Montauk and Dauntless Hull Shape and Handling Differences
Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2016 5:45 pm
I've had a 1977 Montauk 17 for the last 16-years and have become very comfortable with it in rough water, crossing wakes, waves, following seas, and so on. Unfortunately, in those 16-years, the family has grown. They have grown a lot. I would expect the combined weight of my crew to now exceed the 800-lbs by quite a bit--not to mention the various sundries they all need to bring along on boating excursions, Including no less than an 8-foot paddle board.
We've looked at up-sizing on and off for a couple years, but with quite a bit more earnest since our last trip down to the coast in May. I had narrowed my search to the Dauntless series until last weekend when I had an opportunity to borrow a friends Dauntless 16 for a couple days:
--loved the looks and comfort of the seats;
--loved the Yamaha four-stroke-power-cycle engine;
--liked the internal fuel tanks (although a full tank combined with the weight of that 90-HP four-stroke-power-cycle engine seemed a bit much);
--was a little disappointed by the draft as it takes a lot more water than the Montauk even though the boat isn't that much bigger;
--but, most surprisingly, was downright unhappy with the stability. The Dauntlesss just flat seemed unstable crossing rough wakes or heavy (to me) seas. Yes, ride was much smoother than my Montauk cutting directly through waves and wakes at a 45-degree angle or less, but when it was hit from the side it would rock and list a scary amount when at speed. As well, the ride seemed a lot wetter. I was honestly white-knuckled a few times and my youngest was truly scared. It just felt so much different; not stable at all in comparison to my boat.
[Conditions were] was choppy and winds were gusting to 15-MPH--I assume due to [hurricane or tropical storm] Mathew which was on the East Coast at the time. But conditions were not bad. I know from experience I would have felt fine in my boat in those conditions.
Is [the difference in perception of the ride of the DAUNTLESS dues to] just my comfort with my own boat?
Or, does the classic Montauk have that much more lateral stability than other hull designs?
Would I be happier in the Dauntless 19? (That is minimum length we'd have to go to anyway)
Is the perfect combination for me in terms of length, comfort, and stability going to be something in the Outrage series?
Maybe a 210 OUTRAGE?
I had an old 1972 Outrage 22 for a while and its ride was much more like the Montauk.
There is not a Boston Whaler dealer within a couple hundred miles of me; I can't easily just go try out all the models to see what suits me best.
Looking for input here from folks that have owned several before I waste the time of too many private sellers.
[The boat to be purchased] needs to be something I can comfortably tow [long distances] with a Tahoe.
--Ll.
We've looked at up-sizing on and off for a couple years, but with quite a bit more earnest since our last trip down to the coast in May. I had narrowed my search to the Dauntless series until last weekend when I had an opportunity to borrow a friends Dauntless 16 for a couple days:
--loved the looks and comfort of the seats;
--loved the Yamaha four-stroke-power-cycle engine;
--liked the internal fuel tanks (although a full tank combined with the weight of that 90-HP four-stroke-power-cycle engine seemed a bit much);
--was a little disappointed by the draft as it takes a lot more water than the Montauk even though the boat isn't that much bigger;
--but, most surprisingly, was downright unhappy with the stability. The Dauntlesss just flat seemed unstable crossing rough wakes or heavy (to me) seas. Yes, ride was much smoother than my Montauk cutting directly through waves and wakes at a 45-degree angle or less, but when it was hit from the side it would rock and list a scary amount when at speed. As well, the ride seemed a lot wetter. I was honestly white-knuckled a few times and my youngest was truly scared. It just felt so much different; not stable at all in comparison to my boat.
[Conditions were] was choppy and winds were gusting to 15-MPH--I assume due to [hurricane or tropical storm] Mathew which was on the East Coast at the time. But conditions were not bad. I know from experience I would have felt fine in my boat in those conditions.
Is [the difference in perception of the ride of the DAUNTLESS dues to] just my comfort with my own boat?
Or, does the classic Montauk have that much more lateral stability than other hull designs?
Would I be happier in the Dauntless 19? (That is minimum length we'd have to go to anyway)
Is the perfect combination for me in terms of length, comfort, and stability going to be something in the Outrage series?
Maybe a 210 OUTRAGE?
I had an old 1972 Outrage 22 for a while and its ride was much more like the Montauk.
There is not a Boston Whaler dealer within a couple hundred miles of me; I can't easily just go try out all the models to see what suits me best.
Looking for input here from folks that have owned several before I waste the time of too many private sellers.
[The boat to be purchased] needs to be something I can comfortably tow [long distances] with a Tahoe.
--Ll.