BENNINGTON VS. SUN TRACKER
Construction Bennington Tracker Safety chambered pontoons - no end cap drain plug Yes Yes Full length keels Yes No Heavy Duty 3" Tall Cross members Yes No Bolted Deck w/ stainless bolts Bolted Screwed Full perimeter.25" radius bow cross member for bow protection Yes No Bow deck extended over nose cones Yes No Loom wrapped wire harnesses w/ sealed connectors throughout boat Yes No One piece rotationally molded plastic seat frames Yes Yes Rails welded on all four sides, not two Yes Yes Ski tow bars pull tested to a minimum of 1,800 lbs. Yes No Stainless steel piano hinges at gates Yes No Rails anodized after being welded Yes No Rattle free panels Yes No Patented quick release bimini hardware w/ lifetime warranty Yes No Warranty Stem to Stern warranty 7 years 10 Years Lifetime structural warranty - material & labor Yes Yes
Trackers box shaped cross channel hides their deck screws Tracker cross members are shorter and up to 52% lighter than Bennington cross members. The thickness of the top of the cross member is only.090 (same as sheet aluminum). This is all their deck screws have to bite into. Only a couple of threads from each screw actually make contact with the cross members. It takes a lot of screws to hold these decks together. All Tracker pontoon boats are built with these lighter cross members on 24 centers.
Bennington uses extruded aluminum skirting that fits snug to the pontoon and covers the length of the pontoon. Tracker does not use extruded aluminum skirting and leaves large gaps with a cheap, unfinished look.
Bennington s full length keels protect the tubes in shallow water and improve tracking while underway. Sun Tracker is one of a few pontoon manufacturers to not have full length keels.
Bennington s extruded M brackets are welded all the way to the end cap. 4 points of contact distribute weight evenly over the end cap, the strongest part of the tube. We space our deck brackets wider and lower, greatly reducing the amount of twisting and racking the deck can experience while in rough water. Sun Tracker s brackets are not welded all the way to the end caps (the strongest part of the tube)
Bennington fastens the deck to the crosschannels with high grade stainless 1 head fanged elevator bolts with nylock nuts. This design gives the deck unrivaled rigidity and holding power. Self tapping screws like those used by Sun Tracker do not have the strength or holding power to hold the deck rigid and prevent deck flex.
Bennington welds their rails before it is anodized. Sun Tracker uses pre-anodized aluminum fencing which is then welded. Welding after anodization creates a weak weld and also creates black marks on the weld. They then paint the weld to hide the discoloration. Over time the paint fades revealing the blackened weld.
Bennington uses a full.250 bow radius channel that reinforces the deck trim from inside out. Tracker bow corners do not feature full radius structural support. Also not the wiring is not loom wrapped.
Bennington s stainless steel castings are three times stronger than aluminum castings and are included in the lifetime warranty. The weak aluminum castings used by Sun Tracker will pit, corrode, and discolor over time.
Bennington decks extend over the pontoons, creating more deck space and eliminating the safety risk of kids tripping on them. Sun Tracker s pontoons extend past the bow deck, wasting space and creating a safety hazard.
8 inches of deck space could be added to this Sun Tracker.
Docking lights are not available on some Tracker models. Their navigation lights are mounted right on the carpet no light housing.
Bennington s standard tops are all 10 in length. They all feature solid front struts, rear trailering struts and our patented quick release system. Short 8 tops provide minimal protection from the sun. Tops fit loose, do not hold shape. Tracker uses straps instead of solid front struts for strength.
All Benningtons come standard with a full playpen cover covered by our 7-Year Warranty. Tracker has an optional cover available from $540-$1,000 plus dealer installation.
All Bennington underdeck wiring is encased in conduit and holes are sealed with silicon. These wires are exposed underneath the boat and subject to damage. The holes that the wires feed through are not sealed with silicon.
Bennington s rail system is a solid, rattle free structure thanks to supportive aesthetics and a resilient sealing strip that s placed between each panel and railing touch point. Tap on Sun Tracker panels and you will hear metal on metal contact.
