2013 2275 RCW: Upgrade my 150HP to 250HP OR trade-in the boat for a new Bennington?

Captain Gump

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We have enjoyed ten great years with our beautiful 2275 RCW with the Elliptical Sports Package pontoons, and a Yamaha 150HP. The big 32" elliptical center pontoon handles great, even when the water is rough. The hull weight (without engine) of this R-series model is nearly 3,300 lbs. The same model, but in the G-series is a full 500 lbs. lighter than the R-series. Obviously, the R-series should have a larger engine to get the same performance, but woulda, shoulda, coulda . . . . .

At the time of purchase (2013), this model was rated at 150HP Min / 250HP Max. The Yamaha 150HP powers the boat at about 33-35mph when the pontoons are clean, and 2 to 4 adults are in the boat. But if the pontoons are not squeaky clean (later in the summer), and we have 8 of us in the boat, with a couple of the kids on a tube behind the boat, we may be crawling around at 20-22mph. I had a dealer tell me later (not the dealer we purchased from), that they probably never should have even sold this model and ESP package with a 150HP, and I fully agree.

Yes, obviously, for this model, and with the large ESP Center pontoon, we should have purchased the 250HP at the time. Just wonder what some of you think you would do? The grandkids are getting older, and wanting to do more tubing, and even an occasional skier / wakeboarder.

As you are probably aware, a 2023 Bennington would cost about 3 times what we paid in 2013. Likewise, the cost of new motors are up, and the value of trade-ins are good also.

We really love our 2013 Benny - - - it is "paid for" and still in great condition. Less than 500 hours in 10 years. Yes, the newer models have great features and layouts, but we do not have an unlimited wallet, and this boat suits our family well. We added on some nice upgrade features when this boat was originally built, and anything similar will get well into six figures in 2023 (or 2024).

The dealer has told us in the past that they can install a new Yamaha 250 on our boat with no problems. Should we consider that, or should we consider that value of a new boat and the current value of our trade-in?

I cannot give you "hard numbers" on our two choices here. I have not gotten that far into the details. Before we go there, I wanted to throw this question onto the forum to see what kind of response I would get. What am I missing? What other things do we need to think about?

By the way, I searched through the forum looking for a thread with a similar question, but had no luck finding one. My apologies if this is a redundant question, and feel free to refer me to other threads. Thanks in advance for your comments.
 
I had a 2014 RCW , with a 150 . In 2015 I wanted to upgrade it to a 200,max HP for SPS .The dealer offered me a great deal on the motor but it was labor and changing the controls that made the cost prohibitive .
 
Hmmm…kind of a toughy without hard numbers. It seems like you have put a great deal of thought into it already.

My Two Cents on Water Sports and Pontoons:

If your goal is more sustained water sports performance for growing grandkids, particularly with the ability to tube, ski and wake board adult size bodies, then a tritoon is a MUCH better option. It will handle/turn significantly better, and maintain perfromance in those turns significantly better, than the elliptical package. Night and day difference there.

The twin elliptical package has its place and advantages, but water sports is not one of them compared to a tritoon. It’s great for shallower draft, supporting more passenger weight, and straight line speeds. It suffers in handling. Thus, if you are laser focused on water sports usage and performance with lots of guests on the boat, it’s both motor HP and hull that would do the trick. Just doing HP on your set up will only go so far.

However, like you state, boat prices have went up significantly the last 5-7 years, with the last 3 particularly crazy. Overall, a newer tritoon with either the SPS+ tritoon package or an ESP tritoon package will be MUCH better suited to water sports with adult bodies than anything else. Will you use it enough in this way to justify the price? Maybe only a question you can answer completely.

I guess hard numbers would be useful. Can your dealership get you a specific quote for upgrading to a 250HP Yamaha? That seems straight forward to get. Be sure to clarify with them the full costs: motor, rigging, new throttle or gauges necessary?, all labor and parts, etc… I would really want that hard number down to the pennies.

Another Factor:
Keeping your pontoons clean through the entire season seems to be a major factor in lost performance based on your description above. That wont change with a tritoon. Based on what you said, does it sit in water throughout the season? Can you either clean your pontoons regular in the water OR sit it on a lift with sharkhide protectant on the pontoons? If you do either, it sounds like it would go a long way in maintaining performance throughout the entire boating season no matter what you do.

Would the price of a lift & applying sharkhide to existing ellipticals + a 250 Yamaha be good enough, and still significatly cheaper than a new boat or new boat and a lift? Hmmm…maybe. If you had 6-10 more mph with your current boat at the start of the season (expected improvement with the re-power), and kept that level of performance ALL season, would that solve your conundrum? If so, repower to 250HP + lift + Sharkhide should do it for you.

