Bennington Factory Tour

[Gamelands]

Totally agree. I had same type lift for my old deck boat and my lift guy recommended different style of hydrohoist lift for the exact same reasons for our new Benny. The side rails are beneath the level of the poly floats with new lift which he was able to find slightly used. I would definitely look into it. Enjoy that boat. It looks to be a beautiful build!!

Thanks, Rick. Yes, my lift installer also recommended putting the side rails in the down position.

 

[Baja 252]

That's great, because the lift in the photo is set up wrong for a pontoon and he will get damage from those bolts.

 

[Rick from Rocky Mount]

Thanks, Rick. Yes, my lift installer also recommended putting the side rails in the down position.

Great! Looking forward to seeing pics of that beautiful new boat! We got ours out this weekend for the first time this year and it felt great to be back on the water, FINALLY after a long, long winter!! We are looking forward to our first FULL summer with our new Benny!

 

[Dale Benson]

I mentioned earlier up-thread that we planned to take a tour of the factory on our return trip to Minnesota from winter in Arizona, and we were able to do that. Dustin was our tour guide, too. It was a great experience and something I'd recommend if you get the opportunity.​

It was not expected at all but just so happened that our 22 GFS was nearing the end of its position on the production line so we were able to see her and get a photo! Very cool.

@Gamelands provided a great overview in his initial post and I don't have anything more to add other than to include a couple more photos. I will note that the last photo shows just one of several banks of completed boats waiting to be shipped. The largest forklift I've seen in my life lifts each one end-first onto these racks! Amazing.

 

[adkboater]

That’s a gorgeous color combination on your boat, maybe someday when I buy another one we’ll get out there and do a tour!

 

[BulldogsCadillac]

Even though I don't have my boat anymore, I still want to go and see it!!

 

[Robert poole]

View attachment 22025 We traveled to Elkhart, IN from Ohio last week and visited the Bennington facility to tour their factory. We were a week late on our own boat build, but the trip was well worth it as we had the opportunity see the entire manufacturing process and learn all the details of how our boat was constructed and assembled.

The tour was around 75 minutes and our tour guide, Dustin, did a great job in detailing the manufacturing steps and was very interested in ensuring that we had a great experience. The most interesting part of the tour was probably seeing how the toons were rolled and welded to their finished state. Didn't realize there were so many steps involved.

The plant was very busy (over 50 pontoons built daily) with most of the space dedicated to their S and SX product lines. We appreciated that the workers were friendly to us and really focused on their tasks. In addition, we saw that there were several quality control inspections built into the process to ensure there were no issues with the final product.

Scheduling the tour was easy and straightforward. You can contact Bennington through their web site to schedule the tour or obtain the contact through your dealer. They were able to provide us with the expected build date, but cautioned us that they can't guarantee that the production schedule will change. Unfortunately, we couldn't travel on the expected build date.

If you happen to travel through the Elkhart, IN area, I strongly recommend that you call Bennington in advance and try to schedule a tour. Having seen their manufacturing operation it affirmed our choice in Bennington. We were even given a Bennington swag bag at the end of the tour!

Thanks, most factories don’t let people take pictures. I guess Bennington has nothing to hide.

 

[sjhorner9475]

That is a great build. You will love the boat. We have the same lift withthe pitman arms in the down position. We love the lift.