Berkshire vs. Bennington?

[MSUbb1]

Thoughts? Newbie researchnig first pontoon purchase for 2013. Pretty much settled on the rear lounger floorplan (2375 GCW) on Bennington, but I've read good things about Berkshire as well. Looking for opinions on the manufacturers, rear lounger floorplan, or other other lines that I should be checking out. Lake is about 760 acres, thinking 90 or 115 for motor, main use will be for cruising and entertaining. We do have two boys (13 and 9) however our new Sea Doo already works well for towing, so that isn't a "must have" for the 'toon.

Also interested in opinions regarding trailers and lifts. (preferred model, brand, etc)

So much to research, I'm almost glad to have the entire winter to do it!!!

 

[Old Screwball]

Re: Berkshire vs. Bennington?

I'm sure you have read this or other pontoon boards. First and only advise get the largest engine rated for your transom. Better to run at 1/2 throttle than spend hour on the boards carping about your new pontoon that won't get out of its own way. That is the biggest complaint I've read here. That's why I ordered mine with a 75hp, max for the boat. I'd would have ordered a 200 if it would fit.

 

[cwarends]

Re: Berkshire vs. Bennington?

I just purchased a 2013 Bennington 2550 RSR with a 250HP Yamaha.
I looked at many pontoons and most were adequately manufactured.
I went with Bennington because I believe they have the best reputation for quality and customer satisfaction.For 2013 Bennington has a 7 year warranty stem to stern warranty all above deck components (including electronics & gages), no other manufacturer offers that. Bennington uses stainless steel bolts/nuts in their assembly while most others use screws.
All that being said, you will probably pay more for the Bennington.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Berkshire vs. Bennington?

When I was looking at Benningtons, my dealer commented that Berkshires look great, but that the underskinning covered up some construction shortcuts that were just not evident. Whatever that means? I bought a 24 SSLX with a Yamaha 150 hp and the Express Tube center toon--good for 40 mph GPS.

I'm sorry that your lake is very small, but it is what it is. By all means get a good bunk style trailer, and hopefully there are larger bodies of water in your vicinity that you can also boat on. I plan on visiting some of our great lakes within a 100 mile radius.

As far as engines, I would suggest a 150 hp and a tritoon for a G series Bennington. If you get conservative and go with 115 hp, at least get lifting strakes for more speed and improved efficiency--even if on a pair of 25" toons.

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: Berkshire vs. Bennington?

You can't go wrong with a Bennington. Berkshire is part of Forrest River marine division so you are actually looking at Berkshire/Xcursion/South Bay. In that line the South Bay will give you the best dollar value. I've sold both and the Bennington is clearly better, but you get what you pay for.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Berkshire vs. Bennington?

Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway bought the Forrest River recreational vehicle group of companies, and has been adding pontoon boat companies to their stable. They're an up and coming line of boats, as Buffett doesn't do anything half assed.

But when it comes to high line pontoon boats, none of the available brands are really inexpensive. With so many common parts being outsourced from different manufacturers, no boat company has a great price differential if you're comparing Apples and Apples.

Bennington is the leader of the pack, but I see Forrest River's boats coming on in the retail market. There are many places in this country that don't have very good market representation by Bennington/Harris/Manitou/Tracker dealers, and there's room for another brand of boat.

 

[WaterDR]

Re: Berkshire vs. Bennington?

I really like both of those brands! In fact, you should add Premier to your consideration too. My ONLY pushback on Benny's compared to Birkshire is that I think the styling on Birkshire is more to my taste. Their 260 Entertainer is an amazing boat and Benny does not have anything in their line that is comparable especially in that price range. The Birk will be less costly, but the Benny will hold value very well. There are used buyers that will look only at Benny's especially if you have a good service network in your area. People love them.

My last comment though is that so many of the high-end brands seem to have dumbed-down some of their lines. EVERYONE is now making less expensive boats that they are offering and they are cutting corners to do it. I have seen new Benny's with 50HP motors for $15k. If you walk around them, it is very obvious that they are not only skipping the look nice stuff, but also skimping on the build.

I think it is GREAT that they are simply adjusting their product lines to meet demand, but I think Benny is damaging their brand somewhat. The should have re-branded these cheaper lines to something different and co-branded with Bennington. This would give them the "Econoline by Bennington" approach.

I have seen Birkshire and South Bay boats side by side that are identical too! It's confusing, but the auto market has done this for years.

 

[lakegeorge]

Re: Berkshire vs. Bennington?

We bought our Berkshire last year and I don't think theres a better boat out there for the same money. We could have bought a Bennington but for the money Berkshire was just better.
We boat on a large lake, 38,000 acres, and have hit some really large waves and all I can say is that our boat took everything that this lake threw at it.

