Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Hello everyone,

I am about to order a pontoon boat ( benni ) from a dealer in Harrisonville MO. ( Midwest marine ), I looked them up on the web but only found 1 bad and 2 good reviews. the boat is going to be a lot of $$$ so was just wondering anyone here know of them and there reputation?

PS. I am not from MO. and doing all this via email and the phone and so far the only sales person there has been very nice and informative.

Also i contacted Benni. and they said that they would not be able to provide me info. as to if a

cncmaster wrote:Hello everyone,

I am about to order a pontoon boat ( benni ) from a dealer in Harrisonville MO. ( Midwest marine ), I looked them up on the web but only found 1 bad and 2 good reviews. the boat is going to be a lot of $$$ so was just wondering anyone here know of them and there reputation?

PS. I am not from MO. and doing all this via email and the phone and so far the only sales person there has been very nice and informative.

Also i contacted Benni. and they said that they would not be able to provide me info. as to if a

Well I guess if you want to follow up on the dealer, i would contact the better business bureau and see if there are any complaints against them. You might want to check with the chamber of commerce as well. As for the manufacturer, Bennington has a very good reputation. Curious as to why you don't try to make a deal with a dealership closer to where you live? Unless your one of those "fix it myself" guys ( and there are alot of them here on this forum ) you're going to need a bennington dealer should you have any warranty related issues in the future. Just something to think about.

Midwest is a decent dealer from what I have heard. Maybe oldpharte looked at them on his toon hunt, he should be around shortly. I know they turn their toons over alot they always have different ones on their lot when I pass it on the way to our place on Truman. They have a few for sell on Craigslist which one you gettin they are all sweet ass toons if I had the cash I would definetly uprade with one of those.

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/boa/2087392638.html

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/boa/2085866028.html

Thanks Roland i will check.

As to why not get it from a dealer near by?
I went to themn with a purchase order and told them that i would much rather get it from a local dealer for good reasons.
and was willing to pay 1-2 k more.They cam in at about $10k more on the same boat same optiones.

Sorry, never heard of 'em until now.

I did my 'toon hunt at the lake where I do all of my boating. Since we didn't want to fool around (and make a fool out of me) with a trailer, I needed someone either on or close to the water. For me, it came down to the dealer rather than the 'toon since so many 'toons were close as to fit/finish/etc. Although, we eliminated one when I spotted some furniture trim coming loose just from sitting on the lot.

Like others have said I would do a search for any complaints that may have been filed. Personally, the BBB is a joke and proven to give good ratings to bum companies, if they buy a premium membership.

A question - Are you going to drive back to the dealer for warranty work? If so, and ya feel good with Midwest then have a ball. Perhaps a buddy with you to look over the new ride with a real critical eye. If something ain't right have them fix it right then and there.

are any of these manufacturers starting to sell direct?
so many dealers are used car salesmen at best.
and buying from someone far away, it's not like your
decision is based on their screwjob, i mean service, department.

i know when my buddy bought a toon away from bismarck he saved almost 5k. he told the benni dealer in town to see if they could match the price they said no. and good luck getting it serviced in town. funny he goes to the competition to sevice it no probs. o and the company he bought it from tansported it 100 miles free delivery very nice. mined i went to thew dealer and no problems did bring ther story up but mine was 2k cheaper funny how prices vary year to year. i think mine was cheaper as they had a few rigged the same way think bulk pricing

From my experience sales and service are two separate things. Service is a profit center and they are more than happy to work on your boat, no matter where you bought it.
I think it is a lot more important that you find a service department you like than a salesman. Just remember they are two separate things

GregF wrote:From my experience sales and service are two separate things. Service is a profit center and they are more than happy to work on your boat, no matter where you bought it.

You ain't kidding there Greg.... at 100 bucks an hour labor, I'm sure they don't care where you bought it... just unhook it in the parking lot and we'll call you when the bill's, uh, I mean your boat's ready.......

Thanks all,
I really would have gone with my local dealer for $2k more but $10k no way.

Another thing i am getting an I/O 260HP.mercruser for $1500 more hell upgrade me to 300 HP.
What do you guys think should i? and is it true that the I/O is actually quieter?
ps its the bravo3 counter rotating dual prop and the exhaust is from the out drive.

Thanks again

I/Os are not great if you are leaving your boat in the water. If this is on a trailer or a lift they have their virtues but I still prefer the 4 stroke outboard.

Both of my boats are Mercruiser I/Os, never had any issues with either one of them, and yes they are quieter than outboards. Maintenance is a lot harder (cramped as everything is below deck, but Mercruiser has improved things with it's quick drain oil, manifold and block drains) and you'll have to winterize if you are in an area that drops below freezing for extended periods in winter.

I leave mine in the water April - Oct and never had a problem. BUT you want to maintain the drive, exhaust and shift cable boots as well as the anodes. An outboard can be raised completely out of the water, I/Os can't. So at the end of the season there's more clean up to do.

A hole in any of the boots will sink and v-hull boat quickly but on a pontoon the engine pod would just fill with water. Inspect every season and watch out for muskrats, they find drive boots tasty.

Excellent job of explaining why I like outboards

cncmaster wrote:Thanks all,
I really would have gone with my local dealer for $2k more but $10k no way.

Another thing i am getting an I/O 260HP.mercruser for $1500 more hell upgrade me to 300 HP.
What do you guys think should i? and is it true that the I/O is actually quieter?
ps its the bravo3 counter rotating dual prop and the exhaust is from the out drive.

Thanks again

Without a doubt ther I/O is quieter. I just sold a Four Winns 185 Hp and bought my toon with a 50 Johnson. Though it's a two stoke and they say the four stroke is much quieter.The I/O is much quieter though both are noisy. The I/O engine compartment was insulated too and that may have made a difference. I trailer-ed my 19 ft Horizon 190 Loaded and unloaded it always by myself and it was a breeze to do. You jiust had to learn how to do it and that was a breeze also.

GregF wrote:Excellent job of explaining why I like outboards

Yeah but I/O motors last many, many more hours than outboard powerheads do so you have to take the good with the bad points.