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picking up my new bennie

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liljake83

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picking up my first bennie on saturday i am getting a 2012 22 slx tri toon with added strakes. Are there anything in particular i should pay close attention to before accepting the boat what problems have you guys seen?
 
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liljake,

Congratulations on your Bennington and welcome to the forum. You should get a lot of good information here and we hope you will be active.

Ideally it would be great if you and your dealer take her out for a test run on the water. Being cold as all get-out around the country, I am not sure if that is in your plans. You will want to look over the interior carefully, seats, gauges, etc. to make sure everything looks in order. Bennies usually come from the factory flawless but you will want to be sure. Test the electronics to make sure everything works properly. On mine, the dealer installed my dual battery switch incorrectly so mistakes happen. Trim your motor to make sure that works.

I am sure other forum members will pipe in soon. You must be excited and this will surely be a long winter for you. Hang in there!
 
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liljake - Congratulations on your new Bennington! +1 on everything Gastonguy said.

You don't mention whether you are purchasing a trailer also, but if so, check it out carefully. In particular check the nuts and bolts holding on the bunk boards (several were very loose and one missing on mine)and the guide boards if any. And of course check out the lighting system (running, brake, stop lights) for proper functioning.

My opinion is you should also have tiedown straps in the rear as a prudent safety precaution (apparently there is some debate on this point). My dealer included them and also gave me the light wiring connection cable.

Have fun :D

(PS - Going to be high 60s-mid70s in DFW area next 5 days - maybe I will get out again like I did on New Year's Eve when it was 77!)
 
Friar is correct, I bought a used 1 year old Bennington. The boat and trailer was delivered to the original purchaser. Trailer lights were never connected by the trailer manufacturer. I also found loose nuts on the bunk mounts. Mine might be the exception, but I went over my boat and trailer with a "fine tooth comb". I feel comfortable now taking the boat and trailer out. Never found anything wrong on my Bennington.

Just inspect the boat and trailer at the dealer just like you would buying a new car. The dealer should explain and operate all options and accessories on the boat at the time of deliver. A shake down cruise with the dealer is ideal if possible.
 
Check out the thread called "24SSL" for the checklist you are looking for.

I had the same question several months ago, and with the help of some of the guys here, I collected and posted a pre-purchase checkout list several months back.

Too late at night for me to dig it up right now, but I thought I'd at least tell you the list is here on the forum if you look for it. If you can't find it, I will look for it tomorrow night, and hopefully you will have it in time for Saturday.

Congrats!
 
Congrats on the new Bennington!

Like everyone else just mentioned, look it over extremely well and if at all possible take it for a test run. I thought I looked my boat over good and even spent time going over things with the dealer/test run etc. However I missed the aluminum shavings meshed into the carpet and unfortunately found them throughout the summer. I'm not sure who is responsible for them so I'm not pointing fingers but its an issue you don't want. Simply stressing to look closely at everything.

Best of luck and again Congrats of the Bennie!!
 
liljake83 said:
picking up my first bennie on saturday i am getting a 2012 22 slx tri toon with added strakes and the new 150 mercury outboard my question is are there anything in particular i should pay close attention to before accepting the boat what problems have you guys seen?
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Congratulations on your Benny, I ordered a 24SL last week also with the new Merc 150. I wanted the 22, but was told 115 was the MAX hp for the 22. You were lucky to get it with the 150. Hope it works out great.
 
Liljake - Congrats on your boat!!! Hope this list is not too late. This was the list I used when I picked up our boat. Modify to suit your needs. Good luck.

Dano

Boat: (model and hull id #)

Trailer: (model and serial #)

Motor: (Serial #) Verify manufacture date

Price: Verify quoted price includes freight, prep, battery, prop, etc “ready to run”, plus tax/title/reg.

Options:

· Panel Color: Midnight

· Canvas Color: Black

· Bimini: Black

· Graphics: Java Sport Graphics

· Base Vinyl: Java Soft Touch

· Interior Accent: Monochrome

· Flooring: Carpet Mocha Palm

· Express Tube Package

· Lifting Strakes – 3 tubes

· Extended Deck

· Custom Steering Wheel

· R Series Chair Upgrade

· Surface Mount Garmin Depth Graph

· Tilt Steering

· Kicker Speaker Upgrade

· Bimini Blue Ice LED Lighting

· Dock Lights in Stainless Housing

· Privacy Curtain

· Portapotti

· 2 portable cup holders

· Teak Table upgrade

· Ski Tow Bar

· Raised chrome letters

BOAT: Check above options, Check for defects, Check railings for sharp edges, check pontoon tubes for slag, look for metal drill filings, open/close all storage areas, open/close all gates, check seat adjustments, tilt steering, electrical circuits and switches, stereo/speakers, raise/lower bimini, check LEDs, bow lights, mast light, horn, spare keys

TRAILER: Turn signal and brake lights work, test surge brakes, verify bunks and guides tight, all bolts tight, carpet/glides secure and complete, wiring attached securely

MOTOR: Size/model correct, check manufacture date, prop correct size/brand

TEST RIDE: Check depth graph, power trim/tilt, check steering (full left, full right, smooth operation), TOP SPEED?

PAPERS: Documents and Manuals, including motor and trailer?

Questions:

Call insurance company, verify coverage before moving boat.

Verify 2” hitch ball.

Ask about motor break-in period and warm-up period.

Registration grace period?

Bring:

Electrical adapter (trailer)

Tongue Lock

Hitch Lock

Tie Downs

GPS (for speed test)
 
Awesome list kaydano! I think the inspection part of your list should be make a sticky (if that's possible on this site) for first time buyers to see when they enter the forum.
 
Thanks. A lot of the list came from stuff others here suggested, so I won't t take credit for anything more than pulling their comments together and posting it.

More than happy to "give back" to this site any way I can. The guys on this site have saved me real dollars and real pain.

Plus Eric's posts always cracks me up!
 
Ha! It's as though you've known me my whole life...
 
mgbcb said:
How did your pick-up and test drive go?

Great I hope!
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The only problem I had was with the radio. My iPhone wouldn't play through it, so the local Earmark shop fixed it when the dealer couldn't figure it out. The dealer was awesome about the whole thing, and it's one of those things you don't notice until you are in the middle of the lake.
 
HH

ericscher said:
Don't blame me, you were cracked when you got here! :P
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HI ERIC. WE ARE PICKING UP OUR PONTOON THAT WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR FOR OVER 40 YRS. NOW, WE DON'T KNOW WHO HAS THE BEST INS. FOR A GOOD PRICE. HOPE YOU GET THIS. DON'T KNOW IF I JOINED THIS RT.? THANK YOU SIR ! :-)
 
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List just in time for all us drooling to get our new boats, thanks for posting
 
If you get to test the boat in the water, run it awhile and then see if it'll pull the redline with the propeller provided. Or, have an agreement with the dealer that they will swap props if it's underpropped or overpropped.
 
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