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Help with boat build

lakelifeMN said:
CLDave - do you use the underwater lighting much? Since it is only on the back of the boat is it very useful if you aren't night swimming? Thanks!
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Yes - we used ours all the time! One of my favorite memories this year was swimming at around 10:45 p.m. on July 4, floating in the middle of the lake and watching fireworks all around us. We had 5 swimmers out of 10 on the boat, and it was a delight.

If you're not into night-swimming, the side LEDs will be more than enough "zing" on the water. It's fun to watch the wake shoot out like a big blue rooster-tail with the underwater lights on though :)
 
I think you could easily get away with not adding the underwater rear lights. Frankly, they are neat for show, but I don’t see them impacting anything else, their impact is minimal and isolated to the rear of your boat and only illuminating the immediate wake you are generating while underway.

Very easy spot to save a few bucks. Also, if you saved money my downsizing length, just add the extended aft deck. That gives a lot of room in back behind your fetching. My guess is the cost of adding that is much less than getting the longer boat. Just tossing this out as another way to take a look at cost/numbers.
 
lakelifeMN said:
Just got off the phone with a local dealer and he said even with the ESP the standard gas tank size on the LX is 24 gallons. He said the 56 gal fuel tank was an option on other models as an upgrade but not standard. Guess I'm going to have to keep the 31 gallon tank upgrade (wish I could have gotten a bigger tank though...). :(
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My 2020 23RFBA w/ESP package came with the large fuel tank (not an added option). I'm only mentioning this as your dealer may be confused... or possibly things have changed for 2021? In any event, I emailed Bennington directly [whenever my dealer appeared unsure] and they always responded quickly. Bennington will do custom a configurations outside of Design Center options. My dealer just had to get approval and pricing on some mods for me.

I did notice some configurations of the 26' LX series w/ESP includes the 50.1 gal (+10%) tank. Not sure why the 26LXL cannot unless it involves limitations in hose routing.
 
lakelifeMN said:
CLDave - do you use the underwater lighting much? Since it is only on the back of the boat is it very useful if you aren't night swimming? Thanks!
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I wanted underwater lighting but my dealer told me they aren't legal at our lake. May be a regional thing?
 
I’d personally put the underwater lighting money towards a bigger motor. You can always add lighting later yourself, harder to add 50 more hp. Also, 26’ is a lot of boat to haul around. With small lakes typically come small ramps and docks. With our 24’ there have been times it’s tough to get the boat back on the trailer because the dock only comes 1/3-1/2 way down the boat. Kudos on doing your research and thinking this through. This is a big investment
 
My advice is get your must haves, then see what your price is. If there is room for more, make a list of what you want the most and add up to your budget. I love my SPS and if you get SPS + you can get 250hp. Granted it’s not an ESP but you will still be very happy. Good luck!
 
Carlson80 said:
My advice is get your must haves, then see what your price is. If there is room for more, make a list of what you want the most and add up to your budget. I love my SPS and if you get SPS + you can get 250hp. Granted it’s not an ESP but you will still be very happy. Good luck!
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I will echo this a bit. I had wanted a G or R series with an ESP. There just was no way we could pull that off with what we were trying to do. We ended up with a loaded out SXP with the SPS hull. We have no regrets. I’d love to have a bit of a higher model boat. However, I am so thrilled with how the SPS rides and handles that I have zero regrets on that. MIght be worth considering. Frankly, if I were not getting the larger ESP full tank in your shoes, I absolutely would take a look at the SPS+ and the 250.
 
*** Time for an update :) ***
So I made it down to the dealer today and got most of my options sorted out. Thank you everyone for the great feedback and food for thought. I won't go through every option and contemplation but the highlights.

I ended up ordering the 26 LXL with the standard ESP (saved about $800) and went with the standard woven vinyl flooring instead of the bamboo (in person they look similar and saved $1000). Got rid of the master power switch (which since I'm going with the dual batteries I just have to flip the switch at the battery instead of the nice switch on the dash (saved $170). With all these options deleted I was able to still go with the 300 with digital shifting. The motor is one thing you can't change later and everybody that has it swears by the digital shifting. Ended up passing on the underwater lights to get me to my price point. As you guys pointed out you can always add that later. Price-wise I was able to end up at the 30% off MSRP and as other dealers quoted me $5000 or more for the exact same build I feel I got a pretty good price, especially for a special order. :D

