Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

About to buy pontoon/tritoon.

USE: Wife and I cruise lake and occasionally pull our 17 year old on tube. Want to be able to give him a good ride but we only have a few more short summers with him, then it's just the 2 of cruising around. We will be on an open part of the lake that may have a few more waves than the channels.
LAYOUT: Wife wants Dual Helm Captain chairs so she sits beside me, not behind or in front of me while driving.
NEW/USED: We would like something for this summer (few left with our son). Finding a good used boat with the layout we prefer is challenging and I know this isn't the best time of the year to buy so we are ok with buying new to get what we want.
SIZE: We've been told conflicting info here. Some say 20' or above will be fine. Other say go 22' or above. What say you?
PONTOON or TRITOON: We've been told conflicting info here as well. Some say for the 20-30 times over the next few short years that we will be pulling our son on a tube that a PONTOON will suffice. Others say PONTOON is not going to turn well enough to give him a good ride. (He is 17 years old, so dad can't give a lame ride... ) We've also been told that the TRITOON will be better for open water. We've also been told we need the aluminum under skinning to keep the waves from "jarring" the boat when we go across them and the TRITOON comes with the under skinning.
BRAND / MODEL:
We are trying to stay local. We've eliminated some dealers just because we couldn't get any help. So we've narrowed down to 2 boat models we like and I'd like your opinion.
STARCRAFT - Pontoon: EX 22R w YAMAHA 115hp = $30k or Tritoon: SLS-3 w YAMAHA 150hp = $39k
BENNINGTON - Pontoon: 22SSRX w YAMAHA 115hp = $36k or Tritoon: 22SSRX w YAMAHA 150hp = $45k

The STARCRAFT SLS-3 checks off a lot of boxes on features and the color really appeals to us.
HOWEVER, we read that BENNINGTON is a premier manufacturer.
This is a lot of money either way so we want to make a good decision.
Thanks in advance for your advice.

I would go with tri-toon with 150 ob and full underskin, it will ride awesome and smooth and be fast enough for pulling him

Welcome aboard

Both nice boats, One thing I know is those S3's run big, There actually almost 24' which would be the best size for rough open water, But the Benny is a great boat. Either way I'd go with the 150HP but I'm a little surprised they both go up 9 grand to go from the 115 up to it. Absolutely go with the tri-toon. the kids friend will stay interested and you want have to upgrade when you have grandchildren. Unless you want to.

Any preference to BRAND? We like the look and features of the STARCRAFT but like the quality of the BENNINGTON. BENNINGTON is higher price.

Bennington is, in general a better built boat, but that doesn't mean the Starcraft isn't a very nice boat, It is. Personally I like the style of the S3 better so with the $ difference I would chose the S3, but others would obviously prefer the Benny so it's really a personal preference.

Bennington dealer worked hard to earn my business and came within $2k of the StarCraft and gave us $1000 in accessories free (life jackets, anchors, ropes, etc...). I purchased the 2018 Bennington 22 SSRX w 150hp still in shrink-wrap from factory. Going to have ready for inspection and pick up this Thursday.

Nice, Congratulations. You will love it.

Congrats

Post some pictures and let us know about your adventures
What lake will be "home"?

Lake Keowee in South Carolina. Will post pics when I receive.
Wish it would have had 2 things; upgraded Kicker Stereo and Extended Rear Deck but we can't have everything in life. lol

Welcome to the club.
Enjoy your new ride.

Congratulations on your new Bennington!

Based on the fact that there's only about 7 hours elapsed time from your original post and your post telling us what you bought, it's pretty obvious you were going to (or already had bought) buy the Bennington before you started the thread!

We all like to get validation that we're making the right decision, so I hoped you got that! LOL

For those of you who might read this thread later, my advice is to pick the dealer, then pick the boat! Good service and support can make or break your boating experience regardless of brand!

steve1313 wrote: ↑

Mon May 21, 2018 3:35 am

Congratulations on your new Bennington!

Based on the fact that there's only about 7 hours elapsed time from your original post and your post telling us what you bought, it's pretty obvious you were going to (or already had bought) buy the Bennington before you started the thread!

We all like to get validation that we're making the right decision, so I hoped you got that! LOL

For those of you who might read this thread later, my advice is to pick the dealer, then pick the boat! Good service and support can make or break your boating experience regardless of brand!

Good advice to all, Steve. I admit I was hot on the trail... 7 hours is like an eternity!!!! I decided to make another trip to the dealer and they knew I was looking hard so they "made me an offer, I couldn't refuse".

My wife says I research stuff to death. It's a sickness I have. I envy those that can just know what they want and just get it. I belabor it, lose sleep over it and then question it after I've done it. lol. Therapy Session anyone????

Well hell,m I was gonna say to check out the G3 Suncatchers made by Yamaha but you already bought the Bennington . Congrats.

ron nh wrote: ↑

Sat May 19, 2018 9:54 am

Bennington is, in general a better built boat, but that doesn't mean the Starcraft isn't a very nice boat, It is. Personally I like the style of the S3 better so with the $ difference I would chose the S3, but others would obviously prefer the Benny so it's really a personal preference.

Would you say the Benninton is the best built boat? Or maybe there is another company that is better?

Best Built is subjective. Bennington does make a damned fine boat. As good as they are at building boats, the one thing they are much better at is MARKETING. Much like Harley Davidson they marketed their way to top of mind status. There are other makers that produce as good or "better built" boat that Bennington. However going back to the marketing aspect, they have placed themselves squarely in the top of mind category thru their marketing efforts.
Yea, they make a good boat but they aren't the only ones that do . Not sure their is a best brand as each have things they do better than others.