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2011 22 SSI: 32 Elliptical Tubes or Standard 25"?

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sweetpea

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My wife and I are in the process of ordering our first pontoon boat and after a lot of research ended up going with Bennington :)

We like the versatility of the new 22 SSI Fish and Cruise model and would like to place a Yamaha 115hp as our power plant. This boat is at our limit in terms of spending. We want it to be able to pull the kids on tubes and maybe wake boarding at some point if they have interest. Is it worth it performance wise to upgrade the tubes to the 32 Elliptical for increased speed? What benefit will this make it terms of overall performance? I have read that the ESP package typically offers better handling but we would rather have the speed in lieu of our motor choice (115hp). Hoping to make this a great all around family boat/

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 
Hi Sweet pea,

Welcome to the forum.

Based on how you plan to use the boat, the 32 Ellipticals would be a good option. This will increase your speed a bit in the straight line performance over the standard tubes. As you stated, you will not get the turning performance of esp but that is not a priority for you. I know you stated that you are at your spending limit (been there too!) but consider upgrading to the HP motor. Having extra power is not necessary to get out to your favorite fishing hole but when you start tubing and wake boarding, you will appreciated the extra performance of the HP. The #1 regret of most pontoons is not upgrading the power when they purchased their boat. This is also the most cost affective time to do it. I am sure others will chime in soon.

Congrats on your decision to own a Bennington pontoon!
 
Hi "sweetpea" and welcome to the site.

Completely agree with "Gastonguy" comments. I have the 32" ellipticals on my Bennington (2275 GLi custom) and a Yamaha F90. If I could go back and redo one thing it would be to go with a Yamaha F150 (the max my boat is rated for).

If you go to the Yamaha website, they have performance bulletins for various size motors tested on various size Benningtons. This can give you an approximation of what to expect from your setup. I can exceed by 2 to 3 mph their data and they were using round pontoons; specifically, with 2 adults, full tank, calm conditions and rear bimini up (105 F at the time)and pulling my 10 year old grandson on a tube, I can get to 25 mph at about 5600 rpm.

That is all okay for now but I can already tell that both he and I are going to want to go faster and I wish I had the bigger HP motor to do it :p (No one on any forums ever says they wish they had a smaller motor!)

Anyway, enjoy your Bennington - we all pretty much think you made the right decision.

PS - Not to spend your money for you, but the second thing I would do different would be to get snap out carpet :)
 
I would get the elliptical toons with lifting strikes and under wave shield. The 115 on this setup should get your top end about 30mph. Yes not the fastest, but every economical on gas.
 
Your speed wont vary all that much in any case, although I'd expect the twin ellipticals to be faster than the three rounds due to the lack of friction from the middle log.

You say you're at your limit in regards to budget, so I won't do my usual pitch for the ESP package, but I do have this thought...

If they will allow you put lifting strakes only on the inboard sides of your twin tubes, that will probably allow you to lean a little further on your turns.

Finally, consider very carefully before ordering if there is any way to get to the 150hp outboard. There's certainly no harm in figuring out how much you could squeeze out if you pushed it and then asking the dealer if he can meet you "halfway" somehow.

I mean... What's he gonna say? No? Then you have the 115hp you were going to buy anyway.

FWIW, the reason I suggest this is because the 35hp difference covers a bit of a sweet spot for pontoons. I've ridden and piloted a number of boats with both motors and the 35hp feels like it is making more than 35hp worth of difference.

Regardless, have fun with your new toy, and make sure you buy an ice chest (for your beverages) that has wheels, a built in drain and a pull handle. You'll be glad you did. B)
 
Welcome to the club. I have a 2011 2275 RCW with the 32 tubes, lifting strikes, and underdexk waveshield. Powered by a 150 merc optimal 150 pro xs. Its a great set up. If there is anyway you can swing a 150, go for it. You wont ever regret it. The pro xs is mercs HO version. Puts out about 165hp (the max 10% allowed above rated horsepower).

With a light load, I've hit 44. With typical load its upper 30's to around 40.

Good luck with your boat and there are a light lot of great and informative folks on this site who are always happy to help

Todd
 
Thanks for the kind welcome everybody! We really appreciate the feedback and the well thought out advice. If we could swing the 150hp engine, we would in a heartbeat. But, we are firm on our price point and have already stretched it out further then we had ever imagined. I talked to the salesman and he mentioned that the 32" Elliptical Tubes would help a bit with over all speed but not by much. So much information and so many opinions... :unsure: I will ask about the interior stakes in both pontoons. But for now, we need to cement the total cost of this boat. What kind of wiggle room have you folks experienced? Or is Bennington at a solid no hassle price point?
 
Welcome sweatpea,

I have a 2250gcw with the yamaha 115 and elipticals tubes. No lifting strakes or wavesheild. I know how you feel on your spending limit, I was at my limit also. Could have went with a cheaper boat and bigger motor but wanted the Bennignton for the quality. I think you have made the right choice going with Bennington.

I run about 27 to 28 with a full tank and two adults. The boat runs fine pulling tubes, wakeboards and kneeboards even with a full load of people. With a full load of people, 4 to 5 adults and several kids, it will run 24 to 25 which is fine for these activities. The little ones can also ski on two skis at these speeds. When I or my adult sons want to slalom, we can do so with only two adults on board. My oldest son weighs 250 pounds and it will pull him with two adults at about 24 to 25 mph which is a little slow for a normal ski. We purchased a Connely "Big Daddy" ski which is designed for over sized adults and he can ski fine with it. The ski actually performs really well for a oversize ski. You can find it at Overtosn marine website.

When I purchased our boat it was already on the lot. The only option I had was motor size. I opted for the 115 for cost and efficiency. If I had to do it over, I would have went with the 150, however the 115 suites our purpose. I am just one of those guys who likes all the horse power he can get.

If I were ordering another boat in this price range with a 115. I would definatley add the wavesheild and lifting strakes as they are not that expensive. This would give me 2 to 3 or more mph. I know that does not sound like much, but on water skiing, its a lot. Also make sure your dealer gets it propped right before you take delivery.

Godd luck. Hope this helped
 
Yeah, what he said. :D
 
You may also want to shop around for different financing. Interest rates can be a big deal.
 
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