Good Pontoon Brands

[EDubYa]

I'm a self-admitted newbie in the world of pontoon boats, so I've been doing some research before I get in the batter's box for the "Sales Pitch." So far I haven't found a lot of dealers in my area, but two dealers carry Godfrey (Sweetwater) and Bennington, respectively.

I know this may be like asking what brand of beer is the best, but anyone have an opinion on these two brands? I don't have all the details yet, and I'm not in any hurry, but I know that the Sweetwater has a 115 HP Yamaha. Going to check them out tonight, but just gathering any information I can.

Also, any good online compilations of 2007-2008 pontoon reviews?

Thanks in advance...

 

[1976SRV190]

Re: Good Pontoon Brands

a guy in the boats sales bidness told me there is ONE company that makes Pontoons and sells them branded to all the companies who resell them off the lot's. Like video tape was before DVDs, two companies in the entire world sold the tapes and everyone branded them with their name, like Sony, Panasonic, Maxell, etc....

I may be wrong.....

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Good Pontoon Brands

There is some truth to the story about one company building boats and selling them under many brands. In fact Brunswick Corporation (owner of Mercury engines) has about 34 different brands. Not all the same boat, same hull, but many of them do share components. As for pontoons, yes, there are several builders and you will find some boats that are nearly identical except for name. As for engines, do not feel you have to accept whatever engine is on the boat. You can select any HP you want so don't fall for the "package deal". Get what you want. If you don't want Yamaha, you shouldn't have to take it. Do not base your purchase on engine alone. Get the floor plan you want. That will be limited somewhat by the length of the pontoon. Length is another factor that manufacturers play with. A pontoon that has the engine hanging way off the back is included in the length so the actual walk around space may be considerably less than a pontoon that has a deck going all the way to the back of the pontoons. You want one with a built-in fuel tank rather than one that has two portable tanks stuck on the back of each pontoon. Too easy to steal. If you fish, you want a unit that has a couple of fishing chairs up front and a deck that goes to the tip of the pontoons. If you are not a fisherperson, then conventional lounge type furniture will work fine for you. The number of people you will typically carry will determine the size, floor plan and engine size you need. You get to do this once -- research, compare and then narrow your choices to no more than two or three boats. Then and only then should you begin the deal process. Bennington is an upper end boat. Godfrey and Sweetwater are ok boats. It's like anything else. You can buy a Bennington with leather seating and a big motor and spend $60,000 or you can buy a more budget friendly model for $20,000 with the same amount of room and less horsepower.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Good Pontoon Brands

Some of these companies have gone out of buisness recently but last I heard there were something like 50 companies in the US making pontoons so no, they aren't made by one company and rebranded.

Pontoons are very competitive and when one company comes out with something new everyone else uses it so it may apear they are all the same but nothing could be farther from the truth.

Godfrey/Sweet water were good boats until several years ago then they were bought out by 2 lawyers from Chicago who immediately ran off anyone that knew anything about boats, they have one managment level employee left and generally have more than 50% of there work force as temperary people so I would steer clear of them.

Forest river has several brands, they change the names alot because they are such awful boats, consistenly at the bottom of all catagories of JD power.

I would reccomend you look at Bennington, we have won the JD Power award 3 times and finished 2nd twice, I work there so I know what goes into the boats and have seen what everyone else has and ours are better than most by a margine and no, they aren't all 60K, we have a wide variety of trim levels to fit most budgets, you can get a very nice boat in the lower 20's.

We also have a lesser expensive brand, Sedona that are a little less posh but still very good boats.

Take your time and look at everything you can and pick what you think is the best boat for what you need, go with a major brand though, there have been quite a few smaller companies go out of buisness recently due to the economy.

Good luck.

 

[rrhodes]

Re: Good Pontoon Brands

I just picked up a JC Neptoon 25' Triple tube and I could not be happier. Fit and finish are supurb and the white powder coated rails set her off as well. The dealer also agreed to order a new bimini with all stainless hardware. With the 115hp Honda 4 stroke and a 13p prop I get about 26mph WOT. I wanted the 150hp but the wife said we spent enough.

 

[haulinbass]

Re: Good Pontoon Brands

Check out the Triton pontoon boat. Very nice boat. You can get entry level up to some very high dollar stuff. Just came back from the dealer meeting and they have some good stuff this year including and I/O.

 

[smclear]

Re: Good Pontoon Brands

Some of these companies have gone out of buisness recently but last I heard there were something like 50 companies in the US making pontoons so no, they aren't made by one company and rebranded.

Pontoons are very competitive and when one company comes out with something new everyone else uses it so it may apear they are all the same but nothing could be farther from the truth.

Godfrey/Sweet water were good boats until several years ago then they were bought out by 2 lawyers from Chicago who immediately ran off anyone that knew anything about boats, they have one managment level employee left and generally have more than 50% of there work force as temperary people so I would steer clear of them.

Forest river has several brands, they change the names alot because they are such awful boats, consistenly at the bottom of all catagories of JD power.

I would reccomend you look at Bennington, we have won the JD Power award 3 times and finished 2nd twice, I work there so I know what goes into the boats and have seen what everyone else has and ours are better than most by a margine and no, they aren't all 60K, we have a wide variety of trim levels to fit most budgets, you can get a very nice boat in the lower 20's.

We also have a lesser expensive brand, Sedona that are a little less posh but still very good boats.

Take your time and look at everything you can and pick what you think is the best boat for what you need, go with a major brand though, there have been quite a few smaller companies go out of buisness recently due to the economy.

