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In Floor Storage

azray007

azray007

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Good day everyone!


I'm still working on my boat build.  For those who have the in floor storage, is it a can't live without option that you will have to have on your next boat?  I've read about water in the center toon and making sure you leave the hatch open when storing the boat.  What kind of items have you found go well in this storage area with the exception of ski equipment?  What do you "cram" all the way in the forward part of that massive amount of storage?  Is mold an issue?


Thank you everyone in advance for the excellent advice.  
 
I didn't opt for it as I live on the water and don't need to haul everything I own each trip out. It probably would have been nice just for fishing poles and other dry item storage for us though. I thought it was a bit pricey for cutting a hole in a toon so we passed.
 
We passed on it as well mainly for the possibility of things growing later on.

lakeliving said:
 It probably would have been nice just for fishing poles and other dry item storage for us though.
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Never thought about using it for the fishing poles, might have been nice for that as well!  We do have holders on the live well that come with it so no big deal.
 
First thing is that the storage compartment does not go all the way forward to the front or or does it to the rear. I keep the two anchors and lines in plastic boxes. Also keep the pole hooks in the storage compartment.Ski equipment only if were going out to ski. As far as getting wet and moldy,never had a problem. I don't even leave the bilge pump on auto,never seen water in the compartment. I like it,helps out with the storage of the other personal items under the seats.Never can have to much storage! Oh just go for it.

azray007 said:
Good day everyone!


I'm still working on my boat build.  For those who have the in floor storage, is it a can't live without option that you will have to have on your next boat?  I've read about water in the center toon and making sure you leave the hatch open when storing the boat.  What kind of items have you found go well in this storage area with the exception of ski equipment?  What do you "cram" all the way in the forward part of that massive amount of storage?  Is mold an issue?


Thank you everyone in advance for the excellent advice.  
Click to expand...
 
No way would I have been able to take everything necessary for others if I did not have the center toon storage. I kept one container full and I mean full of water toys, sun screen, towel clamps, inverter, etc., etc., and other tub full of snacks, our towable and (2) four-packs of inexpensive life jackets, all four fenders, and lastly the mooring cover and poles. Everything else had its own place under seats and was meticulously managed leaving room for purses, beach bags and small coolers that passengers would bring to store under the seats so we could tool around at high speeds.
 
Rockie69 said:
No way would I have been able to take everything necessary for others if I did not have the center toon storage. I kept one container full and I mean full of water toys, sun screen, towel clamps, inverter, etc., etc., and other tub full of snacks, our towable and (2) four-packs of inexpensive life jackets, all four fenders, and lastly the mooring cover and poles. Everything else had its own place under seats and was meticulously managed leaving room for purses, beach bags and small coolers that passengers would bring to store under the seats so we could tool around at high speeds.
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Sounds like a full boat.LOL
 
Great option for storage for us.  Have yet to find 1 drop of H2O in the compartment........ quit looking.  


I really mean never a pool of H2O.  Some gets in compartment from just putting deflated toys and skiis in there. 
 
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It's a boat... you're going to have water in it on it and around it. I did keep the hatch open when on the lift, but my teather stopped it short of touching anything.
 
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DO IT.  It's one of those things you will use often, plus will help resale a bit maybe.   I have found there is not really a ton of storage on pontoons.  Under the help and under the seats, that's it.  For life jackets, water sports, towels, bags, etc, you will want the extra storage.  I have noticed I get water when it rains in there, as I use my individual covers more than the full mooring cover.  I place the added center seat for the forward lounge slides right over the grate covering the in toon storage, to help redirect that water.
 
We live on a lake and still wouldn't do without it. With the RCW layout, the battery system takes up all of the space under one of the rear loungers. We deleted the changing room in the starboard one, so have a bit of storage there for the 52" pylon and other stuff. After that we keep the front lounger storage full with life jackets, anchors, a few mooring ropes, etc. Anything long (spare paddle, gaff hook, sand anchor, water sports, etc) goes in the floor locker. I have some plastic tubs with lids in there as well. Ours has never had water in it, though it's on a lift all the time. YMMV.
 
You can never have enough storage space.  We have a family of 4, 2 dogs and 2 grandaughters, we need the storage.
 
I think it is a must-have option. It certainly helps keep the floor free of stuff. Ours currently has:  two sets of skis, wake board, knee board, deflated tube, one large plastic tub with various ski/tub ropes, one large plastic tub with bumpers and ropes, a volleyball, and boat hook.  We leave the access door open when we are parked - helps keep it from getting musty. We use the throwable pfd as a pad between the door and the co-captain's chairs to keep from marring the seat. 
 
I have the in floor storage.  Thank god i do.  I wouldn't know where to put anything without it.  With two batteries, hydraulic pump and an inverter their is know storage under the seats.   I put my sand bar polls, life jackets, floaties and all kinds of stuff in there.  Never have seen any water.   It's a must if you ask me.  
 
lakeliving said:
I didn't opt for it as I live on the water and don't need to haul everything I own each trip out. It probably would have been nice just for fishing poles and other dry item storage for us though. I thought it was a bit pricey for cutting a hole in a toon so we passed.
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How much extra for the in floor storage?!? Curious.
 
Over a grand if memory serves. It has been a while since I've looked. 
 
On my recent order it was $850 rounded but it may vary depending on model and performance set-up.
 
Thanks everyone!  I was looking at boats inside at one of the Bennington dealers.  I was showing a friend all the awesome storage and when I opened the hatch, the center storage was full of water.  That's what prompted me to ask the experts.  Thanks for posting what you use the storage for.  That gives me a lot of ideas.  I'll be glad when I have the Bennington in possession.  I'm having to tear down the carport I use to store my bow rider.  The pontoon is too big to fit!  I'm going to be as ready as possible when that day comes...possibly next Tuesday.  There's a nice premium S series blackout edition coming in next week that might just end up being mine.  If not, with all the great advice from this forum, I'll be ready to order one.  This is definitely the most friendly and useful forum I've ever used!
 
I've never actually seen a center storage set-up because my dealer doesn't order them that way, but I was disappointed when I found that out. At that point, ordering a boat would have made that storage very expensive so we just went with what they had in stock. However, if I were to order a boat, I'd go with the center storage. Without it, storage space is very limited as mentioned in many of the responses to this post.
 
azray007 said:
Thanks everyone!  I was looking at boats inside at one of the Bennington dealers.  I was showing a friend all the awesome storage and when I opened the hatch, the center storage was full of water.  That's what prompted me to ask the experts.  Thanks for posting what you use the storage for.  That gives me a lot of ideas.  I'll be glad when I have the Bennington in possession.  I'm having to tear down the carport I use to store my bow rider.  The pontoon is too big to fit!  I'm going to be as ready as possible when that day comes...possibly next Tuesday.  There's a nice premium S series blackout edition coming in next week that might just end up being mine.  If not, with all the great advice from this forum, I'll be ready to order one.  This is definitely the most friendly and useful forum I've ever used!
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Was the boat outside? How was it resting on the trailer? Was the battery hooked up? Many factors to water inside a resting boat.
 
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