Back to the main site

Cost of new Bennington is way up

David G

David G

Well-Known Member
Messages
221
Reaction score
216
In my opinion Bennington is about to price their boats out of reach. I heavily researched a new boat going through all the Big named brands and Bennington was the highest. I could buy a top line Barletta for cheaper than a good built R series Benny.
Also when researching best made Pontoon, Bennington barely made the list. It was Barletta, Sylvin, Avalon, Manatou.
I have owned 2 Bennys and I think the are well made, About to buy my 3rd but jeez they are high.
 
You get what you pay for.
 
David G said:
In my opinion Bennington is about to price their boats out of reach. I heavily researched a new boat going through all the Big named brands and Bennington was the highest. I could buy a top line Barletta for cheaper than a good built R series Benny.
Also when researching best made Pontoon, Bennington barely made the list. It was Barletta, Sylvin, Avalon, Manatou.
I have owned 2 Bennys and I think the are well made, About to buy my 3rd but jeez they are high.
Click to expand...
I think this has always been the case, with prices going up relative to one another in the industry. Given that they cannot keep up with current sales though, I am sure they are not worried about being priced out of the market right now. They still cannot make them fast enough to keep up with market demand.

That said, Sylvan and Avalon are not in the same class as Bennington in terms of refinement and quality. I looked at both of them closely, along with Manatou, Premier, Harris, Sweetwater & AquaPatio. I remember crossing them off the comparable list pretty easily when shopping for our Bennington.

They were fine enough pontoons, but not in the same class. Lots of little things I considered either less robust, not the right options/flexibility in ordering what we want, or just little oddities that we didn’t like. Now has that changed dramatically since 2016-17? Perhaps. Easy for those on top to be complacent, and those chasing the top dog to double down on the details to become more competitive.

As for Bartletta and Manatou, they are a couple that seem to be up there (although I‘ve not seen a Barletta in person - just hearing great things about them these days). Not sure if they have as many options or what not, but from the one’s I’ve seen, they are worthy of consideration if shopping in this category of manufacturer.

When looking at any premium luxury brand, it can be challenging when examining price. There is the premium in price just because they are a top brand, then there is typically a premium in price because of WHY they are a top brand. Bennington surely has these elements impacting their price points.
 
Last edited:
Do any come close to the Bennington Warranty ? I have not shopped those brands but , I have seen some of those others on the water and at boat shows . I will not mention which of those brands .but I have thought , "who would buy that " ?

As Randy said ,"You get what you pay for "

Lifetime Structural & 10-Year Bow-To-Stern Warranty | Bennington

Bennington customers are offered an industry-leading 10-year bow-to-stern warranty in addition to our lifetime structural warranty, giving you and your family the protection and assurance you deserve.
www.benningtonmarine.com www.benningtonmarine.com
 
I think the guys at Bennington refused to pay off the guys giving the reviews. I too have looked at many and dont see how Sylvin even made the list, much less #1
Barletta is a very nice boat, but I still like Benningtons use of simtex.
 
Barletta also uses Hertz audio which is relatively new in the marine world unlike Kicker/Roswell. I do agree its a very nice boat but I think Bennington will hold its value more in the long run with its more well known name (which causes the higher price point). Just my 2c
 
Another consideration is the dealer your buying from. My dealer is worth a a lot to me. He sells bennington and g3 suncatcher. He probably sells 1 suncatcher per year. The 10 year warranty, resale value, quality, and dealer make it a premium product to me.
 
I'm no fan-boi of any brand. I bought a Bennington for the warranty and "dealer convenience" but after the sale that went right in the sh!tter... If I were to purchase another Bennington, it wouldn't be from the dealer I bought my current one from either.. After seeing how easy a pontoon is to work on, I honestly don't even care about warranty any more unless were talking about the engine which has its own standard warranty anyway... For me, brand x would have done the job just as well. To build the exact same boat I own, it went up 15-16%.
 
My dealer is the best, Phil Dill in Lewisville, Texas
 
Barletta has a warranty equal to Bennington, Sweetwater and aquapatio are a bennington product and hertz audio is a top shelf product equal to jl audio. Manitou doesn't option out as well in my opinion
 
Winnebago bought Barletta for a poop ton of cash.
Will be interesting to see what their vision is.

www.bloomberg.com

Winnebago Agrees to Buy Barletta Pontoon Boats

Winnebago Industries Inc., maker of its namesake motor home, has agreed to buy privately-held Barletta Pontoon Boats for more than $300 million in a deal that will further expand its marine business.
www.bloomberg.com www.bloomberg.com
 
Hey all, just closed the deal today on our first Benny. The order is in for a 2022 L23 ! Very excited! Have an '02 SanPan which we loved (interior is still mint-thanks to original owner) but time to upgrade. Did the usual research and this forum really helped reinforce my decision to go with the Bennington. Thank you all! I did check out the Barletta in person, and they do offer what appears to be a very nice product. Heard their customer service was excellent and their warranty similar. They've only been around a few years so wasn't sure about the long term performance. Must say the sale to Winnebago and the unknown as to what will happen with that transaction did help sway me back to my original decision to go with Bennington. First year I've ever looked forward to a boating season being over to get one step closer to putting our new toy in the water! ;)
 
Corvette or Chevette … ;)
 
If Bennington is listening, please consider upgraded helms. The Barletta's have some designs that functionally and aesthetically are very nice. For example it looks like their mid-lineup models have the push-button Bocatech style which put the plastic rockers to shame. Yes more expensive but when you're shelling out $80k on a boat, another $1k isn't going to break the bank and could provide a much more luxurious feel.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top