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Bennington vs Barletta

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Johnsmith205

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Hey guys, new to Tri-toons (long time bass fisher). Looking to add a tri-toon to the family. I know this is a Bennington page but I wanted to get real honest reviews. I am torn between a Bennington 25 LSB or a Barletta Cabrio C24UC. Both have similar floor plans. Plan on a 250hp motor. Both have great dealer support in my area (Birmingham, AL). With similar options on both the Bennington is still roughly $20k more. Has anyone had a Barletta and was not satisfied? They do seem very nice. Is Bennington’s quality, craftsmanship, and warranty just that much better? This is definitely a large purchase so I am doing as much research as I can to make sure my family is getting to enjoy it and not seeing it sit back at a dealership with problems. Also, long time Mercury guy. Has anyone been happier with the Yamaha or Honda 250s? Once again I have great support for all engines in my area as well. Thanks guys!
 
After selling our Bennington a few years ago we took a long hard look at all the brands that were available. In our opinion the fit and finish, premium materials used, and overall quality of the Barletta brand was very similar to Bennington! We were really impressed! You can't go wrong with either brand! We came across these (Cabrio) (Lusso) PXL_20230826_192455895.jpgPXL_20230826_192511796.jpgPXL_20230826_192525422.jpgPXL_20230826_192659064.jpgat a marina near us a couple weekends ago......
 
Just be sure to compare apples to apples. If you do so, Bennington's are NOT higher. I would also say stick to Yamaha or Mercury engines. Generally much harder to find Honda support.
 
There are a lot of Barlettas on our chain of lakes - I've ridden in one and it didn't seem quite as sturdy as our Benny (same size and similar trim level). I do like the option for a see-through/lexan Port door.
 
Johnsmith205 said:
Hey guys, new to Tri-toons (long time bass fisher). Looking to add a tri-toon to the family. I know this is a Bennington page but I wanted to get real honest reviews. I am torn between a Bennington 25 LSB or a Barletta Cabrio C24UC. Both have similar floor plans. Plan on a 250hp motor. Both have great dealer support in my area (Birmingham, AL). With similar options on both the Bennington is still roughly $20k more. Has anyone had a Barletta and was not satisfied? They do seem very nice. Is Bennington’s quality, craftsmanship, and warranty just that much better? This is definitely a large purchase so I am doing as much research as I can to make sure my family is getting to enjoy it and not seeing it sit back at a dealership with problems. Also, long time Mercury guy. Has anyone been happier with the Yamaha or Honda 250s? Once again I have great support for all engines in my area as well. Thanks guys!
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I have a 2021 Bennington 24 LSB with 250 SHO Yamaha - could not be happier with the Benny quality and have a 10 yr warranty if needed. 5yr on SHO. Love the Simtec vs Vinyl seats.

https://club.benningtonmarine.com/threads/simtex-or-traditional-vinyl.9495/​

Fishing with other fisherman? can be stressful if they/you snag top canvas or seats. Does electric Barletta TOP go all the down?
I would get extended rear deck and a Talon or PowerPole shallow water anchor factory installed since brackets are not readily available and then covered by warranty etc. just my 2 cents. Enjoy and come fish on Lake Martin :cool:
 
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Test ride/drive both, I'm sure they'll be very close as far as quality and options. Dealer support and resale will probably be overall better with the larger manufacturer unless your particular lake is limited to one or the other manufacturer. There are both in my marina and both are very nice, but given the marina is a Bennington dealer that puts them on top of the list for my locality. Closest Barletta dealership is 2 hours away.
 
I'm on Lay lake in Alabama, only around 45 minutes from Birmingham. I probably know the dealers your working with. On Bennington, it's worth a phone call to check with a dealer in Selma, AL. Their prices are always better, but he only wants to sell yamaha since he is a certified tech for them.
I've never seen a Barletta in person, but they appear very nice. There were no Barletta dealers close to me 6 years ago, so I went with Bennington. Ive traded twice since then, upgrading both times. You are doing the right thing going with at least 200hp.I've been very happy with my Benningtons so far.
 
Thanks for the reply’s you guys! I’ve been just building both boats online and that’s where I got the 20k difference. I need to go speak with my dealers and actually walk through the options with them. I am really leaning to Bennington just bc of how long they have been around.
 
Lay Lake said:
I'm on Lay lake in Alabama, only around 45 minutes from Birmingham. I probably know the dealers your working with. On Bennington, it's worth a phone call to check with a dealer in Selma, AL. Their prices are always better, but he only wants to sell yamaha since he is a certified tech for them.
I've never seen a Barletta in person, but they appear very nice. There were no Barletta dealers close to me 6 years ago, so I went with Bennington. Ive traded twice since then, upgrading both times. You are doing the right thing going with at least 200hp.I've been very happy with my Benningtons so far.
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What’s the dealer near Selma? I’m usually on Neely Henry, Guntersville, or Logan Martin. Always wanted to fish Lay.
 
Brech Marine. You won't be impressed by their facilities, but they are honest and know what they are doing. They are about 1 hour 45 minutes from Birmingham. We have a place about 1 mile north of Beeswax landing. I can hear the boats leave out at first light when there is a big tournament.
 
