Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

I'm curious to hear about any poor quality issues with anyone's Bennington.

I just bought a 2011 24SLi with a 115 Yamaha and although the dealer was great, the boat quality is poor and the response from the manufactures is nonexistent. I’ve tried reaching out to Bennington on their web site twice documenting my concerns with quality but have not received a single call back. They obviously do not stand behind their product.

I’ve had my boat for 2 months and so far, the front seat stitching is coming loose on the lounger causing the seat to fall apart, the decals on the side of the boat are peeling off, the fuel gauge doesn’t work, the front door rattles and buzzes constantly, the playpen cover stitching is falling apart, the bimini cover is falling apart and the motor is squealing after 18 hours of use (And yes I did bring it in for the 10 hour service with 10.1 hours on the motor). I was also very careful not to run it wide open much to the chagrin of my children who wanted to tube behind it. I know this is a Yamaha issue but Bennington builds the boats with this motor.

I researched several other brands of pontoon but went with the Bennington because I was told by several people their construction quality was top notch. OK, the boat is constructed stronger than most other pontoons by having bolts instead of screws and the welds are done prior to any galvanizing, etc but if the company doesn’t stand behind this boat, they won’t stand behind your faulty boat either.

I completely understand that manufacturing will produce some bad apples, but I fully expect that manufacturer to correct any defects IMMEDIATELY and empathize with their customer. Bennington has failed to do this.

I bought the boat for summer fun and if I were to put it in the shop for warranty repairs I’d be boat-less for longer than I should be, given this is a new purchase.

I’ll add that the dealer will be resolving my issues this winter but the fact remains, Bennington has not responded to any of my concerns and because of this or until I get a call from them, my score on this boat is a big fat 2 out of 10.

You might want to also post your concerns/problems on the Bennington forum too,if you have not already done so. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. also on the Bennington Marine Facebook page.

The only problem we've had with ours is that the front gate does not fit down far enough into the holder, causing it to come open in rough water. There seems to be an issue with the way the gate was mounted. It can be fixed by moving the holder up the rail a bit, but I'm waiting until the end of the season to have the dealer fix it. I'm about 2 hours away from the dealer and don't have a trailer, so I'm willing to wait until they can get down here to take care of it. Other than a bimini top snap that the dealer forgot to put in, we've had no other issues.
Sorry to hear about all your problems. And I'm saddened to hear that Bennington won't address them. I just about sold a new Benni to someone who came by our dock admiring ours. I'm going to copy your comments and send them to my dealer and see what they have to say.

You could also join the iBoats forum and post your concerns there. I only say that as one of it's members 5150abf works for Bennington in the weld shop.

Maybe ya can get something done by in the back door.

Yes it is unfortunate that they won't respond. Its been well over a month on their web since my first inquiry and about 2 weeks since my 2nd. I took your advise and posted on their FB page today but I don't expect any calls. Once the boat is sold, they rely 100% ont he dealer which is sad.

The other issue I have is with their design of the double bimini. Whoever designed that front bracket did not think of the owner. You have to push down on the seat just to remove the pin and the pin is held in with a tiny little clip...on the lake side. I also have to bungee the front bimini to the boat when traileirng to stop it from flapping.

Easy fix. Make the rail braket about 6 inches higher. It will not only get the bimini out of my line of sight when on the lake, butit will make for a much easier time when I need that 2nd bimini. I'm talking to a guy this weekend to see if he can design one for me.

I'm also submitting the design to Bennington...not that they'll respond LOL

I took the liberty of copying your post and sent it to my dealership. I believe they are one of the larger dealers in the midwest and they have made several suggestions to Bennington which have been incorporated in future models. I'm not promising anything, but the more people who hear about this, the better.
I never thought that I would spend this much money for anything, especially something that's basically considered a luxury item and I damn well expect attention to legitimate issues such as you've laid out.

I've got a 2010 Bennington 20 Sfi with a yamaha 75 4 stroke... so far no problems... have had the boat about a year and a half.

ktchristie wrote:I'm curious to hear about any poor quality issues with anyone's Bennington.

I just bought a 2011 24SLi with a 115 Yamaha and although the dealer was great, the boat quality is poor and the response from the manufactures is nonexistent. I’ve tried reaching out to Bennington on their web site twice documenting my concerns with quality but have not received a single call back. They obviously do not stand behind their product.

