posted 09-16-2001 10:39 PM ET (US)        

1) wants to put a Honda on her (have had good experience with them in past)... should I go with a 50 and go slower, but lighter or with a 90 and rocket?

2) what trailer would you recommend, I can get EZ loader and Shoreland'r easily here in Canada

3) there are no side or bow rails on her... pros and cons (besides $$$) to adding them as a retrofit?

4) while out on the west coast I salmon fished in one, and it had Scotty downriggers attached to the side rails... is this safe? need to stiffen them for safety? (read: not having riggers fall overboard with me diving after them)

posted 09-16-2001 11:17 PM ET (US)            

Not to be critical, but "WhalerGuy" part of your nick does not bring up a good image to mind. Thanks to " The Whaler Guy" found in the Marketplace forum. I almost thought it was a joke.

Your questions would be better answered by those members that have the same hull as you would.

I know there are some members that have Montauks out there with Honda 90's on them. In fact BobNH just bought a new Montauk with one. I have a Honda 90 and am very pleased with it.

You might find some information on bow rails, cost, installation, part numbers and locations in the other forums. I know it might take some time to look through all the past threads, but you will never know what jewel of information you might find interesting.

The same advice will go for the trailer in the Performance forum, keel roller/ lateral support bunk configuration.

posted 09-17-2001 12:23 AM ET (US)            

Because your boat is a sit-down boat, rather than a stand-up boat like the Montauk, I think that the speed and weight of the Honda 90 might be a bit much, but a 50 would be definitely the minimum even for Great Granpas like me. You would probably be happier with a 70. I have a 70 (Suzuki DF70 4stroke) on my 1980 Montauk and it is plenty fast (cruises at 30-33 and WOT at 35-38). A 90 would give you a top end of around 43-46 with the perfect prop.

The answers to your other questions depend too much on your usage and preferences for anyone but you to answer.

posted 09-17-2001 08:47 AM ET (US)            

I have a 1999 17 Montauk with a Merc 50/4 stroke. It tops out at 32 with a load of about 500 pounds. There have been a few time when the lake was flat that a little more speed would have been fun, but overall I am happy with the combination.

I was working for the dealer when I put my rig together and we carried both E-Z Load and Shorelander. I went with the Shorelander. A little more money but a much nicer trailer.

I run Scotty downriggers on my side rails and when installed properly there is no or very little strain on the rails. Be happy to send you some pictures if you would like.

posted 09-26-2001 06:45 AM ET (US)            

I have a 1998 Standard with 75 HP merc 2-stroke. I think this is the perfect engine for this hull. Cruise is about 32 MPH (GPS) running at 4200 RPM. Max is about 43 MPH at WOT.

My boat came with side rails and I have since installed a montauk bow rail and Mills bimini top. I bought the bow rail through the local whaler dealer (426.00 + 50.00 shipping + tax) this was quite a bit less than the quote I got from the OEM supplier listed on this site - they wanted 682 + shipping + tax. The bimini top I got directly from Mills.

I had posted a question about 2 months ago regarding the bow rail installation and got excellent advice from Tom Clark. Check the repair/mod section of this forum and you will see it. I followed his procedure and am very pleased with the results.

I think you will be happy with the standard vs. the Montauk. I was looking for a montauk when I found this one and it is a much better boat for me (seating mainly - we have 4 kids).

Regards,