2022 150 Montauk Performance; Use as Tender Towed by Yacht

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Vancouver Todster
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2022 150 Montauk Performance; Use as Tender Towed by Yacht

Postby Vancouver Todster » Wed Dec 08, 2021 8:55 pm

Give me your first-hand observations about the performance of a 150 MONTAUK.

Give me your first-hand observations about the ability of a 150 MONTAUK to be towed behind a 54-foot semi-displacement hull Pilothouse boat with twin 900-HP engines. The towing will be done in the Pacific northwest, as far north as Alaska, and may occur in big seas.

BACKSTORY: I may purchase a 2022 150 Montauk to use as a tender to our bigger boat (described above).

The 130 SUPER SPORT boats are great but just too small to fish from and move around in.

Compared to a 130 SUPER SPORT, the 150 MONTAUK boats have more cockpit room, are more fishing friendly, and are more appropriate for us as a multipurpose boat.

I cannot find an on-line review [on 150 MONTAUK].

The website WHALER.COM does not mention the 150 MONTAUK for use as a tender model. Boston Whaler does suggest a special option towing eye for their boats that are to be towed.

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Phil T
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Re: Reviews needed for 2022 Montauk 150 Tender tow behind

Postby Phil T » Thu Dec 09, 2021 8:17 am

I sea trialed a Montauk 150 and found it underpowered with the Mercury 60hp engine. I have also read of owner's dissatisfaction with its performance.

If you are transporting provisions and three or four persons, the 150 MONTAUK with 60-HP is very hard to get on plane.

The power-to-weight ratio for this model is poor due to the lack of a good 70 or 75-HP engine in the Mercury product line. The Mercury 75-HP FourStroke weighs 359-lbs. In comparison, the popular Yamaha F70 weighs in at 252-lbs, 107-lbs lighter.

It is worth noting the current Montauk 150, after its refresh in 2018, weights the same as the classic Montauk 17 that had a maximum power limit of 100-HP.

It has been said most dealers will not do sea trials prior to ordering a boat. I would find a Montauk 150 owner and ask for a demo ride. Most owners would oblige.

Here is a review from Boat Test that may be helpful.
https://boattest.com/review/boston-whaler/3663_150-montauk

Hope this helps.
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jimh
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Re: 2022 150 Montauk as a Tender Towed by Yacht

Postby jimh » Thu Dec 09, 2021 2:17 pm

Q2: At what speed will the 2022 150 MONTAUK be towed behind the 54-foot semi-displacement hull boat?

I would expect that when towed at speeds below 10-MPH the hull of the 150 MONTAUK would not reach hydroplane speed, and it would probably assume a rather bow-high trim. However, that is just my conjecture.

No matter the speed, a specially reinforced towing eye is probably a good investment. If not, an alternative towing method is to use the lifting eyes on the transom as the anchors for towing bridle running forward. The lines from the stern could be loosely retained to the most-forward vertical rail stanchion of the boat's side railings, assuming the boat has them and the stanchion is far enough forward, or to the bow eye, but loosely so the bow eye is not taking strain, just keeping the lines close together.

For some advice from Boston Whaler on towing, see

https://continuouswave.com/whaler/refer ... tml#towing

macfam
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Re: 2022 150 Montauk Performance; Use as Tender Towed by Yacht

Postby macfam » Fri Dec 10, 2021 8:40 am

I have a 2008 Montauk 150 with a 60 Mercury BigFoot EFI. For my purposes, it is an outstanding boat, and very versatile. The local Boston Whaler sales rep offered me $25,000 for this 13-year-old gem-- a crazy boat market.

There is a couple of concerns in my mind:
  1. Boat and motor are in excess of 1,200-lbs empty.
  2. Need to increase towing hardware
  3. Towing in challenging weather could have lots of spray entering the boat. This model IS NOT SELF BAILING. The pump will run continuously, or you’ll need to run with the plug out. Neither case is ideal
For my money, I would investigate a 13 to 15-foot rigid inflatable boat (RIB) that is lighter, and find a model that is truly self bailing.

Also, I very frequently go on a 42-feet-long semi-displacement boat that travels at more than 20-nautical-miles-per-hour. That boat’s tender is a 13-foot Highlander RIB powered by a Honda outboard with a Davit system--a nice way to go.

Jefecinco
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Re: 2022 150 Montauk Performance; Use as Tender Towed by Yacht

Postby Jefecinco » Fri Dec 10, 2021 10:14 am

A different alternative would be an older Sport 15 in excellent condition. The purchase price would be so much less than that of a 2022 150 Montauk that installing a new engine would be affordable. I believe the result would be a very dependable and versatile tender with a beautiful yacht quality teak or mahogany interior. The bow eye would require reinforcement or a towing bridle using cleats would be needed. I believe a davit arrangement would be preferable. We see many yachts with the tender covered and stowed in a cradle on the foredeck. A lifting hydraulic davit or gin pole is mounted close by.

