Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

We (wife and I) have a 2013 South Bay 522CRTT with 2013 Yamaha F150. We’ve been relatively happy with the boat but know there are nicer boats available like the higher end Bennington. We were at a nearby lake this week boating and stopped to look at the 2014 Bennington pontoon boats. What a mistake or blessing depending on how you look at it. We are getting up there in age and figure we have between 5 to 10 years left to enjoy boating with our kids, grand kids, friends and other relatives. We decided it would be nice to move up to a Bennington 2375RL model equipped with ESP and most options they offer. Coupled with the above, the dealer gave us what I consider a very good deal. However, this dealer only handles Evinrude ETEC outboards so the boat is currently equipped with etec 225HO. I’m just not sure if it is a mistake to go with Evinrude etec as I know absolutely zero about it. So, I’m looking for input/experiences with the Evinrude etec outboards and especially the 225HO – good and/or bad. Thanks for any and all advice.

I was the same before I went from a Merc to E Tec. they are quite, lots of power and half the weight almost. Very economical fuel wise. I run mine on 100/1 so very little smoke and then only after extended idling.

In Spring 2010 I bought a new leftover 2009 Sylvan 22 pontoon with a 150 HP etec installed. This makes my fourth season with the boat and motor and the only problem the etc has had , is that it
had one injector go bad at the end of the first year, this was covered under warranty. The motor is always very quick to start, idles quietly , very quick to get my boat on plane ( have RPT tubes), not too bad on gas, I just love the motor. It came with a no maintaince at all for first three years, and I did nothing, not even lower unit oil. The three year maintaince cost me $400 plus , they installed plugs , new impellar, gas and oil filter, lower unit oil, ran diagnostic history. Plugs and impellar looked almost new when he gave me back the old parts.
Winterization is a snap, maybe 5 minutes tops at the ramp, just a little program you run with the throttle being in a certain position, it will run itself, fogging the engine with oil , and then
shutting itself off to tell you that it is through. I always treat my gas with 2plius4 beforehand ( this is a gas treatment etec reccommends), and I guess I will maybe at least check the lower unit
oil, if not change it out, every year now. Mine came with 3 year warranty, plus an extra two years if bought in a certain timeframe, which I did. I use XD 100 injector oil, it is a virtually smokeless
two stroke oil, I buy it in bulk from my dealer ( bring your own jug).
I had a V6 mercruiser inboard/outboard on a VIP boat before I got this pontoon, doing oil changes and winterization on it about killed my back ( have lots of back issues). I do really like this outboard and would buy another in a minute.
I know you are talking about a 250 etec , but hope this will help you a llittle.

Charlie

Don't sell yourself short Sunnyside. My parents were pontooning well into their 80's, and did pretty well.

Go with the Bennie, and don't look back. Any of the major outboard brands are plenty good.

We had to go with enough motor on our new Bennington, as there are 2 and 5 year old grandkids to jerk around on a tube. The other grandkids are 21, 22 and 27 years old.

We don't have time to get old.

lakerunner wrote:I was the same before I went from a Merc to E Tec. they are quite, lots of power and half the weight almost. Very economical fuel wise. I run mine on 100/1 so very little smoke and then only after extended idling.

Good to hear positive report from an etec owner. Thanks.

ArkieBoater wrote:In Spring 2010 I bought a new leftover 2009 Sylvan 22 pontoon with a 150 HP etec installed. This makes my fourth season with the boat and motor and the only problem the etc has had , is that it
had one injector go bad at the end of the first year, this was covered under warranty. The motor is always very quick to start, idles quietly , very quick to get my boat on plane ( have RPT tubes), not too bad on gas, I just love the motor. It came with a no maintaince at all for first three years, and I did nothing, not even lower unit oil. The three year maintaince cost me $400 plus , they installed plugs , new impellar, gas and oil filter, lower unit oil, ran diagnostic history. Plugs and impellar looked almost new when he gave me back the old parts.
Winterization is a snap, maybe 5 minutes tops at the ramp, just a little program you run with the throttle being in a certain position, it will run itself, fogging the engine with oil , and then
shutting itself off to tell you that it is through. I always treat my gas with 2plius4 beforehand ( this is a gas treatment etec reccommends), and I guess I will maybe at least check the lower unit
oil, if not change it out, every year now. Mine came with 3 year warranty, plus an extra two years if bought in a certain timeframe, which I did. I use XD 100 injector oil, it is a virtually smokeless
two stroke oil, I buy it in bulk from my dealer ( bring your own jug).
I had a V6 mercruiser inboard/outboard on a VIP boat before I got this pontoon, doing oil changes and winterization on it about killed my back ( have lots of back issues). I do really like this outboard and would buy another in a minute.
I know you are talking about a 250 etec , but hope this will help you a llittle.

