Re: Why ask iboats members which boat to buy?
I'm pretty happy with my Monterey 18 footer. It is my first boat, and I bought it when I thought i knew exactly what I want. Now I'm just living with the shortcomings and loving the perks.
The 4.3L is a great engine, me thinks...boat does about 50 and I feel that it's very good on gas. You aren't going to find many 19 foot or smaller boats with anything bigger. Keep in mind that you vary in HP from the 3.0 carbed to the 4.3 EFI. I think you start at like 135 HP with the carbed 3.0 and work up to 220 with the EFI 4.3. We have the carbed 4.3 and like I said, it seems adequate. Would i be fine with a little bigger or a little smaller? Probably. If I got out for a full day, which usually is a lot more swimming and a lot less driving, I'll probably use $20-25 in gas for the day.YMMV.
Monterey. Seems top notch. Recessed SS cleats, really nice vinyl, good features like iPod connection and Sirius radio. Nice and heavy for a lil guy, with a deep v, produces a very decent ride.
We went with vinyl floors instead of carpet. We thought about the snap in carpet and our dealer convinced us to try it for a year without it and see if we would want it. We don't. floor doesn't get slippery, and it's like cleaning the shower when you need to.
We don't have a swim platform or a wakeboard tower. Would like both, but honestly will probably buy neither.
I have the 'sport' seating, which means there's two little jump seats on the side of the engine, which can be raised up to make the swim platform bigger. They work pretty well, and it's nice that I can remove one and leave it out and stick a cooler back there, depending on my friend-count.
I can fit 2 comfortably in the bow, driver and passenger up behind the windshield and 2 in the back. There is another seat, but if you have someone sit there, they have to sit sideways, as their knees would be touching the person in the back. So 6 is really quite comfy, and 7 is possible. Boat tag says 8, but that 8th person would have to sit indian-style on the floor or in the bow facing backwards...not a very good spot either way.
Here's a few pictures of the interior layout:
The list price for this boat, with the vinyl floor, upgraded radio, trailer with brakes and LEDs, upgraded engine, Sirius radio, Stainless package, etc, was $33K and some change. We walked out the shop for $18.5k and the taxes brought it right to $20k.
Now, sometimes I've said to myself, 'Self, I'd've liked an extra foot or two'. But you can't really go by feet, as someone suggested before. You really have to look at layout. For example, this boat in a 19 foot variety wouldn't give you anymore USABLE capacity. Sure, you'd have a little more walking room, but you wouldn't have any more seats. If you jump up to a 21 footer with a bench in the back, then we're talking.
Also, sometimes I say to myself, 'Self, I would have liked the bench seat in the back instead of these goofy little jump seats'. Sometimes I even agree with myself! But, that really cuts off usable floor space, and a smaller boat with a little extra walkaround room is really nice...especially when you're just hanging out relaxing and swimming.
Anyway, that's my advice. We'd never even heard of Monterey before we bought this boat...but fit/finish and all, I'd put it up against anything. It's nicer than the equivalent Crowline in my opinion, I like it better than the SeaRays I've seen. It has a great warranty, and it's made in America by a small company, which I like.
Good luck!
