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New boat... Accessories time!

peeruwp

peeruwp

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I will be taking ownership of my 23ft Benny in a couple weeks hopefully. I have seen various threads but looking to consolidate:

Looking for specific product recommendations for:
- docking lines (boat will be in the water in a slip with boat traffic wakes everyday from April to Oct)
- fender lines
- fenders (what size and brand?)
- life jackets (storable)
- anchor (on a deep river with current with parts sandy bottom and part rocky)
- tube for kids ages 9-adults.
- what am I missing other than the boat and fuel??

almost boating season here in MN!
 
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There is a few great threads on this list, the search bar should bring them up.

Prepping for Spring Delivery. Need to Buy Stuff.

Hello all... in theory, my boat is being built right now (was told December 14). So, now I have to shift into high gear to buy what I need to take delivery in spring. Right now, we're just buying the minimum for our delivery date; we can buy all the other stuff soon after... and when we...
club.benningtonmarine.com club.benningtonmarine.com

Great list of things

Oddly enough I was making my order list of things I will need, based on that list others have made.
 
First aid kit
Cooler
Tow rope for tube
Sunscreen (someone always forgets to put it on when you are ready to go)
Extra pair of sunglasses (someone always forgets to bring them)
 
I want to make special note of items like Sunscreen. Not all things play well with the Simtex fabric - particularly certain sunscreens. For instance, most spray on types are problematic.

Thus, Sunscreen, as well as other items that might stain, I always make sure WE have onboard and ask guests to leave theirs shoreside for that reason. That way you don’t have a guest inadvertently spray on sunscreen or something else that might stain your seating. Just something to consider...

I also take note before we go out and people go to apply sunscreen. We have a basket full of sunscreen that is okay with the boat, so we ask people to use it when they have the oily kind or the oily spray on kind.

Safe boat And guests = Happy Captain
 
Thanks the replies and the ideas of things to add to my list, that helps check the box on my last bullet and gives me great things to consider.

My original intent of the post was to get specific product recommendations for the items on my list :), like what kind of fenders, brand and size, etc?

Im just being impatient from the long winter :)
 
Vikingstaff said:
I want to make special note of items like Sunscreen. Not all things play well with the Simtex fabric - particularly certain sunscreens. For instance, most spray on types are problematic.

Thus, Sunscreen, as well as other items that might stain, I always make sure WE have onboard and ask guests to leave theirs shoreside for that reason. That way you don’t have a guest inadvertently spray on sunscreen or something else that might stain your seating. Just something to consider...

I also take note before we go out and people go to apply sunscreen. We have a basket full of sunscreen that is okay with the boat, so we ask people to use it when they have the oily kind or the oily spray on kind.

Safe boat And guests = Happy Captain
Click to expand...
Wow, I never even thought of this... spray sunscreen can damage the seats...??? thats really unfortunate! Im anal enough, I'm not sure guests will want to even come :)
 
peeruwp said:
Wow, I never even thought of this... spray sunscreen can damage the seats...??? thats really unfortunate! Im anal enough, I'm not sure guests will want to even come :)
Click to expand...
People have reported some oils and the ones with bronzers in them can stain the simtex. Also the spray on type can get overspray on the seats. Cream type ones are best.
Vikingstaff said:
I want to make special note of items like Sunscreen. Not all things play well with the Simtex fabric - particularly certain sunscreens. For instance, most spray on types are problematic.

Thus, Sunscreen, as well as other items that might stain, I always make sure WE have onboard and ask guests to leave theirs shoreside for that reason. That way you don’t have a guest inadvertently spray on sunscreen or something else that might stain your seating. Just something to consider...

I also take note before we go out and people go to apply sunscreen. We have a basket full of sunscreen that is okay with the boat, so we ask people to use it when they have the oily kind or the oily spray on kind.

Safe boat And guests = Happy Captain
Click to expand...
Vikingstaff: do you have any specific brands you recommend and found play nice with the simtex? Thanks!
 
FightinIrish said:
I didn't see cold beer on your list...happy to give specific product recommendations if needed!


curious about the spray sunscreens...still problematic for Simtex once dried on skin? Any specific brands you may recommend that are "simtex safe"? Thanks
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Any specific fender brand/type and size I should get? I have the beer covered and will be kept cold in a nice yeti cooler :)
 
Good questions on sunscreen.

