Berkshire Pontoon Feedback

[Old Hubbard Rd]

Just checked out the Premier line on their website. Sorry to say but I don't see anything that compares to the Bennington boats. Sorry just my opinion. I'm just being honest. I have been a huge lover of my Harris-Kayot and even I say Bennington's new pontoon boats look way more luxurious than anything out there!!

[LIforrelaxin]

Everyone is going to have there own opinion on what the best pontoon boat is... or what the best boat is period. What matters is what suites you best.

I was told I was nuts when I bought a 18' boat for lake Winnipesaukee. Well 8 years later I still love the boat and there aren't many days, I don't use it.... In fact the days I don't, I wouldn't have gone out in a 30' boat either....

You have to find the boat that fits you the best, gives you the amenities that you want, and a price that fits the Wallet.

I have dealt with Winnisquam Marine in the past. And with Ryan and his Dad personally. They are great people, and do a tremendous job taking care of their clients. I have looked at several of their Premier Pontoons when I have been at or by the shop. And they are nice. I prefer sport boats, so I am not in the Market for a pontoon boat. But I believe the big point Ryan is trying to make, is come into their showroom and look at the boats. If you like them, and they have something that suite your needs, don't be afraid to buy it, because your on the big lake, and they are on Winnisquam. They do and will take care of their customers. I had issues with my boat, all the way up in Moultonborough, and Ryan father talked me though dealing with a trim problem, enough so that I could get the boat on the trailer and get it down to them. All the while re-assuring me that if I couldn't get through the issue, that we could make arrangements for them to come to me. (yes as the boat was not under any warranty, I would have had to pay, but the bottom line for me, was that they never left me in a position where I felt I didn't have support.)

[tabascocat98]

And another factor to consider are the available options. Had our new premiere for 4 years and can't wait to get our new premiere (of course bigger!) in June! Agree with everything said about Winnisquam Marine. There are so many choices when selecting a premiere and the quality is there! Good luck with shopping---we spent hours on shopping and research.

[salty dog]

Just wanted to chime in from an "observer only" point of view. Whether or not a pontoon/tritoon is in my future, I just think the 2014 BENNINGTON 2550 QCB is very cool; I love the retro look. (but definitely not the economy model!)

[Happy Gourmand]

Two years ago, we decided to get back into boating, after a couple years without a boat. As we are both getting age challenged and after my wife's knee and hip replacement, we were having more and more difficulty climbing aboard a fiberglass hulled boat. Not knowing much about pontoon boats, and not knowing if we would even like them, we joined the American Boat club for a year. They have 3 pontoon boats, a couple 21' fiberglass boats and a 24' pocket cruiser. With that many choices, we were able to evaluate what kind of boat we would most enjoy. We used them all, enjoyed them all, but our favorites by far were the 3 Berkshire pontoon boats. Ride, handling, comfort, and above all, ease of boarding clinched it for us. As for ride, they handle the chop in the Weirs "washing machine" area better than any fiberglass boat I've ever owned or been on. In fact, these boats reintroduced us to weekend boating again, something we no longer did in our own boats because of the roughness.
I found the Berkshire boats to be well built, quality very nice. They seemed to hold up very well even in a club environment where they were heavily used by many who treated them as their own, and some others who trashed and abused them.
Personally, the only "fault" I could find is that I thought they were underpowered....for me. The biggest engine is 90HP on the 24 footer. It would get to 23MPH with me alone and a full tank of gas on a smooth lake.
Wanting more, when we decided on a new pontoon boat, I wanted a triple tube boat with a minimum of 150 HP, to be able to cruise at 25 MPH or so but with enough extra oomph to get us and go when I wanted to and to pull the kids and grandkids on a tube.
We looked at a lot of boats, didn't have any prejudices against any of the brands available at the lake. The only boat that didn't impress me in any way was the Bentley. Quality just didn't seem to compare to any of the others we looked at.
We stopped at Winnisquam Marine one day and were offered what we think was the most compelling deal of any we got at the time. We ended up with a 24' Premier PTX with a 200 HP motor and haven't regretted it since.
I don't think you can go wrong with the Premier line of Pontoons, but, I also don't think you can go wrong with a Berkshire either.
Good luck with your decision. See you on the lake.

[pjard]

I pulled the trigger on a 24" Berkshire 231 STS RCF. The fishing set up in the stern sold me. It's the best design I've seen for both fishing and pleasure. We also upgraded from the 90HP to the 115HP. According to the guys at Irwin I should be able to get to 30 MPH with 2-3 people on board easy. They even said maybe the mid 30's but I'm skeptical. Anyway, high 20's is all I wanted so I'm happy. I too was a member of American Boat Club last year and the way those pontoon boats held up was very impressive. As a side note I can't say enough about Irwin Marine. So far, not done yet with everything, but so far Raj and Bill Irwin have been OUTSTANDING to work with.

[Winnilifer]

Good luck with your new baby. Irwin is great to deal with, I'm sure they will take good care of you for years. Enjoy and oh --- tight lines.

[PaugusBayFireFighter]

Congrats and have a blast...you will not regret it. Enjoy!!!

[pjard]

Picking up the boat tomorrow from Irwin. Gonna be COLD but that's OK, I can NOT wait to start fishing!

[Happy Gourmand]

Congrats, you will love it!