Back to the main site

Aspiring Pontoon Owner Needing Advice

D

Dr Bob

Member
Messages
23
Reaction score
1
Greetings!! 


I am newly retired with a primary residence in Kennett Square, PA and a summer residence in Ocean View, DE. I recently sold my Key West center console 211CC since it was not suitable for me to navigate Indian River Bay with it. I am in the process of buying a Bennington Tri Toon, 20'. My slip size and marina size dictate the 20'. I'm alittle disappointed that the maximum HP recommended is 115.. But it is what it is. I need some recommendations for options for the boat!! Namely, floor material, curved Bimany Top?? Docking lights?? Floor storage compartment since it's a Tri Toon?? Etc, etc, etc.......I'm looking at the 20 SSRX Premium... Is the factory GPS suitable or should I opt for an after market?? Thanx for any suggestions!!
 
Welcome to the forum Dr Bob.......


You are only allowed to have a 20 footer because of the size/length of the slip?!? If you are able to get a 21/22 foot boat your maximum HP will significantly go up. 


If I were to purchase another boat I would want........In floor storage.......a double Bimini.........either seagrass or a faux teak floor...........a 4 step ladder.........and buy another PTEM Edge mirror............
 
Welcome Dr Bob.  If you look at the 20' in the G series the max HP moves to 150HP if you select the Elliptical, SPS or ESP toon packages.  The Elliptical will be the fastest top end speed, The ESP turns like a fiberglass hull, and the SPS is the typical tri toon package. 


With 150HP you should be able to reach into the low to mid 40s mph range


Anytime you need help spending more money just ask :rolleyes:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanx a lot for the great advice!! The last comment sounds a lot like my wife about spending money...LOL!!
 
If the dock is limited by LOA really watch what you buy. Nothing worse than buying a new boat and you can't keep it where you think you will.
 
Sorry for my complete and utter ignorance but humor me......What are the salient differences in the 20' G Series and 20' S Series??  Also...What's the difference between the 20' SSRX and the 20' SSRX Premium??


One last item.... Stopping by the local dealership I did roughly price out a 2017 20SSRX with a few options...I did this in haste since the wife and daughter wanted to get to the beach....The MSRP was $35,121..... He came back with the bottom line at $31,436... This seems alittle weak since I've read on the forum a 20% to 30% adjustment is not unrealistic...They apparently have "specials" over the Labor Day weekend!!?? The Ocean City, MD Boat show is coming up in February. Friends tell me dealers sharpen their pencils during these winter shows...... What do you guys think.... Should I wait???? Dr Bob
 
With the G series you get cross members on 16" vs 24" centers but both still have a lifetime warranty. I also believe the G series and up run a little longer. So a 20G is closer to 22'. You can double check in the builder but I'm pretty sure that is the case.


And pricing depends on market and season. If the dealer is selling them for that price I doubt he will go much lower. Maybe others in that area will chime in. I ordered both of mine in the fall to lock in current year pricing before the price bumps up. Plus, early order means it will be in and ready to hit the water as soon as the ice comes off.
 
Dr Bob said:
One last item.... Stopping by the local dealership I did roughly price out a 2017 20SSRX with a few options...I did this in haste since the wife and daughter wanted to get to the beach....The MSRP was $35,121..... He came back with the bottom line at $31,436
Click to expand...

We bought our boat in Jan of '14 right before our lake's annual  boat show that is in march every year.  We got the same price as boat show pricing but didn't have to fight any crowd in doing so.  I think they "sharpened the pencil" as you say pretty well as our boat ( 2014 gsr2250 sps tri with a 150 HP) on the boat builder back in '14 the msrp price was right at 53K and we bought it for 37K.  Looked the other day and the same boat on the boat builder is now a touch over 60K so things have gone up in price over the last 3 years.  If you can wait till the boat show you might be surprised by the incentives like extra factory motor warranty  5yrs vs 3yrs  or a rebate or others.


The ssrx you were pricing had how big of a motor and what all options are you looking at?

lakeliving said:
With the G series you get cross members on 16" vs 24" centers but both still have a lifetime warranty. I also believe the G series and up run a little longer. So a 20G is closer to 22'
Click to expand...

Lakeliving is right our gsr2250 (a 22' boat) is a few inches short of 24 foot from bow to stern......then the motor is out beyond that by another foot or so.  We do have the longer bow (deck goes over the toon tips) and also the extended stern (makes it real nice at the sandbar).
 
Link said:
The Elliptical will be the fastest top end speed, The ESP turns like a fiberglass hull, and the SPS is the typical tri toon package. 
Click to expand...

I'm going to take issue with my esteemed colleague Link's description of the SPS hull.


My experience with the SPS/150 on a 21' boat is that it is very much like a traditional speedboat in the way it turns and handles. Not as much carving into a turn as the ESP, but clearly more than "typical."


The Express Tube may be more like a "typical" tri-toon, but the SPS is much more responsive (I've had both). I think it has to do with the full-length center tube and the fuel tank in the center tube (lower center of gravity).
 
Dr Bob


Take a look at the Pillow top furniture and the Designer vinyl flooring. The In floor storage is a must. 
 
goldnrod24 said:
I'm going to take issue with my esteemed colleague Link's description of the SPS hull.


