Bennington

Official Company Name: Pontoon Boat, LLC dba Bennington

Manufacturer’s Website: www.benningtonmarine.com

Established: 1997.

Model Line-Up

Most Popular Model:

SX Series – Bennington’s SX Series of pontoon boats is popular because of the excellent value it offers to the buyer. The SX pontoons are high on comfort and utility and come with multiple customizable options without being super expensive.

Premium Model:

QX Series – The QX series of pontoon boats from Bennington redefine luxury. These handcrafted fiberglass pontoons have sleek designs with exceptional attention paid to every detail for creating a timeless masterpiece.

Tritoon Model:

R Series – Performance enthusiast will find the R Series of Bennington appealing. They are the perfect blend of performance and luxury and provide the buyers with an array of optional features and performance packages.

Economy Model:

S Series Cruise – Families and friends who want to spend a fun-filled day on the water can consider the S Series Cruise pontoon boats from Bennington. These pontoons range from 16’ to 24’ and a variety of floor plans options are available. The S Series features all comforts and utilities to facilitate a perfect weekend getaway.

Fishing Model:

S Series Fishing – The fishing variants of the S series of Bennington pontoons are aimed at owners who love fishing. These boats are specially designed to make a fishing expedition comfortable and come packed with all the required features and gadgets.

Other Models:

G Series – The G Series are iconic models of Bennington that stand apart from the crowd. The pontoons allow families to have fun on a cruise with a comfort level that matches a fully furnished living room. The G Series are available in 18’ to 25’ models, have excellent performance and a style signifying the craftsmanship of Bennington.

About

A family owned and operated pontoon boat manufacturing company based in the USA.

From the Manufacturer’s Literature:

In 1997, a small group of industry veterans set out to build a boat brand focused on being the best built and never the largest. Those same founders and values are still the core of Bennington. We felt then, and still believe that when you do the right thing, everything else falls into place. Today, Bennington is family owned and operated with multiple generations of many families. We invite you to be a part of our Bennington family.

Optional Accessories:

Bennington pontoons come with a plethora of optional accessories that include performance packages, windscreens, twin engines, multiple floor options, bimini tops, sports arch and towers, wakeboard rack, steel and aluminum ladders, wave shield, lifting strakes, power hydraulic steering, dual batteries, ski toe pylons and tow bars, fish station, live well, fish graph, fishfinder, rod holders, trolling motor, porta potti, privacy enclosure, GPS, stereo with remote, speaker and amplifier upgrade, RGB under water lights, side lights, cupholder lights, bimini LED lighting, console panel lighting, dock lights, in floor storage, recliners, coffee and refreshment tables with coolers, ottomans, helm chairs, bow gate, sink, fully functional dinettes, bars and galleys, and portable cupholders.

Current Brochure (2018): https://user-18236962343.cld.bz/Bennington-Luxury-Performance-Boats-Catalog-2018

Top Saltwater Pontoon Boat Manufacturers for 2021

February 17, 2021 by Dan 2 Comments

A saltwater pontoon boat is a boat that is saltwater friendly, making it immune to the effects of using a regular boat on saltwater. A saltwater pontoon boat helps save costs on boat maintenance because it’s Aluminum/zinc anode protected or fiberglass base can’t react with saltwater, thus, having the upper hand when reviewed by other boat owners and pontoon boat manufacturers. A normal pontoon boat needs high cost maintenance (mostly every 3-6 months) making the customer clean more and spend more money when as for a saltwater pontoon boat has lower costs and expenditure.

top saltwater pontoon boat manufacturers

Saltwater pontoon boats don’t only beat the odds of rusting when on bothersome saltwater but even on dry land when near the ocean, making it easy for an owner to clean it with only water and also paint it with saltwater antifouling paint (if the boat has no Aluminum base).

Some manufacturers decided to specialize specifically in saltwater pontoon boats or have chosen to put a saltwater “package” together for some of their boat models that can withstand the damage caused by saltwater a lot better than the average pontoon boat. The following list of pontoon boat manufacturers have gone the extra mile to to create these saltwater pontoon boats. It does not make these boats “immune” from saltwater – we still recommend that you cover the boat when it’s not being used to prevent saltwater reacting with the sun and give it a freshwater rinse after every outing, but choosing boat from one of the following top saltwater pontoon boat manufacturers will give you the best chance to enjoy your pontoon boat for years to come.

Bennington Saltwater Pontoon Boats

top saltwater pontoon boat manufacturers bennington

Bennington is one of the best brands in manufacturing saltwater pontoon boats. They have managed to stay in the pontoon business for over 20 years. Not only are their saltwater pontoon boats affordable but their boat interiors are created for comfort and have a long life span. Most of their saltwater pontoon boats have a fuel load range of 16 gallons+ and can hold the minimum weight of 370 pounds with an excellent width and length.