The fit & finish on out Berkshire is as good as any boat on the market, but if you want to pay for a name then buy Bennington. For a salesman to say there is shortcuts in Mfg. under the skinning is just plain dumb. How in the world would he know if it's skinned and he can't see anything. He sounds like an old used car salesman and I sure as hell wouldn't buy anything from him.
Usually when salesmen start knocking their competitors it means that they are losing sales to them.

Check out the Berkshires on this site and then the Benningtons on this site and see which one has had the problems, you may be surprised at what you find.

 

[BatDaddy1887]

Re: Berkshire vs. Bennington?

....do the Berkshires come with just 2 tubes, or is there an upgrade to 3? Most people want 3 tubes under them when buying new pontoon boats. If I were buying new, I would not buy a pontoon with just 2 tubes. Just my 2 cents.

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: Berkshire vs. Bennington?

For a salesman to say there is shortcuts in Mfg. under the skinning is just plain dumb. How in the world would he know if it's skinned and he can't see anything. He sounds like an old used car salesman and I sure as hell wouldn't buy anything from him.

There is a big difference in the way Benningtons are constructed vs. Forest River products. I don't think anyone here was saying that the Forrest River boats aren't good products, but they aren't Benningtons. 1 out of 5 new pontoons sold in the US is now a Bennington. Alot of people have done the research and decided that the Bennys are a better value.

 

[lakegeorge]

Re: Berkshire vs. Bennington?

I believe if you look at the way Berkshires are constructed, dollar for dollar you won't see any difference. You can't compare a $40,000 boat to a $30,000 boat, period.
Try comparing the same price Bennington to a lot of other toons out there in the same price catagory and you may just be surprised.
People always want to compare a Mercedes to a Toyota and say see the Mercedes is better, Really! everyone knows that.

The Benny's are excellent for holding their value but if you lose 20% on a Benny at a much higher price and 30% on a lower price boat is there really a big difference? I don't think so.

 

[lakegeorge]

Re: Berkshire vs. Bennington?

....do the Berkshires come with just 2 tubes, or is there an upgrade to 3? Most people want 3 tubes under them when buying new pontoon boats. If I were buying new, I would not buy a pontoon with just 2 tubes. Just my 2 cents.

They come with 2 or 3 tubes and up to 300 hp. We have the tri toon with a 150 hp motor. We have owned 3 toons and they were all good with zero problems.

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: Berkshire vs. Bennington?

Let me just give you a couple of examples....

1. Southbay/Berkshire rails are preanodized. This means that their welds are not anodized, but rather painted . Painted welds become
unsightly in a short period of time.

2. Southbay & Berkshire ski tow bars are rated for only 500 LBS. Bennington ski tow pylons are pull tested to 2000 LBS…more than
enough strength to handle tubes that momentarily submerge.

3. Southbay & Berkshire triple tube pontoon boats do not pass the NMMA’s quick turn test. “Sudden turns may cause loss of control.” The boat may unexpectedly flip over on the center tube and bank to the outside of the turn. Not a fun feeling.

4. Triple tube Southbay & Berkshire boats are engineered in such a way that the engine will hit the back of the boat if tilted up too high. How much do outboard cowlings go for these days? Also, it means the only time your motor is completely out of the water is when it's on a trailer.

5. Forrest River cross members are 1” shorter and up to 94% lighter than Bennington cross members. They use the lightest cross members in the industry. The thickness of the top of the cross member is .132”. This is all their deck screws have to bite into.
Only a couple of threads from each screw actually make contact with the cross members. It takes a lot of screws to hold these decks together. Bennington is through bolted.

Just a couple of quick ones. There is a difference and it's not always easy to see.

 

[cwarends]

Re: Berkshire vs. Bennington?

One year statistics from J D Power: Overall satisfaction of 20 manufacturers listed:
Benningyon - #!
Premier - #9
Southbay - #17
Boats sold from 9/11 to 9/12
Benningtom - 4,909 - 17% of market
Forest River = 2,008 - 7.3% of market
Premier - 1,459 - 5.3% of market
All good boats - in your seach compare construction and warranty.
Only Bennington has a 7 year warranty on all above deck components (parts and labor). This I am sure adds to initial price and resale value.
Only you can decide what price/value fits your needs.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Berkshire vs. Bennington?

Thanks for the info, Ensign and Cwarends. As a recent buyer of the "Econoline by Bennington", I am completely satisfied. The boat is as plush and comfortable as I'll ever need, and I've got the rear facing sunbed and their newest styling SSLX. And my boat has the extended rear deck and virtually every option available, including LED night lighting.