A couple questions or issues I may have:
1. I asked the dealer again about the center fuel tank in the toon as they have a 24 LXL that has the fuel tank inside the sundeck/storage area at the rear of the boat. This really eats up a lot of the area in there so I would prefer it in the toon. Originally he said his guy told him it didn't come as a standard feature (unless you are in an R or Q I think looking at the Design center). Today his guy said on the ESP it is the big tank in the toon even though it doesn't come up in the build layout for LXL. I'm a little worried because if I do the 26LXSB in the Design center it is a $1600 up-charge for the 50 gal tank or if I do the 26 LXCW it is a $2000 option on top of the ESP package. I really hope he doesn't come back and say they gave him bad info and if you want it we have to charge you $1000-$2000 more. Does anyone know on the LX about this? I will keep you posted when Bennington signs off on my build and what he finds out.

2. On the 24 LXL they had the dual batteries were also in the rear storage compartment. I asked him if they could move them to under one of the seats so the entire changing area is open and available. With the gas tank and the batteries there really wasn't much room in there. I don't imagine Bennington would have much of an issue with this since most of the other boats would have the batteries under one of the seats (at least that is my understanding).

3. I did ask with the 26 LXL if the ski pylon could go in the rear deck instead of sticking up from the tanning deck/top of the storage area. I think it would look cleaner and then the whole inside of the L would be empty. Now that I think about it if the ski pylon is in the rear deck is it tall enough to clear a 300? I would have preferred the cage that goes around the motor as it is a good place to grab on as you are climbing out ect... but they said on a 300 they can't do that. I guess if they have to keep the pylon on the sundeck it would be up higher to keep the rope away from the motor. Any thoughts or feedback on this would be great.

I did end up adding the curved bimini as it just looks sharp. Up here we don't get the searing heat but some shade is nice from time to time. Is there any reason not to go with the curved? Is it just as strong as the standard bimini? Is it the same size as the standard bimini? Seeing as we haven't owned a boat before I'm not sure how much we would use it (all the rentals and other boats we have been on never had one) but the wife would be sitting on the L couch and I'd be driving so I would guess it would at least cover us. Any insight on this would be great.

Overall I feel pretty good about where I ended up at. I'm just a little worried about the fuel tank issue. I went with the Simrad 7 but saw some people saying that at speed it doesn't show proper depth. Is that the way they work or just due to the sensor being misaligned?

Again, thank you to everyone who responded here and for all the excellent threads I've read on here over the last year or two. Always very helpful comments and well reasoned opinions. :D Please let me know your thoughts on my build. Did I miss something I may regret later? Thanks again!
 
1. That's odd, in regards to the fuel tank. I thought the ESP was required to have the 50gal tank option. I'm targeting a 22LSB with ESP, and the Build site makes the 50gal center tank mandatory when ESP is selected. Not sure why it would be different on the LX. Perhaps Bennington is still making some updates/tweaks to the build site. Best bet may be to contact Bennington corporate and get clarification straight from the source.

2. That's an interesting idea! If the dual batteries can be moved out of the rear storage/privacy area, then that would, indeed, open up tons of room in there!

3. There is the "Deluxe Ski Tow Bar" that is an option on some models with the larger cowl engines. Not sure if it's compatible with the ESP, but it certainly won't hurt to ask. It's close to a $2000 option though, if I'm remembering correctly.

4. Not sure about the Simrad depth reading... hopefully others that have direct experience with that can chime in.
 
I’d make sure you have the heavy duty rubrail and stainless docking lights too.
 
Here is the deal with the Simrad reading depth at speed. It is a transducer and water turbulence problem. The transducer they put on with the Simard gets its signal washed out easily with turbulent water coming off the pontoon (15-20mph range is the typical cut out).

Two things assist. One is angling the transducer slightly downward on its bracket. This helps compensate for the angle of the boat changing at speed and gives you a depth reading at a slightly higher speed before it cuts out. Mine typically cuts out depth reading between 14-18mph. IF I do this, I sometimes squeeze out up to 20-22 mph before it cuts out. Not much, but a little more.

The main fix is to lower the transducer (may or may not require a new bracket depending on how they rig yours up). If you lower the transducer a couple inches (1-2.5”) lower than the bottom of the pontoon, it gets the transducer out of the water turbulence. It then holds its depth readings at high speed.