My experience with the SPS/150 on a 21' boat is that it is very much like a traditional speedboat in the way it turns and handles. Not as much carving into a turn as the ESP, but clearly more than "typical."


The Express Tube may be more like a "typical" tri-toon, but the SPS is much more responsive (I've had both). I think it has to do with the full-length center tube and the fuel tank in the center tube (lower center of gravity).
Click to expand...

Didn't mean it to sound that way GoldenRod. the SPS would be my choice for the toon package.  What I meant by typical was that it would perform as a tri toon, much superior over the standard toon
 
Dr Bob said:
What's the difference between the 20' SSRX and the 20' SSRX Premium??
Click to expand...

The Premium package is an interior upgrade over the standard S-boat and adding pillowtop to the Premium is still another jump. The helm is also upgraded. One thing you will notice about the premium is the seat bases are also upgraded, appearance-wise.


Unfortunately, it's tough to see the difference between the 2 using the '16 brochure. I suggest seeing the two side-by-side in order to truly appreciate the difference.
 
Link said:
Didn't mean it to sound that way GoldenRod. the SPS would be my choice for the toon package.  What I meant by typical was that it would perform as a tri toon, much superior over the standard toon
Click to expand...

And I would put forth the notion that its even superior to "typical" tri-toons.
 
Options: 115 HP Yamaha, rough water pkg, saltwater anode, 25 in tube upgrade, sim rad GPS G 05, heavy duty rub rail 18/21, wheel upgrade w teak accents, battery single switch, individual seat cushions cover, xl performance pkg, splash guards, pop up cleats, xl 115 add on pkg
 
Look at the G series drbob, not the S, you can do the 150 with the 20' G
 
Dr. Bob,


Whatever you decide to get, care and maintenance of the seating surfaces is a MUST - and it does take some work.


Little things that you may not immediately think of:


1. Drink/cup holders will leave a mark on the surface if you leave them.  Make it a point of storing them when not in use. 


2. The sun will wreak havoc on the seats.  Even if you use 303 (which you WILL use, by the way).


3. When you get mold/mildew, bleach will remove it BUT - it is deadly on the threads/seams.


4. If you are in a saltwater invironment, make sure you use a silicone spray on anything metallic.  A couple of not-so-obvious locations are the springs underneath the captain's chair (mine rusted completely away in 3 years), inside the console (back of exposed radios, etc.), EVERYWHERE INSIDE YOUR MOTOR UNDER THE COWLING.


5. I have found using mineral oil (yeah, that stuff that comes in enema bottles) is excellent for conditioning vinyl seats.  You can buy big bottles of it at WalMart.  Wipe it on occasionally, wipe it off completely dry, then seal with 303.


6. Playpen cover - While a PITA to put on/take off - is probably the best thing to protect your boat.


7. Acetone does a FANTASTIC job of cleaning the rub rails.  Makes them look brand new.


Most of all, ENJOY YOUR BOAT!!!!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Dr Bob said:
Options: 115 HP Yamaha, rough water pkg, saltwater anode, 25 in tube upgrade, sim rad GPS G 05, heavy duty rub rail 18/21, wheel upgrade w teak accents, battery single switch, individual seat cushions cover, xl performance pkg, splash guards, pop up cleats, xl 115 add on pkg
Click to expand...

I thought I was knowledgeable about the different hull configurations, but this is the second thread that references the 115 XL Performance Package. A quick google found me this but it doesn't sound any different than the SPS. There is nothing in the '16 brochure that makes reference to this hull, only ESP, SPS and Express Package. For a while, I thought it was just a new name for the Express Package, but someone mentioned in the other thread that the XL115 Package has a fuel tank mounted in the center tube, something the Express Package DOES NOT.


Hmmm.....


XL115 Performance Package


 


 


  • 25 in. diameter tubes
  • Adds a 25 in. center tube
  • Requires a 25 in. transom




XL115 Add-on Package


 


 


  • Strakes
  • Foils
  • Wavetamer
 
Odd for sure Randy. I'll be curious to learn more.
 
Welcome Dr.Bob! I,m guessing that you have been talking to Short's. You say that you can only have a 20' boat due to the slip. I'm curious,is the boat being docked at a community or a marina? I say this because I run around your area all the time. We come up through the channel from OC and I think you might find the 20' a rough ride in the bay. You should tell the salesman that you want to sea trial a 20' boat. As you probably already know,the water conditions are much different from the inlet to the upper bay. If you want more feedback, you can message me. By the way, we like stopping by Paradise Grill when were in the neighborhood.
 
goldnrod24 said:
I thought I was knowledgeable about the different hull configurations, but this is the second thread that references the 115 XL Performance Package. A quick google found me this but it doesn't sound any different than the SPS. There is nothing in the '16 brochure that makes reference to this hull, only ESP, SPS and Express Package. For a while, I thought it was just a new name for the Express Package, but someone mentioned in the other thread that the XL115 Package has a fuel tank mounted in the center tube, something the Express Package DOES NOT.


Hmmm.....


XL115 Performance Package


 


 


  • 25 in. diameter tubes
  • Adds a 25 in. center tube
  • Requires a 25 in. transom




XL115 Add-on Package


 


 


  • Strakes
  • Foils
  • Wavetamer
Click to expand...

I'm sticking with the acquisition theory.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top