If handling during water sports is also part of the problem, and costs starts to get close on the above vs. a new boat, then maybe explore going new some more…

What’s a reasonable resale price for your boat? What’s your dealership offer you for a trade in on it for a new boat? Will your dealership share with what they would list your boat at if they were selling it pre-owned as guidance for you to sell yourself? This would be VERY helpful info alongside the re-powering hard numbers eluded to above.

If it’s still holding decent value, that will help defray new boat costs. Also, I am hearing about more and more negotiating room on new boats again after a few years of that not being very realistic. That combo might help hedge the gap a bit on a new boat and make it an overall better move than simply repowering your older boat and still falling short of what you want to do.

Food for Thought Here:

Even a 200HP motor and SPS tritoon hull (what I have) will get you significantly more performance for water sports than your 150 on that older and HEAVIER R series with twin Ellips.

Also, newer Bennington’s have really “pushed downward” many upgrades onto their S, L and LX models. A newer L or LX may very well come across as a nice upgrade compared to your older and heavier R series. Granted, a newer R series is much nicer yet, but from a cost compromise position, perhaps a new L or LX still feels like an upgrade, on a lighter boat with a better water sports hull and more HP…?

Maybe look at an 200-250HP motor and SPS, SPS+ and ESP hull combo‘s on an L or LX series instead of an R series. You could really hedge your price points, but still gain a lot of performance.

The L series is very nice and at a lower price point than an R series. You might be surprised with the newer options and upgrades.

Anyway, that is my rambling thoughts on the matter. Maybe not very helpful, but it’s early, and I haven’t had my coffee yet.:p
 
Another issue could be is getting a motor . Repowers are last on the list with new boats getting the motors . There was no motor shortage in 2015 . Cost to upgrade mine in 2015 was about 20 K.
Also before trading, try to sell it yourself. ( not allowed on this forum though )
 
Wow, Pretty tough to give any good answer without knowing what the boating scene is in your area. An upgrade to a used, but good, 250ish motor would be easy in some places. Note that a new 250 is likely to use very different controls and monitoring package from what you have making a swap more expensive. Finding a used pontoon with what you want is unlikely, but possible. Yours would certainly be saleable, but the 150hp would be a drawback for many.

IF you really like your existing pontoon, a power upgrade to a good used motor would be WAY less expensive. But, if there are excess funds burning a hole in your pocket, go for the gold-plated new stuff!
 
PartyBarge: Thanks for the reply. You and I are pretty much on the same page. I think my co-captain will REALLY like your response. ;)
 
Another issue could be is getting a motor . Repowers are last on the list with new boats getting the motors . There was no motor shortage in 2015 . Cost to upgrade mine in 2015 was about 20 K.
Also before trading, try to sell it yourself. ( not allowed on this forum though )
Yes, Jack M, you are correct on the long lead time. If I decide to motor upgrade, I will put my order in this summer for an off-season install by the dealer. It seems that every new motor being produced is allocated to the boat manufacturers, and it is still not enough.
 
Hmmm…kind of a toughy without hard numbers. It seems like you have put a great deal of thought into it already.

My Two Cents on Water Sports and Pontoons:

If your goal is more sustained water sports performance for growing grandkids, particularly with the ability to tube, ski and wake board adult size bodies, then a tritoon is a MUCH better option. It will handle/turn significantly better, and maintain perfromance in those turns significantly better, than the elliptical package. Night and day difference there.

The twin elliptical package has its place and advantages, but water sports is not one of them compared to a tritoon. It’s great for shallower draft, supporting more passenger weight, and straight line speeds. It suffers in handling. Thus, if you are laser focused on water sports usage and performance with lots of guests on the boat, it’s both motor HP and hull that would do the trick. Just doing HP on your set up will only go so far.

However, like you state, boat prices have went up significantly the last 5-7 years, with the last 3 particularly crazy. Overall, a newer tritoon with either the SPS+ tritoon package or an ESP tritoon package will be MUCH better suited to water sports with adult bodies than anything else. Will you use it enough in this way to justify the price? Maybe only a question you can answer completely.

I guess hard numbers would be useful. Can your dealership get you a specific quote for upgrading to a 250HP Yamaha? That seems straight forward to get. Be sure to clarify with them the full costs: motor, rigging, new throttle or gauges necessary?, all labor and parts, etc… I would really want that hard number down to the pennies.

Another Factor:
Keeping your pontoons clean through the entire season seems to be a major factor in lost performance based on your description above. That wont change with a tritoon. Based on what you said, does it sit in water throughout the season? Can you either clean your pontoons regular in the water OR sit it on a lift with sharkhide protectant on the pontoons? If you do either, it sounds like it would go a long way in maintaining performance throughout the entire boating season no matter what you do.

