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Bennington vs Others...

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jlaughlin5

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My wife and I have been shopping for a tritoon for a couple of months now. We've looked at Bennington, JC, XCursion, South Bay, Crest, Premier and Manitou (and probably others I can't remember anymore).

Basically we would like it to have:  250 hp (minimum), lifting strakes, seagrass flooring, center storage and double bimini.

We really like the 2275 GCW but our price range is more in the $50,000 area. Is it really worth it to spend the extra $$ on a Bennington?

Thanks for any input.
 
Yes ............. They are number one in the Pontoon industry for a good reason.

You can either buy a Cadillac or a Chevy ...... They both serve the same purpose, just one does it with more style, luxury, and quality.
 
If your budget is there, you might look at the RCW, or even step up to a Q .......
 
Yes, and still have money for gas .
 
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Three thoughts

Start out with used boat. Compare values on 2-3 year old models.

Use that boat for a season or two and decide if you even like it. You have to boat a lot to use up a $50000 boat.

Move up

I bought a 2002 Bennington from a guy who wasn't u sing it much because he has two young kids, after looking at A LOT of boats on Iboats and boattrader.com and CL. The Bennington all were in better shape structurally.
 
We did the something you are doing looked at all the lines of boats. By far the bennington was built better and looks the nicest. We did go with the bennington 2250 GSR with ESP with a 250hp yamaha SHO. Can't go wrong with a Benny.
 
50,000.00 RANGE

OMG,

To spend that I better live on the Inner Coastal Waterways in Florida and be able to boat daily

Have friends in Haliburton in Ontario Canada 

After spending for the lake house and boat they are lucky to have 2 - 3 months of good weather 

I spent half on my 2014 SL21 Bennington and at that I was hesitant (lol)

You get what you pay for 

If you got it to spend 

SPEND SPEND SPEND 

WOW

92487028.jpg
 
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I test drove 4 different models (Harris Flote Boat, Avalon, Manitou) before deciding to buy. They all had somewhat the same features with same horse power. The Bennington in rough water I believe handled the best not only over the waves but especially in hard turns. The Bennington banked like a true V hull where the other models felt flat in the turns. Another reason to buy Bennington was quality, 7 year warranty and resale value. I priced out all 4 models all of them were within 2-3 thousand of each other though the Bennington was a little more. Some advice I can offer is find the right salesman and dealer thats willing to negotiate price if they want the sale bad enough. Found a cheaper price at a dealer not in my area and told the other if they wanted the sale they would have too meet the price. I bought the 2550 RCB ESP with the Yamaha 300, for the same price as the Harris Flote Boat would of been, I stood my ground on price and they did everything to work with me. Good luck.

P.s. take them all out on test drives to see which ones you think handle the best
 
Bennington obviously, because WE all come with the Bennington!! No South Bay'rs allowed!! Haha
 
We really never considered other brands. wife's family had a bennington, now we have one. Do it right the first time if your buying new.
 
We've owned 2 very nice Harris's, and looked at most of the others you mentioned in detail. We test drove Manitou and Bennington, which were both great performers, but the layout, materials, style, performance, warranty, fit and finish of the Bennington won out by a large margin. Bennington also supports their dealers in a way few others do, especially to earn your business at the right price and keep you happy after the sale. If you don't like what you're hearing on price, try another dealer (we went to 3). A year later we have no doubts about that decision at all and feel it was worth every penny. Good luck!
 
I shopped 7 or 8 Bennington dealers. 4 brands. Wound up buying close to home, but got the far from home price, AND I learned a lot more about Bennington talking to multiple dealers.
 
You can see what model I have below but it's what you say you want (although mine is an I/O).  It's an older boat (2005) but I knew I wanted a Bennington but didn't have a ton of money to spend on one and as someone else mentioned, I found it used on Boattrader.com at a Bennington dealer.  I couldn't pass up the $26,000 price tag with everything it came with which is why my wife and I drove 10 hours from Michigan to buy it in PA.  So far no surprises.  Love my boat.  It's especially in its element in large lakes with rough water conditions.  Handles like a dream.
 
Well done Keithkz, that is one heck of a great buy
 
pghpa611 said:
50,000.00 RANGE

OMG,

To spend that I better live on the Inner Coastal Waterways in Florida and be able to boat daily

Have friends in Haliburton in Ontario Canada 

After spending for the lake house and boat they are lucky to have 2 - 3 months of good weather 

I spent half on my 2014 SL21 Bennington and at that I was hesitant (lol)

You get what you pay for 

If you got it to spend 

SPEND SPEND SPEND 

WOW
Click to expand...
Isn't that  what a 401 is for ? :D
 
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Last year I was looking at a 2008 Bennington and was able to test it for a week. It was not that well cared for and had a few issues. The tach, speedometer, and stereo weren't working. There was also something wrong with the throttle linkage. I called Bennington and talked to Mandy. Even though the boat was about 6 months past warranty they went ahead replaced everything that had a problem at no charge. Including replacing the stereo head end & remote. Now that is standing behind your product.

Though I did not end up buying that boat, I did buy a 2013 trade in that I just picked up today.

Whether you spend $25,000 or $125,000 on a Benningtonm, you still get quality and a great warranty. 

I did look at Premier and it was a nice boat but over all I liked Bennington better.
 
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Let's see some pics!
 
We also looked and lake tested other brands...G-3, Manitou, Lowe and the Bennington was a better boat and much better warranty than the others. :p

Good luck,

Marc
 
How do you negotiate a price on a NEW Bennington?  Do you have to pay the factory list price or is there any negotiating room on a new boat from a dealer.  I'm looking at a 20SFX and 22SFX.  Any information appreciated.   Houston@cfl.rr.com
 
when buying mine, Premier was a close second.

Frankly it came down to me wanting a Yamaha....

That said, I am glad I went with the Bennington
 
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