any experience with Monterey boats?

[Danimal]

A friend of mind is looking to buy a Monterey (details below). Have any of you had any experience with this boat brand? What other brands would this be comparable to?

Thanks,

Dan

"1996 Monterey Montura 236 Limited Edition, Bowrider, 454 Mercruiser, Bravo III Counter-Rotating Outdrive Greatly improves torque for increased acceleration and reduces or eliminates torque steer, 60+ mph, Custom Cover, Through-Hull silent-select exhaust system, lift-kept, AM/FM Stereo Cassette, many extras, great boat in great condition!"

[FloridaDan]

I bought a new 1997 Monterey 236 BR with the same engine and drive combo, 454/B-3. To sum up how I liked it in 3 words - I HATED IT ! The boat had a terrible list to starboard from a hooked hull. I put tabs on it and it still didn't ride right. A 3' wide section of the plywood floor sunk right down the middle of the cockpit. I called the factory on both of these and got absolutely no help whatsoever.

The engine compartment is very closed off and the motor always ran hot because of it. So much so that the lube in the outdrive resevoir would expand and spill out the top making a royal stinking mess. I had to run the resevoir almost empty just to keep that from happening. The glare off the windshield made it hard to drive sitting down because the stupid factory painted the dash with glossy paint !

I have read of MANY other Monterey owners of this and later years having serious problems with their boats, recurring deck cracks etc., and they got ZERO help from the company.

There are some owners on these forums who'll probably argue with what I've said and say they're great boats. Ignore the facts at your own risk.

[Danimal]

FL-Dan,

Thanks so much for your info. I've already been on the phone with my buddy and read him what you wrote. Very, very helpful. Sorry you had such a bad experience. Just out of curiosity- what kind of boat are you running now?

Dan

[Wayward Son]

Have to say that the above comment does not jibe with my experience with Monterey. I had a 23 Cuddy for several years and had no problems at all with the boat. The factory was very helpful when I needed a replacement lock for the cuddy...one phone call and it was in the mail, no charge. It was an older boat...1990 model & I just sold it a couple of months ago.

Engine & drive problems are just that...they are not related to the boat manufacturer. They are however, directly related to preventative maintenance. My .02!

[Danimal]

John,

Did your Monterey have the 350 or the 454? I am thinking that the 454 might be prone to overheating b/c it is wedged into an engine compartment that is too small (or doesn't have enough vents).

An interesting note is that the current owner says the boat was repowered in 2000 after a piece of plastic got sucked into the cooling system and caused the motor to overheat. Hmmmm, this is starting to smell fishy. Maybe the motor just overheated on its own?

Another thing is that the "silent-select" exhaust system is an aftermarket installation that was not on the boat when he bought it. Maybe after cooking the first motor this guy thought that putting a less restrictive exhaust system on it would help keep it cool.

We'll find out tomorrow. My friend is going to test drive it in the morning. He's going to call me first so I can check this post and see if any other info has come up.

Dan

[FloridaDan]

I just knew somebody here was going to try and blame the boats problems on me. JC the boat ran hot since it was brand new and had all maintenance done by the dealer at reccomended intervals, so your "preventive maintenance" idea is nonsense. Get your facts straight before you make assumptions and place blame.

And claiming the factory gives great service for replacing a "lock on a cuddy door" doesn't compare to them refusing to repair serious structural defects my boat had since new.

As far as the boat your friend is interested in Danimal, I'd ask how many hours the original engine had on it before it went bad. Montereys appeal to people because they are cheap and a '96 is probably gonna go for 12-18K I'd think. I'd be concerned about the add on exhaust, if the holes weren't epoxyed or sealed the core can rot out. My boat only went 55 mph tops, their claim of 60 + seems high with that engine. 1996 was the first year Monterey came out with the 236, beware.

I'm glad the boat is gone and I've now stepped way up to a large Convertible. I go to the Bahamas alot and rough water being the rule more than the exception down here, my current boat handles it great.

These discussions can degrade into a p*ssing match between owners of boats, I hope this helps and best of luck to your friend. I'm outta here.

[Danimal]

Got a call last night that even after hearing about FL-Dan's experience, he decided to buy anyway. I guess he worked the price down far enough to where he couldn't afford not to buy it.

So I'm going to head up to Baltimore (from DC) this weekend to check it out. Thanks you guys for the input.

Dan