Beauties From
Bennington

Bowrider and MSB are bright lights in the lineup

By Rebecca Blackson

If you’re looking for a beautiful and modern way to control your boat, look no further than a pontoon from Bennington. With the impressive Vivid UX Digital Display, the interconnected touchscreen allows you to control all of your boat’s systems in one easy-to-read dash.

At PDB magazine’s recent Shootout Boat Test, we had the chance to test both the Bowrider and the 24 MSB, where we were wowed by the comfortable layouts, performance, and the especially snazzy helm settings.

Vivid UX Digital Display

Let’s start with one of the main highlights on both boats: the Vivid UX Digital Display. With a modern way to experience boating, this innovative design centralizes all of the boat’s information in one convenient spot. The digital screen connects your digital dash, throttle, stereo, and lighting systems all into one, and makes it easier than ever to view and control everything you need. Instead of rows of toggles and switches, everything can be conveniently operated from the one large touchscreen.

Greg Wyland from Bennington Marine said, “This is something we’ve designed at Bennington and we’re so proud of. It’s been a hit at all of the boat shows because people love how easy it is to use.”

With the Vivid UX Digital Control, it automatically switches from Running to Float mode when the boat stops. This allows you to see all the stats on your boat including battery, fuel, and rpms while the boat is underway. You can also manually change your viewing mode to the Float screen to operate your stereo, and set your lighting from one convenient screen.

However, what we loved most about the Vivid UX was its perfectly readability in the glaring sun. While most digital dashes require adjustments to be viewable in the bright light, the Vivid UX is crystal clear in every situation.

Triple Tubes

Both the Bowrider and the 24MSB have three pontoon logs, which provide better flotation to let the boat sit higher in the water, as well as a smoother ride. With full splash skins and lifting strakes on all three logs, there’s less drag and resistance against the water, helping you turn and get on plane with ease. While all three tubes on the 24 MSB were 25 inches in diameter, the Bowrider had 23-inch diameter outer tubes with a larger center tube at 32 inches in diameter. This not only accommodates the step-down layout, but also allows the boat to function similar to a traditional V-hull, cutting through the waves instead of bouncing across them for a smoother ride in rough water.

Powerful Performance

Our other favorite quality found in both vessels during our test was the upgrade to power steering. This made both of the pontoons incredibly sporty and fun to drive, with quick accelerations out of the hole, easy handling, and perfect turns. On the Bowrider, we made it from 0-20 mph in a blistering 3.7 seconds; in the 24MSB we shot from 0-20 mph in just two-tenths of a second more, at 3.9 seconds.

Both the Bowrider’s Yamaha 300 and the MSB’s Yamaha 250 motors felt powerful and perfectly paired to their respective boats. So, if you’re looking for something exciting to drive, either boat is a great option. Let’s take a closer look at what makes each one unique.

Bowrider LTFB

Step-Down Layout

Arguably, the singular quality of the Bowrider is the step-down layout to the lounge area in the bow of the boat. The seating is fun and perfect for friend and family gatherings. A table in the middle only adds to the sense of community and gives passengers a place to socialize while feeling closer to the water.

Another added benefit with the bow seats sitting lower in the boat is that the captain and co-captain can easily see out over the passengers. Jeremy Tetrault, a salesman at Hallberg Marine in Wyoming, Minn. said, “The seating in the Bowrider is a great feature because the driver has such good visibility. There’s a clear line of sight over the heads of all the passengers while cruising.”

Riding In Comfort

With easy-on-the-eyes light colors, the light blues and greys of the Bowrider we tested had Bennington’s logo stitched in the seats. We found the furniture to be especially comfortable with the leg bolsters, tall seat backs, and lumbar support. It felt as if there was a chaise lounge for nearly everyone aboard with two in the bow and two in the stern with the stern lounges providing extra storage room below. Although the front chaise lounges don’t have storage in order to accommodate the step-down seating, there is a small in-floor ski locker in the back of the center pontoon.

At The Helm

The dual helm seats were comfortable, and we loved the diamond stitching of our test boat. Both seats were bucket chairs with arm rests that slide, swivel, and recline. The symmetrical fiberglass helm console had a Garmin depth/fish finder recessed into the dash, lighted cupholders, locking glove box, and an easily accessible fire extinguisher.

We loved the dynamic Rockford Fosgate stereo with six speakers: two in the bow, two in the stern, and two midship, which means that everyone aboard can enjoy the music with great sound quality.

Delightful Details

With a high level of finishing details, it seems that Bennington has thought of everything. Both gates at the stern and port side have full-length hinges. The platform outside of the bow seating makes it easy to access the step-in seats at the bow, or to help dock the boat. Pop-up cleats, a power Bimini, and cool-touch vinyl furniture all make this boat a dream. Those who love to swim will also spend plenty of time on the ample swim deck with the five-step LilliPad Marine REVO boarding ladder, which makes climbing aboard nearly effortless.

Beyond the details, though, Adam Machiej, business manager at Miller Marine in St. Cloud, Minn., said, “The greatest feature of the Bowrider is how it performs on the water. With Bennington’s center tube patent, it handles uniquely and can take corners better than any triple tube on the market. Our customers have loved it.”

Bennington 24MSB

Royal Colors and Luxury Touches

Though the 24MSB can be ordered in a variety of colors, our test boat was a royal, Luminous blue with Metallic white accents and black rails. This looked sharp on the water, with a high-end, sporty vibe. Matching the exterior of the boat, the MSB we tested had two-tone grey vinyl with blue accents with logos and a diamond pattern across the seat backs.

Along with leg bolsters, tall seat backs, and lumbar support, the MSB also had two chaise lounges in the bow with storage below. The lumbar cutouts with phone holders and cupholders give passengers the ideal place to keep essentials close by and secure.

At The Helm

The raised, fiberglass helm gives the captain a perfect vantage point for cruising and docking. Additionally, the helm chair has a flip-up bolster for an extra boost when backing up. The beautiful and symmetrical console features a Garmin depth/fish finder recessed into dash, 12-volt and a USB outlet in the dash, and a lighted cupholder. The driver has phone storage on top of the helm and on the side, as well as a small cubby storage for phone, sunglasses, or sunscreen on the side of the helm. Our test boat included another powerful Rockford Fosgate stereo with six speakers; two in the bow, two in the stern, and two at midship. The co-captain’s seat is the Ergo lounge with versatile options to sit forward facing, or flipped rear-facing as a chaise lounge.

Swingback Layout

Despite the two chaise lounges in the bow, the coveted seating aboard the 24MSB will most likely be the swingback lounger in the stern. With multiple positions, including the option to lay out completely flat, this is a wonderful place to spend time in the sun. A pop-up changing room on our test model was tucked away in the portside chaise lounge and opened to an impressive height of 70 inches tall. Coupled with the nice swim platform, open swim deck, and five-step LilliPad Marine REVO boarding ladder, this pontoon encourages time in the water. There’s a ski pylon and still room to add a diving board.

Fit & Finish

Every item has its perfect place aboard the 24MSB, with an in-floor ski locker, additional anchor storage, a trash can, 16 lighted cupholders, and four USB ports. The family-friendly layout has three lift and lock gates, all with hinges that run the full length of the gate as well as gate stops. This year’s brand-new design has sweeping bow lines and angle louvers to give a sense of movement.

The Choice Is Yours

Well-designed from top to bottom, both the Bennington Bowrider and the 24MSB have everything you need, all in the right places. The easy control of the Vivid UX Digital Dash is readable in the harsh sun and conveniently places all of your boat’s systems under one control screen. Both boats are fully loaded and ready for a summer of fun on the water.