2019 Bennington 23RSR Tritoon with 150 hp Yamaha

[Stan and Sue Jahn]

We just got our new to us 2019 Bennington 23RSR with a 150 hp Yamaha delivered to our dock in Wisconsin this week. I have a few questions:
1. How big is the gas tank?
2. What kind of fuel is recommended? With ethanol or not?
3. What 1-4 person tube is suggested for pulling behind this Bennington Tritoon?
4. Suggestions for a fuel caddy? We don’t have a marina on our small lake.

 

[sunedog]

1. Gas tank -- There are lots of possibilities. The only way to know for sure is to see the build sheet or look at the tag stamped on top of the tank. The top of the tank should be accessible through a port screwed into the deck. The location of that port will vary depending on where your fuel tank is.
2. Fuel -- Consult your Yamaha owners manual or Google it. My 2016 Yamaha 250 VMAX requires 89 octane and I can use ethanol or non-ethanol gas. Everyone has an opinion on that part. Mine is I run ethanol fuel all season because I go through it rather quickly. I store the boat for the winter with non-ethanol.
3. Tube -- Don't have a recommendation on what type of tube. But you should be aware lots of tow bars are not rated for the extreme force induced by pulling a tube. You may find a warning label on the tow bar.
4. Fuel caddy -- I personally don't want a fuel caddy. They are large and difficult to get into and out of a vehicle. And I have five steps leading down to my dock. I use two 5 gallon portable cans that I can carry and this battery operated transfer pump. (TERA PUMP 5th Gen TRFA01 Fuel Transfer Pump) You can get a knock off for a lot less money at Harbor Freight. I have a 56 gallon fuel tank and usually go through two cans a weekend in boating season.

 

[Vikingstaff]

Congratulations on your “new to you” Bennington. toss some pics up for us to admire if you are inclined to do so. Sunedog nailed it on your questions. Before I get into those, I will just toss out, make sure you get the warranty transferred to you (if you are only the second owner, and it was not any sort of rental/business pontoon previously).

1) Do you know “which” tritoon hull you have? There are a large variety of fuel tank sizes that Bennington uses. IF you have some form of the SPS tritoon, I would safely guess you have about ~ 32 gallon tank. However, if you have the upgraded ESP tritoon, there are a number of likely sizes. Do you havre access to the build sheet? If not, call Bennington with your HULL ID number, and they can get that original build info to you (or an authorizes Bennington dealership should be able to get that info to you).

2) I personally prefer non-ethenol just to be more safe. If you will burn through gas’s quickly, it really doesn’t matter. If the boat will sit sometimes for longer stretches between uses, then non-ethenol is going to be better for it (not begin to break down any hoses, seals, fuel quality as quickly, etc…). However, logistics and accessibility, along with cost, can really impact that for a lot of people. For us, it is a small price to pay to help insure long term boat health.

3) We have a Super Mabel 3 person tube as well as a 2 person O’briens flat disc tube. The O’brien never gets used, and the Super Mable is the one everyone wants to use. However, it is a big multi person tube. I personally would insure you have a heavier duty TUBE RATED tow bar (if in fact that is what you will be using to tow it). We have a Turbo Swing, which is rated for all levels and pull weight tubes (as well as skiers). IMHO, that is the way to go from a safety perspective, but then again, many if not most people seem to tow tubes fine from ski tow bars.

4) Defer to others. We have 3 marinas on our lake, and that is all we use. No way am I man handling gas cans, or anything else. In your situation I can see the appeal of a fuel caddy, but they do seem difficult to manage in and out of the vehicle to refill. If you can do that, I get it. Another option might be a heavy duty lawn cart, and multiple 5 gallon cans with something like Sunedog mentioned.

Enjoy your summer with the boat. Check out our extensive past posts and search function in the upper right hand corner. So much collective wisdom in this forum.

 

[FLY911]

1. Gas tank -- There are lots of possibilities. The only way to know for sure is to see the build sheet or look at the tag stamped on top of the tank. The top of the tank should be accessible through a port screwed into the deck. The location of that port will vary depending on where your fuel tank is.
2. Fuel -- Consult your Yamaha owners manual or Google it. My 2016 Yamaha 250 VMAX requires 89 octane and I can use ethanol or non-ethanol gas. Everyone has an opinion on that part. Mine is I run ethanol fuel all season because I go through it rather quickly. I store the boat for the winter with non-ethanol.
3. Tube -- Don't have a recommendation on what type of tube. But you should be aware lots of tow bars are not rated for the extreme force induced by pulling a tube. You may find a warning label on the tow bar.
4. Fuel caddy -- I personally don't want a fuel caddy. They are large and difficult to get into and out of a vehicle. And I have five steps leading down to my dock. I use two 5 gallon portable cans that I can carry and this battery operated transfer pump. (TERA PUMP 5th Gen TRFA01 Fuel Transfer Pump) You can get a knock off for a lot less money at Harbor Freight. I have a 56 gallon fuel tank and usually go through two cans a weekend in boating season.

I lived at Yacht Cove near the water turbines and there is fuel just across the lake. At least there was a few years back. I love Lake Murray!