Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

I am getting ready to buy my first boat, well other than a jon boat. We are going to be using the boat mainly for fishing but will probably pull a tuber from time to time as well. I am going to keep the boat in slip. I am torn between a Bennington 20sf and a Suntracker 24 DLX. The Bennington has a 90 HP motor and the Suntracker a 115hp. The cost is about the same on both boats. Most of the time it will probably be just 3 of us on the boat. I see advantages and disadvantages to both. Since this is a pretty big purchase I do not want to regret it. What is your opinion?

I don't think you would regret either, unless down the road you out grow the 20'er. I believe the 24dlx is actually a 26'er. thats a big ass toon, if you grow out of that you'll need a yacht next. will you be trailering it around or just left at the lake? also I think you'll here from every one that you will be happier with the larger motor. A six food larger deck is a big difference for the same price. Good luck!

The plan is to not trailer it much at all. At first I am not even going to buy a trailer. I too really like the idea of having a longer deck. Thanks for the help. For 3k more I could step up to the 150hp but I do not think I will need that much HP, thoughts??

if you can afford it get the bigger motor, later you will wish you had.don't know where you will be boating so as far as size of boat can't say

Go with the 24'...if you have any kind of big waves on your lake you will not regret it. That extra length just glides over the big waves. I was debating this myself before pulling the trigger on a 24 footer...which is actually just under 26'. I don't know about the layouts you are looking at, but my boat has an extended deck in front and back which is great for docking and works well for fishing also.

r&s20 wrote:if you can afford it get the bigger motor, later you will wish you had.don't know where you will be boating so as far as size of boat can't say

This

I am partial to SunTrackers and if you can get a longer deck and more HP for the same money, I think you answered your own question.
Happy 'tooning.

One of the oldest axioms in boating,"Nothing Beats Feet"......
I've never heard anyone say,"I wish I'd gotten the smaller engine....."

On that basis if you can afgford it buy the bigger toon with the bigger motor you won't regret it.

When I was shopping for toons, I went to the boat show and shopped around. The boat business has still not recovered since the crash of 2008, and this is a competitive business. I was especially taken by the quality of Bennington, Manitou, Harris and Premier boats. There were also some other boats that're also nice.

Suntracker has their one price, no haggle method of marketing. I didn't like that they were most often advertised with low horsepower motors to hook the purchaser--then they threw in a larger engine option, very expensive preparation fees and freight to the dealership.

I preferred to do business with a dealership that was free to compete for my business with a fair price. I found my Bennington 24SSLX with a 150 hp Yamaha to be about $1500 cheaper than the comparable Suntracker. And I knew that the dealer I was dealing with makes a fair profit.

In other words, the Bennington dealer you've received a price quotation probably can sell that boat at a much lower price--simply put. You should check around with other Bennington dealers on Boattrader.com. Their S series boat is completely competitive with any other boat on the retail market. And their quality, warranty and resale value is absolutely top of the heap.

As far as not buying a trailer: Go ahead and spring for one now. I didn't have a trailer on my old pontoon boat, and I would have taken far better care of it mechanically had I had one. And a trailer opens you up to the pleasure of going to other lakes.

mspell wrote:I am getting ready to buy my first boat, well other than a jon boat. We are going to be using the boat mainly for fishing but will probably pull a tuber from time to time as well. I am going to keep the boat in slip. I am torn between a Bennington 20sf and a Suntracker 24 DLX. The Bennington has a 90 HP motor and the Suntracker a 115hp. The cost is about the same on both boats. Most of the time it will probably be just 3 of us on the boat. I see advantages and disadvantages to both. Since this is a pretty big purchase I do not want to regret it. What is your opinion?

I don't think you would go wrong with either boat... now having said that I have a bennington 20 sfi, and it's rigged for fishing with 3 point fishing seats / live well.... bought it new in 2010 and havent had any issues with it.. but I also have friends that have suntrackers and they love it... The suntracker I'm assuming will weigh a little more then the benny, and that will negate a little bit of your added horsepower, not much but a little... also I believe the 24 dxl has a 30 or 32 gal fuel tank.... that's 8 to 10 gal. larger then the benny fuel tank... longer time between fill ups.... Man, I'd be happy with either boat.. go with you gut.

Thanks for all the great tips. I am still undecided. Much of my decision will come down to how much the Bennington dealer will come off of his price. How much do you think I should ask him to back off the price? I do realize that this is the worst time of year to buy a boat but I am going to do it anyway. The kids and I are looking forward to building a bunch of great memories on the water. My wife recently passed away and this is one way for us to out and enjoy life in her honor.

I'd have to agree with Bama on the fact that suntracker rapes you on the set up fee's, your benny dealer may deal. I couldn't get them to up here so i walked away but give it a shot.

mspell wrote:Thanks for all the great tips. I am still undecided. Much of my decision will come down to how much the Bennington dealer will come off of his price. How much do you think I should ask him to back off the price? I do realize that this is the worst time of year to buy a boat but I am going to do it anyway. The kids and I are looking forward to building a bunch of great memories on the water. My wife recently passed away and this is one way for us to out and enjoy life in her honor.

So sorry to hear about your wife. I did the same thing after mine passed away (10 years ago).

One thing you need to consider between the two boats you have selected is that while the suntracker has a larger motor it is also a much bigger boat. Perfromance wise that 25 HP is not going to buy you much. In fact the bigger boat with the 115 may be slower than the smaller boat with the 90.

If you go with the bigger boat, get at least a 150HP with power assist steering.

You and your kids will love being out on the water. have them bring lots of friends and fill your summer with laughter.

mspell wrote:.....Much of my decision will come down to how much the Bennington dealer will come off of his price.....

First, I am so very sorry about your wife.

Next.....

1 - are you dealing with Bass Pro or a Sun Tracker dealer? That can influence your decision (from a service standpoint). When I looked at Sun Tracker at Bass Pro it was a joke. The units were dirty, they had to call a guy over from hunting to tell me about the boat (and I knew more about the boat than that guy), and my friend had horrible dealings with their service department. Of course, that is with the local Bass Pro so your mileage may vary.

2 - In general, I would keep pricing close to my vest when speaking with dealers but in the case of comparing manufacturers, I would show the Bennington dealer the specs and price from Sun Tracker and let him sell you on the difference. Make sure you are comparing apples to apples and ask what kind of further discount may be available for the Bennington (and he may tell you to pound rocks).

On the surface (based on what you described) the Sun Tracker is the better deal but I am not convinced you are comparing apples to apples - yet.

Also, get a FINAL out the door price from both dealers.

So very sorry about your wife.

Let me add my sympathy for your wife.

As far as Sun Tracker's no haggle price, if you are working with a local dealer
you can probably get them to throw in some extras since they can't come down
on the price. I doubt that Bass Pro will do that. My dealer gave us an extra battery
and cables, life jackets, paddle, dock lines. Also, we didn't buy a trailer, the dealer
picks up and delivers our boat for service at no charge.