Monte Carlo MC 5 - Jack's review in this moth's mag

[henryf]

The MC 5 was indeed a very striking boat.

Not sure I would have used quite the phraseology in the MBY article but one man's Aphrodite is another man's Medusa. As a jacket or a pair of trousers sometimes you take a chance, worst case they stay in the wardrobe never to be worn a second time but a boat represents a slightly larger commitment than a bit of cloth.

My abiding memory from inside - yep, we ventured in out of curiosity, was of nylon carpet that felt like plywood. Have the French not heard of underlay - they are missing out on the joke about the Spanish bull fighter, "underlay underlay." The other thing was a wafer thin (said in an "Inspector Clouseau voice) roof moulding above the bed. It pressed in at the merest brush of your hand and reverberated like a drum. The leather door handles were funky but in the brief time I was on board I was left with the impression of a very frugal interior build.

I would pay good money to see the transom BBQ in action after a few beers. One step back then splosh.

The ST 34 I'll give you is a good looking boat from the right angle.

You're a very kind man Jack.

Henry

 

[PCUK]

I don't read MBY, but they've all got to take care of the advertisers.

 

[stelican]

I don't read MBY, but they've all got to take care of the advertisers.

Prime candidate for flybridge boat of the year at their awards
Actually built in Italy,Nice styling

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

I thought it was a really fresh take on the 50ft flybridge market although there were some stupidities as you say. Yes having to operate the bbq whilst standing in the tender would be one of them and putting 2 sofa seats in the master cabin instead of drawers is another. I have to say I liked the beach house style interior although it felt a bit small inside and I always dislike sharp corners on boat. For me, the best bit is the exterior. I really like the stainless steel clad upright bow, the windows are interesting, the flybridge is very comfortable and the overall styling is very distinctive.
One thing I don't understand though is why the MC5 seems to be marketed as part of a separate range of Monte Carlo yachts to the larger Monte Carlo yachts. Seems unnecessarily complicated to me

 

[wonky]

I don't read MBY, but they've all got to take care of the advertisers.

+1

Has there ever been a BAD review of a boat? Perhaps the odd "this sink could be better" but I don't recall ever reading a real "this is awful" must mean that all boats are great!!

 

[stillwaters]

One thing I don't understand though is why the MC5 seems to be marketed as part of a separate range of Monte Carlo yachts to the larger Monte Carlo yachts. Seems unnecessarily complicated to me

Isn't this possibly another part of the Jeanneau/Beneteau rebranding? Prestige now appears to have been hived off from the Jeanneau stable and given its own identity and it looks like the Monte Carlo brand will become the Beneteau mobo equivalent.
Looking at the recently released MC/Beneteau promo material,especially the snazzy vid,a number of the upmarket elements incorporated into the larger MC range are being utilised,albeit in a rather more mass-produced diluted form in the new MC4,5 & 6 range. It is clear that in addition to the MC5 at 50' there will also be a smaller MC4 at 43' plus an MC6 of so far unspecified length (AFIK) which is a cross between the MC5 and the positively gorgeous looking MC65. I have heard that they plan to build 100 a year and,if the success of the Prestige range is anything to go by,it sounds quite feasible.
There is an online brochure on the Monte Carlo website but,the vid is also well worth a look.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzMamNU-_fo
www.montecarloyachts.it

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

I don't have an issue with Beneteau using a different branding for their upmarket models. That makes complete sense but my point was that the Monte Carlo models MC4,5,6 seem to be marketed separately from the other Monte Carlo models MCY65,70,76,86. It just seems overcomplicated, especially when the complete Beneteau/Monte Carlo range seems to be sold thru the same dealer network

 

[Jack Haines]

The MC 5 was indeed a very striking boat.

Not sure I would have used quite the phraseology in the MBY article but one man's Aphrodite is another man's Medusa. As a jacket or a pair of trousers sometimes you take a chance, worst case they stay in the wardrobe never to be worn a second time but a boat represents a slightly larger commitment than a bit of cloth.

