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Alicedream

Alicedream

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When I was building my new 23 RCW, I noticed they now offer SPS Plus tritoon package that allows you to put a 250HP motor on a 24 S premium or at the G level without adding ESP. I think you can even get the SPS plus at S series 22 which allows you put on a 200 HP motor. Is this new this year SPS plus or was it available before? I was very intrigued by this as it really adds a new dimension at S series and the trend across the board is more horsepower at all levels of boat.
 
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Looking into this, as it must be totally new.  Wasn't an option when we put in our order on a 2017 just 6 weeks ago.
 
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Okay...just got back from the Bennington boat builder site. This is totally on option. I am very frustrated at the moment that this wasn't an option when we were building our boat for the order we put in back in mid-December given that we were ordering a 2017.  


I will be on the phone with my dealer tomorrow.  My ability to move from a 200 to a 250 Verado on our 24' SSBXP would have been a no brainer if I'd had the option.  Heck, I almost went up to a G series to do it.  I wonder how this is going to play out given we took advantage of a lot of incentives that are no longer available, and we had leverage at the time that we realistically don't have now. This will be interesting...
 
Vikingstaff said:
Okay...just got back from the Bennington boat builder site. This is totally on option. I am very frustrated at the moment that this wasn't an option when we were building our boat for the order we put in back in mid-December given that we were ordering a 2017.  


I will be on the phone with my dealer tomorrow.  My ability to move from a 200 to a 250 Verado on our 24' SSBXP would have been a no brainer if I'd had the option.  Heck, I almost went up to a G series to do it.  I wonder how this is going to play out given we took advantage of a lot of incentives that are no longer available, and we had leverage at the time that we realistically don't have now. This will be interesting...
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I did not mean to cause stress. I agree this was not an option in December. It started showing up on the builder a few weeks ago. I understand why you would want to add this and get the bigger motor. It would have been interesting if this would have been an option last year. I am sure I would had a 250 and maybe PADS would have not taken hold, but I doubt it.  :p
 
I appreciate you putting this out here.  I might not be able to make the changes I want at this point, but at least I know to have the discussion.  It looks like a 4K MSRP difference, so we'll see where this goes. If I were to cancel my order, and put in a new one, I will likely lose 5-10% off MSRP that was part of the discounts that were time period specific to me in a fall incentive sale.  I am not confident they will just let me make this change to my previous order due to the incentives that had been time dependent.


Thus, any change like this probably would not be fiscally prudent.  However, you know how it goes with pontoons: the heart wants what the heart wants.   :lol:
 
Vikingstaff said:
I appreciate you putting this out here.  I might not be able to make the changes I want at this point, but at least I know to have the discussion.  It looks like a 4K MSRP difference, so we'll see where this goes. If I were to cancel my order, and put in a new one, I will likely lose 5-10% off MSRP that was part of the discounts that were time period specific to me in a fall incentive sale.  I am not confident they will just let me make this change to my previous order due to the incentives that had been time dependent.


Thus, any change like this probably would not be fiscally prudent.  However, you know how it goes with pontoons: the heart wants what the heart wants.   :lol:
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I wish you luck. It's early in the year. Maybe they will work with you.
 
Welcome to the Bennington life. They constantly improve and add options, and it always seems like you feel you should have waited. If you wait for "next years" what ifs, you'll never order. I wanted the "supposed" new G elevated helm that "might" come out this year, but I just couldn't wait any longer. Plus like you, I ordered based on potential fall savings. Good luck with your dealer. Remember, it never hurts to ask. 
 
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Must resist...  MUST RESIST...
 
I was told when I bought our boat that the original triple toon from Bennington was available with either a 225 or 250ho rating. I had looked at a couple older triple toons before ordering and saw what I thought was an abnormality. The dealer basically explained the evolution of the Bennington triple toon from the SPS up to the ESP and the ratings. I would of bought a 250 on my 24SSLX w/SPS if that was an option. Looking at my hull I would say it'd hold a 250 all day long but probably either a hull marketing issue or CYA!!
 
