Pontoon cover or seat covers?

[Dobieg]

Should be getting our 24' LSBA in the next day or two which will be our first boat and was wondering which cover everyone prefers for in season use? Our preference would be quick and easy which seem like the chair covers from Puffin but a lot of people seem to like the stretchy covers from Blue Sky and they seem fairly quick to take on and off but offer little protection from rain or storms. If the Puffin seat covers are fairly easy to remove and put on and also offer protection during storms we think that's the way we should go.


We were pretty close to buying an Avalon but started reading this forum and had a local Bennington dealer with a leftover 2024. Figured they were out of our price range but their ad said make an offer so I threw out a ridiculous one and they took it. They must really have wanted to get rid of it. Keep finding more options added on that weren't on the spec sheet like power assist, Lillipad Revo ladder and a Garmin 743 with fishfinding. Actually had to contact Bennington with our serial number to find out everything we had.

 

[BigKahuna]

Welcome to the forum Dobieg! Didn't the boat come with a full mooring cover?!? I know you said you wanted quick and easy, but in the long run you'll be happy you covered the entire boat! The seat covers will protect your upholstery. But what about your seagrass flooring, rails, and everything else?!? That sun will fade it in a hurry! Just my opinion!

 

[Dobieg]

Thanks for the welcome! There is what looks like a large cover and some poles in one of the front bench seats. Deaer couldn't tell us what kind of cover it was but we're assuming it's the mooring cover?

If that's what we should use we'll use it. Just hoping there was a quicker option.

 

[LaurencetheAdventurer]

If I am using my Benny the next day, I don't put a cover on. Othewise I use the mooring cover - BigKahuna has a great youtube video that provides a process that makes on and off about a 7 minute task. Our dock get's monsoons all summer, so a taunt cover that is well secured is critical. BlueSky has been talked about a lot, some say a 3 minute install, but I have no personal experience and though some users report it stays put during wind and rain, I will stick with the OEM, it works great!

 

[tfuq21]

We just upgraded to a a new 2024 S22 swing back. I am a stickler for putting the mooring cover in at home. Protecting the seats has always been my thing. We hook up and tow to the water when we go out. I have noticed this boat sits differently behind my truck in tow. I feel like towing with the mooring cover will decrease the life of the mooring cover. That being said the amount of bugs on my seats is killing me. Looking for any suggestions on some quick on off seat covers for when we tow to the water.

 

[BigKahuna]

If I am using my Benny the next day, I don't put a cover on. Othewise I use the mooring cover - BigKahuna has a great youtube video that provides a process that makes on and off about a 7 minute task. Our dock get's monsoons all summer, so a taunt cover that is well secured is critical. BlueSky has been talked about a lot, some say a 3 minute install, but I have no personal experience and though some users report it stays put during wind and rain, I will stick with the OEM, it works great!

semperfi8387 has the video of the installation of the mooring cover!

If I am using my Benny the next day, I don't put a cover on. Othewise I use the mooring cover - BigKahuna has a great youtube video that provides a process that makes on and off about a 7 minute task. Our dock get's monsoons all summer, so a taunt cover that is well secured is critical. BlueSky has been talked about a lot, some say a 3 minute install, but I have no personal experience and though some users report it stays put during wind and rain, I will stick with the OEM, it works great!

 

[Michiman]

Welcome Dobieg!

Yup, putting on and removing the full cover is a PITA, but if you want to protect your investment to the fullest extent, that’s the way to go. However, like Laurence, when we were in a marina, if the weather forecast was appropriate, I’d leave the cover off if we were using it the next day.

 

[Angela & Michael]

We use both. Seat covers are quicker most times and I like to protect my instruments as well. We are on our second set but well worth the protection from sun and rain. More than a week away, we’ll use the playpen. Both work well. It’s whatever floats your boat. Pun intended ️

 

[Dobieg]

Took delivery this morning of our new Bennington early this morning. This afternoon went out for a few hours with visiting family and had a great time. One thing we had a bit of a problem with is steering. We have power steering assist and it still took a good amount of effort to steer and docking was sort of a bear (understatement). I thought power assist would have been more like driving a car but it felt more like an old Kawasaki Mule UTV we had that had manual steering and you had to use both hands and a good amount of effort to turn. Is this right?

 

[Angela & Michael]

You have air in the fluid for steering. Have dealer refill/ bleed power steeering. I’ve seen this numerous times before. It’s a 2 man job.

 

[Dobieg]

You have air in the fluid for steering. Have dealer refill/ bleed power steeering. I’ve seen this numerous times before. It’s a 2 man job.

Hoping that's what it is. We did locate the power steering unit under the helm. All wires connected and no fuses popped. We did lower into the water and turn the engine on and the power steering unit didn't hum or get warm or show any other signs of life. Have reached out to our dealer who has been great.

 

[Vikingstaff]

My first instinct would have been what A & M mentioned. But you saying that it doesn’t hum, warm up, or anything with the engine on and turning the wheel seems…off…too. Keep us all posted after you hear back from the dealership and they look it over.

As you assumed (Correctly!), it should be buttery smooth, not too unlike a car. One handed, even one finger, steering really. So any sort of real difficulty is not right.