Good luck.

+1 on the Bennington models. Super boats and very high quality. If you opt for I/O power, then Bennington is the only manufacturer that offers good enginee access. The others I've studied suck in that capacity.

I like JC toons a lot also. They aren't quite as nice as the Bennington's but are a very good second choice and not nearly as pricey when comparing "like" boats

 

[KCook]

Re: Good Pontoon Brands

There are a great many brands. But dealer networks often have huge holes. So only a handful will be found across the country. The other brands just depend on your local dealers. Here is a link to another thread that kicks the various 'toon brands around -

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=33449

Kelly

 

[gene pline]

Re: Good Pontoon Brands

There,you have some very good advice.But let me say that all things being equal,find a dealer that will appreciate you as a customer,and manufacturer that will stand behind their warranty.You have a lot of options,lots of manufacturers,but if they don't care about your boating experiences,or if you end up purchasing a pontoon that you don't use it could sour your boating desires.JD Powers is a good start,and certainly this forum is great,Good Luck!

 

[rrhodes]

Re: Good Pontoon Brands

Customer Service was a large part of why I bought my JC. The local dealer here in SC has been in business since 1973 and stand behind what they sell. JC has been building toons for over 30 years so both dealer and builders have been around for a while. I didn't want to deal with someone that would not be around in a couple of years and leave me without a local contact.

 

[smclear]

Re: Good Pontoon Brands

JC's are made in North Webster, Indiana. They are about 4 miles from my lake house. Last fall, our older '96 Tritoon 266 was stolen off the lot of our storage facility (bummer). I e-mailed JC asking for a new brochure and why I was wanting one. I explained the stolen boat situation as I wanted them to know I was serious. I got a reply that same day and the Sales Manager told me if I provided him with the HIN #, he would forward that to all their dealers nationwide just in case someone took our stolen boat to a dealer for anything. I know he did this because I recieved calls from several dealers soon after that. Now I ask, How many manufacturers would offer to do this. Real great group of people. Anyway here is a pic of my replacement. It's an 08 25' Suntoon Triple Tube. Had to go with the Suntoon v a Tritoon to save some cash. I really didn't have a new boat in my budget, but you can't live on a lake and not have a pontoon.

 

[smclear]

Re: Good Pontoon Brands

More Pics

 

[rrhodes]

Re: Good Pontoon Brands

If they had a Suntoon I may have gone that way myself. I love the built in GPS and molded front. Other than that we pretty much bought the same boat.

They had a nice 26' Titoon but it was about $11k more. Wife wouldn't go for it.

Nice boat.

 

[EDubYa]

Re: Good Pontoon Brands

Wanted to thank you all for the solid advice and testimonials. It was good info to have as my wife and I looked around.

We ended up with a 2009 Bennington 2575 RCW. It's a 25 foot Tri-toon with 25" outside toons and 35" eliptical center toon. 5.7 Liter 320 HP Volvo I/O. According to the dealer, it's a 50 MPH boat. I told him I'd have to see it to believe it, and he said, "That's exactly what I said when we went to the factory demo in South Bend, IN."

It's not built yet, so I don't have any pics to share. Needless to say, I'm excited for it to come in around the 2nd week of August.

If you're interested there's a small demo movie showing some cool shots of the performance: http://www.benningtonmarine.com/Page.aspx/pageId/1610/Elliptical-Sport-Package.aspx

...as well as the model specs:
http://www.benningtonmarine.com/Page.aspx/pageId/371/pmId/112564/Bennington-R-Series-2575RCW.aspx

Thanks again for the sage advice!

Oh... And hey there, 5150abf, if it's in build right now, peek in on my boat will ya! It'll be the Onyx black one going to Bohnenkamp Marine in Meridian, ID.

 

[smclear]

Re: Good Pontoon Brands

Great choice! You'll be very pleased with it. Just one note, and I don't mean to be picky, but it is not a Tri-toon. It is a triple tube pontoon. Tritoon is a registered trademark of JC pontoons. It refers to the center tube actually being a planing hull. JC is the only ones making this type of tube.

Overall, the Bennington's have a nicer appointments and finishes. Like I said, you'll be very very happy with it..... Until you have to fill it up! ouch.

 

[DJ]

Re: Good Pontoon Brands

My family has two Starcrafts. OH, poo, poo, I hear some say.

But. Both have been flawless. Both are 20'. The 2001 model just had an upholstery replacement but one has to consider that it sat out in the Alabama and Florida sun, since 2001. The 2007 model is just getting broken in.

Both are Merc. powered with 75's. The older has a 2-stroke. The latter has a 4 stroke. Both engines/controls have been flawless. And, hey, I'm not a Merc. fan but these engines always run great. The 4-stroke uses about 2/3 the fuel, of the 2-stroke.

Both will run about 25 MPH..... Pulling tubes is not an issue. Both are propped with 13" pitch props. which makes them into "tractors". Both run about 5800 RPM's at WOT.

'Toons" are my life when I want to relax. When I visit my parents, it's a guarenteed ride, after dinner, to just "relax"!

 

[5150abf]

Re: Good Pontoon Brands

I will keep an eye out, if you just ordered it we are just building it.

Other than what is on the dealers lots we don't build any stock boats.

Good choice and I hope you enjoy your boat.

 

[evilgenius877]

Re: Good Pontoon Brands

if you want a truly and downright badass pontoon boat checkout evolution pontoon boats.....holy crap...effing amazing

www.evoboats.com