Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Soonertoon wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 05, 2018 1:08 pm

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.

What brands would you say may actually be better? What are the top pontoon boat brands?

photonfanatic wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 10, 2018 6:47 pm

Soonertoon wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 05, 2018 1:08 pm

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.

What brands would you say may actually be better? What are the top pontoon boat brands?

Wont say better but Premier, Crest, G3, Avalon all make damned fine boats.

Too difficult to say which one is actually top dog?

For example in the automotive world, its Toyota for cars. Hands down, they win and their resale value reflects it. I want to make sure that when I buy another boat, I buy topmost quality.

My favorite brands are Bennington, Manitou, Harris and Premier. But there are another dozen companies I would be proud to own boats from.

Quality difference is often in the welding, seats and fencing. But styling, floorplans, availability and A quality dealer base is also important. Honestly, few warranty claims are required on pontlons, and they have a long,.long lifespan of kept dry and out of the weather.

My boat is a Bennington S series. I have no idea how any company can put out 4 trim levels and 5 different hull lengths in 100+ seating configurations with 4 engine manufacturers. Coordination in getting toons made with parts and seating to come together at the same day must be like walking a tightrope a hurricane. Their execution is why Bennington is #1 in a very competitive business--and why the two founding families sold to Polaris this month for $805 million.

Note: I was at my Bennington dealer yesterday. They had a R model tritoon in the showroom with a raised helm, extended rear end and double lounges in the rear. The upholstery was nicer than any luxury car I have ever seen, and it put my S model interior to shame. And Bennington has one model that is even nicer--the Q series.

In general pontoon boats are very simple vessels that are pretty similar in performance and appearance regardless of brand when comparing comparable price points. Construction methods, things like locking nuts and bolts versus self tapping screws to hold the floor to the crossmembers, will make a difference in the long term, as will the quality of the materials used.

As I've said before, pick the dealer FIRST, then pick the boat. The best built boat with the nicest interior and every whistle and bell becomes a giant PIA if it sits at a crappy dealer for a month or more during peak season while they wait for a $10 dollar part, or when they change your oil and you can see how they transferred all the grease and oil from their shop floor to the floor of your boat because they didn't wear protective booties on their shoes.

Lots of fine brands have been mentioned. If you're going to drop the coin for a top tier boat, you may want to wait until the next round of boat shows. I looked over the fit and finish of a lot of pontoon before making my final decision. Keep an eye out for "on the water" sales weekends by certain dealers. A short test run on the lake tells you a lot.

Dealer influence made a difference because I had 3 dealers for Harris near all the places I boated.