Engine suggestions in a hurry

Cmykpro

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Howdy folks, first time pontoon/tritoon owner here. I signed the paperwork on our Bennington 22 ft in the morning. I feel like I have abused my sales guy as I have gone through engine choices nightly.
I'm really at a point where I'm hoping to get some input from some folks who have experience with these boats.
The boat will seat 12 and we plan on maxing that out as much as possible. However it will generally be 2/3 adults and 1/3 kids. We want to be able to pull tubes but I am still really uncertain on horsepower. The deal as it stands right now is a standard 175 horse Yamaha outboard. Do you guys think this is enough to get the pontoons on plane and pull a tuber? I'm not unrealistic, I would be happy with 35 mph.
 

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You didn't say what hull you ordered, but 175hp will work okay for what you want, but add more people and you will loose speed quick.
I've never heard of anyone wishing they had gone for a smaller engine. The cheapest and easist time to add HP is when you buy the boat.
 
You will be close, but maybe a shade under 35 mph with a full boat and tubing. I have a Yamaha 150 and with 8 adults and pulling a tube, 31 to 32 is max. This is plenty fast enough for me (most of the time I'm in the 28 mph range pulling a tube if its teenagers on it. If you want to run 35 mph comfortably with the boat capacity maxed (as in not WOT), I would max out the hp.
 
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Welcome to the forum Cmykpro. That Yamaha 175 is plenty for what you want to do. It will easily whip a tuber around and should get 40mph+. Keep in mind the more people you have onboard the more your top speed will suffer......
 
Sorry, very new. Here is a pic of my build sheet. The dealer seemed very adamant on pushing me on the 175 versus anything higher. He said I would have to go from hydraulic to electric steering. Just trying to make sense of everything before I sign on the dotted line. The help is much appreciated, thank you.
 

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Sorry, very new. Here is a pic of my build sheet. The dealer seemed very adamant on pushing me on the 175 versus anything higher. He said I would have to go from hydraulic to electric steering. Just trying to make sense of everything before I sign on the dotted line. The help is much appreciated, thank you.

You should be adding the power-assist steering even with the 175. Do a search here and it will convince you.

My opinion? Select a 200 and power-assist steering and never look back.
 
I think the 175 would be just fine but a 200 on that will a great package and it would be worth the price. Get the powers steering either way. You will never regret it.
 
My problem is this boat is here, I want to take advantage of it as much as I can over this summer. If I order something it is at least 4 weeks out. I tried to have them find me something specked out like I want and there is no inventory. I fully understand by what you want when you want, AKA by once cry once. But time is a very important commodity...
 
My problem is this boat is here, I want to take advantage of it as much as I can over this summer. If I order something it is at least 4 weeks out. I tried to have them find me something specked out like I want and there is no inventory. I fully understand by what you want when you want, AKA by once cry once. But time is a very important commodity...

Well, that explains why your salesperson is leaning on you to go with the 175 and no power steering... it's an in-stock boat. This person has their best interests in mind, not yours. I wouldn't ever buy from someone in that situation.

If this dealership really wants your business, they will order you a boat the way YOU want it and fix you up with something, like a rental boat, for the 4-6 weeks it takes to get the boat YOU want.

Or, find a dealer that will.
 
i used to have a 2375 gcw arch with a 200 yamaha. boat ran well (wot 39mph). no power steering and did not mind not having it. Long term the horsepower is cheapest when you initially buying the boat. Btw the boat should be easily rerigged with a 200
 
What would be the price difference between the in stock boat and the one you would order? What doesn't the in stock boat have that you would order? If time is a big factor and you do like the in stock boat you can make it work to your advantage. You know he wants/needs to sell that boat. See if he can give you more off the MSRP. See if he can throw in some goodies. Simrad? Lighting? Double bimini? It's worth a shot. If you're not satisfied spec out and order your boat. Like what Goldenrod said see if they can hook you up with a boat while you're waiting. Don't be pressured into buying anything if you're not ready .....
 
Tubing will be a workout without power steering. I run a 150 without power steering. S curves while tubing are a lot of hard cranking on the string wheel. Factor that into your decision.
 
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So now I'm confused. Does my boat not have power steering at all, or are you saying I need a better system for a bigger motor?
 
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It probably has Seastar hydraulic steering. When we were researching motors we were told that they recommend that motors 200hp and above add power assist steering. We have a new Mercury 150 with the Seastar hydraulic steering and my wife has no problem maneuvering the boat at all speeds. (And this is after coming from an I/O with built in power steering.) Ask that dealer to test drive that boat so you can make an educated decision.....
 