Some observations from this pic of Daril's

pxl_20230826_192455895-jpg.34839


Look at those tube sticking out vs Bennington extending the deck to cover the tubes-free deck space.
Look at those ugly corner castings vs the smooth, beautiful front on the Bennys.
I like the built in fender holders.
I like the fold down armrests on the couches/ Gotta get a R series or higher to get those on a Benny.
Just some things I immediately noticed.
 
Bill N said:
Some observations from this pic of Daril's

pxl_20230826_192455895-jpg.34839


Look at those tube sticking out vs Bennington extending the deck to cover the tubes-free deck space.
Look at those ugly corner castings vs the smooth, beautiful front on the Bennys.
I like the built in fender holders.
I like the fold down armrests on the couches/ Gotta get a R series or higher to get those on a Benny.
Just some things I immediately noticed.
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I also like that a Bennington has more deck space on the bow, making it easier and safer to move around when anchoring, etc. l also think the tighter side-radius of a Benny gives you more seating room than the sweep on the Barletta.
 
Personally, I LOVE the Barletta rear deck keeper rail system, something that Bennington can learn from and that I plan on customizing on my Benny. I found it interesting that Barletta does not provide the type of details that Bennington does about the construction of their platform, I suggest that is a potential red flag - but then I am big on full disclosure / transparency and making information easy to find. Finally, I can say the ESP toons with an elliptical center toon make Bennington (and possibly Manitou) the best performing TriToons on the market. My LX turns better than my buddies ski boat.
 
LaurencetheAdventurer said:
Personally, I LOVE the Barletta rear deck keeper rail system, something that Bennington can learn from and that I plan on customizing on my Benny. I found it interesting that Barletta does not provide the type of details that Bennington does about the construction of their platform, I suggest that is a potential red flag - but then I am big on full disclosure / transparency and making information easy to find. Finally, I can say the ESP toons with an elliptical center toon make Bennington (and possibly Manitou) the best performing TriToons on the market. My LX turns better than my buddies ski boat.
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I was trying to find out the same information about Barletta's platform construction and found very little. Boating in SWFL can be difficult at times out in the ocean so construction and protection is my number one concern. I know the prices vary for similiar options, which can add up quickly, but is it worth it for safety and reliability.
 
Barlettapontoonboats.com has more information right there when you open the page than you could ever want to know about how it's constructed and why THEY believe it is the best, sturdiest, smoothest riding tritoon chassis in the entire industry. Click "learn more" under "craftsmanship". Be warned, though, that different models have different "grades" of chassis. The higher end models fall in their "best in the industry" category. I reiterate that this is THEIR opinion and not meant as a Bennington criticism. Just data for the OP. I have seen professional reviews confirming the reviewers belief the chassis rides better and is built better than any other tritoon. It has a lifetime warranty if you didn't know. Do your research and make decisions that are best for you.
 
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BigD said:
I have seen professional reviews confirming the reviewers belief the chassis rides better and is built better than any other tritoon.
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"Professional Reviews" from magazines are ad driven. Plain and simple.
 
Four years ago I had the opportunity to see a Barletta next to a Bennington, both new models.
Fit and finish was significantly better on the Benny. Bennington did a far better job of deburring sharp edges, something very important when there is little clothing between you and the sharp edges.
The Benny had much nicer looking welds.
The Barletta furniture was very soft & supple, but I immediately wondered how the upholstery would hold up long term.
Now keep in mind that Barletta was pretty new at this point and one may assume they have taken steps towards improvement.
 
Johnsmith205 said:
Hey guys, new to Tri-toons (long time bass fisher). Looking to add a tri-toon to the family. I know this is a Bennington page but I wanted to get real honest reviews. I am torn between a Bennington 25 LSB or a Barletta Cabrio C24UC. Both have similar floor plans. Plan on a 250hp motor. Both have great dealer support in my area (Birmingham, AL). With similar options on both the Bennington is still roughly $20k more. Has anyone had a Barletta and was not satisfied? They do seem very nice. Is Bennington’s quality, craftsmanship, and warranty just that much better? This is definitely a large purchase so I am doing as much research as I can to make sure my family is getting to enjoy it and not seeing it sit back at a dealership with problems. Also, long time Mercury guy. Has anyone been happier with the Yamaha or Honda 250s? Once again I have great support for all engines in my area as well. Thanks guys!
Click to expand...
Which way did you decide to go? I just looked and priced out 2024 Bennington 24 SLB and a 2024 Barletta 24 Cabrio UC. Both with a 250 (Yamaha SHO for Benny and Merc Verado for Barletta). Benny is about 15k more. I have been happy with our Bennington but not without issues. I like the layout of the Barletta better than Bennington mostly because the boat interior of LSB still look's similar to what I have now and looking a little dated. Curious if you sea tests both prior to making selection and how they compared.
 
I suggest opting for the pillowtop upholstry, it is a significant upgrade that provides an updated styling. I believe the Benny is worth the extra $15K from all I have read, but of course that was yesterday comparisons.....
 
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