1999 Bennington 18.5 Pontoon

[TD_Maker]

My Dad died two weeks ago and left me his nearly mint condition pontoon boat. He lived on a lake in Kentucky, so the boat has never left his boat-house. This boat has very very few hours. Over the years, I performed the maintenance myself, so I know the boat very well.

Here is my question: I am bringing the boat back here to Florida. I am preparing a trailer as we speak. Can someone please tell me the distance (centerline to centerline) between the pontoons? I am trying to get the bunks ready ahead of time before picking up the boat.

PS The boat is up on a lift and I have no one to measure the boat for me.

 

[The Woo Woo Kid]

Re: 1999 Bennington 18.5 Pontoon

Sorry for your loss.

 

[old jim]

Re: 1999 Bennington 18.5 Pontoon

Sorry for your loss, contact a local Bennington dealer or call the factory, I am sure they
have a customer service phone number.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 1999 Bennington 18.5 Pontoon

Do the math. The boat is 8 feet (96 inches) wide. With 25 inch tubes (two of them) that totals 50 inches. So the distance between them is 46 inches give or take a tad (not enough to worry about).

 

[fergusmj]

Re: 1999 Bennington 18.5 Pontoon

If it's a 8' wide boat, you're looking at 71" from the centerpoint of each toon (96" minus 12.5" on each side for half a toon)

If its a 8'6" wide boat, you're looking at 77" from the centerpoint of each toon (102" minus 12.5" on each side for half a toon)

Very sorry for your loss.

 

[TD_Maker]

Re: 1999 Bennington 18.5 Pontoon

Thanks to everyone . Ole Pops loved his boat, and I will say there has been hundreds of Crappie come over the rail in the past 14 years or so. His boat has very very low hours, and the little Honda BF40 purrs like a kitten. You know how old people are, the little motor never saw anything over half throttle unless I was driving it once or twice per year. If I had to guess, the little Honda has less than 100 total hours on her.

I am going to play it by ear on the trailer bunks I guess. I just don't know the actual width of the boat (8 or 8 1/2) until I get up there. Its hard to get anything done in the mountains of Kentucky during the off-season. No worries.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 1999 Bennington 18.5 Pontoon

A 1999 model will likely NOT be 8.5 feet wide. There were 8 foot load width restrictions back then so the boat would have been 8 foot wide for it to be trailered legally.

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: 1999 Bennington 18.5 Pontoon

All of the 1999 Bennington 18' or 20'ers were 96 inches wide. Only starting with the 22' models, were they available in 102" widths. So like was mentioned above, 71 inches center to center of each bunk would be correct.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: 1999 Bennington 18.5 Pontoon

You'll need to know the diameter of the toons. I assume they're 23" toons.

You can look it up on: Pontoon support spacing - Technical Stuff (new Sept 2012) - Bennington Pontoon Boats Owners Forum

I would suggest you transport your boat only on a pontoon boat trailer. Most pontoon trailers use V shape supports lengthwise to keep the boat from bouncing laterally. (Don't transport on flat boards.)

Trailers are not some place to skimp on. That short of trailer doesn't require tandem axles, but you want to make sure your tires are really, really good for such a long transport.

 

[TD_Maker]

Re: 1999 Bennington 18.5 Pontoon

Well, I set the bunks at 72" center point to center point. I went ahead and changed out the hubs along with freshly packed wheel bearings and filled her up with grease through the bearing buddies. I picked the boat up this morning (in Kentucky) and she fit like a glove on the trailer. I strapped her down at all four points and set the boat up for the long haul through the Appalachian Mountains in Eastern Kentucky. I stopped at my Daughter's house in South Carolina, and heading back to Florida tomorrow morning. The trailer is pulling very nicely...now that I am in the flatlands, the trip to Florida should be a little faster tomorrow.

 

[TD_Maker]

Re: 1999 Bennington 18.5 Pontoon

I wanted to post a follow-up on pulling my Dad's Pontoon boat back to Florida from Kentucky.

Surprisingly, the boat pulled fine from Kentucky to South Carolina where my daughter lives. I parked there over night and started back to Florida the very next morning. I pulled her back to Hwy 95 and headed south. I stopped for gas, and noticed a huge bubble on the side of my tire....luckily, I had a spare. I drove south worried and hoping I would not have another blowout. No big deal, but it was on a Sunday, and naturally nothing was open except for a large retailer know for Bass Fishing in Savannah, Georgia.

Listen to this: Galvanized Rim and New Carlile Tire (20.5 x 8.0 x 10) $197.50 Forget that, I gambled and made it home safely. Purchased the very same set-up locally for $89.00 I know, I know, I was stupid for taking the chance, but I can't stand to be ripped off by a retailer.

Anyway, my Dad's boat is home safely. Thanks to everyone who helped me with the trailer bunk issue. Also, think twice before purchasing ANYTHING from a large retailer known for Bass Fishing.

I won't shop there again for any reason.

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: 1999 Bennington 18.5 Pontoon

I wanted to post a follow-up on pulling my Dad's Pontoon boat back to Florida from Kentucky.

Surprisingly, the boat pulled fine from Kentucky to South Carolina where my daughter lives. I parked there over night and started back to Florida the very next morning. I pulled her back to Hwy 95 and headed south. I stopped for gas, and noticed a huge bubble on the side of my tire....luckily, I had a spare. I drove south worried and hoping I would not have another blowout. No big deal, but it was on a Sunday, and naturally nothing was open except for a large retailer know for Bass Fishing in Savannah, Georgia.

Listen to this: Galvanized Rim and New Carlile Tire (20.5 x 8.0 x 10) $197.50 Forget that, I gambled and made it home safely. Purchased the very same set-up locally for $89.00 I know, I know, I was stupid for taking the chance, but I can't stand to be ripped off by a retailer.

Anyway, my Dad's boat is home safely. Thanks to everyone who helped me with the trailer bunk issue. Also, think twice before purchasing ANYTHING from a large retailer known for Bass Fishing.

I won't shop there again for any reason.

I hear ya brother. Decided to replace the battery in my lantern last season before heading into the bush. They only carried one brand. Pennies short of $18.00 for a 6 volt. Pure legalized robbery. They lost my business.
Again TD, sorry about the loss of your Dad.