Hand me down Bennington Tubes

[DVW]

Last year my new Bennington that I have in the Twin Cities got upgraded with modified jumbo tubes. That do it your self project was reported on these pages. Yesterday I put the tubes I tore off the Bennington on a boat I have up north. The boat up north was a low rider that dragged thru the water but as you can see from the photograph it is a low rider no more. Still have more work to do in the back of the boat because the tiny little motor got lifted somewhat out of the water and other issues. During the project I supported the deck during tube removal with a rented scissors style trailer. It is important to properly support the deck otherwise the boat can break in two. Other than that it was a straight forward project. Any comments or questions?

 

[DaveyJ]

Nice Work! You have skills the majority of us wish we had! Planning to modify the transom on the old boat to accommodate the increased motor height?

 

[DVW]

Yes I plan to drop the motor and deal with other issues. The other issues have to do with the fact that the new tubes are 2 foot longer. The extra length was added to the back of the boat. Currently the original transom is almost 3 foot ahead of the end of the tubes. The transom should be behind the tubes. This not only chops up the rear deck but it also creates yaw instability due to Bernoulli forces on the tubes. I plan on moving the motor back and having a large swim deck in the back.

 

[Michiman]

So, what else do you tinker with besides pontoons? Obviously a lot of creativity and engineering prowess going on upstairs.

 

[Vikingstaff]

Meanwhile it takes three of me to figure out my bimini anchor light not working. Impressive. Each project has been incredibly impressive!

 

[DVW]

So, what else do you tinker with besides pontoons? Obviously a lot of creativity and engineering prowess going on upstairs.

Thank you for the compliment. My work with aluminum dates back to creating hang gliders 50 years ago. I like that material. Snowmobiles have been of interest for the last 30 years. The modifications made to them has allowed me to set some sort of out and return distance record. I designed and built what some say is the world nicest portable ice fish house. After doing this I found that I do not really like to ice fish. My wife will say I cannot leave anything alone. Most products that I buy I find flawed in some way. Of the various pontoon manufacturers Bennington’s design is the smartest when you consider all of the stakeholders. With that said the industry as a whole sets a very low standard. Pontoon boats could deliver much more value… Sorry for the ramble.

 

[Michiman]

Wow, gotta love that spread of work. Maybe you’d consider putting some thought into improving beer cans. Mine always seem to leak like a sieve…

 

[lakeliving]

Thank you for the compliment. My work with aluminum dates back to creating hang gliders 50 years ago. I like that material. Snowmobiles have been of interest for the last 30 years. The modifications made to them has allowed me to set some sort of out and return distance record. I designed and built what some say is the world nicest portable ice fish house. After doing this I found that I do not really like to ice fish. My wife will say I cannot leave anything alone. Most products that I buy I find flawed in some way. Of the various pontoon manufacturers Bennington’s design is the smartest when you consider all of the stakeholders. With that said the industry as a whole sets a very low standard. Pontoon boats could deliver much more value… Sorry for the ramble.

Can you make me one of these for less than the $160-$180K estimate I got?

 

[DVW]

That type of boat strikes a cord with me. I had a similar boat for 10 years. Turned into kind of restomod project. Aircraft soundproofing and padded top made it feel like a car. It was a cold weather boat that was good compliment to a pontoon boat.

 

[DVW]

The following is a follow up of the pontoon project reported in this post. This project updated a 30 year old boat that I have up north using parts torn off a brand new Bennington. The old boat was a low rider do to small diameter tubes. The new 25 inch tubes lifted the propeller of the original tiny motor out of the water. I solved this problem by using the original transom that I tore off the new Bennington. That transom mounts the motor a bit lower. In addition I mounted a heavier motor identical to the one originally mounted on my new Bennington. That larger motor required stronger frame members and higher strength decking that matched Bennington’s standards. Tonight my wife and I took the boat out for a spin. This time of the year it’s cold up north in Minnesota but we could not wait till spring. She dressed for the occasion as you can see.

 

[DVW]

More detail of my updated boat project.
The rear deck was increased in length because the tear off tubes where 2 foot longer. Heavier gage frame members replaced the original light gage members. Motor size was increased from 25 hp to 115 hp.

 

[Vikingstaff]

Are you sure that’s not my wife in that picture? IF she ever got out on a boat in November here in Michigan (which she wouldn’t), this is precisely how she would dress for it. And I still wouldn’t hear the end of it.

 

[CLDave]

Fantastic work! My Dad did something similar last year to an old Harris hardtop pontoon. His rear toons stuck out about the same, and he added a 60 horse vs the old 15. He also cut a hole in the middle of the deck and placed an ice-house hole cover in the middle of the boat for panfishing with the grandkids. That hole outfishes hanging a line over the side by a factor of 3 (fish love hanging out in the shade under the boat).

Question: Are you concerned about the insurance on the boat since you're surely massively overpowered vs the capacity tag?

 

[Bill N]

I bet that is one of the very few 25 year old Sweetwaters that has a power bimini top!

 

[DVW]

…Question: Are you concerned about the insurance on the boat since you're surely massively overpowered vs the capacity tag?

My neighbor originally gave me the boat for free. That is what it was worth. The critical components of the reconstruction came from my 2021 Bennington or structural components that meet or exceed Bennington’s standards. Nothing extreme-nothing special. The engine is identical to the the one that came with that 2021 boat. As such it does not exceed the capacity tag that this construction is based on. I suppose I could transfer over the capacity tag but that would be silly. A more interesting question has to do with the liability associated with the modified 2021 boat. With drag reduction I nearly doubled the speed. That’s a different story, different post.