South Bay vs. Xcursion?

[BobL]

The wife hinted that we get rid of our one year old Tahoe and upgrade the South Bay to something that can pull a tube and knee board. Currently, I have a 522 South Bay with a 115 Merc on the back. Thinking of going with a triple tube and at least something in the 175hp or bigger range. Have had real good luck with the local dealer (he sold me my 20' Bentley then my South Bay) so would like to try to give him more business. I went on their website and they are offering both South Bay and Xcursion so I then go to the Xcursion web site and they are also owned by Forest River. So is the Xcursion basically the same boat since they are both owned by Forest River? Several of their models look very similar.

[ToonGuy]

The wife hinted that we get rid of our one year old Tahoe and upgrade the South Bay to something that can pull a tube and knee board. Currently, I have a 522 South Bay with a 115 Merc on the back. Thinking of going with a triple tube and at least something in the 175hp or bigger range. Have had real good luck with the local dealer (he sold me my 20' Bentley then my South Bay) so would like to try to give him more business. I went on their website and they are offering both South Bay and Xcursion so I then go to the Xcursion web site and they are also owned by Forest River. So is the Xcursion basically the same boat since they are both owned by Forest River? Several of their models look very similar.

Yes and no. Just like cars, GM makes several lines and option levels. Yes, Berkshire, South Bay and Xcursion are all made (at least in part) on the same production line. The hulls are all basically the same if you are comparing like models. The trim packages are where you will find your major differences.

[Cycleman07]

Go South Bay and dont hesitate. Resale is better and so are the amenities.

[BobL]

Thanks for the info ToonGuy.

Cycleman....I have the 522CR and have really enjoyed it. I am on my 3rd season and it has been great. I have not researched or even seen the Xcursions but noticed my dealer had them now. Most of the SouthBay's he keeps in stock are the 400 and 500 series. Not sure what the 700 series adds but I assume I should be looking at the 524 or 724. Just in the fact finding stage right now.

By the way if anyone cares, the closest Harris dealer is 1.5 hours and the closest Bennington is about the same. We do have a non-Bass Pro Sun Tracker dealer about 45 minutes away. Leaning heavily with staying with my local dealer.

We will see.....

[bradm]

As in signature line, have a SouthBay 522 Trifecta series (full 3rd tube, 54 gallon fuel tank) with a 175 Suzuki 4 stroke. Have pulled tubers with it a couple times, and it did a fine job. Even pulled my 300 or so pound nephew and his wife on tube at same time. You could tell they were there, but I could toss them around plenty with the boat. Definitely get the power steering if the kids will tube a lot.

Looked at the 2014 522 series - one same layout as mine (CR) and one with the center walkway and loungers in back at dealer couple weeks ago - don't recall letters on it. Damn, they are sharp! I'm sure the Excursion is same way. Looks like they upgraded interiors some on 522. When we bought our boat, they had a 7 series. It added sink and fancier interior, better sound system. The one we looked at had the center tube storage, which I wish we had (our boat does not), but not sure if that is standard on 7 series or was an addition to the one we looked at.


Anyway, my 2 cents a 522 with a 175 will easily do what you want to do with it. We could have gone with the 225 on ours when we bought it - boat we bought did not have motor on it. We tested similar boat with a 140, and I upgraded to the 175. I wish I had gone ahead and got the 225 - the 175 is plenty, and is all we need. But you know the difference in need and want.....

let us know what you do.

[Capt Sully]

I have no problems with mine and like it alot. I can't talk about others because I haven't owned one of them, like some people have I guess.

[Berkshire 514]

I agree with ToonGuy. I did a lot of research recently on these brands. Berkshire, South Bay and Xcursion are all made by Forest River Marine. Think of it like General Motors offering the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra. They are both basically the same trucks but with little cosmetic/luxurious differences. Each model has different lines of luxury. Like the GMC SL, SLE and SLT packages. Berkshire has the CTS, STS and Premium series and South Bay has the 400, 500, 700 and 900 series etc. You will find the differences between the three models on the exterior are the aluminum design on the fencing. On the interior the seating cushion pattern designs and consoles differ. I personally had a 20ft South Bay 500 series and recently traded in for a 23ft Berkshire CTS series. I really wanted an Xcursion X23C but would have had to order it and have to wait 8-10 weeks for delivery. I settled for the Berkshire that was on the dealer’s lot to not wait the entire summer on delivery. If you are referring to your local dealer as Premiere Performance Marine/Ascension Marine, you will not find a more reasonable guy than Wendell. I paid $27K for my South Bay and two years later he gave me $24K on my trade value. I thought that he was nuts when he told me what he would give me on my trade. I couldn't pass on the opportunity to get that much back and upgrade. Regardless of what model you choose I am sure you will be satisfied with Forest River Marines products. I sure am!

