Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

Anyone have a newer Bently? wondering what you think of it, I know they've had many problems in the past how are they are now? The website doesn't give much info on construction. the dealer is 1 1/2 hr each way I don't want to go if they haven't changed much. I have a few months before I have to order for spring, I've looked at almost every make and think I know what I'm buying but I might as well check em all while I have the time. thanks.

Bentley was a company that had its share of management problems--and bankruptcy. And out of the ashes came a new company--Bentley Encore--out of the Columbia, South Carolina area.

They appear to be a mid line pontoon boat line. I have not heard any complaints in their new life. My biggest complaint with them was their painted fencing tubing was just not attractive. It's unknown if they're still painting the fencing, but they'd look much better with plain anodized square tubing.

I don't know what type hull and motor you're going to order. I always suggest the biggest engine they'll handle--or biggest you can afford. And if you're going 115 hp or larger, go for lifting strakes and underskinning--preferably tritoons.

Check with the dealer to see if Encore's offering any freebies on their Fall ordering for 2015 models. Manufacturers also throw around sales incentives and free options often on boats sold at the big city boat shows in January and February. I personally would wait a while later to order the boat, as you don't want the warranty to start until you're ready to use the boat--i.e. in the Spring.

Thanks for the info, they are good looking boats" online anyway". The northeast boat show is in Boston early feb, I'm trying to see all I can prior to the show.and exactly like you said I'd like to order to receive it just before ice out.thanks again.

I suggest you look at many of the popular brands and visit different dealers. You'll find a dealer willing to compete for your business with a fair price.

And don't shy away from the luxury brands who even have "budget" models that are priced like cheaper brands that are perfectly nice. There must be a dozen brands I'd be perfectly happy with.

Bamaman wrote:I suggest you look at many of the popular brands and visit different dealers. You'll find a dealer willing to compete for your business with a fair price.

And don't shy away from the luxury brands who even have "budget" models that are priced like cheaper brands that are perfectly nice. There must be a dozen brands I'd be perfectly happy with.

Gotta agree with you here Bama..... My 2010 Benny is no where hear a 40 or 50 K boat.... but I've had it now going on 4 years and haven't had one lick of trouble..... I wouldn't have any trouble recommending my entry level toon to someone looking for a boat... just know what and how you plan to use your boat for and buy accordingly... JMO

My wife and I purchased a 24ft 2015 Bentley 243 (tritoon) in August and we love the boat. I put a 150hp Mercury 4 stroke on the back and it gets up and goes. The construction on it seems solid and we got a great deal from the local dealer. Since we bought the tri-toon version it came with hydraulic steering and the under skin which is an added bonus. I got the dealer to include (for no extra cost) the upgraded captain's chair, live well, ski/tow bar, dual batteries and a few other things. We've had 9 adults on the boat and there's plenty of room to add a few more. We got the boat, motor and trailer for 30K which was well below the cost of some of the bigger brands out there.

I did a lot of research about the company and they did have financial problems years ago...seems the original founders came back and took over the company. Can I see 10 or 20 thousand difference between our boat and some of the others on the market, not at all.

I have some pics posted here on the site of the boat....everyone who's seen it in person makes comments on how nice it looks.

wow Navyguy thats a great price. thats exactly the size I'm looking at. I need a fish/cruise model, though all companies make em I like some layouts better than others. our local benny dealer has given me some awful prices so if I buy one it will have to be from another state.we don't have sales tax in NH and all surrounding states do, so i'd have to finagle that as well but no doubt their as good as boat build as I've seen. there's not many companies that build 16 on center thats really wear it all starts.thanks again.

just reread your post Navyguy I'm looking for a 20'er. 24' for that price with trailer and a 150 is the best price I've seen by far.

During the summer my wife and I bought a new 2013 Bentley 220. Yes, New in 2014. We looked around at different dealers in many states until we found this deal. It pays to shop around as ventricles not have a MSRP like many brands. We saved over 12k by purchasing from a Texas dealer and shipping it to California.
That said, we also looked at many brands. I saw nothing as a red flag. I also saw nothing that made me want to spend an extra 15k for a name brand. We got our boat, motor, trailer and shipping to California for less then 20k. Yep, less than 20k.
So far we love our bently and have had No problems at all.
Had a custom cover made, getting a front bimini'm I made now..soon I will be sending my 90hp computer in for refreshing and becoming a 115hp.
Give them a look but shop around.

My local dealer wanted 3K more that a dealer a few hours away. Plus that other dealer was going to throw in all of the extra stuff for the same price. So I went back to my local dealer with a printout of what I could get and the out the door price and they finally matched it....so for a few hours of work, it saved us thousands of dollars.....hope you get the boat at a great price.

Mike

Forgot to add.....the local dealer jerked around a bit getting the order in...my original order was for a 2014 boat....by the time Bentley built it, they were building the 2015's so we got a 2015 instead, so we were lucky in that aspect.

ron nh wrote:just reread your post Navyguy I'm looking for a 20'er. 24' for that price with trailer and a 150 is the best price I've seen by far.

ron nh wrote:wow Navyguy thats a great price. thats exactly the size I'm looking at. I need a fish/cruise model, though all companies make em I like some layouts better than others. our local benny dealer has given me some awful prices so if I buy one it will have to be from another state.we don't have sales tax in NH and all surrounding states do, so i'd have to finagle that as well but no doubt their as good as boat build as I've seen. there's not many companies that build 16 on center thats really wear it all starts.thanks again.

Navyguy.. that does sound like a good price.. congratulations and good for you!!!!

ron nh.... just to give you something to compare any deals you may come across... we've got a 20 foot bennington fishing model. Motor is a Yamaha 75 four stroke... boat / motor / trailer, otd was just under 21K... that was 4 years ago.

Hey Roland, thats great by todays standards as well. That exact boat you own I got a quote of $30,000 same model and motor,see why I need to go out of state?