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Another newbie to Bennington...

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Holdren23

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I just bought my new Bennie last week. It is a 2014 22 SLX with a Yamaha 90 hp, kicker speaker upgrade, Garmin 100 fish/depth finder, tow bar. It is a twin tube not sure about the specs on the tubes. It is still at the dealer here in central Ohio as we are waiting for weather to break and the lake to fill up to normal depth. The dealer said we have to take it out to test it before we can bring it home. My question to you experienced boaters is what should I expect during this test and is there anything that I need to make sure happens. Any and all advice will be much appreciated as this is our first boat and not sure of all the proper things to look for. Picture will come as soon and I can bring "Tuned Up" home.
 
You should expect to not want to come back to the dock!!!  And resist the urge to sit in your new boat all night.

Here's a list I put together a couple years ago with help from a lot of the forum members on what to look for when inspecting a new boat.  Maybe some of this will help.

Boat: (model and hull id #)
Trailer: (model and serial #)
Motor: (Serial #) Verify manufacture date
Price: Verify quoted price includes freight, prep, battery, prop, etc “ready to run”, plus tax/title/reg.

Options: Check off your order list.

BOAT: Check above options, Check for defects, Check railings for sharp edges, check pontoon tubes for slag, look for metal drill filings, open/close all storage areas, open/close all gates, check seat adjustments, tilt steering, electrical circuits and switches, stereo/speakers, raise/lower bimini, check LEDs, bow lights, mast light, horn, spare keys
TRAILER: Turn signal and brake lights work, test surge brakes, verify bunks and guides tight, all bolts tight, carpet/glides secure and complete, wiring attached securely
MOTOR: Size/model correct, check manufacture date, prop correct size/brand
TEST RIDE: Check depth graph, power trim/tilt, check steering (full left, full right, smooth operation), TOP SPEED?
PAPERS: Documents and Manuals, including motor and trailer?

Questions:
Call insurance company, verify coverage before moving boat.
Verify 2” hitch ball.
Ask about motor break-in period and warm-up period.
Registration grace period?

Bring:
Electrical adapter (trailer)
Tongue Lock
Hitch Lock
Tie Downs
GPS (for speed test)
 
 
Kaydano that's is a great list. I am going to screen shot it and use it when we go. I know that I am going to be so scattered brained when I get out on it. I will have to give that list to my wife and have her make sure it get done. Thanks for the list...
 
Congrats and try to get some sleep the night before you go!
 
Don't forget, PICS, or it ain't true !! :-)

Congrats !!
 
Have them show you how to align it onto the trailer when pulling it out of the water. This was the one thing I felt was lacking with my delivery. Go over how far to put your trailer in. I mistakenly put it in way too far thinking it would be easier.

Make sure the cover fits properly on your boat. You'll want to get started on getting the correct one quickly.

Lastly asks them to put the boat in the water when you get there. I would want to see everything underneath and all sides of the. Oat before I signed any paperwork.

Oh yeah and take lots of pics
 
That is good thinking on the cover. I would have over looked that until to late.
 
Don't let them start the motor and run it fast without proper warm up.  You should run the motor for awhile before "hitting it."  You should follow the break in instructions of the engine manufacturer.

After a couple of hours, run it flat out trying to get about 6000 rpm's with the engine trimmed up.

My boat was slower than expected and it was hitting the rev limiter @ 6300 rpm's.  I had the dealer get me a one size higher pitch prop, and it's doing great now.
 
That is where I get lost is on prop selection. so if my boat hits the Rev limiter to easy then I need higher pitch prop? Is this something the dealer should test for our do they just give you a stock prop?
 
If it's just you and your wife test driving the boat, you want get a prop that runs right up to the rev limit.  Then later when you have a full boat of people, you won't bog down the engine.  I don't know that hitting the rev limiter with a light load is necessarily a bad thing, you just don't want to leave much "lying on the table".

On the other hand, if it's just you and your wife ONLY going boating 99% of the time, then you want to be right at but just under the rev limit.

Prop pitch and cup and rake and all that stuff can (does) take a lifetime to master, and long time just to understand how much you will never know, I'd recommend you go with a well trusted and highly recommended prop model, which on this forum seems to be the Reliance for Yamaha and the Enertia for Mercury.  That narrows down the options to just pitch, and every dealer will understand what direction to go for pitch based on your test rpms. Both those are stainless though, and are probably overkill for a 90.

If a dealer doesn't ask you how heavy (how many people) you will typically have on each outing, he's not really helping you dial it in because that info is so important.

