Volvo Penta I/O Duo Prop

Yianni

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Just wondering if anyone has a Bennington with the Volvo Penta Duo Prop setup. 


I did a search and it came up empty. I had this combination in my Seaswirl Striper. It was a beautiful thing and trouble free for the 4 years I owned the boat.


The other option Bennington offers in an I/O is the Mercury V-8. I had a 50 horse mercury outboard on a Klamath boat in 2008 and it was nothing but problems, so I'm a little hesitant on the Mercury I/O, plus I don't really know much about them.


Thoughts on either would be appreciated.
 
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Last boat had a merc I/O in Bayliner and I have to say it was trouble free for 9 years just did the normal maintenance. The Volvos in the area I boat are slim to none and parts are the same. Best of luck in your search!
 
Last boat had a merc I/O in Bayliner and I have to say it was trouble free for 9 years just did the normal maintenance. The Volvos in the area I boat are slim to none and parts are the same. Best of luck in your search!



Good point. I'll call the marina tomorrow on the lake I plan to keep the boat and get their thoughts on parts, preference between the two etc.
 
No one wants maintenance issues. When one does have trouble, they usually want prompt service. If getting parts in your area is an issue, you won't be happy. 


My .02. 


Good luck. 
 
Last boat I had was a 5.0 Mercruiser with a Bravo 3 out drive (dual props). No issues in 7 years other than the computer went out one time. Other than that, 22 years of Mercruiser I/Os with no issues. 
 
Yianni, I have a Volvo Penta Duo prop on my 2015 QCW I/O and have had no problems in the 3 seasons I have been running it. I am just over 150 hrs on it.. I agree with your comment to use whatever the dealer in your area prefers is the best way to go. THey will be more apt to take good care of you.
 
I've had two inboard outboards, and switched to Yamaha outboards in 1985.


My total costs in 32 years with outboards outside of normal maintenance was $241 for a oil injection module.  That's it.


The inboard outboards from 1974 to 2012 about broke me in maintenance.  Ever see a bellows leak--and the boat sinks?  It's just not worth the risk to go I/O--especially when the engine pod is so constricting in a pontoon boat.
 
I've only had 2 boats. Both with 4.3L Mercruiser I/O's. One carbureted one fuel injected. Other than an issue last summer with an 83 cent fuse that fed the fuel pump we haven't had any trouble with either one. It runs great and is very dependable. This is all I know and ever had but we are open to getting an outboard if we ever get another one.....
 
After going through the build sheet on the Bennington site, it seems the Mercury I/O's have a lot more choices of HP and prices to match than Volvo offers. 


We're about a year out from ordering so research is continuing. I think the next step will be to contact the local dealer and have a sit down. They know the in's and out's of boat ordering.


There are so many engine choices with so many letter designations following each its hard to know what's what. I'll see what the dealer can tell me.
 
After going through the build sheet on the Bennington site, it seems the Mercury I/O's have a lot more choices of HP and prices to match than Volvo offers. 


We're about a year out from ordering so research is continuing. I think the next step will be to contact the local dealer and have a sit down. They know the in's and out's of boat ordering.


There are so many engine choices with so many letter designations following each its hard to know what's what. I'll see what the dealer can tell me.

Probably a good idea to talk to the dealer you think you will want to work with, but then come back and talk to us! We'll tell you the truth and correct any mistakes! :D
 
I believe forum member Keithkz has a Volvo on his boat. Maybe he'll see this and chime in.


Or send him a PM if you have any questions......
 
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Probably a good idea to talk to the dealer you think you will want to work with, but then come back and talk to us! We'll tell you the truth and correct any mistakes! :D

Isn't this the truth. We met my aunt and uncle yesterday evening to go boat shopping with them. They are looking for their first boat and based on their usage and neighborhood restrictions it can't be a benny due to size. So, that means a bow rider.


The salesman were really pushing them on the jet boats and 2 out of the 3 places we stopped told us that jet boats cannot pull weeds into the jet and clog it. It's impossible they said!!! I left the first guy slide and the second guy I called out. The first guy even said you can put it in reverse and blow the weeds out. He clearly has no idea how a jet drive works.


They are looking for an I/o exclusively now.
 
Isn't this the truth. We met my aunt and uncle yesterday evening to go boat shopping with them. They are looking for their first boat and based on their usage and neighborhood restrictions it can't be a benny due to size. So, that means a bow rider.


The salesman were really pushing them on the jet boats and 2 out of the 3 places we stopped told us that jet boats cannot pull weeds into the jet and clog it. It's impossible they said!!! I left the first guy slide and the second guy I called out. The first guy even said you can put it in reverse and blow the weeds out. He clearly has no idea how a jet drive works.


They are looking for an I/o exclusively now.



Yep, been there before.


Usually on a big purchase like this, I'll research until I know more than the salesman. I have 3 local dealers ranging from 1 to 3 hours from me. I'll call each and ask for the sales manager/owner. I'll talk to them for a bit to get a feel of their knowledge level on the Bennington I'm looking at. Usually these guys know their product and figure out pretty quickly that you know the product and then they will be pretty straight forward. You don't want some guy that was selling refrigerators at Sears last week.


I'll let them know I'm talking to the other dealers so give me their best price.


Sometimes I've bought from a dealer that wasn't the best price because I liked them and they had very good product knowledge. 


Since we have about a year until we're ready to buy, I'll wait a couple of months to call the dealers when things slow down from Summer.


What did you guys do when you bought  your boats? I'll gladly take any tips of wisdom. :Like:
 
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I had 2 dealers to choose from, took the one I was the most comfortable with and in the end the least expensive. It was a small dealer and as yourself I dealt with the owner directly. Luckily to my advantage he printed out the whole option sheet for my model and must of been able to enter a multiplier and gave me my cost on every option on the list. Only thing additional was freight and set-up and he gave me a flat price for that. No BS!!! I actually paid almost 30% of list! I just love a straight up deal!! 
 
I'll condense my experience.


First Bennington Purchase 


Major local (4 miles away) dealer was a joke and wanted to play games/gimmicks. Went to another fairly local (40 minutes) dealer and gave him my list of options. He wrote down a price and said to let him know. We ordered through him.


Second Bennington (current boat)


Called around to various dealers in MI as it was fall and I wanted to see what leftovers were available. Nothing in stock fit my needs and one dealer asked if he could quote what I was looking for. He priced it and he was surprisingly low. He was willing to put in writing he would cover the extended warranty cost on the f200 if it was being offered when the boat came in and he would do a Stainless prop and some other stuff for a great price as well. Ordered through him. The purchase was a great experience. When we needed some warranty work they fell on their face. The service technicians were terrible and didn't know up from down. Bennington got involved and we ended up working with our first dealer. They are now our contact for warranty repairs and have since referred numerous buyers who have purchased from him. He used to store boats in my in laws boat hangar as well so we've made amends on the lost second sale. 


We've ordered both boats in the fall to capitalize on next years model with this year's pricing. Plus you are guaranteed to get your boat before boating season so you are ready to go. (assuming you are in a cold climate like a lot of us)  
 
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