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At first glance I like it, but then after thinking about the functionality I'm not sure I do. We do not have a swingback. One of the reasons we passed on swingback was that it felt very caged with the door directly behind the driver's seat. This design would make the boat feel more open, but not the aft. It looks very crowded by the ladder. Both climbing in and out of the boat and stepping over the ladder to get to the motor, or the ski bar when tubing. But it's not my boat so take my opinion for as much I charged, nothing.Oh I like the updated design! I would imagine it makes the boat feel more open.
Our boat is only a year old and I already want some of the updates they have done - I need to stay away from the forum as I continue to drool over some of the updates I see of folks posting pictures of their new boats!
Barletta is a beautiful well made boat! But to be honest with you I don't care for the chains in the back of the boat like that. Is it really secure enough to keep a small child in the boat? Are you able to lean on it? Does it rattle/move while underway? I have seen other boat manufacturers design a well thought out rail system for their swing back models.......Bartlett has the design right. I was thinking I could modify Bonington's version by removing the rear gates, cut the angled rear tubing off back to the vertical support, and then attach a set of chains from the vertical to the cage around the engine. Ok, so that leaves me with only about half of the total setup, but I think cheaper than custom? Maybe. Going to try the keeper rails this first season.
Excellent Points. From a safety standpoint, I figure keeping the SB gate is the right move when we have pets or little ones on the boat. Then, when comparing the Keeper Rail with the Aft Rail - the idea of being able to sit on the rear SB when floating and use the entire rear as an entertainment deck is ideal. But with the keeper rail, you can't sit. With the Aft Rail, it closes up the rear too much. So, I am ultimately hoping to be able to incorporate the Barletta design using the Bennington Aft Rail system and get the best of all worlds - LOL. But, will just focus on enjoying this first season with the boat!!!!I like the set up for our 2017 swing back with the extended aft deck much better than the railing system in the picture in the OP. Is that the ”newer’ rear deck on all 2021 Swingbacks, or just a new option?
We have the keeper rail that goes around the seat, but the floor area is open. I really like that better. The reality is unless you actually close that rear area with actual fencing, it’s not really going to be secure anyway - particularly for kids or pets.
As a result, I prefer keeping it totally open, and just having the basic railing along the seat itself to provide something to grab/support, but otherwise not intrusive onto that open back deck.
Now if that railing in the OP picture is simply a new option, then I like that. Different strokes for different folks and all…
Good thought about your feet hitting the keeper rail. We are debating both options and having a hard time without seeing the two in person. Did you end up going with the keeper rail or aft option?We are also having this discussion ourselves.
Right now we have it optioned with the aft rail instead of the keeper rail. The main reason being if you are on the rear facing swing back and are tall your feet won't hit the keeper rail. Still debating if having that open area is would be better in the end.
Thanks for the response!We went with the full rail. I’d say the main benefit is there is no chance of tripping into the transom but it does take up more space. When towing tubes, it’s great to sit on the back and watch, without having to put the swingback, back. It’s really best to see it in person, as you said. I wish there was another door preventing full access to the back but it is what it is. We still love our benny and have zero regrets.