Monterey Opinions

[britemp]

Have considered a few different boats over the months, but my move to Cowes is getting closer and closer and when I get there I can either hang on until next year and buy a more expensive boat, or get a cheaper one quickly.

Being impatient I quite like the quick way and am considering a Monterey 245 with a 240hp Yanmar diesel. It seems like a good boat to learn in, is cheap to run and will do until I upgrade. All round it seems decent for under £50k and as I will be living within a stones throw of the marina I will only need occassional over-nighting.

Any opinions, helpful or not? /forums/images/icons/smile.gif


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[gjgm]

there was a review of smaller cuddies in MBM a few months ago.. you probably saw it,. Monterey came out very well. At about 25ft it will give you a fair amount of Solent capability (compared to something smaller) which might be of more help in getting experience than actually overnighting.
There is always a big debate about petrol vs diesel. Personally, i think it might be a consideration if you do say 150hrs or more a year (bear in mind 50 is supposed to be average), or on a larger boat than yours. For single engined, 25ft, the cost of petrol really isnt going to be that big an issue, i would argue.
Although well reviewed, you dont see that many montereys. Nothing wrong with them, but if you are thinking of selling on after a season or so, I m not sure they are that well recognised a name. Mind you, when it comes to selling a boat....!!

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[Xenopus]

Took a slightly larger Monterey out this weekend, engineer couldn't get Mananan ready in time and so said please take a stock boat! Nicely put together and handled fine, we overnighted on her with the kids very comfortably, I should imagine they would make a good boat to learn on, not sure I'd jump for diesel unless you're going to use her loads. Possible to lose money in spades if red goes.

cheers,

Matt

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[Solitaire]

Hi Matt - presume you mean the one Brian has?

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[Solitaire]

I have now done a number of deliveries of the new Montereys for customers of South Water Marine. The most recent was a 218 from Hamble to Chi with the 1.7 Merc package . I have been very impressed with the make and have driven them all up to the 265 with the 315 Yanmar engine. The 245 is a great little boat and with the 240 Yanmar you have a very potent package. Have not driven the diesel version, only a 350 Magnum petrol but I have considerable experinece of the 240 and it will be comparable in terms of performance in the lower to mid end. The 350 does give a higher top speed but then you are starting to push the hull INMHO. You don't need that much power!

The interior finnish is good and it's well fitted out. Go and speak to David at South Water.

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[Xenopus]

Hi David,

Yup, really nice family weekender having tried her. Mananan's oil leak was a crack in the cap that blocks off the rear oil filter space, amazingly managed to find a replacement! Engines now finished and back in the water this week hopefully!! Taking out other boats has really emphasised how right Hunton have got their ride and handling, its so different. Would you like to give her a try one evening?

cheers,

Matt


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[Jinks]

Bought a year old one of these about a month ago as my first boat. Personally, can't fault it. Cruises comfortably at 22knots and has a top end of around 30. I'm currently trying to calculate accurately the deisel consumption which appears to be around 2 litres per NM and around 5 gallons per hour. Very pleased with build quality and finish - who knows about re-sell value, I'll just enjoy it while I've got it.

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[Solitaire]

Yes please Matt./forums/images/icons/smile.gif I'll pm you mobile number. Let's pick a nice evening!

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[britemp]

Thanks for that.

I was always told that petrol versus diesel didn't really matter but I notice when MBM tested it up against petrol equivalents the diesel did 4.3gph against 10gph with similar performance. That means while we have cheap diesel the bill is over 6 times cheaper and even if we lose cheap diesel it will still be over half the cost. In addition to that Monterey charge a relatively small premium over a petrol variant for diesel compared to most. As I intend to live next to the boat and use it a lot round most of the year, the diesel option looks appealing, but I shall have to get the old calculator out to work out if I will use it enough to justify the initally greater outlay. On a purely subjective level I do tend to favour diesel in boats though.


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[britemp]

I'm in two minds about the diesel bit - Monterey can supply a 245 with a 240 Yanmar for a very similar price to many of it's competitors with a petrol engine so the premium for diesel is not too bad. I also assume even if cheap diesel goes people would rather buy a diesel at 4.3gph than a petrol at 10gph?

I am also conscious that most people say you don't get the right boat until your third try so a Monterey shouldn't upset the bank manager too much in the meantime! /forums/images/icons/smile.gif

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[britemp]

Thanks for the advice.

MBM reckon on 33knots flat out with the 240 yanmar and 4.3gph at a 25knot cruise which sounds good to me. I'm not looking for a racing boat, but I do want a decent mid-twenties cruise and enough poke for some fun!

I've been in contact with David at Southwater and will pop in and have a close look at the Montereys ASAP.

Cheers!


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[britemp]

Sounds great - should be a good tool for me to learn in as well without breaking the bank.


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[mercman]

Exactly its DIFFERENT so ride and handling is completely different. So why mention a race boat design when someone is talking about a cruiser think you gone out your way to boast about your vessel and not helping our dear friend out. If you can afford a £500 fill up every day of weekend end fair play. The talk is about value for money against other similiar crafts. I to have spent a lot of time in researching for a boat and found the Monterey extremely well priced. The diesel version is equivelent to many others petrol versions. I am still to make the plunge but Monterey are top of my list.

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[Xenopus]

Many apologies, didn't mean to wind anyone up - of course they're completely different types of boat. Was answering Solitaire who knows my boat and its recent problem. The Monterey was excellent as I said, I'm sure that you'll enjoy it if you go for one.

sorry again,

Matt

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[mercman]

No probs that Mananan not the old Aviator

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[hotchilli]

Performance (monterey 265 with 315 Yan Diesel)

Hi

I have just bought a monterey 265 with a Yan 315 diesel, I get it next week its 2004 model with low hours.

Can anyone tell me what the top speed and cruise is with the 315 Yanmar diesel?

Thanks

Tony