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Newbie: toons, power, performance choices..

K

Kenora

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Location
Lake of the Woods, Ontario, Canada
First time tooners ordering a retirement Benny for ourselves. Cruising on large lake relatively sheltered with large islands. Tubing and some skiing with adult kids and grandkids. Replacing a 22 ft fiberglas I/O with 5.7L Merc.
Deciding between twin elliptical freshwater with 150hp Yamaha VMax vs tritoons with ESP or SPS and 200hp Yamaha. We have selected a 22ft SSRXP with lots of upgrades.
No dealer price comparison yet but wonder if we'll be sorry if we don't consider the upper options.
Performance and comfort are key with speed a close second.
Advice?
 
200/SPS!!! It’s an awesome replacement from what you’re coming from and I’m sure it won’t disappoint! If you can lose one person on the rating you could even Put a 250 on that hull, holy cow Batman that boat would fly!!
 
If you're doing water sports, you'll regret it if you don't go with the tritoon. Sounds like you've got the right mindset though if you are using the term "upper options" -- this is the right place to come if you're looking for help on how to spend your money! :)
 
So, performance and comfort are primary goals, general upper end speed a secondary factor...?

100% go with the SPS Tritoon!

We have an 24’ SSBXP SPS Tritoon with a 200hp Mercury. Our wants when we ordered last year were exactly like yours. We couldn’t be happier.

The SPS on an S-series paired with a 200hp motor is a great combination for performance and handling. It gets up on plane quickly, and comfortably. It handles rough seas nicely if on a big lake and inclement wind or weather move in. For tubing or water sport activities it gives the power and handling necessary to do those activities with both kids and adults.

Finally, a 200 hp motor on an S-series SPS boat (lighter than Bennington’s other models) delivers nice speed. Now along with that I would strongly recommend the power steering to make the driving experience more enjoybable - especially with water sports in mind.

We have an S-series Benny, with the Premium package you are looking at, so that is really nice. I think it impacts both aesthetics and comfort. Although it adds a bit to your price, I don’t think you will regret it one bit. We love the level of refinement it brings to our boat.
 
We went with the SPS and 150 as it fit our budget. Couldn’t be happier. We use it for cruising and tubing with the grandkids. We have never heard them say “go faster.” Don’t forget the extended aft deck and power, not just hydraulic, steering.
 
SPS
 
As others have suggested, an SPS and a 150 or 200HP would be a nice set-up for what you're planning on doing. And let me tell you right now, once you have your Benny you're going to wonder why you waited so long.
 
You wont regret those choices. It is amazing the ride, handling, comfort, and flexibility that these newer pontoons and Tritoons offer. It’s amazing!

Congratulations on moving forward with your order!
 
Kenora said:
Yes, we had included power steering in our build.
I certainly appreciate this forum and am using it to learn what I can in anticipation of ownership.
Click to expand...

Just to be crystal clear, electric power assisted steering is NOT the same as hydraulic steering. Be sure to get both (you need the hydraulic in order to get the electric assist). It seems simple, but ask Ray (Alice's Dream) about his situation. It ended well, but could have gone off the rails.
 
First time Pontoon boat owner here and first post on this site. 2018 21 SLX SPS with a Yamaha 150 HP motor. I was under the impression that the hydraulic steering would compare to like driving a car. Now from reading these post's, I see that I should have added electric power assisting steering. My question is, can this be added later and if so, what is the price range for adding it?
 
Can’t help you on pricing but if you have the hydraulic assist already you can add the electric pump to it. Some on this forum have taken the task on themselves and some had it done by the dealer. I’m sure other will chime in.
Congratulations on the new Benny, pics are mandatory here!! :)
 
The dealer added mine, can’t recall the price. But well worth it, makes tubing, docking, all aspects of turning the boat much more enjoyable.
 
Thank you for the replies, I found another thread about this, and it pretty much answered my questions. Probably save up for a year and maybe have it installed next season. Thanks again. When I figure out how to upload pictures, I will do it.
 
Welcome aboard BruceC, and congratulations on the new boat. To upload pictures, click on the green “Upload a file” button beneath the space to reply/post. You can select pictures, and choose if you want to upload the entire picture, or just a thumbnail.

Looking forward to seeing pictures and hearing more about your new boat.
 
Did the salesman, tell you that it would steer like a car?
 
Maybe the salesman is driving a 1986 Plymouth Reliant with no power steering. In that case he should had clarified and said "It will steer like my car"

I've had regular hydraulic and power assist now. Night and day difference.
 
I don't recall the sales person telling me that. I made the assumption when I heard hydraulic steering. However I don't recall them discussing with me the option of power assist.
 
When we bought our boat in 2006, it was our first "big boat". I grew up with 14' aluminum boats with 18 hp. When my wife said I like this one, we bought it. It had hydraulic steering and I thought that was great. I hated it to the point of adding power assist after driving a boat with it. The difference is night and day. I think sales people are afraid to say you need this $2000 upgrade for your steering because they don't want to scare you away.
 
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