CMYKPRO - I bought our boat at BoatMasters too. I see the urgency as I was there this week and they are down to 5 pontoon boats and the factory is behind on production due to shutdown, or so I was told. So to build a boat you'll lose all of June and some of July. If you take the boat as is you'll be in the water in a couple days. We fell in love with our boat and were fine with the options. Boat Masters (perhaps other dealers, not sure) include a certain size motor in the purchase price and adjust up or down with depending on HP. For us it was a $500 difference between the 115 v 115Vmax. It was an easy decision. I'm sure the price difference between a 175 v 200 is more, but at this point it's a small amount. I will say there is a huge difference between 2 people on a boat and 10. We've not tubed yet, but I'm happy with our decision to max the motor. The boat is getting the ski bar installed as we speak.

If BM has a 200 in stock, get it. If not, others believe a 175 will be plenty. Are you planning to boat on Portage Lakes? If you're not familiar with the Lakes, the speed zones are on the smaller size, but plenty of space to get up to speed.

We looked at used Benningtons, anything that was a couple years old had a small motor on them. That's because people regret buying the smaller motor! The cost to replace a used motor is more expensive than a new one.

If you're sold on a Bennington the closest dealer is 2 hours away.

As for the assisted steering, can it be added later? Can any service department install it or does it have to be installed during production at the factory? If it can be installed later get the boat now and have BM install it in the off season.

Either way you'll be smiling.
 
So now I'm confused. Does my boat not have power steering at all, or are you saying I need a better system for a bigger motor?
I'm probably in the minority here, but for a 150 - 200 HP motor I think hydraulic steering is just fine. I have a 200 Yamaha on my 22SSX and it does not have power steering, just the Seastar Hydraulic. I pull plenty of tubers and do lots of S curves and I don't have a problem and don't feel like I'm struggling. I've had another boat with a 200 and had no issue there either. Would power steering be nice to have, yes. If I was buying a new boat, would I include it, maybe...depends on the cost. This is just my perspective and since I've never had a boat with power steering or driven one with power steering, I guess I don't miss what I never had.

I did add a suicide knob to my steering wheel, but really only use that when I'm pulling in and out of my slip.

Best advice I can give is try to drive one with and without power steering so you can feel the difference yourself.
 
Thanks so much for all the help! This morning was crazy as I had another dealer trying to sell me a 23 footer with a 250 Merc.
My sales guy Joe at Boatmasters has had to listen to me text him questions pretty much every night without a complaint. This is where you stick by your sales guy in my opinion.
We came to an agreement on the boat that is here now. We are maxing the boat out with a 200hp but there will be no power steering. It's a compromise I'm willing to live with as most folks have told me I should be fine without the power steering (fingers crossed).

Again, thanks so much for all the help! Now to figure out what the hell all these dash devices options do/offer...
 
CMYKPRO - I bought our boat at BoatMasters too. I see the urgency as I was there this week and they are down to 5 pontoon boats and the factory is behind on production due to shutdown, or so I was told. So to build a boat you'll lose all of June and some of July. If you take the boat as is you'll be in the water in a couple days. We fell in love with our boat and were fine with the options. Boat Masters (perhaps other dealers, not sure) include a certain size motor in the purchase price and adjust up or down with depending on HP. For us it was a $500 difference between the 115 v 115Vmax. It was an easy decision. I'm sure the price difference between a 175 v 200 is more, but at this point it's a small amount. I will say there is a huge difference between 2 people on a boat and 10. We've not tubed yet, but I'm happy with our decision to max the motor. The boat is getting the ski bar installed as we speak.

If BM has a 200 in stock, get it. If not, others believe a 175 will be plenty. Are you planning to boat on Portage Lakes? If you're not familiar with the Lakes, the speed zones are on the smaller size, but plenty of space to get up to speed.

We looked at used Benningtons, anything that was a couple years old had a small motor on them. That's because people regret buying the smaller motor! The cost to replace a used motor is more expensive than a new one.

If you're sold on a Bennington the closest dealer is 2 hours away.

As for the assisted steering, can it be added later? Can any service department install it or does it have to be installed during production at the factory? If it can be installed later get the boat now and have BM install it in the off season.

Either way you'll be smiling.
We are thinking about milton or west branch for a seasonal dock. Are you going to seasonal yours?
Also, since you're a local guy I would like to let you know I made a NEO Tritoon group on Facebook.
 
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