ready to put offer in on a 2008 Bennington 2275 FSI

[jsprat]

I am getting ready to purchase my first pontoon. After 2 months of research I am convinced that the Bennington 2275 FSI would be the best match for my intended use. 70% of the time I would be fishing by myself or with 1 or 2 friends. 20% of the time would be crusing with 2 to 12 people on board. The other 10% would be pulling tubes and kids on skis. Our lake is 28 mile long and it would be the only lake we use the boat on. The boat I am looking at has a 150HP Yamaha 4 stroke with 100 hours on it. It has 3 tubes with strakes and the waveshield. Also includes a ski tow bar, hydraulic steering, infloor storage and a tandem trailer with surge brakes. The is no damage on the boat and it is very clean. The 2010 model has some really nice upgrades but I do not have the extra $10,000 they would cost.

Asking price is $30,000. I am thinking of offering $25,000.

The boat is thousands of miles away from me and I would have to have it shipped for a cost of roughly $2,500.

Aside from a compression test and requesting the mechanic take it for a sea trial and give the boat a once over what else should I include in my offer to purchase? I will be purchasing sight unseen so I want to cover as many bases as possible.

Thanks for all and any suggestions
Jack

 

[lncoop]

Re: ready to put offer in on a 2008 Bennington 2275 FSI

Welcome aboard j. That sounds like a sweet rig. Benningtons are definitely drool worthy. The nice thing about toons is there's not nearly as much that can go wrong with them as compared to other kinds of boats, but I'd still be nervous about dropping that kind of coin on a rig I couldn't inspect personally unless I had someone I REALLY liked and trusted who could do it for me. Is there a compelling reason why you can't go to the boat? I know it would be a long haul, but unless we're talking an import type situation it's likely your gas would cost less than freight, and it could be a fun little adventure for you.

 

[wagnerz]

Re: ready to put offer in on a 2008 Bennington 2275 FSI

I am not sure where you live or where the boat you are interested in is located. It might be worth it though, to spend a couple hundreds dollars to fly out and check out the boat. If you are flying somewhere where there are lots of boats, you might even set up a couple of appointments to look at a couple of different boats in the area.

 

[jsprat]

Re: ready to put offer in on a 2008 Bennington 2275 FSI

Hi Incoop

Thanks for the welcome.
I am very nervous about buying sight unseen. That is why I would like to get a certified mechanic to give it a once over so I feel better. The drive there and back would take about a week and cost around $1,000 plus my lost income for the week. I think that money would be better spent fixing any minor issues that arise. The boat is in Oklahoma and I am in Vancouver Canada.

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: ready to put offer in on a 2008 Bennington 2275 FSI

27.5K for a 5-year old boat????? I think you can do much better at this time of year even in Canada..

 

[lncoop]

Re: ready to put offer in on a 2008 Bennington 2275 FSI

27.5K for a 5-year old boat????? I think you can do much better at this time of year even in Canada..

I dunno, it's a 2008 model Bennington and loaded from the description.

 

[EGlideRider]

Re: ready to put offer in on a 2008 Bennington 2275 FSI

I dunno, it's a 2008 model Bennington and loaded from the description.

After further review, I agree with Incoop if you are set on a Bennington. IMHO, Benningtons are overrated and I still would never pay 27.5K for a 5-year old pontoon.

 

[lncoop]

Re: ready to put offer in on a 2008 Bennington 2275 FSI

After further review, I agree with Incoop if you are set on a Bennington. IMHO, Benningtons are overrated and I still would never pay 27.5K for a 5-year old pontoon.

The way I read it the boat is three years old and he intends to pay $25k. Am I missing something? Wouldn't be the first time.

 

[jsprat]

Re: ready to put offer in on a 2008 Bennington 2275 FSI

I agree with both of you regarding the price ($25K plus shipping costs). It is a lot of money but then there is only 100 hours on a triple tube with a 150 HP Yamaha. I have found other less expensive pontoons but they did not have triple tubes or a larger motor and most had more hours on them. I plan on keeping this boat until I am too old to use it anymore. I am 57 and hoping for 20 years but who knows it could be 2 years. Time to enjoy while I can.
The price will work itself out. I am also concerned about what "subject tos" I should include in my offer.

Thanks for your input

 

[lncoop]

Re: ready to put offer in on a 2008 Bennington 2275 FSI

Who is the mechanic you referenced in your first post who would be looking her over for you? Would you be buying the boat from a dealer? Can you give us a link to an ad or something?

