2011 Bennington / “Competitor B”

Pontoon Comparison

Competitor B uses 3 brands to sell about half of the amount of Pontoons as Bennington. Even in

the supposed “high end” brand, Competitor B has an inferior construction to Bennington’s value

priced “S” Series. Take a closer look as there is NO comparison of overall quality of the product!

No one matches the quality of a Bennington. And, remember, even the value priced “S” Series

includes all of the construction features mentioned! Bennington doesn’t cut corners!

Bennington VS. Competitor B

2011 Bennington Competitive Comparison Chart

Bennington Competitor B

Bennington vs. Competitor B Warranty Comparison

Bennington Com petitor B Competitor BHigh End Lower End

JD Power Awards for Highest Customer Satisfaction

JD Power Award - # of Times As Runner Up

4 0

Pontoons 3 0

Lifetime Lifetime Lifetime

U.S. Market Share Rank 2 3 Engine Pod Lifetime Lifetime Lifetime

U.S. Dollar Volume Market Share Rank 1 2

Deck Lifetime Lifetime Lifetime

5 Year Stem to Stern warranty Y N

5052 H36 Pontoon aluminum Y N

7 Time NMMA CSI Award Recipient Y N

Anodized rails Y Y

Rail welds Lifetime Lifetime Lifetime

Seat frames and backs Lifetime 3 Year 1 Year

Bimini frame & QR fittings Lifetime 3 Year 1 Year

Bolted Deck w/ stainless bolts Y Y Components 5 Years 3 Year 1 Year

Expanded 31 oz. vinyl w/ Stain Resistant Top Coat Y Y Carpet 5 Years 5 Years 5 Years

Extruded M brackets Y Y

Full length keels Y Y

Full length radius bow cross member for bow protection Y N

Seating vinyl 5 Years 5 Years 5 Years

Canvas 5 Years 5 Years 5 Years

Heavy Duty 3" Tall Cross members Y N

Lifetime structural warranty - material & labor Y N

Loom wrapped wire harnesses w/ sealed connectors Y Y

Lumbar support in all seating locations Y N

Bennington handles the warranty claim process for every component on the boat. With Competitor B, the dealer or customer must find out who manufactures a defective part and pursue that manufacturer for warranty payment.

One piece dura frame seats Y N

Patented quick release bimini hardware w/ lifetime warranty

Rails anodized after being welded

Y N

Competior B Warranty Exclusions Y Y

Rails Bolted thru X members Y N Seam failures in the canopy fabric and furniture upholstery materials.

Rails welded on all four sides, not two Y Y

Rattle free panels Y Y

Safety chambered pontoons Y Y

Labor costs incurred during the replacement or repair of carpeting, canopy fabric or furniture upholstery materials after 2 years from date of first retail sale.

Solid keels available Y N

Splash guards at all floor joints Y N

Stainless steel corner castings Y N

Stainless steel fasteners throughout Y N

Any pontoon used in salt water , unless prior to said use pontoon is protected by proper application of an approved for aluminum bottom paint free from copper or copper derivatives by a licensed applicator.

Waterproof electrical system Y N

Bennington VS. Competitor B Construction

All Bennington models feature a full

radius structural bow channel.

This serves as a bumper and protects

the boat from damage.

Competitor B pontoons have zero structural

bow corner protection. A brittle

aluminum casting is used to conceal

the plywood deck.

Thin bow deck trim Aluminum casting

Bennington VS. Competitor B Construction Bennington pontoon boats feature full perimeter structural bow support.

This Competitor B frame illustrates a lack of bow support behind the deck trim (in red).

No support

The Competition

Bennington VS. Competitor B Construction Bennington’s extruded M brackets are spaced 18” apart and bolted at 20” This wide spacing spreads the weight of

the deck over a wider portion of the pontoon. Our wide stance M brackets coupled with our 1/4” cross

members are the main reason our decks are extremely rigid & solid.

Competitor B pontoons exhibit significant flex in only moderately choppy water due to a combination of their M bracket

spacing and their thinner cross members.

Bolt spacing 20” Bolt spacing 13 5”

Outer bracket spacing 18”

Outer bracket spacing 15.5”

3”

Bennington M brackets are welded over the end cap which is the strongest area of the tube. Godfrey deck brackets stop as much as 3” short of their end caps.

Bennington VS. Competitor B Construction One leg of our stern cleats

is bolted through a full

width stern cross member for

additional strength.

An extra large washer is

used on the other leg.

A cleat bolted nearly to the edge of a deck could easily pull out with any significant load.

Aluminum casting

Competitor B Competitor B

Bennington VS. Competitor B Construction All under‐deck wiring on a Bennington is routed

through protective conduit. The wiring terminates

in a sealed “water tight” connectors

Although Godfrey uses sealed

connectors in most places, their under‐

deck wiring is often exposed .