[Cycleman07]

Capt Sully: I wasnt bashing Xcursion in any way as I have not owned one. I just researched NADA and KBB. It seems the South Bays and Berkshires hold their value a little better. Also, they seem to have slightly better amenities or at least with what I saw at the Boat Show. It was just an observation. I'm quite confident Xcursions are wonderful boats.

[ToonGuy]

Capt Sully: I wasnt bashing Xcursion in any way as I have not owned one. I just researched NADA and KBB. It seems the South Bays and Berkshires hold their value a little better. Also, they seem to have slightly better amenities or at least with what I saw at the Boat Show. It was just an observation. I'm quite confident Xcursions are wonderful boats.

IMO, there are 2 reasons for this...1 the first 2 cost more in the first place, 2 Forest River Marine has only offered the Xcursion for a few years now. They don't have much of a track record yet when it pertains to trade in market value. Of course, a lower priced comparable boat will never have the same TIV as a more expensive one, but those numbers may come up slightly in 5 years or so.

[Cycleman07]

Capt Sully: I wasnt bashing Xcursion in any way as I have not owned one. I just researched NADA and KBB. It seems the South Bays and Berkshires hold their value a little better. Also, they seem to have slightly better amenities or at least with what I saw at the Boat Show. It was just an observation. I'm quite confident Xcursions are wonderful boats.

IMO, there are 2 reasons for this...1 the first 2 cost more in the first place, 2 Forest River Marine has only offered the Xcursion for a few years now. They don't have much of a track record yet when it pertains to trade in market value. Of course, a lower priced comparable boat will never have the same TIV as a more expensive one, but those numbers may come up slightly in 5 years or so.

Agreed. The OP was asking which one to choose at this moment so I said South Bay based on reputation and current resale value. My opinion is not the least bit biased on why they should go with the South Bay

[Cycleman07]

If you like the bar style, I saw go with the 2014 524 E Trifecta with a 225. Just my .02

[BobL]

.... If you are referring to your local dealer as Premiere Performance Marine/Ascension Marine, you will not find a more reasonable guy than Wendell. I paid $27K for my South Bay and two years later he gave me $24K on my trade value. I thought that he was nuts when he told me what he would give me on my trade. I couldn't pass on the opportunity to get that much back and upgrade.....

Yes, I have now purchased two boats from Premier (Bentley and South Bay) and Wendell treated me right. Of course the catch 22 is I have not had to deal with them on service issues because I did/have not had a problem with either boat. So on one hand it is great to have never had a problem but on the other hand I cannot vouch for their Service Department - a good problem to have!

I have been VERY satisfied with my South Bay and when speaking with the dealer yesterday, they claim that there is basically no difference between Xcursion and South Bay. Am trying to head over there today and take a look at both of them.

[BobL]

Update/FYI......I just got back from my dealer who sells Berkshire, South Bay, and Xcursion (and who by the way has never giving me any reason to distrust). According to the dealer, all 3 products are exact below the deck. The South Bay 700 series is basically very similar to the Xcursion line. The South Bay 500 and 400 series are more economical because some of the items that are standard on the 700 series and Xcursion are options on the 500/400 lines. Of course you can option a 500 up to a 700 and custom order a Xcursion out to represent a 500 or 400.

Still scratching my head as to why the 3 lines of boats owned by the same company (Forest River) are sold at the same dealer (GMC vs Chevy - that is usually two dealers). You would have to think that there has to be some sort of eventual "master plan" by Forest River but it may be that existing dealer agreements have something to do with it.

I found it interesting to see the makeup of what the dealer stocks which is:

Berkshire for anything below 22' and two tubes - maybe this dealer's budget offering?

500 series SouthBay - mostly the 20 and 22 footers and a mix of two and three tubes - maybe a more "middle of the line" of their stock makeup?

Xcursion 22' and above and all had three tubes - maybe a more "top of the line" of their stock makeup?

Looking at the South Bay and Xcursion brochures, the floor plans are almost identical.

I am not saying Bershire is a "budget" boat or Xcursion is a "top of the line" boat but just pointing out how/what this dealer stocks based on the lines they represent.

[Berkshire 514]

Still scratching my head as to why the 3 lines of boats owned by the same company (Forest River) are sold at the same dealer

Marketing. He controls the entire market of pontoon boat sales by offering all three lines.

[BobL]

^^

Yes but it really does not appear (at least based on my initial discussions with the dealer) that there is that much difference in all three. Looks like (again, just at first glance) you can basically option all three brands up or down to equal the other brand (i.e. load up a South Bay 500 to equal an Xcursion Model C).

I don't know the history of any of these boats. Did South Bay and Xcursion and Berkshire exist before Warren Buffet bought/rescued them? If so, and they were independent, then the 3 lines make perfect sense because you would have had separate dealer agreements.

None of this is going to sway my decision between South Bay or Xcursion, just idle curiosity.