 

[jsprat]

Re: ready to put offer in on a 2008 Bennington 2275 FSI

The boat is at Nichols Marine in Norman Ok. They have it there on consignment from the origianal owner who purchased it from them and had it serviced by them. I would likely trust their mechanic as they appear to be a fair sized dealership. If negotiations do not go well I could used an outside mechanic. The ad is http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2008-Bennington-2275fsi-100810426

 

[lncoop]

Re: ready to put offer in on a 2008 Bennington 2275 FSI

I see. Well, if you haven't already I'd start by asking the dealer what their procedure is for consignments. Ask them what criteria a consignment rig must meet; e.g. specified compression numbers, upholstery and deck condition, that sort of thing. Make them be specific. Ask them whether there are ANY issues, even ones they might perceive to be minor, with the boat motor or trailer. I know you've carefully thought through how and where you plan to use her, and she's a good fit for you based on what you've said.

She looks like a straight rig to me. Looks can be deceiving of course, but generally when there are that many shots provided from that many angles the seller doesn't feel he needs to hide anything. Buying from a legit dealer also provides an additional measure of comfort since they have a reputation to protect (hopefully). There's no guarantee she won't turn out to be a dud, but you know that. A boat, particularly a used one, is in many respects a roll of the dice, but I'd say if they have all the right answers to your questions the light will be green provided you can agree on a number. Good luck and keep us posted. That's really a sweet rig.

 

[a1nowell]

Re: ready to put offer in on a 2008 Bennington 2275 FSI

js,
look at this, it's in Salem OR.

http://salem.craigslist.org/boa/2744289480.html

 

[jsprat]

Re: ready to put offer in on a 2008 Bennington 2275 FSI

js,
look at this, it's in Salem OR.

http://salem.craigslist.org/boa/2744289480.html

The Fisher pontoon is nice but my fishing buddies insist on rear fishing chairs as our lake is mainly a trolling lake. The lake can also get a little rough as it is quite large which is why I am looking at tripl tubes.


Incorp
Thanks for your words of wisdom. I will incorporate them into my offer and see how things work out. The lake will be frozen over soon and the boat will not get into the water until late May so I am in no panic.

 

[5150abf]

Re: ready to put offer in on a 2008 Bennington 2275 FSI

Eglide, out of curiosity, how is Bennington overrated?

 

[vergil]

Re: ready to put offer in on a 2008 Bennington 2275 FSI

Hey mods. remove this clown

 

[lncoop]

Re: ready to put offer in on a 2008 Bennington 2275 FSI

Hey mods. remove this clown

What are you talking about? Is there something offensive I'm missing?

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: ready to put offer in on a 2008 Bennington 2275 FSI

Getting "boat fever" in the middle of the winter is a tough illness. For a big water lake, a tri-toon with lifting strakes and a 150 hp Yammie is a great combination. But you might consider looking for a 24' boat since they cost very little more, and they're roomier and more seaworthy in big waves. There are also many, many more high performance 24' boats on the used retail market than 22' boats.

A new top line 24' hi performance fishing model tritoon can be bought for around $33K new in the Upper Midwest. Bennington is a top rated boat, but they also come with very high new and used prices. If you'd consider other comparable brands, such as Manitou, Harris, Tahoe/Avalon, Premier, etc., you might find many more used boats closeby. There are a dozen or more slightly less expensive boat brands that'd also do a great job. A good place to learn about pontoon performance is Boattest.com.

I vacationed in your fair city last year--incredible place. But, you're a long, long way from the big, aggressive U.S. retail boat markets. Check Boattrader.com filtered for the Seattle/Portland retail markets. You shouldn't have to go any farther than your sister city to the south. I've also seen great boats on Craigslist.com. Good Luck!

 

[Silver Eagle]

Re: ready to put offer in on a 2008 Bennington 2275 FSI

I'd think twice before going for this deal. Two years ago I bought a 24 ft StarCraft pontoon boat an 07Limited with a 90 Hp Mercury motor Two Stroke oil injected engine. It has a changing room and the usual other stuff It is a full deck boat ,meaning there is no outside the railing to walk around. The motor is under the rear lounge so it is really 24 ft long.I got a bunk trailer made by five star tandum wheels .The boat was sold by the dealer that sold the boat to the original owner. I gave them $15,000 even for the whole rig. The boat only had 20 hrs on it and the motor has an extended warrenty good until the end of 2012. I found it by just driving around until I found something I liked. Check around the local marina's and front yards near the water.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: ready to put offer in on a 2008 Bennington 2275 FSI

The internet just makes it so easy to shop for anything marine. I was looking the other day for pontoon boats within 500 miles of me, and they had hundreds of pages to look through--1000's of available inventories. It was easy to figure out who the "players" were in the market--willing to compete for your business by price.

What's funny is that some premium pontoon boat manufacturers have little or no market representation in places like Idaho--or much of inland U.S. Sometimes, you've got to look at other comparable brands of boats to find a dealership in many regions. If you don't come up with a number of brands that are acceptable, you're doing yourself an injustice.

We're going into the boat show season, and they're a great place to look for brand new pontoons--and to inspect the boats for differences.