Generically as mentioned above, the spray sunscreen types that are really oily after being sprayed on or have the bronzers in them have been reported to leave stains or marks on seats. Overspray can cause the same issue with many other spray on sunscreens. I do use spray sunscreen off the boat, the kind that when it dries is not oily. I have never had a problem with it when on the boat afterwards. My wife uses a cream sunscreen and it works well too. In general, cream based ones usually work well so long as they are not oily or have bronzers, and this is the type we bring on the boat with us so as to avoid the risk of overspray onto the seats.

Specifically, we have a couple different kinds/brands we use that work well. However, my wife is better dialed in on them than me. Unless I am actually looking at them, I have no clue other than the color of the bottles - lol. We go up to our cottage in 2 weeks for spring break. We will do our winter to summer change over. When I get out the sunscreen basket I will try to remember to take note on brands/types and reply to this thread again.
 
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peeruwp said:
Any specific fender brand/type and size I should get? I have the beer covered and will be kept cold in a nice yeti cooler :)
Click to expand...

People have recommended these on the site before. This size is good up to 25' boat. I ordered 6 and the corresponding Taylor Made fender lines as well. Seems to be the best bang for the buck for fenders. They get expensive when getting 6, so this seems to fit the bill between affordable and functional

Hull-Gard Inflatable Fender, Black Onyx (6.5" x 23")

Overton's
www.overtons.com www.overtons.com


This is also interesting. I have 4 of the Taylor Made fender clips and then say these, $6 cheaper and its the same exact fender minus the Taylor Made branding on it. They even say "Compatible with Taylor Made Products 1139." So I ordered another set, figure its worth a shot for $13 and I dont need them to say Taylor Made

Amazon.com : MILITARIA Pontoon Fender Clips, Pontoon Boat Rail Fender Hanger/Adjuster/Clip, 4 Pack : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : MILITARIA Pontoon Fender Clips, Pontoon Boat Rail Fender Hanger/Adjuster/Clip, 4 Pack : Sports & Outdoors
www.amazon.com
 
For kids (and adults) a floating island is a must! Do yourself a favor and skip buying the foam ones that are super popular on the water - they take up way too much room.

We have a mission one and love it - and they are actually on sale right now now at a great price!

www.missionboatgear.com

MISSION

MISSION
www.missionboatgear.com www.missionboatgear.com
 
@scottkp ....great post as having an island is really nice.
We did some really good research and found that these from the company Aqua work really well and are a fraction of the cost.

Aqua 11' x 5'6" Island

Also, they sell on eBay opened boxed all the time for half the cost!
Ebay Link

We actually have (2)...they zipper together if you like. We sometimes use 1 in the front and 1 in the back.
They have a great texture to them and inflate/deflate really quick
Definitely worth a look
 
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peeruwp said:
I will be taking ownership of my 23ft Benny in a couple weeks hopefully. I have seen various threads but looking to consolidate:

Looking for specific product recommendations for:
- docking lines (boat will be in the water in a slip with boat traffic wakes everyday from April to Oct)
- fender lines
- fenders (what size and brand?)
Click to expand...
I have a swear by the Mission Sentry fenders and rely on the classic inflatable styles for the dock or middle of the boat with the fender hangers. The sentry fenders go on the cleats in the front and back on the deck where it's tough to get a classic bumper. I also use dock lines with reflective tracers in the braid for seeing them at night, not sure brand matters.

Soft water is coming soon in MN, any day now...
 
peeruwp said:
I will be taking ownership of my 23ft Benny in a couple weeks hopefully. I have seen various threads but looking to consolidate:

Looking for specific product recommendations for:
- docking lines (boat will be in the water in a slip with boat traffic wakes everyday from April to Oct)
- fender lines
- fenders (what size and brand?)
- life jackets (storable)
- anchor (on a deep river with current with parts sandy bottom and part rocky)
- tube for kids ages 9-adults.
- what am I missing other than the boat and fuel??

almost boating season here in MN!
Click to expand...
There are SO MANY variables to a lot of these questions, as noted spend some time searching prior posts.

