When two boats share the same hull type — in this case both the Bennington 20SFi 2010 and the Bennington 2875RLTDIO 2009 are pontoon designs with aluminum construction — the buying decision usually comes down to a handful of practical questions: how many people are you putting on the water, how far do you trailer, and what does your tow vehicle weigh?

Both boats share a closely matched power ceiling — 23 hp for the Bennington 20SFi 2010 and 3 hp for the Bennington 2875RLTDIO 2009. Real-world performance will come down more to which motor is actually bolted on, its load at the time, and whether it's a 4-stroke or 2-stroke setup.

For family outings this is probably the sharpest distinction between the two. The Bennington 20SFi 2010 is rated for 23 passengers, while the Bennington 2875RLTDIO 2009 caps at 3. If you're regularly pulling extended family or a group of friends onto the water, the extra seats on the Bennington 20SFi 2010 could be the deciding factor.

Both are 2-tube and 3-tube pontoon designs respectively. Tube diameter and gauge affect stability and load capacity — more so than most buyers realize when comparing on paper.