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New Bennington Carpet 'still' gets wet!

Hang in there Freddy. We bought a 2013 with two toons and lifting strakes and a 115 and sold it after three months and ordered the one we have now, sps and yamaha 200. Night and day difference. I would get some time ion your boat and see if you really need more power. If you are just cruising you'll be fine. If you have some friends and family on board and want to ski etc, you'll want more power. The good news is the boat will hold it's value quite well. We sold ours on craigslist with 40 something hours and only lost the sales tax. It was a tough decision to sell a brand new boat for some extra speed but with a tri toon the ride is completely different. We finally said, either we live with what we have "Brand new boat!!" and not complain, or pay more, get exactly what fits our needs and not complain about the higher payment.

We're glad we upgraded. Someone has said it before on here, a 115 should not be offered on a pontoon. It is full of false hopes and dreams.

Good luck and don't beat yourself up!
 
We need a sticky for potential new owners that simply says if you want to do watersports, carry a lot of people at cruise speeds, or frequent some of the bigger lakes, "GET 3 TUBES AND A 150 THE FIRST TIME!". These should be basic questions for every dealer to ask.
 
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There is a guy here at work who is thinking about getting a pontoon. I ran through a list of questions to see what his needs are. As soon as he said pulling a tube I suggested the sps 150 route. Water testing should be mandatory before you can sign on the line.
 
That is such great advice! I think what i am going to do is be as happy as I can be about the purchase and if I still feel disastisfied next year I will look at an upgrade. It frustrates me thought that I did not find this site before hand because if I had I can tell you I would be sporting a  three toon with strakes and a 150 on the back. I know I should not complain, for crying outloud me, my wife, and my three kids have tooled around Lake Nolin for the past 10 years on a hoopty with no seats! One would think that I would be just as happy as a tick on a young dog, but I guess if I am making a  payment I might as well be making one on a boat that is making me smile a bit more than I am.

Okay, that is MY rant. Lesson learned, I now need to focus on being happy. Lake happy!

But if someone is reading this and thinking of a new Bennington, go for the extra power and third toon no matter what you intended desire is. It's like one of the other posts on here said, "I usually cruise around 18 mph, but when I am in a hurry to get back to the dock, or have a lot of people on the boat the power is nice to have", (that was a close paraphrase)

I know I wont be satisfied with this purchase until I upgrade, but I will enjoy what I have until then. There is solice in knowing my payment is not as high as it could be.

Fred
 
lakeliving said:
There is a guy here at work who is thinking about getting a pontoon. I ran through a list of questions to see what his needs are. As soon as he said pulling a tube I suggested the sps 150 route. Water testing should be mandatory before you can sign on the line.
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I've had the same conversations with people around here. It comes down to knowing what choice you're making, in factual terms. If you want to do those things, it costs an extra $5-8k to meet those basic needs. Everything else we tend to check on the option box falls under "nice to have" but not essential to enjoy the boat. Some dealers must decide the customer can't handle the truth or they'll lose them to someone who lies to them just to get the deal. Thus, I'd be a terrible salesperson.
 
Freddy said:
That is such great advice! I think what i am going to do is be as happy as I can be about the purchase and if I still feel disastisfied next year I will look at an upgrade. It frustrates me thought that I did not find this site before hand because if I had I can tell you I would be sporting a  three toon with strakes and a 150 on the back. I know I should not complain, for crying outloud me, my wife, and my three kids have tooled around Lake Nolin for the past 10 years on a hoopty with no seats! One would think that I would be just as happy as a tick on a young dog, but I guess if I am making a  payment I might as well be making one on a boat that is making me smile a bit more than I am.

Okay, that is MY rant. Lesson learned, I now need to focus on being happy. Lake happy!

But if someone is reading this and thinking of a new Bennington, go for the extra power and third toon no matter what you intended desire is. It's like one of the other posts on here said, "I usually cruise around 18 mph, but when I am in a hurry to get back to the dock, or have a lot of people on the boat the power is nice to have", (that was a close paraphrase)

I know I wont be satisfied with this purchase until I upgrade, but I will enjoy what I have until then. There is solice in knowing my payment is not as high as it could be.

Fred
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That's the right way to think about it. You have the best brand on the market, and a configuration many would love to have. There is a lot to enjoy there and it will bring much happiness to your family.

Just keep it nice for when that day comes - cover on every night, 303, etc. Lots of tips here on the forum  :)
 
TomS said:
That's the right way to think about it. You have the best brand on the market, and a configuration many would love to have. There is a lot to enjoy there and it will bring much happiness to your family.

Just keep it nice for when that day comes - cover on every night, 303, etc. Lots of tips here on the forum  :)
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What is "303"?

My wife covers it every time we go up to the house, she has two bottles of cleaner, one is a diluted dawn dishwashing cleaner and the othe clean water. Everytime she notices a scuff or whatever she starts to cleaning. (lol, I got in trouble because I told her I was going to get her some cleaner for the house...I almost got kicked off the boat).
 
Freddy said:
What is "303"?

My wife covers it every time we go up to the house, she has two bottles of cleaner, one is a diluted dawn dishwashing cleaner and the othe clean water. Everytime she notices a scuff or whatever she starts to cleaning. (lol, I got in trouble because I told her I was going to get her some cleaner for the house...I almost got kicked off the boat).
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It would be best to search the forum on "303" as there are many threads and several types of 303, applicable to different parts of the boat.

Bennington provides nice guidelines on the forum for interiors and covers HERE and HERE
 
I would say the 303 Protectant is a must to treat your upholstery every month or so after the seats and such are cleaned. You can find several threads on the site in regard to the 303 line of cleaners and protectant.
 
I just ordered a gallon of the 303 Fabric Gaurd to treat my mooring cover.
 
303 is an absolute must do. 
 
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Freddy said:
okay, thank you!! I will order some of the '303' this afternoon.

I need to order some dock bumpers as well. Any suggestions on which ones are the best. looking at these at Overton's? On sale for 24.99 a piece.

http://www.overtons.com/search/dock%20bumper
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I bought these last season ,shipping was free then .

http://www.amazon.com/Best-Choice-Products%C2%AE-Fenders-Protection/dp/B0095WPO5A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1432055175&sr=8-1&keywords=8x27+boat+bumpers

303 ,cleaner ,aerospace protectant  & Fabric Guard

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_3?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=303%20aerospace%20protectant&sprefix=303%2Caps%2C318
 
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Prices vary so maybe shop around if cost is a factor. Last year I bought the fabric/vinyl cleaner and fabric guard on Amazon but the Aerospace Protectant on pontoonstuff.com.

Ditto the sprayer
 
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I picked up a gallon of 303 cheap on FEEBAY because the label was discolored .... LOL !!!
 
That is awesome. I will shop around and order the bumpers and the '303' this afternoon.

I have still not heard back from the dealer about a "skinning" the bottom of my boat, but i hope it will solve a couple of issues for me for a while.

Did I mention that this site is awesome. I think if you are going to buy a boat or even contemplating the purchase of a new Bennington, one should have to come to this site for a week before purchase. I think there would be so many more satisfied new boat owners. Just sayin.
 
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