We have a forty-year-old Sport 13 with a mahogany interior. Whenever we visit a fuel dock or launch ramp we always get compliments about the beauty of our old boat.
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Re: 2022 150 Montauk Performance; Use as Tender Towed by Yacht

Postby NorthShoreWhaler » Fri Dec 10, 2021 12:41 pm

Is there room on a 54-footer for a Davit system so you don’t have to tow?

As far as performance: I have a 2015 150 Super Sport with the Mercury 60-HP, and it’s fine to plane, even with four people, and truly self bailing. If you take out the cooler there’s more than enough room to walk around and fish.

Jefecinco
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Re: 2022 150 Montauk Performance; Use as Tender Towed by Yacht

Postby Jefecinco » Sat Dec 11, 2021 10:07 am

Certainly we see many yachts in the 54-foot-class with a tender and davit on the forward deck. I believe the capability of the forward deck to support the weight of a davit and the added stress induced by lifting a tender is more of a consideration than the space available. The most common arrangement we see is a tender and cradle mounted transversely just forward of the pilot house or windshield. The davit is often mounted on the port side near the edge of the deck with a boom long enough to lift the tender and clear the hull when lowering and raising the tender.

On typical "trawler type" yachts we see tenders and davits mounted aft of the fly bridge seating most often.
Butch

dtmackey
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Re: 2022 150 Montauk Performance; Use as Tender Towed by Yacht

Postby dtmackey » Mon Dec 13, 2021 11:45 am

150 Montauk looks good on paper, but when you really boil down the overall boat, I would go with an aluminum bottom RIB as the ride and performance would be better in a package that weighs far less.

The Montauk 150 is nearly 1500lbs rigged with power, fuel and gear and that's very heavy. With a 60hp, I think you'll find the boat sluggish and underpowered for the task. People who own 130 and 150 models are pretty unanimous in this opinion.

At 15-feet with a console and layout, the boat is very tight and lacks the space of other models.

Self-bailing means different things to different people. To me it means that when water hits the deck, it finds it way to the stern and exits through deck scupper and no residual water remains on the deck. When I step into a self bailing boat, I'm not scrambling to find the plug to prevent additional water from entering the passenger area of the boat like a Whaler. No matter how hard it rains the water always exits the boat with no residual left behind.

While I love my classic 15 Whaler Super Sport and we do use as a dingy and tow it, in rough seas it will take on water the the pump removes that water. Pulling the plug isn't an option as with a 4 stroke motor and gas tank in the stern that cannot be moved The boat will not completely bail itself and have standing water sloshing around and when entering the boat, the idea of doing a quick 15' obstical course to the stern to insert the plug isn't something anyone should have to do.

In addition to the Whaler, we have an AB aluminum bottom RIB. We can run it up on the beach with no worry of puncturing a thin fiberglass since on a rock. It's much lighter in weight than any fiberglass boat (98lbs for a 9.5' boat). With a 15hp, it will plane and zip along with 4 people. For a tender it's the best material when coming up along side boats since you are never worried about fenders and even in a rough harbor, you can tie along side and it does no harm to the larger boats gelcoat.

In a RIB, there is never a lack of seating. You can sit in designated seating or on the wide tube that provide a comfortable spot.

I'm not trying to sell you on a RIB, but when I was a kid, Whaler was a popular dingy for some, but now the market has flipped to a RIB majority for many reasons.

D-

Outrage 20
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Re: 2022 150 Montauk Performance; Use as Tender Towed by Yacht

Postby Outrage 20 » Mon Dec 13, 2021 10:24 pm

We towed our 13-footer behind our 43-footer to Catalina Island all the time. The speed at cruise was 9-nautical-miles-per-hour. [We adjusted the tow line length to put the 13-footer riding] on the first [stern] wave. The 13-footer sat there nicely atop of the first wave. We used a V-bridle to both aft cleats of the big boat. [On the 13-footer] we added a backing plate on the [inboard end] of the towing eye. The plate was approx 4-inches by 16-inches and was made of stainless steel.

Even in sloppy seas, it [that is. the boat or the bridle or the towing eye] held flawlessly.

The seas in the Pacific Northwest are different challenge [from the seas in the Catalina Island area]. Good luck.

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Re: 2022 150 Montauk Performance; Use as Tender Towed by Yacht

Postby jimh » Fri Dec 24, 2021 10:37 am

Outrage 20 wrote:[We adjusted the tow line length to put the 13-footer riding] on the first [stern] wave.
That is a good technique for towing. Usually you can tune the distance between the main boat and the towed dinghy by monitoring the tension in the tow line and adjusting for minimum tension.

Also, when towing any dinghy, the cockpit drain should be left open so that any water coming aboard the dinghy can drain to the sea. We learned this necessity from first hand experience.