Charlie

Another fairly good report from an etec owner. Thanks. I did read where some etec's had injector issues a few years ago. I'm getting to really like the "almost zero maintenance" part. I remember of having to practically stand on my head to drain water and replace filter on my 24' Sea Ray I/O for winterization. Evinrude currently has a 5 year bonus warranty which expires September 2, 2013.

Bamaman wrote:Don't sell yourself short Sunnyside. My parents were pontooning well into their 80's, and did pretty well.

Go with the Bennie, and don't look back. Any of the major outboard brands are plenty good.

We had to go with enough motor on our new Bennington, as there are 2 and 5 year old grandkids to jerk around on a tube. The other grandkids are 21, 22 and 27 years old.

We don't have time to get old.

Thanks Bamma. I hope we are tooning well into our 80's but one never knows what lies ahead. If it weren't for the grand kids we probably would not be doing this (again). They help us stay younger in some ways.

Have the same motor (2013) and would do it again. Great performance. As long as the dealer is close for warranty issues go for it.

dmn8 wrote:Have the same motor (2013) and would do it again. Great performance. As long as the dealer is close for warranty issues go for it.

Good to hear you are happy with your etec. This boat dealer happens to be the closest to me (40 mins away) which is a big factor in buying from him. The next closest Bennington dealer is about 2 hrs away and they handle Yamaha and Mercury outboards. Thanks for your vote of confidence.

I have had me etec almost 3 years now and have not had a single issue. Quiet, clean and excellent weight-horsepower ratio. No break-in, no maintenance for 3 years and winterizing in just a cple minutes.

The only thing I may be concerned with is what the cost/process is for the 3 year maintenance. I take mine to the dealer in the spring for the first maintenance. Maybe someone on the forum has gone through this already and can shed some light.

Thin Ice wrote:I have had my etec almost 3 years now and have not had a single issue. Quiet, clean and excellent weight-horsepower ratio. No break-in, no maintenance for 3 years and winterizing in just a cple minutes.

Excellent points in the plus column for etec outboards. I'm liking the ETEC more every day and will soon own one -- approximately first week in October. Thanks

Congrats

In the high end of the summer of 2009 we bought a 2007 24.3 StarCraft pontoon Boat. Limited edition. It came with a 5 year extended motor warranty from Mercury. It has an 90 hp two stroke with oil injection. We really enjoy the Barge. The only problem is we should have gotten one back in the 80's. Next month I'll be 72. How time flies. There are only two of us. ,It's really a family boat. So If any one is interested we can make someone very happy for less then $10,000. It has a changing pop up room.Nice biminy top, Holds 14 people ,and is very good on Gas. 26 gallon built in tank. It comes with a 2006 5 star trailer . Rebunked it last year, the bunks have those plastic covers, and it has tandem wheels with brakes on the front. We're not giving up boating just need something smaller, Like a center console out board around 18 ft or so .if your in the area, we'll be in the Turkey Point area of Maryland this weekend.

Finally picked up the new 2014 Bennington 2275 RL pontoon boat equipped with 2014 Evinrude ETEC 225 HO engine with 25" shaft. Options include ESP performance package (triple toons, lifting strakes, under deck skin), 50+ gal fuel tank in center tube, under floor storage in center tube, pillow top upholstery, extended aft deck, elevated helm, Garmin Color GPS, Baha graphics, double bimini top, Sharkhide Tube Protectant, SS 4 step ladder, power assist hydraulic steering, double battery/power dist pkg, SS ski tow pylon, Shorelandr trailer with disc brakes on tandem axles. It had the Rebel 18" pitch SS prop installed until dealer took it for a test ride and could only achieve 45 mph gps at 5300 rpms. Dealer tech feels it should perform at optimum in range of 5500-5700 rpms giving closer to 50 mph so he replaced the 18" Rebel prop with a 17" Rebel prop. Due to weather, we did not do another test run. The engine is mounted at its highest point, i.e., bottom holes on engine mounting plate. Dry weight of boat is approx 2870 lbs.

Got a chance to test the Rebel 17" prop couple days ago and achieved 45 mph at 5800 rpms (rev limiter max) on smooth water, near zero wind, 65 deg F, full tank of fuel, and one 225 lbs person (me) on board. Evinrude pontoon Test data indicates speed should be 48 to 52 mph at 5800 rpm. Prop slip for current 17" prop is 18% (high?).

Looking for comments and/or advice on the prop performance. The boat will be used for cruising, skiiing, and tubing with 6 to 11 people on board.

Here are a few pics of the new toon.