Bennington or Harris

[New2Toon]

We have been researching pontoons for some time now, and have narrowed our search to Bennington and Harris. Either a 22’ or 24’ with a 200 and performance packages. Will be attending the boat show this weekend and appreciate any input regarding pros/cons with these 2 brands, as well as the Yamahas (Bennington) or Mercurys (Harris) that are typically offered on each.

[zoom650]

They are both great boats.

Pick the one the wife likes.

[Bryden24shp]

They are all pretty nice now days! What I always for are the things that most people never see on the show room floor. Open up the helm and look for plywood backer boards holding the hinges in place and gauges in. The plywood can split and break loose, causing things to loosen up and rattle. I like nice and neat installations with aluminum or at least fiberglass bonded reinforcements. I check the wiring looms, make sure they are tight and secure. Look inside the seats, are there sharp fiberglass chards from chopper guns that will scrape or cut hands when reaching into tight places? Look through the hats mounting the pontoons to the hull. Are there missing bolts, nuts and washers? I have found nuts and boats laying inside the hats before. Ski lockers and sealed transoms need bilge pumps, make sure they are there. Are the nosecones reinforced to endure beaching? Hit the Bennington and Harris forums and see what owners like and dislike about them. All boats can be made to look great! But you need to look around all the cool gadgets and interiors to actually see how well a boat is made. If you see one thing that raises an eyebrow, you'll probably find more. Take your time and have fun exploring, I hit boat shows and think of it as a game to see what I find wrong and how manufacturers hide it. And I'm not afraid to point it out to the reps if its gonna cause a problem. They should thank you for catching it. I'm damaged.... I know!
The wife plays a huge part, too. I taught Denise how to run all of our boats, but a few have had been too intimidating for her to enjoy driving. Make sure she is going to be comfortable driving it, just in case something happens and you can't drive. HAPPY WIFE MAKES FOR A HAPPY LIFE is true...
Have fun on your quest!

[BobL]

You cannot go wrong with either manufacturer. Aside from the sage advice regarding your wife and her choice, I will add to buy from a known reputable dealer. How long have the dealers been in business and do they have a good reputation. Maybe post the name of the dealers on here and someone may have personal experience with them or they may know someone that does.

While there are not a lot of things that can go wrong in these boats and both brands you are considering are top notch, a bad dealer can make your boating experience unpleasant.

[mpilot]

If you have a Cypress Cay dealer check them out too. They are Harris's sister company and offer some cheaper models but you can get one with Harris options a lot cheaper. They are identical from the deck down. Ours has the harris quilted interior in it and love it. If you custom order a Harris or Cypress Cay expect around 12 weeks for delivery no matter what the dealer tells you.

[ROLAND]

[quote="New2Toon"]We have been researching pontoons for some time now, and have narrowed our search to Bennington and Harris. Either a 22’ or 24’ with a 200 and performance packages. Will be attending the boat show this weekend and appreciate any input regarding pros/cons with these 2 brands, as well as the Yamahas (Bennington) or Mercurys (Harris) that are typically offered on each.[/quote]

Both are good choices... just head to that boat show, check out the various floor plans and prices and go from there.... I will say this... If I were you I wouldn't make my decision while I was standing next to the boat... for me at least, every time I've purchased for example, a new car... I always get away from it for awhile... don't want the scent of that New car leather helping to persuade my decision... usually the next morning when I wake up, the more "reasonable" Roland wakes up and makes a decision... Now if theres one at the boat show that you and your family just fall in love with and you can get it for a price you agree with, then tow that sucker home and then put some pictures up here for us to see... good luck boat shopping and like i said, both of those choices are good, you won't go wrong with either.

[mpilot]

The above poster is right. We planned on two days at the boat show. After the first we went home and narrowed it down to what we wanted and a final 4 boats. The next day we went prepared and had them compare apples to apples as best we could. For us we knew we wanted a true tritoon (not partial third toon) with full enclose, a 150hp, changing room, center walkthrough, etc. We went back to the dealers the next day and had them price out as close to identical boats as possible even if they didn't have them on the lot. It really helped us sort through the crap that you see at the boat show like their "deals" which may or may not be options you want.

[New2Toon]

Thanks to each of you for the responses. I usually inspect a purchase thoroughly, but with this being our first pontoon, I was unsure what I should be looking for. Thanks Bryden24shp for the specifics. Our final decision will not be made until after a lake test, and then I’ll have a chance to inspect the undersides while the boats are on a trailer - the show displays make it almost impossible.

