Bennington 21 SLX

We Say: Bennington’s high-dollar features trickle down to the affordably priced 21 SLX. The lounges are upholstered with premium Icon soft-touch vinyl. The fiberglass helm sports a polished wheel. All fittings and hardware are stainless steel. Low-maintenance, roto-molded seat bases are left exposed but are color-matched to the vinyl above.

Aft, the 21 SLX features an expansive platform. An angled, deep-step ladder facilitates boarding. The stowage space below the sun pad can be upgraded to include a pop-up changing room. Additional options on my test boat included a stainless-steel rub rail and two-tone fence panels along with pillow-top upholstery, faux teak flooring and a trendy matte maple finish on both the dash inlays and trapezoid-shaped cockpit table. All contributed to an upscale appearance.

Though triple tubes can be had, my test boat maintained affordability with a pair of standard 25-inch pontoons and a fuel-efficient 90 hp Yamaha. It’s a combo that brought the 10-passenger SLX onto plane in 3.2 seconds, burned just over four gallons per hour at a 17 mph cruise, and topped out at 27.7 mph.

Who’d Want One: Boaters seeking a single-engine, quality marque pontoon at a more affordable price.

Another Choice: Cypress Cay‘s Seabreeze 210 features similar 10-passenger seating capacity. It’s a twin-tube ‘toon that comes powered by a 90 hp Mercury Command Thrust four-stroke outboard, and it runs $24,010.

Bottom Line: $26,617 (with test power); benningtonmarine.com