

Mercury - $3133

Honda - $3904

Suzuki - $3462

Evinrude - $3818

 

[Bamaman]

Another option would be to go to two strokes--a 150 hp ETEC or 150 hp Optimax XS (that is actually about 165 hp.) You can buy a Optimax XS for about $2K less than a 150 Yamie 4 stroke, and setup may be less with a conventional throttle/gearshift.

The 2 strokes are far better accelerating, and modern Direct Injected 2 strokes have pretty satisfied owners on internet forums. Top end speed should be about the same. 4 strokes are quieter at low rpm's, but about equal in sound at high rpm's. Fuel usage may be about the same in real world conditions. The difference is in filling up the oil injection tank from time to time.

Option 3 would to go with the Optimax 115 Merc 2 stroke. I think it's a much stronger pulling motor than the 115 4 stroke--and would perform well on this boat.

I guess it matters to whether you're going to putt around @ 15 mph, or if you're a 30+ mph cruiser. Run slow--go 4--Run Fast go 2.

 

[1roadking]

I really believe a 150hp withESP is a great combo. My boat is a 2075 gli and it goes 40mph with a light load and 36 to 37 with 8 to 10 people. Pulling skiers tubers and wake boarders is no problem. It was reasonably priced and performs really well. I don't think you would be unhappy with a 150hp triton at all.

 

[kaydano]

Based on the build a boat section of the Bennington website 115hp - 150hp difference:

Yamaha - $3545

Mercury - $3133

Honda - $3904

Suzuki - $3462

Evinrude - $3818

Don't forget you need hydraulic steering with a 150. Our 115 is hard to turn under throttle, but manageable. That adds $1000 to the price of the 150.

 

[1roadking]

The ESP package comes with hydraulic steering Another reason to go ESP !!