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Kaydano,

It seems like we are beating a dead horse here. Either that or we are trying for a record for the longest thread. LOL. Just kidding

I by no means meant to imply that a prop change would get you the performance of a 150.

There is NO, I repeat, NO substitute for HORSPOWER period!!!!!!!

I do know however that everyone has a budget and sometimes, we (myself included) get so focused on the budget, we lose site of what we truly want out of boat. Happened to me. After I ended trading in for the 150 ESP, it cost me more than if I had just did it originally. If truly think about it, the extra $2500 or $3000 for the 150 is pretty cheap per year over the life of your boat and you will have the boat you wanted vs the boat you settled for.

Now again, sometimes you do have to stay within a budget and there is nothing wrong with that. That is the reason I suggested researching the prop issue. If you are stuck within your budget, and you are real close on the performance of your 115, then I would try re propping. Think of it this way, if you found a house that was perfect for you but was only $2500 over your budget, wouldn't you stretch your stretch your budget ?

Again I will agree with EVERYONE on here, you will NOT be disapointed with the 150 and will forget about the xtra cash when you fist hit the throttle, I know I did.
 
Yeah, like 115 dead horses when I upgrade to the 150!

Seriously though, I don't have a budget limit per se, just not wanting to sink that much more cash into this until I'm certain it's what we would need to do to get things where we want them to be. Who knows, in a couple years we may trade in for an R and a 250! I realize the prop change will be a marginal improvement at best, and it will certainly not make the difference a 150 would. I was just saying if a different prop made a noticeably improvement, it may defer the upgrade (the upgrade being a150 or maybe an entirely different boat). I plan to call Power Tech and see what they say. Thanks for all the help!
 
That makes a lot of sense, If you can get a little more performance to get you by until you can do the upgrade you REALLY want.

I will agree with some of the others regarding the different series of boats. The higher you go, the more boat you get. Not only in luxury, but in how it is built. For me, the how it is built is more important than the luxury. Don't get me wrong, I like the luxury as well. The first thing I noticed between the "G" I traded in vs the "R" I traded for was the spacing of the cross members under the deck. The "G" was on 18" centers while the "R" is on 12" centers. That's just one example. I by no means am down playing the "S" and "G" series as these are GREAT boats when compared to the other competitors. Everyone has a line they have to draw when it comes to the budget or we would all have "Q" 's.

Best of luck with your journey.
 
Bigtop - A prop to get me by. That's what I'm looking for.

Regarding your other comments on the different class of Benningtons: La la la la la la la. Not trying to be insulting, just covering my ears. I don't plan to visit a dealer, or go to boat shows, or anything else that would bait me into buying an R! I'm happy with the S I have (sans motor). For the moment anyway. Been here before on other things. You all know what I'm talking about and you all have been there. "Buy your second tractor first" someone said (sorry couldn't remember who mentioned it). Bulldog just went through all this, and he's thrilled. I will be him eventually (if I know anything about me). I can see it coming...

SO, I'm thinking down the road I may rather put the $5k - $6k (for a 150 upgrade and steering upgrade) into a new R with a 150 or 200. It's never cheaper than it is when you first buy a new boat, right? That's what you all say. So I figure, why not do a "do over" and just get a new boat??? I know, I know. I have the trade-in to consider. I think Spinzone is on to all this, just took me a while to catch on. If I sound contradictory, I am. The older I get, the more I understand myself and can predict what I might do down the road (which is usually a LOT different than what I'd do today, if you know what I mean). And I'm pretty much just getting started in that regard.

The other half of my master plan is to watch and see what Spin does... It would seem like I'm following in his footsteps too...

Again, thanks for all the posts. This site is a lot of fun to read, besides being a great way to learn "the good stuff". It's the MEMBERS that make it what it is, not the site. Bennington created this site (which was pure genius) but it's the MEMBERS that make it what it is.
 
You're in big trouble if you're following me. I actually visited my dealer's showroom today and plan to see Bennington's facilities. Im now contemplating the idea of spending the 3k I dropped for the 3rd tube and the $5k for the motor upgrade to spend on a 2013 model. I'm getting the itch too.

I spent the day on the boat and saw a gorgeous Q with sport tower cruising along next to a 2575RCW with 300hp Yamaha. They seemed to glide effortlessly as my 115 was screaming around 5000 rpms to run at 20mph.
 
We had a first birthday party today for our little Brynley. The city park was 95+ degrees, so we just moved to the air conditioned lake house and out on our new Bennie. We had 10 family members on the boat, including 2 grandchildren (1 yr and 4 1/2 yrs.) and a great granddaughter (10 mos.)

Our 24' SSLX (w/Express Tube) was very stable in very choppy water--one notch below whitecaps. In spite of not having 12" or 16" crossmembers, no hull flexing was experienced, and the nosecone was easily kept above the waves cruising @ 20 mph. The Mid South continues to get just a little rainstorm many afternoons--scattered.
 
Crossmember spacing was a concern for me too when I first saw it, but I agree, it's a solid boat.

Another thing I was disappointed to see was the front cleats are not bolted through a crossmember, just the wood deck. They are only about an inch from the edge of the wood too. It would take a lot to tear them out, but still...