Would the price of a lift & applying sharkhide to existing ellipticals + a 250 Yamaha be good enough, and still significatly cheaper than a new boat or new boat and a lift? Hmmm…maybe. If you had 6-10 more mph with your current boat at the start of the season (expected improvement with the re-power), and kept that level of performance ALL season, would that solve your conundrum? If so, repower to 250HP + lift + Sharkhide should do it for you.

If handling during water sports is also part of the problem, and costs starts to get close on the above vs. a new boat, then maybe explore going new some more…

What’s a reasonable resale price for your boat? What’s your dealership offer you for a trade in on it for a new boat? Will your dealership share with what they would list your boat at if they were selling it pre-owned as guidance for you to sell yourself? This would be VERY helpful info alongside the re-powering hard numbers eluded to above.

If it’s still holding decent value, that will help defray new boat costs. Also, I am hearing about more and more negotiating room on new boats again after a few years of that not being very realistic. That combo might help hedge the gap a bit on a new boat and make it an overall better move than simply repowering your older boat and still falling short of what you want to do.

Food for Thought Here:

Even a 200HP motor and SPS tritoon hull (what I have) will get you significantly more performance for water sports than your 150 on that older and HEAVIER R series with twin Ellips.

Also, newer Bennington’s have really “pushed downward” many upgrades onto their S, L and LX models. A newer L or LX may very well come across as a nice upgrade compared to your older and heavier R series. Granted, a newer R series is much nicer yet, but from a cost compromise position, perhaps a new L or LX still feels like an upgrade, on a lighter boat with a better water sports hull and more HP…?

Maybe look at an 200-250HP motor and SPS, SPS+ and ESP hull combo‘s on an L or LX series instead of an R series. You could really hedge your price points, but still gain a lot of performance.

The L series is very nice and at a lower price point than an R series. You might be surprised with the newer options and upgrades.

Anyway, that is my rambling thoughts on the matter. Maybe not very helpful, but it’s early, and I haven’t had my coffee yet.:p
VikingStaff:

Thanks for your input. You are correct. I have looked at some REALLY nice boats in the L-series, and have seen some boats that would definitely feel like a step up from our older pontoon. If we go with a new model, it most likely would be an L-series with the ESP package and probably 250HP.

We do currently have the big center elliptical Pontoon on our boat. Friends really are impressed with the way it allows our boat to handle turns on the choppy water. We just have always needed a little more power, and that need is growing along with the family. And yes for sure, we need to either get the boat out of the water or up on a lift.
 
Yes, Jack M, you are correct on the long lead time. If I decide to motor upgrade, I will put my order in this summer for an off-season install by the dealer. It seems that every new motor being produced is allocated to the boat manufacturers, and it is still not enough.
Has your dealer quoted you a price ? If so ,and you are agreeable to it . Get it in writing ,motor prices are rising also . I have heard of well over 18 month waits on a repower .
 
Wow, Pretty tough to give any good answer without knowing what the boating scene is in your area. An upgrade to a used, but good, 250ish motor would be easy in some places. Note that a new 250 is likely to use very different controls and monitoring package from what you have making a swap more expensive. Finding a used pontoon with what you want is unlikely, but possible. Yours would certainly be saleable, but the 150hp would be a drawback for many.

IF you really like your existing pontoon, a power upgrade to a good used motor would be WAY less expensive. But, if there are excess funds burning a hole in your pocket, go for the gold-plated new stuff!
PartyBarge:

You mention upgrading to a "good used motor" would be a good option. I have definitely thought about that. This would probably be my best case scenario.

I am guessing that there are others wanting to upgrade from a 250HP to a 350HP on the higher end. I wonder how common that would be, and maybe I should just throw that out to my dealer? If the dealer knows he can resell a good used 250HP, it may allow him to make a higher-end deal with another customer. win-win-win for all involved. Or will I have better luck searching for that good used motor searching the online trader services?
 
Has your dealer quoted you a price ? If so ,and you are agreeable to it . Get it in writing ,motor prices are rising also . I have heard of well over 18 month waits on a repower .
Not yet, but will be heed your advice on this.
 
Captain G, interesting question you raised and many variables to consider. Please, pretty please, keep us updated on how your journey progresses. Honestly, I think the chances of you finding a “good” used engine are on par with winning the lottery, but there’s always a chance, right?

Repowering with a new engine won’t be inexpensive and might take a season or two, but it might be the most cost effective option based upon what I’ve seen. As PB mentioned above, you’re likely to take a hit on resale with that 150 more than you would normally. And if your Benny is in good condition, you’re probably not going to gain a whole lot by buying a new boat.

Sounds like it’s time to put pencil to paper…
 
What does your Capacity Tag say for HP on your boat ? If I am not mistaken 200 hp is the max on your set up and a dealer ( or anyone ) cannot or should not ,go above the capacity tag . If the tag is not there, you can contact Bennington .Be sure to have or include your Hull ID

(888) 906-2628.
 
