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21SF - Hydraulic Steering Questions...

one battery here as well.
 
I thought long and hard on this one. We have a 22 SSRXP with a 175. I ultimately did not add the power steering as we are a cruising group not looking to water ski or tubing. I have found the steering to be very easy without the PS, can't imagine how effortless it must be with it. In my eyes, the PS was one more system to maintain and not a necessity. If you can try out two boats with both options and see what fits your needs.
 
The only place I missed the assisted steering was during docking maneuvers. And honestly, I added a knob to the wheel and that essentially did the deed quite nicely.

Like many of you, carving up the pond with tight turns isn't a big issue for me (twin ellipticals don't lend themselves to that anyway). Mostly cruising and runs to the beach.

Happy New Year!
 
This has been stated here many times .
"buy your last boat first "
I'm waiting for a few things to happen,and I'll be looking for # 3 ( all Benningtons of course )
 
In my opinion, the problem with the "buy your last boat first" slogan is that, of coarse, most people would like to have the top of the line model with every option available as well as the most horsepower that it can handle but these boats are far from cheap and one must also take into consideration practicality, budget, as well as a host of other factors. While I do see the logic, it's not all that practical. People's financial, health, and family situation often changes substantially throughout ones life and so does their boating needs. ex) I wished I had a 27' tritoon with 300hp when I was 25 because I used to hang out with a large crew and most of my other friends didn't have a boat but all I could afford was a 21' with a 60hp. Now I can afford the 27' tritoon with the 300hp but I don't have a need for it. It's not so cut and dry.
 
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Renegade34 said:
In my opinion, the problem with the "buy your last boat first" slogan is that, of coarse, most people would like to have the top of the line model with every option available as well as the most horsepower that it can handle but these boats are far from cheap and one must also take into consideration practicality, budget, as well as a host of other factors. While I do see the logic, it's not all that practical. People's financial, health, and family situation often changes substantially throughout ones life and so does their boating needs. ex) I wished I had a 27' tritoon with 300hp when I was 25 because I used to hang out with a large crew and most of my other friends didn't have a boat but all I could afford was a 21' with a 60hp. Now I can afford the 27' tritoon with the 300hp but I don't have a need for it. It's not so cut and dry.
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I agree with you. We have always had boats - pontoons, bowriders, waverunners, etc. I find now that as the kids are growing up they go out less and less with us. I also find that I fish a significant amount of the time. So, that made the decision to drop down in size slightly while equipping the boat for fishing practical. The 150 and SPS just make sense, since I'd still like to tube with the kids when they do decide to go with us. We keep our boat slipped about 1.5 hours from home so we don't have a lot of drop in guests.

It's not really a matter of "affording" the power steering, I just don't know if I will ultimately be disappointed without it. I'm not disappointed with our current 115hp with cable steer, but decided if I was going to upgrade it would have the SPS and biggest motor available. Ability to afford it or not, $3K is a lot of money...

I did do some searching online at various dealers and have found that all the Bennington's with 200hp motors have power steering. The ones with 150HP motors all seem to have the hydraulic steering with one exception that had power steering. However, that is the beauty of ordering - I don't have to stick with dealer stock. In reality if my current configuration was available from dealer stock I would buy it - with or without the power steering.
 
Don't base the price of it based on the website price. Ask your dealer for a quote. Unless they already quoted you that and I missed it.
 
Our 2015 23G w/200HP doesn’t have it and we’ve been fine for 3 1/2 seasons...

We just spent our first week on the new 2019 25Q which does have it, and boy what a difference...

Now I’m ruined
 
I did a ton of tubing with my son and his friends over the last 20 years, but that was with a runabout with 330 HP. I also had a pontoon with a 90 HP used for fishing and it didn't have power steering. Couldn't fathom trying to tube with that even if it was fast enough and I do know that I'm not comparing apples to apples here. I didn't have a triton with a hull like the SPS or EPS which would have made a world of difference. I just know how used to the power steering I was when pulling tubers and other water sports and couldn't live without it. But times and circumstances changes as so well noted above and my son is 30 with his own child now. Wont be tubing a lot for a while, but I want to be ready! I'll get the power steering for sure.
 
For me, I find the greatest benefit is being able to get the motor turned quickly at the dock with one hand while docking leaving the other hand free for throttle and gear shifts. I took a video yesterday with a new action cam and I'll have to get it posted when I get a chance.
 
As I get older I like as much comfort as I can and have always elected for the PS/PA as I like to dock with one finger.
I also go with dual batteries as I like redundant systems and want the motor to start when I turn the key. That is why all emergency and law enforcement vehicles have dual batteries. However, I come from salt water and remote areas and have learned to have back up systems whenever practical.
 
lakeliving said:
For me, I find the greatest benefit is being able to get the motor turned quickly at the dock with one hand while docking leaving the other hand free for throttle and gear shifts. I took a video yesterday with a new action cam and I'll have to get it posted when I get a chan
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Do you mean the motor is too hard to turn with one hand at docking speeds with just the hydraulic steering? That seems unusual.
 
Shawn said:
Do you mean the motor is too hard to turn with one hand at docking speeds with just the hydraulic steering? That seems unusual.
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I was referring to using one finger against the spoke vs gripping the wheel with your hand.
 
The biggest benefit of power steering is that you maximize the performance of the Tritoon packages. Without it you leave significant performance on the table.
 
Alicedream said:
The biggest benefit of power steering is that you maximize the performance of the Tritoon packages. Without it you leave significant performance on the table.
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How so, beyond the ease of steering, how does this add/subtract from the performance?
 
More than one dealer told me save my money and not get it with anything under 200hp when I was boat shopping. I have a 150hp on a 2018 23' swingback with SPS and do quite a bit of tubing and water sports. Coming from a 115hp with cable steering I don't find it hard to steer at all unless doing really tight hairpin turns at full throttle but that's not exactly where these boats excel anyways. Do I wish I had it? Some days I think it'd be nice but I also think a 200hp would be nice. Then I think if I had the 200hp I'd be thinking the 250hp would be nice and on and on it goes o_O. I decided not to go with it, and if I feel at some point that I can't live without it, then I can add it later. So far no regrets. Good luck with your purchase either way!
 
M Jay Farr said:
How so, beyond the ease of steering, how does this add/subtract from the performance?
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Allows you turn at ease at speed and docking and get the most out of the Tritoon system. I had the sps without power steering and had it added. The performance of the boat increased dramatically. I would never own a boat without it. And you don’t have to be doing hairpin turns to see a big difference.
 
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Renegade34 said:
More than one dealer told me save my money and not get it with anything under 200hp when I was boat shopping. I have a 150hp on a 2018 23' swingback with SPS and do quite a bit of tubing and water sports. Coming from a 115hp with cable steering I don't find it hard to steer at all unless doing really tight hairpin turns at full throttle but that's not exactly where these boats excel anyways. Do I wish I had it? Some days I think it'd be nice but I also think a 200hp would be nice. Then I think if I had the 200hp I'd be thinking the 250hp would be nice and on and on it goes o_O. I decided not to go with it, and if I feel at some point that I can't live without it, then I can add it later. So far no regrets. Good luck with your purchase either way!
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My dealer told me I did not need it also on my previous boat. They installed two weeks after I received the boat because “in my opinion” the steering was worse than the cable steering I had with my 115. Dealers say some interesting things at times. They mean well but does not make them right.

This is how I would answer this question on power steering. Is your boat better with power steering. Yes. But you should always work within your budget and not spend more than you have. Always remember a boat is an adult toy and you should do what you want despite the opinions on this board.
 
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