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I'm happy with the sps and a 150.  Handles rough water great and ins't bad on fuel either.  Do I wish that I had waited one more year and got a '15 instead of our '14......not really.  Yeah in '15 you could have gotten the same sps hull with a 175 up to a 200 on it but the interior was virtually the same with an increase price tag.


There is always going to be the next great thing that everyone is wanting or thinks they need.  That's what makes Bennington sell boats cause you can't wear them out.


That being said here would be a very nice replacement fr our '14  :D :D


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Viking, an S with a 200 will run just as fast, if not faster than some of the higher series with 250's. I've never been on a toon with a 250 but I'm still not motivated to upgrade. Pretty cool Bennington is expanding the options though.  
 
I know, I know: I need to step off the ledge.  :)


The reality is we signed the purchase order in good faith because we were...and are...thrilled with the boat we spec'd up.  Now, had this darn option been available 6 weeks ago, I am 100% sure I would have went with the 250hp.  That said, if changes cannot be made now (which I am sure cannot be made at this point), the reality is we did put a 200hp in our original order.


In what world am I sitting here frustrated about a 200hp engine in a pontoon?  200hp!  A couple of years ago, I'd have dreamed of having a pontoon boat with a 200hp engine.  A smarter version of myself on occasion needs to really kick me in the butt, and wake me up. I do have a pretty incredible boat on the way already.  


For others down the road, this is going to be an amazing option for them!
 
You really need to talk to the dealer right away. There's no reason that the motor couldn't be resold as a new motor. And replaced with a 250. This is assuming that your boat would be allowed to have a max rating for the 250. 
 
Vikingstaff said:
I know, I know: I need to step off the ledge.  :)


The reality is we signed the purchase order in good faith because we were...and are...thrilled with the boat we spec'd up.  Now, had this darn option been available 6 weeks ago, I am 100% sure I would have went with the 250hp.  That said, if changes cannot be made now (which I am sure cannot be made at this point), the reality is we did put a 200hp in our original order.


In what world am I sitting here frustrated about a 200hp engine in a pontoon?  200hp!  A couple of years ago, I'd have dreamed of having a pontoon boat with a 200hp engine.  A smarter version of myself on occasion needs to really kick me in the butt, and wake me up. I do have a pretty incredible boat on the way already.  


For others down the road, this is going to be an amazing option for them!
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Your set-up will leave me in the dust. I think the real question is whether you really want to be doing 50+ MPH across the lake. My bow-rider had such performance but even with a windshield, it was not very comfortable for most people. Now, with my Benny I can still reach 40 MPH and again, don't find myself doing that very much at all due to the wind effect. My personal experience is that people typically don't enjoy the "wind tunnel" effect for more than a few seconds. 


Yup, I think you'll be extremely happy with the performance of your boat and a few bucks richer because of better fuel economy vs. a 250 on your 24'. :)
 
My 4 cylinder 200hp powered pontoon only goes 4 mph slower than my buddies shorter v8 powered glass boat.
 
Like has been mentioned before our 24' boat with the sps and 150 will max out just under 40 mph.  That being said I find myself hardly ever going that fast as the wind buffeting is not very boat guest friendly.  It's nice to know if you HAVE to get off the lake in a hurry you can but on a daily basis we rarely go WOT.   I find myself at a comfortable 15-20 mph cruising speed the majority of the time when out with friends and family.  The 150 is a bit easier on fuel at that relaxed pace as well.
 
These posts are just another reminder of what a wonderfully helpful group all of you are on this forum!  I love how everyone shares their experiences and perspectives on pontoon boating...particularly to those that will be new first time owners such as myself.  Thanks everyone!  
 
I never followed back up.  We were actually still in the window (barely) where we could have added this change to our order.  Bennington came back with a quote for $6300 to go from our normal SPS with a 200 Verado to the SPS Plus with a 250 Verado.


After some serious deliberation, we decided to stick with our original order.  We had already went $1k above our budge originally, and so this would have really blown up our price.  Had it been an option when we first ordered, we would have likely cut out other options to fit this in.  But it wasn't, so we didn't.  


Based on what many of you have said that have 200hp SPS set ups now, we are confident we will be very pleased saving the money and sticking with that set up.  Thanks for the advice and helping me feel good about saving the $.
 
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