When two boats share the same hull type — in this case both the Bennington 2574RLi 2010 and the Bennington 2874RL I/O 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?
On paper these two are close siblings in the size department — Bennington 2574RLi 2010 at 27,2 ft versus Bennington 2874RL I/O 2009 at 28,0 ft. Weight tells a clearer story for trailering families: the Bennington 2874RL I/O 2009 tips the scales at 3 762 lbs — 464 lbs less than the Bennington 2574RLi 2010 at 3 298 lbs. That difference is meaningful if you're working within a half-ton or three-quarter-ton truck's tow rating, especially once you factor in a motor, gear, and fuel.
Both boats share a closely matched power ceiling — 2 hp for the Bennington 2574RLi 2010 and 3 hp for the Bennington 2874RL I/O 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 2874RL I/O 2009 is rated for 3 passengers, while the Bennington 2574RLi 2010 caps at 2. If you're regularly pulling extended family or a group of friends onto the water, the extra seats on the Bennington 2874RL I/O 2009 could be the deciding factor.
Both are 23-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.
Bottom line: Choose the Bennington 2874RL I/O 2009 if your priority is putting more people on the water — it handles 3 passengers and at 28,0 ft it has the deck room to back that rating up comfortably. The Bennington 2574RLi 2010 is the smarter pick if you want a lighter, easier-to-trailer boat rated for 2 that costs less to run day-to-day.