2026 Bennington 24 M Swingback

Metallic silver over matte black, a Yamaha 250, and a price that makes sense. This new 2026 Bennington 24 MSB, stock #4972, is the boat we most often recommend to families buying their first pontoon, and the reasoning is simple.

At 26 feet 3 inches overall on an 8-foot 6-inch beam and 3,789 lbs dry, this is a boat you can actually live with. It fits any slip on the Lake without a wide-beam surcharge. It tows behind a half-ton truck or a decent SUV with no permit and no drama. One person can bring it into a dock in a crosswind. Those things sound unglamorous, but they determine whether a boat gets used on a Wednesday evening or only on planned Saturdays.

The Midship Swingback layout gives you the convertible rear lounge, shifting between forward-facing cruising seats and rear-facing relaxation seating, plus wraparound cockpit seating and captain and co-captain recliners. Bennington's M Series finish means luxury marine-grade upholstery with detailed stitching, soft-touch woven vinyl flooring, a large in-floor locker for watersports gear, abundant under-seat storage, and RGB accent lighting with illuminated cupholders.

The helm is properly modern for the money: a VIVID UX touchscreen with GPS and depthsounder capability through Simrad electronics, digital Yamaha engine monitoring, hydraulic tilt steering, Bluetooth stereo, and USB charging. Underneath is the SPS performance package, giving three tubes with strakes and foils rather than two, which is what provides the stability to carry twelve people and the lift to plane quickly.

The 250 hp Yamaha is well matched to the weight. It is genuinely quick on a boat this light, it pulls tubes and skiers without complaint, and it is noticeably cheaper to run than the 300 and 350 options further up the range. Worth noting the tank is 25 gallons, so on a heavy watersports day plan a stop at the gas dock.

Why this is the right boat: it is new, it is warrantied, it is easy and inexpensive to own, and it does not feel like a compromise once you are sitting in it. For most families that is exactly the right trade.

It is in stock at Kelly's Port in Osage Beach, family owned on the Lake of the Ozarks since 1977. Dry storage, slips, fuel, a ship store, and same-day service are all here. Call 573.348.3888 to see stock #4972.