I've been in some awfully rough water at 30-40 mph, and not once have I experienced any flex in my toons. And it has been said that Benny's warranty is the longest, and customer service is the best in the marine business. My old Starcraft lasted 26 years, and is still a good boat. Hopefully this boat will be passed down to my heirs.

 

[lakegeorge]

Re: Berkshire vs. Bennington?

I'm sorry but I don't agree with the info that you have posted here. If you want to post the blue prints of the Bennington and the Berkshire and both at the same price level then I will believe you.

Like Bama below I to have hit waves at the mid thirties and I don't feel any flex at all. Bennys are great boats just overpriced. The JD Power rating is several years old also.
There are a few people on here that had problems with their Bennys, fins some of the Berkshires.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Berkshire vs. Bennington?

airdvr did his home work and made all the points I was going too, I normally try to stay out of the'' is Benny better than'' seeing as I work there but it really irritates me when poeople say all toons are built the same, obviously not.

The reason Bennies cost more is because there is literally more to them, all bennys , run down the same line and from the carpet down are identicle, so a top line Q and the lowest option S model are the same , all stainless hardware and corner castings, through bolting, anodizing rails after welding and TIG welding round seams on tubes, just a few of the differences and all these things add cost but they are also the right ay to do it.

And not all of our boats are $60,000, our S line is competative with most other makers.

 

[lakegeorge]

Re: Berkshire vs. Bennington?

airdvr did his home work and made all the points I was going too, I normally try to stay out of the'' is Benny better than'' seeing as I work there but it really irritates me when poeople say all toons are built the same, obviously not.

The reason Bennies cost more is because there is literally more to them, all bennys , run down the same line and from the carpet down are identicle, so a top line Q and the lowest option S model are the same , all stainless hardware and corner castings, through bolting, anodizing rails after welding and TIG welding round seams on tubes, just a few of the differences and all these things add cost but they are also the right ay to do it.

And not all of our boats are $60,000, our S line is competative with most other makers.

I haven't seen anyone on this site that said " all toons are the same " I have seen many people say bennies are the best and they may be.
What grinds me is people who compare a 40k or 60k boat to a 30k boat, that's just plain dumb.

Just about everyone on this site will agree that toons are just about bullet proof. How many people on here do you or anyone on this site knows who had to take their toon back because of boat problems? Warranties are good if you need them, most toon owners don't.
I have been boating for 52 years, yeah I'm old, and having owned around 20 different boats, some new & some used, I can honestly say that I have never taken one back to the dealer for warranty work.

 

[airdvr1227]

Re: Berkshire vs. Bennington?

Nobody is slamming your Berkshire. It's a fine boat and actually has been underpriced the last few years in a move to gain market share. One of the big reasons we went to Benny this year was Forest River raised their prices across the board...pretty substantially. Our thinking was 'if you're going to price it like a Bennington we might as well sell the real thing'.

 

[WaterDR]

Re: Berkshire vs. Bennington?

Obsviously a bit of am emmotional topic. The last thing ANYONE wants to do is make a large purchase and then bash the brand that they just invested in. This is why customer satisfaction data is often biased. Additionally, the more pricey an item is relative to other like items, the more biased the results too. Nevertheless, JD Power is a very reputable firm.

Is Benny better than say Birkshire? I think most would likely agree. Are they deserving of the premium their product costs? I guess that depends on the buyer. Obviously some will agree and some will not.

As someone who just purchased a boat but did not buy EITHER brand, I can tell you that I looked at both of these closely. I loved the reputation of Benny and the dealers in this area are by far, the most professional. They all make you feel special. But, I found their model lines confusing and difficult to follow. It was hard to compare what I was getting especially when some of the larger dealers carry special lines for just them or at least specially equipped. While pricey, though, if you go to a large dealer, they tend to pre-buy a lot of them and if you buy a common model, they can be competitive. No one I know with a Benny regrets it.

I loved, loved, loved the styling of the Birkshire. Nearly purchased their 260 Entertainer. Fantastic boat especially for one just over $40k. My regrest is actually not purchasing that boat. I also liked many of their other models. The 260E will no doubt go up in price....compared to other similar models, it should cost a lot more. BUT, the dealer was a distance away (90 mins). That concerned me. And, they did not focus on boats, but rather on cars.

I went with Sylvan for one reason.....price. Yes, I admit it. My 8524LZ with a 115 was $25k which was nearly 10k less than a similarly sized and equipped Benny. In my case, I bought a model from a dealer who was nearby and the boat while still wrapped in plastic, had been banked owned. It was essentially a repo. Nationwide searches I conducted showed the lowest price I could find on this boat to be about $31k. I bought it because it was a deal and about 20k less than other options I was looking at.

There are a lot of reasons why people buy what they buy. It's a very personal decision.