Montauk 170 Storage

[Clay]

I am planning to purchase a new Montauk 170 in February at the Boston Boat Show. One of my concerns is storage. What do owners do for storage solutions for life vests, fenders, lines, etc. Thanks!

[Jefecinco]

The pilot seat and console are about it for on-board storage. Some use the optional cooler between uses and/or the live bait well if not using that optional feature. We keep some gear in plastic milk crates which are easy to load and unload and are well ventilated. These are especially useful with our Sport 13 which has no enclosed storage. We have two crates for our 13. One we take on every outing to contain vessel documents, safety equipment, cellular phone, handheld GPS, mooring lines, sunscreen, charts and anything one should always have aboard a boat. A second contains additional stuff we use for angling. Many boaters use plastic storage boxes with lids.

When we finish an outing we remove all upholstery and the milk crates which we keep stored inside.

I recommend you purchase an after market full boat storage cover for your new Montauk. http://www.carvercovers.com is my favorite source. I recomend the Sunbrella fabric. A cover will help keep your Montauk looking like new for many years.

[Clay]

Thanks Butch. That is helpful. You mention a Carver boat cover, something I did plan to research. Many folks here talk about the Mills cover, which looks nice but is quite expensive. How does the Carver compare? Price is important (as is quality)....and after purchasing the boat funds will be a bit short!

[Masbama]

I would suggest getting a 170 Montauk without the live well. That way you could obtain a 130 quart (or bigger) lightweight cooler and use it for dry storage. Keeping it in the stern. That'd what we did when we had our Montauk. You could always buy a portable live well for bait. Easier to use and move about the boat.

[vze2gbs4]

There have been some rumors that whaler will refresh 170 montauk with new design-If I would be in the market for new 170 I would make sure I dont end up with old design -storage wise 170 is very limited so you try to bring as less as posible staff onboard -single fuel tank that fits under the seat is must option instead of 2 portable ones

[Jefecinco]

We've owned three Boston Whalers and we currently own two. During that time I've purchased four Carver covers. I've not purchased a Mills cover. My reasoning has been economic. I don't believe I've seen a Mills cover so I can't be certain but I seriously doubt a Mills cover will be measurably superior in design, fit or quality. Certainly, for the cost/value ratio it is difficult to do better than a Carver cover. Mills would be my choice if a Carver cover was unavailable.

[vze2gbs4]

I had both Carver and Mills. Mills is Sunbrella material therefore cost of material is higher and certainly higher quality than Carver. To tell you the truth Cabela cover that I had on my 150 montauk was superior than both of other two.

[Jefecinco]

Carver covers are available in several different fabrics and prices including Sunbrella which is their most expensive choice and the fabric I recommended to Clay. Assuming he lives within commuting distance to Boston and that he will store his boat outside in the Winter he will need a strong cover to support snow loads.

[Clay]

Thanks all. I suspect the Carver in Sunbreller would be a bit less expensive than Mills but I will check. I live in New Hampshire but hope to store winters in a garage or barn.