My abiding memory from inside - yep, we ventured in out of curiosity, was of nylon carpet that felt like plywood. Have the French not heard of underlay - they are missing out on the joke about the Spanish bull fighter, "underlay underlay." The other thing was a wafer thin (said in an "Inspector Clouseau voice) roof moulding above the bed. It pressed in at the merest brush of your hand and reverberated like a drum. The leather door handles were funky but in the brief time I was on board I was left with the impression of a very frugal interior build.

I would pay good money to see the transom BBQ in action after a few beers. One step back then splosh.

The ST 34 I'll give you is a good looking boat from the right angle.

You're a very kind man Jack.

Henry

As you say Henry, each to their own. However, having spent half a day out on the water performing our test and a rather hairy photo shoot with a mad helicopter pilot in a good chop, it was the boat's refinement that stood out for me. A measure of quality is the aesthetic stuff and the bits you interact with on the interior, yes, but it can also be quantified by how quietly the boat handles the chop with no squeaks, rattles or wobbles. The MC5 did this well in my opinion.

As for the whole MC4/5/6 and Monte Carlo Yachts thing, they told me on test that the plan is to make this into one big range from the MC4 all the way up to MCY 86. It's all a bit of confusing at the moment because the MC6, which will be the real bridge between to two current ranges, is yet to be launched and, of course, they formally had the range of Monte Carlo sportscruiers built by and branded as Bénéteau.

Nice to see the "the magazine is in the pocket of the advertisers" argument has been wheeled out once again. I'll respond the same way I have done every time this has come up in the past by saying that what I write is by no way influenced by who is and isn't advertising in the magazine. I write exactly as I see, simple as that.

Cheers,

Jack

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Nice to see the "the magazine is in the pocket of the advertisers" argument has been wheeled out once again. I'll respond the same way I have done every time this has come up in the past by saying that what I write is by no way influenced by who is and isn't advertising in the magazine. I write exactly as I see, simple as that.

Name one unflattering boat test ever published by MBM or MBY!

 

[Jack Haines]

Name one unflattering boat test ever published by MBM or MBY!

We have, at one point or another, fallen out with nearly every major boat builder due to a critical piece of reporting in the magazine - one instance very recently, in fact, which led to a significant change to the boat in question.

You are not going to see us laying into a boat and tearing it to shreds like Clarkson and friends in the auto mag industry because ours is a much more sensitive and fragile beast. The numbers involved mean that one recklessly harsh review can have a disproportionate effect on the boat in question and potentially even the company.

And, as user wonky mentioned further up the thread, the standards of boat building are so, so high these days. Customers are more demanding than ever and it is true that it's very rare to come across a truly bad boat. Some good and bad points are so subjective that all we can hope to do is present the boats to you guys in a clear and informative way with constructive criticism heading back to the manufacturers in the hope that they can make their boats better.

 

[stillwaters]

I don't have an issue with Beneteau using a different branding for their upmarket models. That makes complete sense but my point was that the Monte Carlo models MC4,5,6 seem to be marketed separately from the other Monte Carlo models MCY65,70,76,86. It just seems overcomplicated, especially when the complete Beneteau/Monte Carlo range seems to be sold thru the same dealer network

My thinking was that the process was currently in transition and that once the MC4,5 & 6 were up and running they would be amalgamated with the four larger,even higher-spec MC range to form one comprehensive offering that would enable owners to size-up later on,much like has recently already happened with the now extensive Prestige brand. And,let's face it,whether we like the boats that the JB Group make or not,they do seem to have a clear direction of where they are heading.However, I very much agree with your take on the MC5 and,despite some of its shortcomings which arguably could have been done better,such as the lack of a second midships cleat,I personally think it comes across as a breath of fresh air in a market so far dominated by ongoing unadventurous lack-lustre design. Interesting to maybe compare it to the Magellano which,due to its bow-up attitude at speed,even limits visiblity from the lower helm,whereas the MC5's interesting looking hull profile,possibly also aided by its pod drives,enables it to run much flatter with a max trim of only 3 degrees.

