Just a quick post to report that big water handling on a tri-toon Bennington with SPS rivals every glass boat of similar size that I've ever piloted.
In a 2250GBR, we spent considerable time on Lake Michigan (more closely resembles ocean than lake relative to sea conditions) this weekend. With legit 3' wave conditions, and the occasional 4' and 5' swell, the Bennington was sure-footed all the way. Never did we come off the back of a wave and punch into the next wave. No water over the bow. Buoyancy with the third pontoon was excellent. The 200hp on the back was awesome.
I have had boats as big as 43', so I'm very accustomed to the large water. For a boat that is only 23' long, I was out there cruising when, in a similarly sized bow-rider fiberglass boat, I would have made a run for more protected waters.
I loved that the wetted surface front to back kept me mostly on top wave-tip-to-wave-tip. No pounding at all. No falling off a wave. The stern never got squirrely. The bow tracked great and didn't dance side to side. Shooting the gap into and out of protected harbors (very rough waters due to currents) was not easy, but very predictable. And that's all I can ask for.
All in all, the boat was a very pleasant surprise relative to bigger water. I got a lot of surprised looks from the Trophy center consoles that were out there fishing. Apparently, a capable pontoon on big water with a 200hp on the back is something of a strange sight on the open waters.
In a 2250GBR, we spent considerable time on Lake Michigan (more closely resembles ocean than lake relative to sea conditions) this weekend. With legit 3' wave conditions, and the occasional 4' and 5' swell, the Bennington was sure-footed all the way. Never did we come off the back of a wave and punch into the next wave. No water over the bow. Buoyancy with the third pontoon was excellent. The 200hp on the back was awesome.
I have had boats as big as 43', so I'm very accustomed to the large water. For a boat that is only 23' long, I was out there cruising when, in a similarly sized bow-rider fiberglass boat, I would have made a run for more protected waters.
I loved that the wetted surface front to back kept me mostly on top wave-tip-to-wave-tip. No pounding at all. No falling off a wave. The stern never got squirrely. The bow tracked great and didn't dance side to side. Shooting the gap into and out of protected harbors (very rough waters due to currents) was not easy, but very predictable. And that's all I can ask for.
All in all, the boat was a very pleasant surprise relative to bigger water. I got a lot of surprised looks from the Trophy center consoles that were out there fishing. Apparently, a capable pontoon on big water with a 200hp on the back is something of a strange sight on the open waters.