However, depending on your potential trailer, lift or boating habits, this could create an issue with damaging or destroying the transducer. Thus, if the back of the pontoon will ever sit flat such as on a bunk, or the ground, then you’d break the transducer because it’s sitting lower. So this fix only works well if you wont damage it in one of those ways since it will hang lower than your pontoon.

And that my friend is the solution to the Simrad reading depth at speed mystery. We didn’t even need Scooby Do for this one. ;)
 
Thanks for the update. Your new boat sounds spectacular, so much so I am even anxious for its arrival. :D

I lean towards the information you got being correct on the larger fuel tank (that it will be bundled with the ESP as it always has been in the past). I agree that it is likely something being messed up on the boatbuilder site (which has often happened sometimes over the years).

I also know that when I was building my boat in 2017 some separate items that were sometimes part of bundless still showed separate prices on the boat builder site even if you added the bundle that contained that item. That is because the website didn’t account for them being “on the boat” as part of a bundle, and would still list them separate like I had an option of still ordering it.

My guess is that may be the case here. Contacting Bennington directly never hurts in a situation like this. The newness of the L series is causing a lot of confusion this fall as both customers and dealers are uncertain on details.
 
Vikingstaff - Thank you for the info. All the rental boats I have used, the depth finder worked into the 20's (that's about all the faster they went). Is there a different style of transducer that gets better results? I will be using a bunk trailer for the first couple years as getting a marina slip around here is darn near impossible. I guess I won't be able to lower it but good to know what to look for if my results are sub-optimal. Do other brands work any better or is it just a transducer issue?

I had emailed some questions to Bennington beginning of October and never heard back from the department they sent my email to. I re-emailed the person that routed my message about a week and a half ago and still never got a response. I did submit the fuel tank/ESP question yesterday so I'll see if I get a response. As someone who has been playing on the boat builder for a few years I agree it takes them awhile for things to get updated in the fall. The stainless steel ladder option was missing from the LX page up until a few weeks ago and for the RL build it doesn't let you delete the stainless steel ladder even though the box it there...

I hope you are correct that it is included with ESP because the whole reason we wanted the L versus other floor plans is all the storage and space the changing area/sundeck gives you. If the fuel tank and batteries are in there it is pretty much wasted space. Hope to hear from them in a day or two. Will keep you posted. I'll be excited when the dealer gets back to me with all the answers. ;)
 
lakelifeMN said:
Vikingstaff - Thank you for the info. All the rental boats I have used, the depth finder worked into the 20's (that's about all the faster they went). Is there a different style of transducer that gets better results? I will be using a bunk trailer for the first couple years as getting a marina slip around here is darn near impossible. I guess I won't be able to lower it but good to know what to look for if my results are sub-optimal. Do other brands work any better or is it just a transducer issue?

I had emailed some questions to Bennington beginning of October and never heard back from the department they sent my email to. I re-emailed the person that routed my message about a week and a half ago and still never got a response. I did submit the fuel tank/ESP question yesterday so I'll see if I get a response. As someone who has been playing on the boat builder for a few years I agree it takes them awhile for things to get updated in the fall. The stainless steel ladder option was missing from the LX page up until a few weeks ago and for the RL build it doesn't let you delete the stainless steel ladder even though the box it there...

I hope you are correct that it is included with ESP because the whole reason we wanted the L versus other floor plans is all the storage and space the changing area/sundeck gives you. If the fuel tank and batteries are in there it is pretty much wasted space. Hope to hear from them in a day or two. Will keep you posted. I'll be excited when the dealer gets back to me with all the answers. ;)
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My understanding is there are some higher end transducers that avoid this problem out of the gate. However, you cannot option them onto your boat. So to switch to one of them you need to buy it separately, and re-wire from your Simrad to the “new” transducer. And thus it is just easier to lower the stock transducer as for a lot of people this involves re-wiring with under-skinning in the way. :rolleyes:

Might not be worth the fuss. However, what if you rigged up an adjustable simply L bracket. One that you can simply loosen a nut or bolt to then raise and lower it? You‘d have to mess with it when you get on the water, and then again before loading onto the trailer. However, you could probably do so quickly with an adjustable L bracket and 1-2 bolts/screws/etc...?
 
I was thinking about that. Loosen it, slide it down, then tighten it. Be quick and easy. I will have to play around with it once I get it and see how well it works. Will also have to ask the dealer about it and see if they have had many complaints about this issue. Thanks again!
 
lakelifeMN said:
A couple questions or issues I may have:
1. RE: ESP, I'm pretty sure ESP gets the big tank. Anyone on here have ESP with small tank?

