Thoughts on Bentley Pontoons?

[jtodd]

I am currently in the market for a new (preferably gently used) tri-toon in the 24-26 ft range with no less than a 150 on it.... I've come across a couple of Bentley boats and I was wondering what peoples thoughts are?

 

[Kitchen363]

Re: Thoughts on Bentley Pontoons?

Nice boat, frame underneath it built well. I love mine (200 Cruise) Its by no means a Bennington or a Premier, But you get what you pay for.

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: Thoughts on Bentley Pontoons?

+1 for Kitchen. But I didn't know they made a tri-toon...

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: Thoughts on Bentley Pontoons?

Have the same boat and motor as Kitchen, except it's one year newer. Boat has been great and the motor has been ok. I haven't had any problems with the boat at all and for the price, it's hard to beat. Not top of the line, but it has comfy, fairly plush seating and with the 25" logs, rides well. Looking back, the only thing I would change is getting the third log for a little extra capacity.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Thoughts on Bentley Pontoons?

They are good entry level boats, I have never heard anything bad about them, they are one of the better boats in that price range.

No the aren't a Benny or a Premier but they are nowhere near as expensive either.

 

[rrhodes]

Re: Thoughts on Bentley Pontoons?

+1 to everything said here. They actually have a plant here in South Carolina so we have allot of them on our lake. I would recomend getting the bottom skinned which may already be done on the 3 log version. I have seen a couple of new Bentley's that developed wet spots in the middle of the floor under way due to water hitting the seams underneath. May not be an issue with the newer models. When the plant closed recently we had several local dealers go out of business and liquidate stock so everyone ran out and bought Bentley's here. The only complaint I heard was the floor getting wet under power.

This may have only been a problem with a certain run of boats out of the old factory before they locked up. They are open again under the name encore and I haven't heard of the issue recently.

All in all a well built entry level toon that will put the same smiles on your families faces as an $80k luxury toon.

Our lake contains toons from all makes but the majority of them are Bentley and JC brands. I think JC developed a following due to having a local dealer that has been around for over 30 years and has developed a fantastic reputation.

 

[mmcneice]

Re: Thoughts on Bentley Pontoons?

+1 to the comments above. I bought a 22' Bentley Elite last year with a Merc 115 4 stroke. The Elite model comes with some additional items (like underskinning, captains chair, etc.) and has a slightly different look to it. I love it and have received several favorable comment from other boaters. I owned an 05 Bentley 20 before I purchased the new one.

BTW - When I bought the boat the dealer said for an additional $5K they could add a 3rd toon and bump up the engine to a Merc 150 Optimax (2 stroke).

 

[lakegeorge]

Re: Thoughts on Bentley Pontoons?

What kind of speed are you guys getting with the 115hp and the 150hp

We are thinking of trading our toon in on one next year and are considering a Bently.

 

[mmcneice]

Re: Thoughts on Bentley Pontoons?

I am getting around 29 MPH (per GPS) with my 115...two people and calm water

What kind of speed are you guys getting with the 115hp and the 150hp

We are thinking of trading our toon in on one next year and are considering a Bently.

 

[The Rooster]

Re: Thoughts on Bentley Pontoons?

Hey jtodd, we owned a 2007 triple tube Bentley (243) for several years, and loved it. It had a Merc. 200 Optimax, and would run low to mid 40's for speed. Like I stated in a previous post, it was a night and day difference for us in rough water handling, compared to our 2005 twin tube Starcraft. It came with the underskinning, and lifting strakes. We never had any major issues with it. Cracked a weld on it once running up on a mud flat, but dealer/manufacturer covered repairs under warranty. Good luck !!!

 

[scott&kellie]

Re: Thoughts on Bentley Pontoons?

rrhodes, I was looking on Strickland Marine-Anderson web site, but of course no price tag on them. how comparable price wise are they to Bentley? The plus up for me that I like is that they have honda motors with them, instead of a merc. I'll be deciding on a new
or used pontoon in the next month. thanks.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Thoughts on Bentley Pontoons?

You might get a little better information if you included your location in your heading.

Bentley's are now built by a new corporation, Encore, around Columbia, South Carolina. If you're in the southeast, you can easily find Bentley dealers. I hear nice things about T&S Marine in Oakwood, GA--west of Gainesville at Lake Lanier. Central Georgia Marina in Macon, GA, appears to be very competitive and has a # of boats in stock.

Bentley's are not as plush as Premier/Bennington/Harris, but they are plenty nice. They are far from being a starter boat. I personally would prefer to put my money in a third toon, lifting strakes and a large motor than a set of seats nicer than anything in my house.