Bennington 22Sli vs 24Sli....

[ssmith]

I need your advice. I'm purchasing one of these tomorrow. I had originally decided on the 22 but the dealer got a 24 in as well and with more options.

The 22 comes with a 115hp Mercury (4-stroke), sports graphics/interior, ski tow bar, privacy enclosure, & dock lights.

The 24 comes with a 115hp Yamaha (4-stroke), Blue color, lifting strakes, stereo/speaker upgrade, extended deck, upgraded helm chair and everything mentioned with the 22.

I can get the 24 footer for $3000 more. Is it worth the extra cash?????

I will have to say...the lifting strakes and extended deck are nice features.

Let me know your thoughts.

[lakerunner696]

I like the 24 for smoother ride but I depends on what you get for that 3 grand. When I bought my Tracker Regency the 24 was another 2 grand I believe. For that I got 2 more passengers and a sink. Not worth it to me. So look at what you get for that money.

Pics please when you decide

[dockholiday]

Normally I would say the 24, but if I was looking at the right boats it looks like the inside the fence area is near the same with the 24 having the extended deck outside the fence just infront of the motor. While it would be nice to have that room, I just wonder how much use you will get from it, since once you come into the boat from the rear ladder you would continue to the inside the rail area. If I am looking at the wrong boats I would get the 24 but if that extra 2 ft is outside the fence, I would get the 22.
doc

[JohnO]

With the same motor (115) the performance of the 24 will be less than the 22. I don't believe the strakes will really add anything at that HP level (Someone with that size motor and strakes may be able to provide more real world experience).

The extended deck is really almost unusable space for most people. So for 3K you get a better stereo (I almost never have mine on, would you really use the extended capabilities?), and an upgraded helm chair.

Doesn't really seem worth it to me. Now if they upgraded the motor to a 135 or 150 I'd leap at it.

[Bamby]

For the most part I agree with all the posters but.... See Link: http://www.benningtonmarine.com/Pontoon ... _year=2011 we're talking about the same wasted space on both models. The 24 footer can actually afford the same wasted space far better than the 22 can. I'd love to compare apples to apples the so-called speed advantage of the 22 over the 24 because with the additional floatation of the additional two feet of pontoons I'd bet their wouldn't be a real measurable difference between the two of them. But as another poster stated the 24 footer would probably need some more ponies to realize any real benefits of the lifting strakes. Personally I prefer the full size furniture and layout on the 24 footer better myself and it's in stock and would at least look at it in person and consider it.

[ssmith]

I wondered about the overall performance between the 2 as well. Same hp but more flotation and strakes on the 24. I too would think they would be comparable.

The extended aft deck would actually be great for my needs. We have a 3 yr old and a 7 yr old that would love to have the extra room to jump from and an excellent place to put their sea scooters. It would also be a good place to dry off before getting on the carpet. Obviously its a boat and will get wet but i hate saturated carpet.

Stereo upgrades...i could care less but it comes with it.

Upgraded chair...could care less.

Mostly interested in the extra 2 ft, strakes and extended aft deck. Just dont know if it s worth te extra 3k.

To look at the 2... the 24 seems huge comparwd to the 22. Way more room. Decisions, decisions......

[toakley1]

We have a 25 footer. I can tell you that the extra space is nice if you spend a lot of time anchored. This would be especially true if you have two kids on board. If you plan to spend most of your time on the move, then the extra space may not be as valuable.

Either way, you will love the boat.

[thebiminibuddy]

We have a lot of guest on board our 22 ft Bennington most weekends, so our next boat will be a 24 ft. It really is a matter of how you use your boat.

[cvslawrence]

We have the 20SLi, and find the rear deck space to be very useful, a great place to dry off or just to sit and dangle your feet. I guess the usefullness depend on how much you get in the water. I think the 115 on the 24' would be a bit under powered, but that depends on what you are looking for as far as performance. Our 20' has a 50hp, gets about 18mph, a bit slow for some, but we arent in a big hurry, if i had it to do over, i may have gone with a 70hp instead. Either way, i think you will like the Bennington for quality and comfort, but i'm a bit biased

[woolznaz]

You rarely hear of anyone with negative 2-feet-itus.

[ssmith]

You guys must like spending my money. Just kidding. Well thanks to you...I went with the 24 Sli with the 150 hp Yamaha. Now I've got to come up with an extra $5k to make up the difference between the 22sli vs the 24sli . At least I know I'm getting the boat I really wanted and that's a good feeling. Thanks for all of the input.

[ssmith]

Here's the only pic I have now. It just arrived yesterday so its not ready yet. The dealer let me have use of his shop to apply shark hide to the toons. This pic is after applying the shark hide. I'll post more pics once its ready.

[ROLAND]

Scott... very nice boat... love the blue... Our little 20 foot benny is a dark red or merlot. I think you made the wise decision in upgrading the motor to a 150 on that 24 footer... My son has a 115 on his 22 foot bennington, and he tells me all the time that he thinks my benny with a 75 is just about as fast as his... guess the weight difference in boats.. having said that, I think you'll be more than pleased with the 150... enjoy your boat... she's a beauty..

[Bamby]

Congratulations on your upgrade and purchase of a great looking pontoon, I'm thinking you'll never "regret" the extra footage or ponies either for that matter.

[dockholiday]

You guys must like spending my money. Just kidding. Well thanks to you...I went with the 24 Sli with the 150 hp Yamaha. Now I've got to come up with an extra $5k to make up the difference between the 22sli vs the 24sli . At least I know I'm getting the boat I really wanted and that's a good feeling. Thanks for all of the input.

Great looking boat and you are right "At least I know I am getting the boat I really wanted"
Nothing worse than spending thousands of dollars and thinking I should have got the other one. Enjoy and being happy with your decision is most important.
doc