Boat Test: 2026 Sanpan 2700 Split Bench With Windshield

Overview

Godfrey Marine’s Sanpan 2700 Split Bench with Windshield defines the phrase “high-zoot.” It’s a potent mix of power, speed and luxury; one with a bad need for speed yet also chock-a-block with amenities welcoming to its riders. Rigged with twin Mercury Racing 500R outboards spinning four-blade high-performance stainless-steel Mercury Ventera propellers—the performance numbers beckon even ardent high-speed boaters who might normally scoff at the idea of a fast pontoon. The Sanpan rocketed drag-boat-like to 30 mph in just 3.2 seconds. Midrange and upper-rpm hammer-downs proved the twin Mercs really pack punch, even when already rolling. Top speed was 71.6 mph at 6,650 rpm. With some tweaking, we’re confident 75 mph is within its realm, maybe more. At dinner-cruise speeds, best economy is just over 16 mph and 2,000 rpm, where fuel burn was 9.2 gph, calculating to a best of 1.8 mpg. That’s not going to let you pass many fuel docks, but decent considering there are 1,000-plus horses barking back there. Range at best cruise is about 200 miles, leaving ten percent of the 124-gallon fuel tank for reserve.

Interior and Accessories

The Sanpan is remarkably easy to drive fast; just tuck the trim under and hit the throttles, and with very little bow rise, you’re rocketing past 40, 50, 60 mph before you know it. As the boat accelerates, tickling the up trim until the boat starts to porpoise is the way to go, then trim down just a bit to stop the bounce, and away it goes; it’s rock-steady at 70 mph. With a bit more tweaking, that “lope zone” could be reduced. That means playing with different propellers, and making test runs to see what works best—loads of fun when maximizing performance of a high-performance hull that’s fun to pilot. The iMPACT+ tri-toon configuration gives superlative tracking; the boat leans into turns, banking gracefully without hooking or sliding out.

The Sanpan’s performance is frosting on a very luxurious cake. Godfrey went all out for its top-line flagship, and it shows. The abovedeck features include fiberglass exterior perimeter fence paneling in Pitch Black gelcoat, with built-in headlights, docking and navigation lights for a seamless and sleek look. It seems coming up with new and innovative ways to latch the entry gates is commonplace among pontoon builders; the Sanpan’s push-button gate at the bow is nifty and effective.

Standard lighting also includes Full Spectrum RGB color lighting, featuring courtesy lighting, and lighted cup holders, underwater lights, speaker and underseat mood lights.

Aboard, Sanpan’s layout is traditional; twin facing loungers in the bow and two more astern create large and comfortable conversation pits. The bow loungers are contoured to create more space for moving about yet still give plenty of supple support for sun bathers. The twin fore and aft sections are separated amidships by twin consoles with a full-closing windshield. 

The captain’s helm is all-new for 2026, standard with two 12-inch screens and C-Zone switching. The captain also gets heated and cooled cup holders and a phone charger. A handy trash receptacle hides inside the copilot’s helm, and there’s plenty of storage room inside the pilot’s console. A peek behind the console door revealed dash and console rigging that’s neat and tidy, which is good news if troubleshooting is ever required. The twin cockpit chairs feature diamond-stitched insets with gold accents, and both seats swivel, tilt and adjust fore and aft. 

The optional Bronze package adds Raven Cool-Touch furniture with black grab handles, bronze accents and badging, and special Onyx Cool-Touch grey weave flooring. Also optional is the twin-engine blackout package, featuring black seat pedestals, black Lillipad aft boarding ladder, XP custom steering wheel, and blacked-out pontoons. Our tester also featured Godfrey’s Grand Luxe electric folding arch with integrated power Bimini top, and an underbow-mounted windlass anchor with quick release. Godfrey offers many choices in sound systems, with the JL Audio package being the most popular. It features a head unit with a remote and an 8-channel DSP amp and 10-inch subwoofer, four 6.5-inch and two 7.7-inch RGB speakers.

Shopping around? Avalon’s 2785 Excalibur Carbon Fiber features twin windscreen-topped consoles, carbon-fiber exterior wraparound paneling, checks in at 28-feet-6-inches long, takes twin 500 hp outboards and starts at $239,000. Bennington’s 27 QXSBWAX2 has twin 350s (maximum rated power 700 hp), is 28-feet-3-inches long with a 10-foot beam, features multiple interior configurations, and retails for just over $408,000 fully equipped. 

The Sanpan’s aft deck deserves the adjective “ginormous,” with an overabundance of room for sunning, gathering, and watersports prep. A removable watersports tow is standard. To jump overboard or climb back to the deck, the aft boarding ladder is mounted between the engines.

Read Next: Eight Great Pontoon Boats

How We Tested

• Engines: Twin Mercury Racing 500R
• Drive/Prop: Outboard/Mercury Ventera 15″ x 21.5″ 4-blade stainless steel
• Gear Ratio:1.60:1 Fuel Load: 85 gal. Crew Weight: 375 lb.

High Points

• Console features twin 12-inch screens, tilting electric steering, and a safety-glass wraparound windshield.  
• IMPACT+ package delivers V-hull lean and performance. 
• Available with four different outboard brands.

Low Points

• Midrange porpoising, like our prototype test boat displayed, can get intimidating. Godfrey is addressing it on production rigs.  

Pricing and Specs

Speed, Efficiency, Operation