What does your Capacity Tag say for HP on your boat ? If I am not mistaken 200 hp is the max on your set up and a dealer ( or anyone ) cannot or should not ,go above the capacity tag . If the tag is not there, you can contact Bennington .Be sure to have or include your Hull ID

(888) 906-2628.
Yeah, I am almost positive it is max of 250HP, but good advice.
 
I think Vikingstaff misunderstood that you have a "twin" "elliptical package. You keep mentioning your elliptical "center" toon so you DO have a tritoon correct?!!? In my opinion I think your best bet right now is to keep those pontoons as clean as you can so you can get the full performance out of that 150. When we kept our boat in the water we would designate some time every time we went out to clean the stuff off. Just grap a couple rags or some members use designated car wash mitts to clean them. Doesn't take long and it is well worth it! Sharkhide makes it so much easier to keep them clean. We have a Mercury 150 and my adult children and my wife easily ski or wakeboard behind our boat. But then again we don't have the heavy center tube. On the other hand your grandkids are getting older and sooner or later you are going to need more power to satisfy their watersports needs. You can either bite the bullet now or later! We had our R I/0 for 13 seasons and sold it for what we spent on it in 2008. You can sell your boat outright and get a good down payment on another with a 250!
 
You might check with your dealer to see if Yamaha sells reman engines like Mercury does. You will take a financial hit now and in the future by putting a new motor on an older boat.
 
I think Vikingstaff misunderstood that you have a "twin" "elliptical package.
D’oh! I did misread it originally. Boy, not my first time. Disclaimer: I did mention not having my coffee yet. Ha! ;)

After realizing the OP has the ESP already, I am totally with Daril’s advice above. Focus first on keeping your 3 pontoons clean all season. If you can add a lift into your set up, as well as Sharkhide after 100% cleaning and prepping your pontoons, I think you’d see a massive improvement in performance. Only after doing those things would I consider other options, and then I would try to get that complete top to bottom quote on repowering to 250HP IF still warranted.

Talk about me leaving a long winded response that was off track. Everything is so much more clear after having my morning coffee…:rolleyes:
 
D’oh! I did misread it originally. Boy, not my first time. Disclaimer: I did mention not having my coffee yet. Ha! ;)

After realizing the OP has the ESP already, I am totally with Daril’s advice above. Focus first on keeping your 3 pontoons clean all season. If you can add a lift into your set up, as well as Sharkhide after 100% cleaning and prepping your pontoons, I think you’d see a massive improvement in performance. Only after doing those things would I consider other options, and then I would try to get that complete top to bottom quote on repowering to 250HP IF still warranted.

Talk about me leaving a long winded response that was off track. Everything is so much more clear after having my morning coffee…:rolleyes:
Ha! No sweat Jeff! You are spot on! (99.9% of the time!) Ha!
 
D’oh! I did misread it originally. Boy, not my first time. Disclaimer: I did mention not having my coffee yet. Ha! ;)

After realizing the OP has the ESP already, I am totally with Daril’s advice above. Focus first on keeping your 3 pontoons clean all season. If you can add a lift into your set up, as well as Sharkhide after 100% cleaning and prepping your pontoons, I think you’d see a massive improvement in performance. Only after doing those things would I consider other options, and then I would try to get that complete top to bottom quote on repowering to 250HP IF still warranted.

Talk about me leaving a long winded response that was off track. Everything is so much more clear after having my morning coffee…:rolleyes:
No worries, Viking. You're original feedback was still on point, and I appreciate these comments as well.
 
I think Vikingstaff misunderstood that you have a "twin" "elliptical package. You keep mentioning your elliptical "center" toon so you DO have a tritoon correct?!!? In my opinion I think your best bet right now is to keep those pontoons as clean as you can so you can get the full performance out of that 150. When we kept our boat in the water we would designate some time every time we went out to clean the stuff off. Just grap a couple rags or some members use designated car wash mitts to clean them. Doesn't take long and it is well worth it! Sharkhide makes it so much easier to keep them clean. We have a Mercury 150 and my adult children and my wife easily ski or wakeboard behind our boat. But then again we don't have the heavy center tube. On the other hand your grandkids are getting older and sooner or later you are going to need more power to satisfy their watersports needs. You can either bite the bullet now or later! We had our R I/0 for 13 seasons and sold it for what we spent on it in 2008. You can sell your boat outright and get a good down payment on another with a 250!
We did not order our boat with Sharkhide originally, and have never applied it to our pontoons. After ten years, would it still be effective to pay for that after the 'toons are cleaned and acid washed? Does it help to have Sharkhide reapplied every few seasons, or will one application last for a long time?
 
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