  1. Docking Lines - I found some had smaller loops that made tie up's to larger cleats difficult. I found 15' lines to be a good length.
  2. Fender Lines - 3' lines are enough - thinner lines work better with various clips.
  3. Fender Sizes - Our bar lakes have really narrow slips and had to purchase the rectangles, for normal tie up the 16" worked great until it got windy (heavier is better in such a case - so not about size), as noted for tie ups the larger are best. But, you also need to get them to fit! I settled on 4 16" for normal use, the large rectangles for narrow slips and supplement boat tie ups.
  4. Life Jackets - get a package or basic orange for quantity to meet requirements, then get really nice neoprene for daily use (we use ours as "diaper floaties" - better than islands - too hot for islands in our AZ heat.
  5. Anchor - Box, but really depends on how used. I have a small and large and have used both. Wood tote great way to store. 1/2 line.
  6. Slide Anchor with 40' line and slide hook.
  7. Tubes - 3 Person Airhead Wing, followed by Big Mable (2 person best - limit head knocking) - real issue is pump - LOVE Outdoor Master Shark - worth the premium (store in plastic water tight ammo can). Also LOVE our ISup.
    1. Wire heavy duty 12v adapter direct to batteries for inflator.
  8. First Aid as noted - after a LOT of research - I went with MyFAK Large and supplemented with a few daily items plus a Extrication Collar.
  9. Contigo Autoseal 20oz SS Mug - THE BEST ITEM ON OUR BOAT.
  10. Small Buoy Ball and 40' 1/2 nylon line - toss it out and use as a float line (ideal for rivers, our Lake is really a river so current will drag you - line makes getting back to boat easy).
  11. Fantastic & Hot Sauce (does a great job on water spots) cleaners plus a package of white microfiber cloths. Large Non-scratch pads to wipe down toons.
  12. Small tool box, include electrical tester and small rubber mallet to get Bimini into and out of locking position. Sharp knife to cut anchor line and lines / weeds off prop. Mask and snorkel can be helpful but not required.
  13. Depending on where you are boating: extra prop, prop wrench, hub, radio, paddles (we use our ISup paddles).
  14. Turkish Towels - 1/3 of the space as the big beach towels and dry fast.
  15. Trunk Organizer - we slide ours in and out of the Helm Storage.
  16. Pop Up Trash - we use the trash seat garbage can to hold our dock lines.
  17. Fold up Porta Pottie and plastic water tight ammo can for TP - we are out on the lake all day - used a few times.
  18. We have used our docking pole once.
  19. Flashlight if boating at night.
  20. Boat Tow Service Membership.
  21. Rear View Mirror - see posts about PTM. I have tried 3 others "friends" gave me - none really worked. Still trying to decide between rail mount and helm mount.
  22. charge cables and Aux input for primary phone (reduces power consumption on phone).
  23. and there is still at least a dozen things I am forgetting.....LOL
Enjoy!
 
peeruwp said:
Any specific fender brand/type and size I should get? I have the beer covered and will be kept cold in a nice yeti cooler :)
Click to expand...
I like Taylor, you can also get replacement valves if they leak. I like the round ones they seem to nest between the deck and pontoon tube and will keep other boats off when rafting. For docking at your slip I like the long ones again Taylor and a fender board to rest against the piling. however 2 smaller round ones would work too (10 inch) 15 inch for the bigger ones. Your other comment on life jackets. Get life jackets that are comfortable and that you will always wear. Go to West Marine and look at and try on some of the inflatables. I always use an inflatable for comfort and in rougher weather one made by NRS. Save those orange ones for your guests and the Coast Guard requirement. Let the kids pick out their own so they will like them and wear them. Also their are specific PFDs made for ladies that are more comfortable. Life jacket don't work if you don't wear them. Mustang has been around a long time and you do not need one like those used on Cruise boats!
 
I don't want to hijack the post but since folks are on the subject, just curious about the best place to store the anchor? In our environment I'm a big danforth slip anchor fan. With our other boats we anchor EVERY time we go out, single anchor from the bow obviously into the current. Used to having an anchor locker at the bow with a cleat right there so just enough line in the water, tie off to the cleat and the rest of the line in the locker. Looking at the pontoons the dealer had in stock I figured I'd store under the starboard bow seat. Then I guess I just pull out what I need for line and tie off to the starboard bow cleat and let the line run through the bow door on the floor. Wondering about the wet line going back under the seat after. Suggestions? And sorry again for the hijack...
 
On the nose

F9EEB839-006A-4F14-8C30-F2B3018B5437.jpeg
 
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