BENNINGTON 24LXSBA
The new Bennington LX Series takes luxury up a notch from the L Series models. Start with the classy fiberglass Voyager helm console, with stowage access in a side door and through the bowseat backrest, a locking glove box with USB and Aux ports, zebrawood accents on the dash and the tilting wheel, bright trim on the analog gauge package that includes an hour meter, and a windscreen. Our test boat replaced the gauges with a Simrad GO7 multifunction display ($3,349) integrated with Suzuki digital rigging. The captain and first mate get reclining high-back seats with armrests. All the seats feature the LX Sport interior with three colors and neat contrasting piping in Simtex, a lightly textured vinyl material that stays cool in the sun. A pair of curved chaise-style lounge seats forward have vinyl-covered Duraframe bases. The Swingback aft lounger is standard, but our boat had the optional four-way Swingback Plus lounger ($744), which on the LX includes a portside pod with drink holders and an optional remote audio control ($437). For tunes at the sandbar, there are two aftfacing speakers in the Swingback base. Each of the Kicker speakers on the boat sports an LED backlight, and Bennington has worked with Kicker to incorporate heavier speaker magnets for added volume without distortion. The tubular sport arch is standard on this model, and can be rigged with board racks and two Kicker can speakers at an extra cost.
The ESP Performance Package underpins this boat with a pair of 25-inch outboard tubes and the patented 32-inch elliptical middle tube, updated this year with new strakes intended to provide more lift, higher top speed and a smoother ride. The ESP bottom incorporates a center fuel tank for better weight distribution, with heavier 25-inch shaft outboards. The Suzuki DF300B motor is a nice match for this boat; we found that the added blade area and dual counterrotating propellers do a good job steering the boat in reverse. This boat is no slouch in forward either, nudging up to 50 mph, with a smooth ride over a stiff lake chop and precise handling.