[Bamaman]

You're smart to research your purchase closely. But I assure you that all pontoon boats are not created equal. My favorite brands remain Bennington, Premier, Manitou and Harris. But there are a dozen other brands I'd be proud to own.

Bennington remains the market leader (in sales) and only one of two major manufacturers that are experiencing increasing sales. The other company's boats look good, but they're just not up to the quality standards of Bennington. Differences are not always visible.

I honestly don't know how the pontoon industry makes so many boat lengths, trim levels and seating combinations. And I don't know how all of the components come together the same time for assembly. There again, filling up production slots 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year--and still delivering a retail order in 6 weeks--must be difficult.

And I just hate to think how many ounces of beer must be consumed to smelt tons and tons of aluminum cans that's rolled into sheeting so these boats can be made.

It's a logistic business, obviously.

Happy hunting on your boat search. I bought mine without ever running it, and have been completely happpy with its performance.

[ROLAND]

[quote="Bamaman"]You're smart to research your purchase closely. But I assure you that all pontoon boats are not created equal. My favorite brands remain Bennington, Premier, Manitou and Harris. But there are a dozen other brands I'd be proud to own.
I bought mine without ever running it, and have been completely happpy with its performance.[/quote]

Same here Bama... I was about 1 hour away from going to a dealership in east texas and buying a G3 pontoon.... we had also been looking at a few bass rigs at a dealership here in town, but with my size and previously broken leg, I just wasn't comfortable in the bass boats for any length of time... just before I got in the car to go buy that g3 in east texas, the local bennington dealer called... as it turns out, the general manager of the dealership used to be the little kid that lived across the street from me and played basketball in my driveway for several years... anyway he said come down to the dealership, bennington is coming out with a new line ( s series ) and I can make you a good deal... no actual boat to see, but I did see some pics and there were a few modifications we made, but I ended up buying the boat sight unseen.... I was a little worried about that, but I put my trust into the "neighbor kid" and I wasn't disappointed... loved it at first sight and have been very happy with it ever since.

[captain28570]

What HP and what kinda speeds you see? I'm debating on a pontoon or tritoon.


[quote="ROLAND"][quote="Bamaman"]You're smart to research your purchase closely. But I assure you that all pontoon boats are not created equal. My favorite brands remain Bennington, Premier, Manitou and Harris. But there are a dozen other brands I'd be proud to own.
I bought mine without ever running it, and have been completely happpy with its performance.[/quote]

Same here Bama... I was about 1 hour away from going to a dealership in east texas and buying a G3 pontoon.... we had also been looking at a few bass rigs at a dealership here in town, but with my size and previously broken leg, I just wasn't comfortable in the bass boats for any length of time... just before I got in the car to go buy that g3 in east texas, the local bennington dealer called... as it turns out, the general manager of the dealership used to be the little kid that lived across the street from me and played basketball in my driveway for several years... anyway he said come down to the dealership, bennington is coming out with a new line ( s series ) and I can make you a good deal... no actual boat to see, but I did see some pics and there were a few modifications we made, but I ended up buying the boat sight unseen.... I was a little worried about that, but I put my trust into the "neighbor kid" and I wasn't disappointed... loved it at first sight and have been very happy with it ever since.[/quote]

[ROLAND]

[quote="captain28570"]What HP and what kinda speeds you see? I'm debating on a pontoon or tritoon.


[/quote][/quote]

My 20 foot bennington has a 75 hp Yamaha and when she was knew, under perfectly still lake conditions, she would run at 24 mph wide open.... now that she's 7 years old and the toon's could use a little cleaning, she will top out at 22 or so.... if the lake is like glass, 23 mph....

[captain28570]

Ok thanks. So you pretty much have to run close to WOT to achieve upper teens for speed. Would like to cruise around 25 mph without running a motor so hard. Looking at a 21 Manitou triton VP with a 150HO Etec G2 . Thinking that should run mid 20's with no problems.

[quote="ROLAND"][quote="captain28570"]What HP and what kinda speeds you see? I'm debating on a pontoon or tritoon.


[/quote][/quote]

My 20 foot bennington has a 75 hp Yamaha and when she was knew, under perfectly still lake conditions, she would run at 24 mph wide open.... now that she's 7 years old and the toon's could use a little cleaning, she will top out at 22 or so.... if the lake is like glass, 23 mph....[/quote]

[ron nh]

You'll be flying around the lake with that set up. A smallish Manitou tri-toon with a 150HP. OH YEA!

[Bamaman]

Go with the tritoon and 150 hp. You should be right at 40 mph--plus or minus a couple. Compare them with 2 toon boats, and that combination is just in another world performance wise.

The VP Manitou is their most popular model now--compromise between speed and comfort.