The bigger the motor, the more important it is to get the prop dialed in.  With a 90 (which isn't real big on the scale of motor sizes) he will likely give you an aluminum prop as a stainless won't get you enough additional performance to justify the cost.  Stainless props are in the $500+ range.  Aluminum props are in the $150 range.  If the bottom of the lake is rocky, an aluminum prop is softer, and will absorb more of the shock of a "hit" than a stainless model.  Your motor will thank you.  For 115 hp and less, I'd go with aluminum as a "sacrificial" prop.  150 and up, stainless to get the performance out of the motor.  I've owned both 115 and 150 (which was really stupid of me, but that's the way it turned out).  If you were buying Mercury (for others reading this are going Mercury), I'd recommend the Black Max for highest top speed and the Spit Fire for acceleration (tubing and skiing).  With a 90, you won't be doing a lot of tubing.
 
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Holdren23 said:
That is where I get lost is on prop selection. so if my boat hits the Rev limiter to easy then I need higher pitch prop? Is this something the dealer should test for our do they just give you a stock prop?
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Yes on pitch question.  With a 90, they probably will already know what prop to give you.  Also, it never hurts to have a spare prop on board and tools to change it.  You can get two of the same, or if you want to play around and learn some stuff about props, try two different ones.  You could get one for speed and one for acceleration (again with a 90, you probably won't notice the difference).  I have a stainless (Thanks Todd!) and an aluminum back up prop on board.
 
By the way, don't sweat the inspection too much.  Just make sure stuff opens/closes (storage, bimini, doors), all the switches and electrical stuff works, make sure the steering goes full range (same turns left and right) and is smooth, and the motor tilts up/down smoothly.  Your dealer should have the right prop for you.  If you find anything after you take delivery that's wrong with the boat, Bennington will make it right.  Every time someone on the forum has had a problem, it got fixed. 

Just have a good time!  Your heart will be racing!  And don't drink a lot of liquids the hour or two before the test ride.  You don't want to have to go back to the dock because you have to go to the bathroom on your test drive!  Ha ha.  Unless you got the porta potty...
 
See that is what I am concerned about with the 90 hp. The salesman assured me that 90 hp was enough to pull a tube. After reading these forums I am afraid that I don't have enough power. We won't be tubing a lot but some with our son. I even called the dealer back and said are you sure 90 hp is enough ( by then the deal and titles were done.) He keeps saying you will be fine with this engine. I hope that I am not going to be upset. I am not worried about speed other than enough to pull our son on the tube for a while on the weekends. I wish I would have found this forum before buying the boat. It is our first one though and I know what to look for when we upgrade.
 
You will be upset. I had a 115. Not enough for tubing. Note that you CAN pull a tube with ANY motor. Your dealer isn't lying. But if you don't have a 150, the kids won't go twice.

Make the motor switch NOW before it is too late!!!

If the motor hasn't been used, it's not too late. The dealer should be happy to take your money. What hull did you get? That's important too.
 
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I agree. I sold our first toon after using it 3 months because we didn't have enough power. Went from a 115 to a 200 and have no regrets!
 
Holdren23 said:
See that is what I am concerned about with the 90 hp. The salesman assured me that 90 hp was enough to pull a tube. After reading these forums I am afraid that I don't have enough power. We won't be tubing a lot but some with our son. I even called the dealer back and said are you sure 90 hp is enough ( by then the deal and titles were done.) He keeps saying you will be fine with this engine. I hope that I am not going to be upset. I am not worried about speed other than enough to pull our son on the tube for a while on the weekends. I wish I would have found this forum before buying the boat. It is our first one though and I know what to look for when we upgrade.
Click to expand...
How old is your son? If he's a toddler you'll be fine.
 
ENJOY 

ENJOY 

ENJOY 

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I have the Yamaha F90 4 stroke

SL21 twin tubes great for cruising 

I don't do the tubing thing

Did it a lot with a twin engine jet boat Sea Doo Bombardier 

If I was to offer my humble opinion try the new F115 if the F150 is too expensive

The F90 is definitely not enough 

Pisses me off that these dealers give poor advice, mine thought a 60HP was more than I needed (LOL)  

He assures you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Best Advice Anywhere Is Here On This Forum

I hope you upgraded to the G Series Captain Chair as well.

It's well worth the small increase
 
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We had a 90 Merc on a Sundancer 20ft. We were able to tube and ski behind it with no problem.

With our new 21slx, we went max hp and with a 150. If you are already concerned, you will always be wondering.

I am surprised a dealer passed on the opportunity to upsell you.

Brian
 
I'm sure there is more profit margin when you come back to buy a 2nd boat vs increasing hp on the first one!
 
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