When two boats share the same hull type — in this case both the Sweetwater SW 2080 BF 2013 and the Sweetwater SW 2180 RE4 2008 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 — Sweetwater SW 2080 BF 2013 at 20,3 ft versus Sweetwater SW 2180 RE4 2008 at 21,0 ft. Weight tells a clearer story for trailering families: the Sweetwater SW 2080 BF 2013 tips the scales at 2 222 lbs — 633 lbs more than the Sweetwater SW 2180 RE4 2008 at 1 589 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 — 90 hp for the Sweetwater SW 2080 BF 2013 and 90 hp for the Sweetwater SW 2180 RE4 2008. 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. Both carry nearly identical fuel loads — 21 gal and 24 gal — so range won't be a tiebreaker here.
For family outings this is probably the sharpest distinction between the two. The Sweetwater SW 2080 BF 2013 is rated for 10 passengers, while the Sweetwater SW 2180 RE4 2008 caps at 1. If you're regularly pulling extended family or a group of friends onto the water, the extra seats on the Sweetwater SW 2080 BF 2013 could be the deciding factor.
Bottom line: Choose the Sweetwater SW 2080 BF 2013 if your priority is putting more people on the water — it handles 10 passengers and at 20,3 ft it has the deck room to back that rating up comfortably. The Sweetwater SW 2180 RE4 2008 is the smarter pick if you want a lighter, easier-to-trailer boat rated for 1 that costs less to run day-to-day.