DAUNTLESS 16 and 18: Ride Quality Compared to MONTAUK 17

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  DAUNTLESS 16 and 18: Ride Quality Compared to MONTAUK 17

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Author Topic:   DAUNTLESS 16 and 18: Ride Quality Compared to MONTAUK 17

Spike38 posted 02-06-2012 06:19 PM ET (US)
Hello. New to the forum as a potential Whaler purchaser and hoping to mine the wealth of experience contained here. Specifically, I'm interested in the comparative handling characteristics of the Dauntless 16' and 18', and the Montauk 17' and how they fare at speed in a foot or so, maybe more, of chop. They must be superior to the classic 13' which is the only model I have (painful) experience in, but how much? Thanks for any and all observations.
rsantia posted 02-06-2012 07:40 PM ET (US)
I have a Dauntless 16 and find that it handles well in 1-foot to 2-foot chop. The addition of a Doel-Fin really improved and softened the ride. Before I bought the Dauntless 16 I spent time riding on a classic 17-foot hull. The Dauntless 16 hull handled chop better than the classic 17 hull, in my opinion.
boatdryver posted 02-06-2012 08:31 PM ET (US)
I went from a Classic Montauk 17 to a Dauntless with its V-hull. There is a big improvement in the ride in a chop with the Dauntless V-hull, but a 1-foot chop was tolerable in my Montauk, especially standing which you can't do in a 13. The beauty of the Classic Montauk is its flat tri-hull shape aft, which allows lots of people to be happy with 50- to 60-HP and miserly fuel consumption as long as you don't load the boat more than two people.--JimL
frontier posted 02-07-2012 12:19 PM ET (US)
The Dauntless 16-footer at 1,500-lbs and 18-footer at 2,000-lbs are heavy boats and need more power and fuel. The classic Montauk (up to 2002) only weighs 950-lbs. Total towing weight of boat, engine, trailer and gear is under 2,000-lbs on the Montauk, so a smaller tow vehicle is possible. And, it's hard to beat a classic Montauk for stability.
Dauntless_14_TX posted 02-14-2012 01:29 PM ET (US)
Go with the Dauntless 18, superior ride in any chop compared to with either a 16 or a Montauk. The length, V, and weight makes it much smoother. I have a Dauntless 14, an 180, and have riden in a classic Montauk 17, for a decent comparison. Plus all the storage space on the 180 is great when you have a few people aboard.
GreatBayNH posted 02-15-2012 08:25 PM ET (US)
Because Spike is new we should ask if by Montauk 17 he is referring to all post classic 17 foot Montauks or just the post classic Montauk 17 (1991 - 2001?) not to be confused with the Montauk 170 (2002-2012). Two different animals.
-Seth
falcon posted 02-17-2012 07:57 AM ET (US)
I have a Dauntless 160 with 115 hp.My buddy has a 180 Dauntless with a 150hp. Both are great general purpose boats.I had a 13 Dauntless and the difference from a 13 to a 16 is large,the 18 is not really a big step. Both models allow you to stand up in rougher water,include live wells, and are good ski boats. I guess the difference is your buget. The 160 is not produced any longer; the 180 is.
Spike38 posted 02-18-2012 04:15 PM ET (US)
Many thanks for the input above. Re: the Montauk question I plead ignorance; wasn't aware of the difference after 2001 but would be interested in any comments regarding same. As it turns out the Dauntless 18' I coveted is apparently not to be. I still have an eye out for a Whaler but am looking elsewhere as well at this point. All your comments have been very much appreciated!

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Author	Topic: DAUNTLESS 16 and 18: Ride Quality Compared to MONTAUK 17
Spike38	posted 02-06-2012 06:19 PM ET (US) Hello. New to the forum as a potential Whaler purchaser and hoping to mine the wealth of experience contained here. Specifically, I'm interested in the comparative handling characteristics of the Dauntless 16' and 18', and the Montauk 17' and how they fare at speed in a foot or so, maybe more, of chop. They must be superior to the classic 13' which is the only model I have (painful) experience in, but how much? Thanks for any and all observations.
rsantia	posted 02-06-2012 07:40 PM ET (US) I have a Dauntless 16 and find that it handles well in 1-foot to 2-foot chop. The addition of a Doel-Fin really improved and softened the ride. Before I bought the Dauntless 16 I spent time riding on a classic 17-foot hull. The Dauntless 16 hull handled chop better than the classic 17 hull, in my opinion.
boatdryver	posted 02-06-2012 08:31 PM ET (US) I went from a Classic Montauk 17 to a Dauntless with its V-hull. There is a big improvement in the ride in a chop with the Dauntless V-hull, but a 1-foot chop was tolerable in my Montauk, especially standing which you can't do in a 13. The beauty of the Classic Montauk is its flat tri-hull shape aft, which allows lots of people to be happy with 50- to 60-HP and miserly fuel consumption as long as you don't load the boat more than two people.--JimL
frontier	posted 02-07-2012 12:19 PM ET (US) The Dauntless 16-footer at 1,500-lbs and 18-footer at 2,000-lbs are heavy boats and need more power and fuel. The classic Montauk (up to 2002) only weighs 950-lbs. Total towing weight of boat, engine, trailer and gear is under 2,000-lbs on the Montauk, so a smaller tow vehicle is possible. And, it's hard to beat a classic Montauk for stability.
Dauntless_14_TX	posted 02-14-2012 01:29 PM ET (US) Go with the Dauntless 18, superior ride in any chop compared to with either a 16 or a Montauk. The length, V, and weight makes it much smoother. I have a Dauntless 14, an 180, and have riden in a classic Montauk 17, for a decent comparison. Plus all the storage space on the 180 is great when you have a few people aboard.
GreatBayNH	posted 02-15-2012 08:25 PM ET (US) Because Spike is new we should ask if by Montauk 17 he is referring to all post classic 17 foot Montauks or just the post classic Montauk 17 (1991 - 2001?) not to be confused with the Montauk 170 (2002-2012). Two different animals. -Seth
falcon	posted 02-17-2012 07:57 AM ET (US) I have a Dauntless 160 with 115 hp.My buddy has a 180 Dauntless with a 150hp. Both are great general purpose boats.I had a 13 Dauntless and the difference from a 13 to a 16 is large,the 18 is not really a big step. Both models allow you to stand up in rougher water,include live wells, and are good ski boats. I guess the difference is your buget. The 160 is not produced any longer; the 180 is.
Spike38	posted 02-18-2012 04:15 PM ET (US) Many thanks for the input above. Re: the Montauk question I plead ignorance; wasn't aware of the difference after 2001 but would be interested in any comments regarding same. As it turns out the Dauntless 18' I coveted is apparently not to be. I still have an eye out for a Whaler but am looking elsewhere as well at this point. All your comments have been very much appreciated!