Bennington s uses high quality piano style gate hinges which provide more support. Sun Tracker gates have 2 small gate hinges which may bind or break.
1.) Some Tracker consoles do not come with a door. 2.) No lockable storage. 3.) Stereo has no cover. 4.) No hour meter.
Regency is Tracker s premium line; however, they use the same cost cutting methods to build this premium product. Two plastic gate hinges hold the gates together. Cupholders are in cheap plastic housing, tucked underneath the seat where it would be difficult to access.
Even the docking/navigation lights on the Regency line are in plastic housing that is mounted with visible, nonstainless, screws.
You will NEVER see this on a Bennington. This bracket is just wasted material with nothing connected to it. Tracker uses non-marine (non sealed) butt connectors even under the deck!
Just a couple examples of poor fit and finish on a Sun Tracker. On the left is a boat at a show with tape hanging from the rail. On the right, is a poor and unattractive weld on the back of a pontoon.
Here is a threshold separating the flooring on a Sun Tracker which is made of cheap material, screwed with non-stainless screws that are visible.
All Benningtons come standard with 10 bimini top and full playpen cover We provide lumbar support in every seat. Bennington 20SL MSRP w/ 40hp: $18,525 Tracker PB 20DLX No Haggle w/ 40hp: $18,390* *Includes optional mooring cover. 28 oz. carpet w/ 7 year warranty 22 oz. carpet Chaise lounges Built-in changing room option or storage box / sundeck. No chaise lounge in the port stern seating position Extra large stern activity area with standard vinyl covering
All Benningtons come standard with 10 bimini top and full playpen cover We provide lumbar support in every seat. Bennington 21 SFX w/ 60hp @20%: $22,717 Tracker FB 22 DLX No Haggle w/ 60hp $21,790* *Includes optional mooring cover Only TWO exterior color options Chaise lounge with storage Two person console seat that also serves as excellent storage or an optional 22 gallon live well with bait bucket. No bow deck No chaise lounge in the port stern seating position Optional deluxe bass seat upgrade Only two speakers vs. four Stern Fish Station with Livewell No aft platform
Tracker s design includes and engine pod that extends well beyond the stern of the boat. Not only does this excessive set-back impede performance, but their engines are almost totally submerged in water when underway. Why does Tracker set the engine back so far? Good questions. It results in poor performance and spray all over the engine and the fuel tank fill. Better make sure you have a water separating fuel filter if you own a Tracker! Wires / cables not protected from debris in water. Inconvenient fuel fill hard to fill susceptible to water intrusion
Components 10 Year Parts & Labor - 7 Year Transfer Any Defect 7 Year (5 + 2) Parts & Labor - 5 Year Transfer Note: Binding Arbitration Automatic Item Sun Tracker Bennington Tubes Metal Structural Decking Railings Lifetime Parts & Labor - 10 Year Transfer Any Defect Lifetime Parts & Labor - 10 Year Transfer Lifetime Parts & Labor - 10 Year Transfer Any Defect Lifetime Parts & Labor - 10 Year Transfer Lifetime Parts & Labor - 10 Year Transfer Any Defect Lifetime Parts & Labor - 10 Year Transfer Lifetime Parts & Labor - 10 Year Transfer Any Defect Lifetime Parts & Labor - 10 Year Transfer General Items 10 Year Parts & Labor - 7 Year Transfer Any Defect 7 Year (5 + 2) Parts & Labor - 5 Year Transfer Transferability Yes Multi Seat Frames 10 Year Parts & Labor - 7 Year Transfer Any Defect 7 Year (5 + 2) Parts & Labor - 5 Year Transfer Seat Vinyl 10 Year Parts & Labor - 7 Year Transfer Any Defect 7 Year (5 + 2) Parts & Labor - 5 Year Transfer Flooring 10 Year Parts & Labor - 7 Year Transfer Any Defect 7 Year (5 + 2) Parts & Labor - 5 Year Transfer Canvas 10 Year Parts & Labor - 7 Year Transfer Any Defect 7 Year (5 + 2) Parts & Labor - 5 Year Transfer