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Time for a New Benni

ronfl

ronfl

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Lake Champlain, NY
Ok as spring seems to be trying to show up here in NE NY. It's time to find a new Benni. We sold our 2275RL last fall with plans to find a new (or newer) one this spring. Spent today at a boat show and low and behold there sits a 2013 Q25 QCW I/Owith a volvo MPI 270hp. We really like this boat and spent about an hour talking to the dealer and sitting on the boat. This Benni is 27.2' and has some really nice options. It's a tri-toon with inside riser strakes. My question is what kind of speed should I expect to see from this set up? I've seen many postings over the past couple of years about OB vs I/O and performance. What kind of speed with say 6 adults and full load of fuel? What's a good crusing speed I should expect to see? Is the I/O much harder on fuel than say a 250 hp OB? Pros and cons on the I/O. The dealer has what I think is a great deal on this Benni but I'm stuck between making an offer or looking for another with an OB.. Any HELP? We have some time but in another 6 weeks we will be looking at getting out on Lake Champlain!

Thanks
 
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+1 on the outboard.
 
Pontoon/tritoon boats last a very, very long time. I bought my 24' Starcraft new in 1986, and it's still perfectly good since it was kept in a boathouse it's whole life.

Unfortunately, inboard outboard engines and drive lines don't have the longtivity of the boat's hull. I/O Maintenance and winterizing a toon is difficult due to a lack of room. ( I also have had a couple of I/O's.)

Dollar for dollar, I too prefer the modern 4 stroke large outboard engines. They should be less expensive in initial cost, and much less to run per operating hour. And if the outboard ever wears out, it can be re-engined.
 
lakebum said:
Due to your location, I think an outboard would be easier to deal with from a winter storage point. Steve
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How much differance is there between the I/O and OB? They are both 4 stroke and have out drives. change out drive oil, engin oil and pump anti freeze through the water intake? The engin compartment opens way up (the whole floor) and there is a ton of room around the engin.
 
Bamaman said:
Pontoon/tritoon boats last a very, very long time. I bought my 24' Starcraft new in 1986, and it's still perfectly good since it was kept in a boathouse it's whole life.

Unfortunately, inboard outboard engines and drive lines don't have the longtivity of the boat's hull. I/O Maintenance and winterizing a toon is difficult due to a lack of room. ( I also have had a couple of I/O's.)

Dollar for dollar, I too prefer the modern 4 stroke large outboard engines. They should be less expensive in initial cost, and much less to run per operating hour. And if the outboard ever wears out, it can be re-engined.
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Dealer is saying a 250 OB is the same money as the 5.0 L V-8 270 HP that's in the one we looked at?
 
ronfl said:
Nothing on this link with the 5.oL 270 HP I/O? Dealer said 40 th 44 mph depending on load, lake wind ect?
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You might see 40 with clean tubes. Our boat max top speed is 38. You start cruising much above mid 20 mph the passengers start complaining unless they are are laying down on the couches. With the fuel burn rate we seldom are at 100% throttle. Where the HP really matters is when pulling skiers and tubers with a lot of people on board. The dual prop setup on the Volvo really shines there.
 
Like I said, pontoon/tritoons last a long time. When the engine gives up the ghost on an outboard, you just repower them.

But, marine salvage yards are just full of inboard outboard hulls.

What's funny is that there are straight mahogany inboards on our lake going back to the early 1950's. 1990's SkiNautiques are available for $6K-7K everywhere. You cannot kill a straight inboard if maintained properly.

Too bad marine salvage yards don't ever have any used 24' tandem axle pontoon trailers. I need one so my old pontoon can go on the retail market.
 
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