2. RE: Moving batteries, you can probably do this yourself if they don't play ball - you'd just need longer cables.

3. I did ask with the 26 LXL if the ski pylon could go in the rear deck instead of sticking up from the tanning deck/top of the storage area. I think it would look cleaner and then the whole inside of the L would be empty. Now that I think about it if the ski pylon is in the rear deck is it tall enough to clear a 300? Clears my 350 just fine.

Overall I feel pretty good about where I ended up at. I'm just a little worried about the fuel tank issue. I went with the Simrad 7 but saw some people saying that at speed it doesn't show proper depth. Is that the way they work or just due to the sensor being misaligned? It's unavoidable with cavitation - sometimes mine works at 50, sometimes it doesn't work at 10. Another option might be to move it back a few inches and down. Worth noting that the chartplotter you'll get with the Simrad will tell you the depth of wherever you are via GPS, so it's really a non-issue as long as you're on a charted lake (which in MN is most of them).
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I don't own a trailer but I can tell you that my lowered transducer doesn't touch the trailer my dealer uses to drop my boat in the water. I lowered mine three years ago with no problems yet and it works into the mid-30s as I recall.
 
*****Time for an Update*****
Bennington got me in touch with the regional sales manager who was very helpful. He was able to contact engineering who got us the answers.

1. Regarding the center fuel tank... BAD news :( ESP DOES NOT come standard with the 50 gal tank. The fuel tanks are dependent on the floorplan. In order for them to do a fuel tank in the floor they would have to do a custom and move the playpen all the way to the rear of the boat thus you would have no deck on the back. Once they do this then the ski pylon would have to be located in the lid of the sun deck/changing area. The "L" layout comes standard with a 24 gal tank and can be upgraded to a 31 gal tank. With the upgrade you will end up loosing more space in the sun deck/changing area. So I either loose the space in the changing area/sun deck or loose my rear deck outside the playpen.

2. Engineering also said they can not move the batteries because under the bench because the floor is raised and may not have enough clearance. This I could have lived with because I could always move them later, but rather frustrating since ever other layout option doesn't have this type or storage. I'm sure the batteries are under a seat on the stern radius benches somewhere.

I really wanted this layout and to have the empty space back there because I was thinking of adding speakers through the rear deck at some point in the future (gas tank will be in the way) and have a nice enclosed area the dogs could retreat to if they wanted their own space out of the sun (can't with all the stuff in there). No to mention if I wanted to put a porti potty in there I can't imagine there would be much room.

All this has me thinking if I need to change my layout and get a different floorplan. All the other floorplans are about $5000 more than this floorplan with the same options. I would have to go down to a 24 with a 250 and still cut some options. I know if I stay with what I picked I'm getting a heck of a boat at 26 with a 300 and the options I want but bummed with these new developments. Now I'm on the fence... :mad:

How many gallons do you burn through on a full weekend on the lake? Just wondering if I trailer to somewhere else will the 31 gallons get me through the weekend or will I need to plan on a gas can with me at all times? Would hate to have to trailer it in to town if we are camping somewhere. Thanks for your thoughts and moral support.
 
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I cannot imagine a 31 gallon tank being paired up with your 300HP motor. Not enough.

I have a 34 gallon and with a 200HP motor, and I can tell you it is SIGNIFICANTLY too small for those days where we are doing a lot of water sports. IF you will be doing much speed at WOT, long distance cruises, or if you will do much tubing, you will have a lot of opportunities to burn through gas very quickly.

I think I burn nearly 20+ gallons PER HOUR when at WOT on my 200HP. I think the 300 HP Yamaha burns through about 26+ gallons per hour at WOT. For us, if we are towing the Super Mable tube with 4 teens/adults, we are certainly burning close to our WOT fuel consumption when tubing more aggressively just due to weight, drag, and up-throttling through turns. I cannot tell you how many times I have lamented that my 34 gallon gas tank is insufficient with our 200hp.

I hate to be a spoiler, but for me that would be a no-go if I were in your shoes. I’d either be downgrading motor HP size significantly to be better paired up with that size fuel tank, OR I would be looking at a different floor plan and layout where I can get that 50 gallon ESP and paired with that 300 HP.
 
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