Bennington carries a “saltwater series” – that are made specifically to go into saltwater and withstand saltwater over time. Their standard series saltwater boats can come in the the 20 SLX, 21 SLX, 22 SLX, and SX23 as well as nearly any of their upper end “Q” series. The modifications made to the boat include including a zinc-anode at the pontoon and aluminum ladder

Berkshire Saltwater Pontoon Boats

top saltwater pontoon boat manufacturers berkshire

Berkshire is an another saltwater pontoon boat manufacturer that has managed to stay in the competitive industry by making their pontoon boats more affordable and more family friendly with enough room to accommodate many at once. Berkshire sells “saltwater edition” pontoon boats for all of their models that includes cathodic protection for the boat and allows you to enjoy the saltwater for years in your pontoon!

Fiesta Marine Products Pontoons

top saltwater pontoon boat manufacturers fiesta marine

Fiesta Marine Products is a saltwater pontoon boat manufacturer that specifically focuses on manufacturing saltwater pontoons or Saltwater friendly boats. They’re not as big as most of the other pontoon boat manufacturers but they’re known to satisfy their customers needs and services, making them an already excellent growing manufacturer.

BeachCat Pontoons

BeachCat bring both luxury and great performance with their saltwater pontoon boats, they have a different range of saltwater pontoon boats, starting from size and ending on performance. They are on the higher end of the price range but you pay for what you get – they are a very high quality boat and they are made to be on the ocean.

Cypress Cay Saltwater Pontoon Boats

top saltwater pontoon boat manufacturers cypress cay

Cypress Cay is not known as a saltwater pontoon boat manufacturer but their driver and family friendly features and designs have help them stay on the market for a longer time than most pontoon boat manufacturers. They have saltwater packages for their boat series and it helps them keep up against anything that saltwater can throw at it.

Saltwater pontoon boats are excellent all season round and have helped customers save money, time and have more fun at engaging in all water sports. With the listed best saltwater pontoon boat manufacturers, one won’t go wrong with their choices.

Denver Boat Show Highlights

January 20, 2018 by Dan Leave a Comment

Denver is not known as a “top ten” boat show destination by any means, but considering we have (2) young kids at the house and I live 20 minutes from the Colorado Convention Center I figured I had better take advantage of the situation and check out all of the new boats for this year! Here are a few highlights from the Denver Boat Show! Please note this website is www.pontoonboats.org so I concentrated on pontoon boats while visiting the show even though there were quite a bit of wakeboarding boats and others!

Pontoon Boat Manufacturers and Dealers at the Denver Boat Show:

Trifecta – Horizon Motorsports (Sterling, CO)

Avalon & Tahoe Mfg., Inc. – Sterling Marine Center (Longmont, CO)

Bennington – Colorado Boat Center (Johnstown, CO)

Lowe Boats – Valentine’s Marine (Sheridan, CO)

Landau – Rocky Mountain Boat Company (Pueblo West, CO)

Escape by Larson – Rocky Mountain Boat Company (Pueblo West, CO)

Sylvan – Crowley Marine (Denver, CO)

Crest – Island Lake Marine & Sports (Fort Collins, CO)

Sweetwater Pontoons – Island Lake Marine & Sports (Fort Collins, CO)

It was great to see so many different manufacturers represented and local dealerships in for the show. Greater Denver only has a few marine dealerships in town but the folks north and south of us have some great boating locations so it was refreshing to see them come into town and show us what they offer!

This was my first boat show ever so I didn’t know what to expect! The last time I was at the convention center for an event was the Great American Beer Festival (GABF) so I was expecting to see “acres” of boats similar to the “acres” of beers at the GABF but I was definitely not disappointed in being able to see so many manufacturers up close. Here are the highlights of what I came away with in no particular order!

Pontoon Boats with Upper Decks!

The two boats that caught my (and my daughter’s) eyes right off the bat were the two pontoon boats with upper decks on them! We first came across the 250 Atlantis Cruise. Looked like it had a sweet lighting package, and dual Suzuki 150 outboards. Sweet Ride!

The second one was a Sweetwater SWPE 235 SDP with a single Mercury 150 outboard. These boats definitely got the attention of all of the young families at the show (including mine) and there was always a line of people waiting for it!

The “If Money Were No Object” Boats

When I came across the Sweetwater SW 2286 WB I couldn’t help but take a few photos of it right away. This boat just oozes “cool”. It had a sweet bar, a cool LED lighting scheme, a sink, and a nice barbecue grill to top it off. I know that I am a sucker for “gadgets” on a pontoon boat but I could definitely see our family cooking up a nice barbeque lunch on this bad boy! List price for this particular model was around $53,000!

When you think about a pontoon boat you think big, roomy, comfortable, and relaxing. The Sylvan S3 Port is a behemoth of a boat and it really looked like a boat you could “chill” in. With it’s long length it appeared to be two living rooms situated lengthwise back-to-back. I didn’t hurt that it had a legitimate bathroom in the back as well as a double bimini. List price on this model is about $70,000.

The Trifecta 25 Sport C9 3.0+ looked like the “cool” boat of the show. I could totally picture it on the ocean, and with the double Mercury 300 hp engines you KNOW it’s going to be fast! Color scheme was super sporty, LED lighting scheme was just as cool as the color scheme, and the tritoon was the finishing touch! This one was “definitely” the “money is no object category at a list price of $151,500!