I’ve had my boat for 2 months and so far, the front seat stitching is coming loose on the lounger causing the seat to fall apart, the decals on the side of the boat are peeling off, the fuel gauge doesn’t work, the front door rattles and buzzes constantly, the playpen cover stitching is falling apart, the bimini cover is falling apart and the motor is squealing after 18 hours of use (And yes I did bring it in for the 10 hour service with 10.1 hours on the motor). I was also very careful not to run it wide open much to the chagrin of my children who wanted to tube behind it. I know this is a Yamaha issue but Bennington builds the boats with this motor.

I researched several other brands of pontoon but went with the Bennington because I was told by several people their construction quality was top notch. OK, the boat is constructed stronger than most other pontoons by having bolts instead of screws and the welds are done prior to any galvanizing, etc but if the company doesn’t stand behind this boat, they won’t stand behind your faulty boat either.

I completely understand that manufacturing will produce some bad apples, but I fully expect that manufacturer to correct any defects IMMEDIATELY and empathize with their customer. Bennington has failed to do this.

I bought the boat for summer fun and if I were to put it in the shop for warranty repairs I’d be boat-less for longer than I should be, given this is a new purchase.

I’ll add that the dealer will be resolving my issues this winter but the fact remains, Bennington has not responded to any of my concerns and because of this or until I get a call from them, my score on this boat is a big fat 2 out of 10.

Bad guy here, the dealer is ready to take care of you right? You don't want to be with out boat I understand, but they can't fix it if you don't take it to them. What do you want from Bennington? A new boat? apology? or sorry about that?.
If you won't let your dealer have it till winter then I think your over reacting. Of course we only have your word on whats happening. I'm not accusing just wondering.

I had a few minor issues with my boat and they resolved all of them. I would just run the boat until end of season and then let them fix all of the teething problems. I was frustrated as well, but very happy now that my minor issues where fixed. Try calling them and speaking to customer service, I have had good results this way.

I copied your post and sent it to my dealer. He responded by saying (he had to have read the post I sent) that as you said, the dealer was prepared to take care of the issues at the end of the season and unless they couldn't be rectified that way, then you might have a complaint. I know, Bennington didn't reply to you directly and they probably should, but if the dealer will take care of it, it's taken care of, right?
Give the dealer an 8 for responding and Bennington a 2 for not, but make sure you come back when the issues are resolved and tell us how it all turned out.
My dealer guy thought that Bennington had probably been in touch with the dealer, but it would have been nice to get some feedback from them.

Yep was thinking the same thing. Got any indication Bennington may be talking to the dealer concerning these issues. They certainly should have sent you a cc or separate letter.
doc

Hi Scott Sorry to hear about the problems with your new boat. Bennington deals with warranty issues through there dealers. I had one issue with my new boat and the dealer took care of it when I took it in for service. I'm curious what do you expect Bennington to do? The dealer can't fix it until you take it to them. Why didn't you have them fix these issues when you had the service done? Even if Bennington would fix it at there factory it would take them a hell of alot longer than the dealer. Why don't you give them a chance instead of coming on these forums complaining because they will not do things your way. If you bought a new car who would fix it? I'll tell you who, the dealer.
I agree that you should not be having this many problems with a new boat, but i'm sure Bennington will stand behind there warranty if you give them a chance.

Steve

Scott,

Bennington builds some of the best pontoons in the business. I understand how frustrating it can be when things are not perfect. Bennington encourages you to work directly through your dealer. I would not expect you to hear from Bennington directly unless you have an issue with the dealer.

Scott, very sorry to hear about your problems. I know you're frustrated, it's summer and you just laid out some good dough on a "premium" pontoon.

I had about 20 hours on my Evinrude and the ignition coil shorted causing me to only run on 3 cylinders. Super pi$$ed as it happened (Murphy's Law) during my staycation.

I complained to my dealer (Long Island Marina, Lake Norman, NC) and raised hell and pushed it too far. He honored his word (rare in these days) and things were fixed quickly.

I bought my Bentley and people were telling me not to because of their horrible quality and reputation. My new 24' w/a 115 Evinrude cost me 21K w/tax out the door. I say this in a "good way": I'm happy my decision was a good one.

A pontoon is a pontoon. It's 2 aluminum lincoln logs with a sheet of plywood on top. The rest are bells and whistles and manufacturer overhead.

A Bennington is the "Cadillac" of pontoons and Bentley is the "Hyundai" of pontoons. No matter what "car" you buy, you run the risk of manufacturer defects and bad lots. And the Yamaha, as of recent, I've heard of so many horror stories of recent new owners.

As everyone else said; Bennington doesn't necessarily owe you anything directly. Push your dealer and/or live with your "nuances" until winter.

Every boat has its nuance. Nothing is perfect unfortunately. Too many variables.

I wish you luck, sincerely. Everything will work out just fine. Bennington is a great company and their dealers echo the same caliber.