Bennington VS. Competitor B Construction Bennington

The Bennington ladder uses

minimal plastic, hugs the frame

of the boat, bolted in 6 places.

It’s extra wide at the top for

easy use

Construction

Competitor B’s ladder is not

attached to their end cap

resulting in a lack of

stability and possible

pontoon damage.

Comp. B Poor fit

7

Bennington VS. Competitor B ‐ Seating

Bennington seats structures are made of one

piece including the seat back. This allows us

to design in structural back support.

Lumbar

support is built

into our seat

structure.

Bennington Dura Frame seat structures are

covered under our lifetime warranty.

Competitor B’s seat backs are made of plywood

and provide zero back support. Angled foam is

used in the place of structure.

Seat backs are secured by

screws that are run through

the railing from the outside

of the boat.

Competitor B’s 2‐piece furniture frame with wood back

rest. Seat back is completely vertical!

Bennington VS. Competitor B ‐ Seating � Competitor B’s seat bases are roto‐cast, but their seat backs are made of wood.

� Because plywood cannot be bent into a round shape, Competitor B is forced to use small pieces of plywood to

form the radius back in their furniture. Gaps left between these pieces of plywood are covered with

sheet aluminum on the inside and out. There is no structural support in those areas.

� Competitor B’s seat base and seat back are two separate pieces and are not bolted together. The seat bases

are screwed into the floor, and the seat backs are supported by screws that are driven from the outside

of their railings. Over time, these can come loose and the seat base and seat back can separate.

Competitor B’s wooden seat backs are built

with gaps in the corners covered with

sheet aluminum!

Bennington S Series VS. Competitor B’s Value Line

Bennington Competitor B # of speakers standard 4 2 Aft vinyl floor Std. N/A Bimini top size 10' 6.5' Electric fuel gauge in dash panel Std. Opt. Fuel capacity 24 gal 18 gal Full length pontoon skirting Std. Std. Full length radius bow cross member for bow protect ion Std. N/A JD Power Awards for Highest Customer Satisfaction 4 0 Lumbar support in all seating locations Y N NMMA Customer Satisfaction Awards 7 0 One piece dura frame seats Y N Patented quick release bimini hardware Std. N/A Playpen cover standard Std. Opt. Rails Bolted thru X members Std. N/A Soft touch seating vinyl Std. N/A Solid aluminum front bimini struts Std. Straps Solid keels available Opt. N/A Stainless steel cleats Std. Plated Stainless steel corner castings Std. N/A Stem to Stern warranty 5 yrs 1 yr.

Bennington VS. Competitor B ‐ Seating Bennington seating looks like it Seating is all modular…does not

was designed to fit our boats flow or provide a finished look

• Gap between bench and console is

unsightly.

• Seat bas color does not match seating vinyl

or console

Bennington VS. Competitor B ‐ Seating

Bennington seat bases provide full Modular seat bases reduce

length access to storage storage

Playpen cover pole will not fit

under seats.

Bennington VS. Competitor B ‐ Seating

A very comfortable recliner with Standard helm seat does not

self leveling arms is optional on recline No options offered

Bennington S series models.

Bennington VS. Competitor B ‐ Consoles

Bennington all fiberglass console Competitor B console • Full instrumentation • Small plastic steering wheel

• Deluxe steering wheel • Mismatched colors

• Stainless trimmed cup holders • No fuel gauge

• Storage tray

• One piece durable fiberglass

Bennington VS. Competitor B ‐ Consoles

Bennington all fiberglass console Competitor B console • Easy access storage large enough for a • No door in side of console

cooler. • Minimal, hard to access storage

• Lockabel

Bennington VS. Competitor B Skirting is now standard on Side mounted navigation lights

Competitor B, but it stops short of stick out and are susceptible to

the nosecone. Bennington damage.

skirting is full length.

Bennington VS. Competitor B All Bennington’s feature a 10’

bimini top with solid front struts

and quick release fittings..

Competitor B feature a 6 5’

bimini top with straps.

Bennington VS. Competitor B Fishermen typically go for vinyl floors and try to

avoid carpet. Competitor B uses carpet covered

wood boxes in the bows of their fishing models.

Other carpeted trim parts

take away from the low maintenance aspect

of these pontoon boats.

Bennington S series bow boxes

are made of no rot, roto‐molded

plastic. Carpet

Bennington VS. Competitor B

This is one of a number of

models that position the fuel fill

right on the carpet!

Bennington pontoons come

standard with stern vinyl floors*.

These are not even an option on

Competitor B. *Excluding the 17SLi & Classic Models.

There is a lot of carpet to get wet

and to mildew on the stern of

these boats.

Competitor B Fuel Fill & Gauge

Fuel fill is in the floor of the

boat in the stern surrounded by

carpet

• Very difficult to get to…filling

could be a challenge

• Gas likely to spill on carpet

• Fuel gauge is in gas cap which is

very inconvenient

• Only 18 gallon capacity