The “Best Pontoon Boat for the Money” Boats

Bennington 20SSRX – Bennington makes a helluva boat. When I got to their section I asked for their “most economical” boat and this is what they showed me! Upholstery looks very nice, layout looked nice, and the styling of all of the Bennington’s is awesome. This boat was no exception! It took a little bit of time for me to get my daughter from the steering wheel of this one! I know which one she liked the most! List price for the Bennington 20SSR is approximately $37,000.

Lowe SS 210 – I think Lowe makes a quality boat. It may be because their pontoon boats were sitting next to all of their fishing boats, or that I know Lowe as a fishing boat manufacturer, but I got the feeling that this boat had a little less features than some of the others I had looked at this day, and finishes were a little lower standard. Boat looked great though, and the list price was reasonable at around $30,000.

Sylvan 820 Cruise – I didn’t have Sylvan pontoon boats on my radar before the Denver boat show but I certainly do now! I really liked the look of these boats and after walking past the Sylvan S3 I was definitely interested in taking a look at their smaller versions. I came across the Sylvan 820 Cruise and DEFINITELY liked what I saw! Flooring was great, the seats were very plush, and I loved the styling and the color of the boat. The list price was really reasonable too at around $33,000. If I ever got the chance to pick up my own pontoon boat this one would be at the top of my list!

That’s my quick, non-expert review of some of the pontoon boats that caught my eye at the Denver boat show! It was definitely a great time hanging with my daughter and dreaming of warmer weather and calm water in the middle of the winter. It was great to be able to compare a bunch of different pontoon boat manufacturers at one time and at one place. I am definitely going to try and make it a habit to go to the show every year! Please feel free to comment let me know if you agree with my thoughts or if I missed something that I should have seen there!

Wakeboarding Pontoon Boat

May 28, 2017 by Dan Leave a Comment

Pontoon boats are just not limited to fishing and cruising. These boats are great for adventure and water sports too. Be it skiing, tubing or wakeboarding, the pontoon boats of today give that much craved rush to the adrenaline junkies. Wakeboarding pontoon boats have few extra features for the sport. The boats are installed with a wakeboarding tower or a sports arch and an outboard motor with decent performance. A dedicated storage space for the sports kit is a welcomed addition.

Multiple wakeboarding pontoon boats are available from different manufacturers. These have a wide array of features and comforts in addition to the wakeboarding essentials.

Bennington Q25 Sport Arc

Bennington’s Q25 Sport Arc is the epitome of features, convenience and utility when it comes to sports pontoons. It has a standard sports tower that can be exchanged for a cladded one that has mounted speakers for some music to add to the exhilarating atmosphere. Engine motors available with this wakeboarding pontoon boat range from 9.9HP to a whopping 400HP that comes with the Elliptical Sport Package for an adrenaline rush. A wake board rack can be installed and an in-floor storage can be requested. The boat can carry 15 on board.

Landau Atlantis 230 Sports Cruise

The Atlantis 230 Sports Cruise manufactured by Landau is the perfect blend of luxury and adventure. This boat can be fitted with a wakeboard tower for having some fun on water and has an in-floor ski-storage. The boat packs a punch with a tri tube hull with option for jumbo pontoons installed with lifting strakes and outboard motor options of up to 250HP. This wakeboarding pontoon boat can accommodate 13 persons on its spacious deck.

Premier 270 Grand Majestic RF

Luxury boat manufacturer Premier has the 270 Grand Majestic RF pontoon boat which is a great companion for thrilling escapade on the water. The boat has the option of installing a sport arch for water sports along with a skiing tow bar. This wakeboarding pontoon boat is a powerhouse of performance with packages that include two outboard motors of 350HP each and the patented 36” PTX consisting of three pontoons with an in-floor storage for skiing kit. The 270 Grand Majestic is perfect for cruising and fishing too with seating for 16 to 18 people on board.

Harris Solstice 240

Solstice 240 from the house of Harris is a pontoon boat that is suited for families with active lifestyle. For water sports, a delta tower or a sports bimmi can be opted for along with in-floor storage. Motor options vary from 9.9HP to 300HP but for using the Solstice 240 as a wakeboarding pontoon boat, at least 115HP should be preferred. Performance can be uplifted by choosing one of the available packages that can add a third tube and lifting strakes. It even has a swim platform for some serene fun in water.

Lowe SS 250XD

Be it some mild water fun or hard-core adventure sports, the SS 250 XD from Lowe serves as the perfect water vessel for both. This wakeboarding pontoon boat has a heavy duty bimmi top that doubles as a sports arch for watersports and may be installed with a tow or a reverse tow. Engine options available range from 25HP to 300HP with anything greater than 115HP will be enough for wakeboarding. Wave tamer and lifting strakes add to the power of boat. The boat can accommodate 15 on its spacious deck and has all amenities for a comfortable cruise.