LX23 or LX24?

KFinn

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Hello, I am new to this forum and also buying a pontoon boat. I have owned an MC Scow (16’ sailboat) for the past thirty years. I am purchasing a new Bennington pontoon boat as we are getting lazy in our old age and want to stay dry and enjoy cruising when we wish. I will keep my sailboat for racing however.

We are thinking about an LX23. When I compared an LX23 with an LX24 the 24 will cost us less than $2,000 more, including a trailer, etc., will carry the same number of people or one less and weighs less than an LX23. I am skeptical of this and wonder what advice you all can give me. Which would you buy, a 23 or 24?

I have enjoyed reading the forum. Thank you for your help.
 
24 feet with a mercury 450. With every option available. There. I saved everyone else from having to make a recommendation. We love to spend others money here.

seriously if the 24 is in your budget I’d buy the longer boat. the lakes are only getting rougher and rougher with these massive wake surf boats. If I could stomach the cost of a new boat I’d trade in my 2250
 
We had a 23 and went to a 25. The 25 rides much better especially in rougher water.
 
I found the LX24 to be a sweet spot. IMO.
 
Hello, I am new to this forum and also buying a pontoon boat. I have owned an MC Scow (16’ sailboat) for the past thirty years. I am purchasing a new Bennington pontoon boat as we are getting lazy in our old age and want to stay dry and enjoy cruising when we wish. I will keep my sailboat for racing however.

We are thinking about an LX23. When I compared an LX23 with an LX24 the 24 will cost us less than $2,000 more, including a trailer, etc., will carry the same number of people or one less and weighs less than an LX23. I am skeptical of this and wonder what advice you all can give me. Which would you buy, a 23 or 24?

I have enjoyed reading the forum. Thank you for your help.
Ok now let's spend your money on a motor!
 
24. Now what else can we talk you into?
 
Thank you all for your comments. I appreciate your generosity.

And, since you ask ... I think we are pretty well set. I have an LX23 SSRX on order but have a few weeks until I have to set it in stone. It is supposed to be built in May. If possible, I will change this to 24’. I have a triple toon with SPS Performance Package, a raised helm, power Bimini, SS light housings, 150 HP Yamaha and some other stuff. I was going with a 115 but my wife says it is better to have the power if needed than wish you had it.

Is the Simrad worth it versus the standard setup? I keep going back and forth. I now have the Garmin Striker 4 ordered, primarily to see the depth in strange waters along with the standard gauges.

Is the standard sound setup good or should I upgrade? I was going to wait and see/hear? and if necessary go aftermarket in a year or two.

Thanks, everyone.
 
Simrad is a nice touch, 150 is minimum HP on a SPS in my opinion, you will be happy with a 150 not a 115, good call there. I did get Simrad and I am very happy I did. The Kickers are very nice speakers. You can always add an amp down the road if you need to. Sounds like a sweet Bennington you have coming. Congratulations and welcome to the Bennington family!!
 
SIMRAD for charts and such, yes.
For fishing, mediocre. If you NMEA network to the motor system it’s very informative
 
Kfinn, welcome to the Bennington family! With regard to the sound system, it really depends on your taste. Many folks are quite satisfied with the standard offering. However, if you have a more discerning ear, you might consider purchasing the upgrade as you'll also gain the ten year warranty on it. Of course, the other option is to do it yourself but that will likely involve running power cables, which while certainly not impossible, might involve some time and effort. Personally, I added a powered subwoofer which definitely improved my system, although I still dream of adding an amplifier some day.
 
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Hello, I am new to this forum and also buying a pontoon boat. I have owned an MC Scow (16’ sailboat) for the past thirty years. I am purchasing a new Bennington pontoon boat as we are getting lazy in our old age and want to stay dry and enjoy cruising when we wish. I will keep my sailboat for racing however.

We are thinking about an LX23. When I compared an LX23 with an LX24 the 24 will cost us less than $2,000 more, including a trailer, etc., will carry the same number of people or one less and weighs less than an LX23. I am skeptical of this and wonder what advice you all can give me. Which would you buy, a 23 or 24?

I have enjoyed reading the forum. Thank you for your help.
Hi,
If you look at the length of the LX23 it is actually 24’. I bought the 23. And put the $2000 into extras.
 
I put this together when trying to decide and could be helpful for someone else. Note: Hope the data is correct and if not please correct me as I'm not thin skin'
 

Attachments

  • Boat Details 23LSB, 24LSB to 24LXSB.pdf
    119.7 KB · Views: 73
I put this together when trying to decide and could be helpful for someone else. Note: Hope the data is correct and if not please correct me as I'm not thin skin'
That’s a great document between those L versions. Very nice and I am sure will be helpful to some looking at some of those same characteristics in making their decision.
 
For my purpose it directed me to the 24LXSB for the .125 ESP
Boat mainly on Lake Erie and Tampa Bay areas and our current 22SCWX and 150HP worked fine most days but others not so much.

Next is picking between Yamaha 300 - 350HP either will have the DEC type package.
Its was a easy decision to choose a 300HP over 250HP but from 300HP to 350HP is going to require some research for the extra cost.
 
For my purpose it directed me to the 24LXSB for the .125 ESP
Boat mainly on Lake Erie and Tampa Bay areas and our current 22SCWX and 150HP worked fine most days but others not so much.

Next is picking between Yamaha 300 - 350HP either will have the DEC type package.
Its was a easy decision to choose a 300HP over 250HP but from 300HP to 350HP is going to require some research for the extra cost.
The newer 300V8 vs the older 350V6 - no easy task figuring out the right choice! I spent hours trying to find data, much of which did not agree. See attached for the best comparisons I could find from Mercury. I took the bigger is better approach, seemed fuel economy was actually better, but less low end hole shot power. Seemed mid section both had same upgrades. Let me know if you can find out more!!!
 

Attachments

  • Merc Performance Harris Solstice 250 (300HP).pdf
    144.2 KB · Views: 6
  • Merc Performance Harris Grand mariner 250 (350HP).pdf
    151.8 KB · Views: 5
Thank you all for your comments. I appreciate your generosity.

And, since you ask ... I think we are pretty well set. I have an LX23 SSRX on order but have a few weeks until I have to set it in stone. It is supposed to be built in May. If possible, I will change this to 24’. I have a triple toon with SPS Performance Package, a raised helm, power Bimini, SS light housings, 150 HP Yamaha and some other stuff. I was going with a 115 but my wife says it is better to have the power if needed than wish you had it.

Is the Simrad worth it versus the standard setup? I keep going back and forth. I now have the Garmin Striker 4 ordered, primarily to see the depth in strange waters along with the standard gauges.

Is the standard sound setup good or should I upgrade? I was going to wait and see/hear? and if necessary go aftermarket in a year or two.

Thanks, everyone.
May I inquire: When did you order the boat and has the dealer provided you an order confirmation from Bennington? I ordered mine at the end of January and apparently the order has still not been confirmed. The dealer stated new orders are still being scheduled for April. Getting a bit worried.....
 
I'm in Fla now and planning on going to a few of them and try to learn what I can. Since I'm not really a engine knowledge person reading the specs will almost mean nothing to me. I will need to be told the plus/minus of each from someone first hand knowledge.
$5,000 upgrade based on the build a boat website needs to have some advantages since the 300 will push the boat more than needed most days.
Quieter? Better Fuel Consumption when just cruising, maybe even color option? Getting smokie granite /blackout luxe with silver accent panel, so a black engine could be nice.

I will let you know what I find out after visiting a few dealers next week.

Off boating for happy hour sunset cruise now.
 
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