We Say: With its open layout, seating for 16, and acres of transom lounge, Bennington’s 25 GSBA vies for high honors at the sandbar or cove. Facing lounges adorn the bow. The consoles are set back quite a bit, limiting room in the stern but affording better hull balance and giving the bow seating a huge footprint. We admired the simply arranged dash atop the sweptback and curvaceous console, noting the presence of vital instrumentation and a digitally controlled Kicker sound system.
Aft, an aircraft-size transom lounge, upholstered in stitched Tuscan Dune and Perforated Firecracker color-combination vinyl, features a reversible backrest. The seat hinges up to reveal a changing station, plus access to batteries. Note the Bennington logo plate at the base of the lounge. At the transom, we noted neat, clean routing of wiring and hoses to the Yamaha outboard.
Our test boat’s 350 hp Yamaha V-8 delivered a max speed of 50 mph. Best cruise occurred at a sedate 17.4 mph and 2,500 rpm, where we recorded 3.6 mpg. At most any other speed level, mpg was in the 2s, not 3s. For those needing low-end grunt, this is your ride; we ripped zero to 30 multiple times in a consistent 5.4 seconds, enough to beat more than a few bass and speed hulls out of the hole. Optional power-assist steering harnesses the power.
Who’d Want One: Boaters seeking luxury for a crowd.
Another Choice: Check out the Cypress Cay Cayman LE 250 ($116,889, powered by a Mercury Racing 400R).
Bottom Line: $117,456 (as tested); benningtonmarine.com
How We Tested
Engine: Yamaha F350 V-8 four-stroke
Drive/Prop: Outboard/Yamaha Saltwater Series XL 16.25″ x 15″
Gear Ratio: 1.73:1
Fuel Load: 26 gal.
Crew Weight: 375 lb.