 

[pan]

We viewed the boat at SIPS.. and have to say was very disappointed with the interior & some of the external design, but hey ho beauty is in the eye of the beholder! Obviously we didn't have the benefit of a sea trial as Jack did and am sure he would only report what he found. A lot of boat tests (including those in other mags) have to be read closely, sometimes what is omitted tells more than what is included!

Unfortunately Jack doesn't have the power of Clarkson, as he says the market numbers are small, potential customers have to take their own view, but I would be very disappointed if I found a boat test did not accurately reflect the reality. Journalists must never confuse journalism with the income stream, all they have is their own credibility, once that is gone they have nothing, except perhaps the obituary section in a small provincial newspaper!

In my opinion MBY have always reported honestly, maybe perhaps glossing over some aspects, although sometimes I feel that it does not reflect what is happening in the larger market, it was clear to me that Princess & Sunseeker where the leading players at SIPS, both with progressive innovations, which somehow are not covered in MBY. I did notice Hugo leaving the SS stand with a very stormy face.. but maybe that was just do to the lousy weather!

In any case I will always sea trial myself any boat I was considering and take my own view.

Pan..

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

We have, at one point or another, fallen out with nearly every major boat builder due to a critical piece of reporting in the magazine - one instance very recently, in fact, which led to a significant change to the boat in question.

I guess that'll be the Trader 42 report in which you criticised the wet ride and they glued a bigger chine on to their hull? The reason I can remember that though is that critical comments in boat reports are as rare as hens' teeth

You are not going to see us laying into a boat and tearing it to shreds like Clarkson and friends in the auto mag industry because ours is a much more sensitive and fragile beast. The numbers involved mean that one recklessly harsh review can have a disproportionate effect on the boat in question and potentially even the company.

You mean the company might go bust and not buy any more advertising!

 

[Alwaysbyboat]

The magazine actually did say very recently that the Princess V48 had a hard upwind ride and that the open galley acted as a soundbox. They also said that on the V39 you had to throttle back when conditions become a little bit more challenging. So at least on those two occasions they were upfront (and probably right). Just to be 100% clear: I'm not bashing the boats mentioned here, just demonstrating that the magazines do articulate their views (sometimes). Slightly off topic (but still related): I think comparative tests would be very useful (like they did on the V48, Fairline 48 and Sunseeker San Remo). I realise it's not always easy to schedule trials at the same day, but it's the only way to have an objective comparison between similar boats: tested on the same day at the same place by the same journalist. Yet another idea we can "borrow" from the car industry/magazines...

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

The magazine actually did say very recently that the Princess V48 had a hard upwind ride and that the open galley acted as a soundbox. They also said that on the V39 you had to throttle back when conditions become a little bit more challenging. So at least on those two occasions they were upfront (and probably right).

Yup, fair point. It can't have been easy to slag off a Princess

 

[PowerYachtBlog]

nah I bought that October issue, and frankly Princess still come out as Gods, as the writer makes it seems that due to its accommodation and IPS propulsion hard upwind (head sea) rides will be the standard or something we have to get used in all boats of this type.

A boat in a head sea is a bad one,,,, but having seen other Brit build boat reports on MBY fairly protected I the head sea ride seems to be pretty bad.

MBY IMO has two decide things, or start to be a big open critic on everyone, or else use the Italian Nautica system where they present the boat and leave comments to be said by the viewers, in a presentation type review.

OTOH in the same issue I like the Contest review, which seems a pretty honest one with MBY trying to find a fault in that boat....
When it comes to not being built in Britain, and having a different style to Prin-SunSee-Fair the reviews are good. When boats start to look as the builders home, the reviews take another direction, and I can show multiple examples of this from past issues....

 

[wonky]

I was thinking "Lexus" when I first read about it and if they are marketing them a bit below the big boys, as Toyota did at first, then that feels about right, but having got the price list for the MC4 I'm not sure they are (starting at £423000).