There are a few other little things, but not many. It is an S, and I knew what I was buying. Bennington had to do some things to bring the price down, but its still better than anything else I saw in the price range, and I'm very happy with it. Already many priceless memories with kids and friends.
 
Hey, I have been where you are now and trust me, you are on the right track. There is nothing wrong with what you have and by no means meant to down play any models of Benningtons as they are all great boats and all built very well. I know a lot of people that would die for your setup. One good thing about waiting is that when you do decide to make the trade, you will know exactly what you want. Don't make any hasty decisions as I have done in the past as they are always wrong. Take your time and enjoy the process.
 
spinzone said:
You're in big trouble if you're following me. I actually visited my dealer's showroom today and plan to see Bennington's facilities. Im now contemplating the idea of spending the 3k I dropped for the 3rd tube and the $5k for the motor upgrade to spend on a 2013 model. I'm getting the itch too.

I spent the day on the boat and saw a gorgeous Q with sport tower cruising along next to a 2575RCW with 300hp Yamaha. They seemed to glide effortlessly as my 115 was screaming around 5000 rpms to run at 20mph.
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So the wife and I are driving to the lake yesterday, no boat with us, and she drops the bomb, "I really wish our boat had the inboard motor, and I know we don't need it and it pretty much just looks cool, but I would spend the money on the fancy sport tower too." WHAT? WHERE WERE YOU WHEN WE ORDERED THE BOAT!!! HAHA this was then followed by "if it was available on a 22 foot, I don't want a 25'. Also if the tower folded down so we could fit it in the prospective garage we are building. (Bennington, call Skylon! You can do this! Also would be good if you didn't lose the ability to have some options, I think you lose changeroom or center tube fuel, maybe something else) love the look, needs a little bit more practicality.

Derrick
 
Kaydano, do you want an aluminum prop or stainless? The cheapest or either type will be a Solas. They are excellent props used by both Suzuki and Honda as OEM equipment. There are plenty of other reputable offerings out there by Mercury, Yamaha, and Precision Propellers (Turbo/Stiletto/Yamaha).

I've said it before, I'm not a huge fan of Powertech based on prop blade issues on the race circuit in years past. The Powertech props could be made to perform well, but they became known as blade flingers / crackers and most racers won't touch one now. When a blade breaks off, it can cause plenty of damage to the gearcase, cavitation plate and/or propshaft. That's what happened to me and it was quite costly. Now that I'm done with that rant......do I think they perform well? For recreational boating---Yes.

If you feel that you would like to try a Powertech and would like some real world feedback, call Ken @ Propgods 941-735-5808 or visit his site Propgods.com. He sells plenty of Powertech, Mercury, and others. He actually has a very informative forum on his site that you may find interesting.
 
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BulldogsCadillac said:
So the wife and I are driving to the lake yesterday, no boat with us, and she drops the bomb, "I really wish our boat had the inboard motor, and I know we don't need it and it pretty much just looks cool, but I would spend the money on the fancy sport tower too." WHAT? WHERE WERE YOU WHEN WE ORDERED THE BOAT!!! HAHA this was then followed by "if it was available on a 22 foot, I don't want a 25'. Also if the tower folded down so we could fit it in the prospective garage we are building. (Bennington, call Skylon! You can do this! Also would be good if you didn't lose the ability to have some options, I think you lose changeroom or center tube fuel, maybe something else) love the look, needs a little bit more practicality.

Derrick
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I have the same problem as you. Spousal unit just loves the Bennie and as far as she is concerned, no Bennie is too good for our slip. She has M.S. and the tooning thing has replaced all other summer activities because it is well suited for her disability, so no amount of money can be placed on the quality of life the boat has brought our marriage. Too bad 60K plus is a reality though.
 
Schmeg,

Sorry to hear about your wife's MS. I hope that it is not in the severe stages yet. Our daughter in law also suffers with this disease, but thankfully it is manageable at this time. Your are right, ponttooning is a very good activity for her as well.
 
Bigtop said:
Schmeg,

Sorry to hear about your wife's MS. I hope that it is not in the severe stages yet. Our daughter in law also suffers with this disease, but thankfully it is manageable at this time. Your are right, ponttooning is a very good activity for her as well.
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The direct sun on hot days will make her tired. Nice thing is she can just take a dip in the water and it helps. She gets around pretty well thanks. Fortunately here in Maine it doesn't get too hot that much. Hot days bother her. We could

never live south of here. A nice 75 degree day with a breeze under the bimini is a perfect day for her. The Benni has given her a new lease on summer fun. Thanks Bennington. I don't know what we would do without our boat.
 
The Mercury website has a "build a prop" program. You enter your boat info, and current prop specs and performance info and and it tells you the prop you should get (or start with) depending on what you want to optimize (such as top speed, handling, acceleration, etc).

Anyway, it's funny, but when I select "optimize for acceleration" instead of top speed, I get the prop I ALREADY HAVE NOW!

So, I don't think I'm going to improve my heavy boat performance much by changing props.

I might be able to go faster (top speed) than I do now with a prop change though... But that's not what I'm looking for.
 
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