CONTINUOUSWAVE

To be answered only by persons with first-hand experience driving both the post-2018 170 MONTAUK and the 2002 to 2017 170 MONTAUK: is there any improvement in the ride due to the newer hull?

I was hoping you would get some replies, I have wondered about this myself.

When you demand first hand experience it limits the response pool. I doubt any replies would be useful. Ride is too subjective to be helpful and conditions too variable. Perhaps you could ask for a ride from someone reasonabley near you and make up your mind from that.

The best reviewer will be a blind person who does not know which boat he is on. Anyone else will be influenced by expectations.

Assessment of “ride” is completely without any actual measurement data. There are no metrics.

And “ride”—whatever it might be—will be influenced by many variables other than small changes in hull shape.

If the goal is to get a boat that had better “ride” than a 17-foot open skiff, get a much longer boat.

Today you cannot buy a new c.2017 170 MONTAUK, you can only buy a new 2021 or maybe 2022 MONTAUK. A new boat is going to cost perhaps $10,000 to $20,000 more than a used older-hull-style 170. That is a lot to pay for nebulous “ride” observations.

And believe me: no one who buys a $50,000 170 MONTAUK would ever say: “What a mistake—the old hull has better ride.”

Excellent points Jim. Quality of ride is very subjective. Love your evaluation.

I thought I would just share a couple of thoughts.

This does make me think of one way to compare the ride of the different generations of the Montauk 17.

I am an owner of a 1994 Montauk 17, with a Johnson 90, the generation before the 2002 170. I love the boat. But it can be a pounder, especially for my wife, whose back has had problems, so we slow down in a chop. But the other factor is weight. The hull for this boat is listed as 950 lbs.

The 2002 170 hull was significantly different with a much finer entry, and as you know, was substantially heavier at 1440 lbs.
Here is the reference at CW.
https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/170Montauk/
It was generally reviewed as riding much better than the previous generation.

The new 2018 Montauk 170, shows a hull weight of 1700 lb, dry.
From the Boston Whaler site.
https://www.bostonwhaler.com/boat-model ... html#Specs

So my boat weight is only 55% of what the 2018 is. Of course the 2018 has a built in fuel tank, and lots of other features.

The point being, that in my experience, weight does make a difference in ride. Plus hull form, speed range, sea state, etc. of course and driving/conning style can make a large difference.

The reviews of the 2018 version seem very positive, but of course any prospective buyer should do a sea trial to see for themselves how the boat handles, especially in a chop.

I do love the looks of the new 2018 model, and would go for one in a heartbeat, but at my age, my older 1994, being lighter, is actually easier to handle and tow, and fits easily in my garage. It has kind of grown on me over the years. It's a keeper.

Although not a huge difference the current 2019 definitely rides better than the previous 2017.