Sweetwater, Bennington or Manitou?

[ZeroG]

I'm looking at all three.

All look NICE.
Sweetwater under deck is not covered. Sales guy said it is guaranteed for life to be okay or will be replaced free ...a closed under deck could cause moisture to be trapped and cause mildew. You thoughts please.

[steve1313]

All three are nice, and all three are available in a wide variety of options that can lesser the price or make it super expensive.

My Sweetwater Tritoon has the under skinning, albeit it not in the first couple of feet in the front of the boat. Are you looking at a pontoon or tritoon?

The biggest advantage of the under skinning is it stops water passing underneath from hitting the crossmembers, which can cause your boat to surge and slow as water pushes up against the cross members.

[ZeroG]

Ahhh good info. Thank you Steve.

[ROLAND]

all 3 are good boats. I don't think you would go wrong with any of the 3. I've only owned one pontoon, and that's a Bennington.. This is my 10th season with it and I haven't had hardly a lick of trouble. I think the only issue I had was there was a problem with the trim motor on the yamaha.. Cost me a little under 300 to have repaired.. and that was on the outboard, not the pontoon. LIke I said, you can't go wrong with any of those 3 manufacturers. Good luck with it.

[Bryden24shp]

I'm partial to Manitou, for personal reasons. However, since they are owned by BRP, and the previous family management that I worked with is no longer present, makes me a little skeptical, I'm sure they still strive to build the best, but what pencils were sharpened to meet BRP's budget? Next, I was told that E-tec was dropped due to "engineering flaws"----really? If BRP is trimming the fat to be profitable, what is Manitou's fate for the future. I am a die hard Manitou guy, but, I have to question BRP's integrity on this one. I wish the Van Wagenens would have never sold to BRP. I relished the family owned aspect of the business.

[ZeroG]

Well, I shopped and found one I really like. A Manitou 25 SES.

I am not up on BRP buying them and what impact that might have. I like was I saw underneath how it was put together. Loved how it handled. Tired of shopping ready for some boating.

Amp and sub woofer being added to kicker stereo system and battery trickle charger being added ...then I'll pick it up next week.

Thanks for all input guys.

[Bryden24shp]

You won't be disappointed in the performance! They handle like a Vette! Trim it up and let it go!