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shwannz

First boat ever! Monterey 204fs ~~|___/~~

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Hello everyone. We (my wife and I) have just purchased a Monterey 204fs 2011 and am very excited as this is our first boat! We take delivery this weekend and are eagerly counting the days!

The boat is a 2011 with fairly low hours on the engine (90hrs). The boat is in great shape too as one would expect from a boat only one year old. I do have a few questions and was hoping someone can shed some light!

The boat is being used in salt water and will be wet berthed as I would be using it for fishing occasionally.

I have purchased a Garmin 521s and am struggling on finding a location to fix it. Has anyone with a similar boat done something similar?

(Apologies for using an external site, the image upload didn't seem to work) :unsure:

 

 

http://forums.iboats.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=167473&d=1347263108

http://forums.iboats.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=167474&d=1347263120

http://forums.iboats.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=167475&d=1347263135

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Welcome, and congrats on the new boat. It's a great size boat and handles light chop quite well. Not really a big water boat, but it should work for moderate fishing. I would mount the GPS on the right of the dash next to the gauges, between them and the windshield. Not positive if it will fit, depending on how tall the unit is.

 

Being in salt water, make sure you flush the engine often, keep the bottom clean and scrubbed regularly, and it should last for years. We bought our 2011 204FS this past spring, and have had a great time on it all summer.

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I just looked at your pictures, looks nice but has a different dash than our 2011 204FS. Looks like the dash from 2009 or 2010.

 

Here is the 2011 204 FS dash on our boat.

400767693.jpg

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Hi Rip5, Thanks for the feedback, unfortunately it will not fit in the area as you had suggested. I was a little concerned with your comments about the age of the boat and did a little snooping around on the net. This is our boat:

http://www.bayviewyachtharbour.com/featured/monterey2011-204fs-b.html

 

I noticed that the boat didn't really like much shop either but not planning on deep sea fishing and generally it will be used as a day boat for skiing etc...

Someone suggested that I should install it on the passenger side of the helm, right about the glove box. It seems the only viable solution unless I sacrifice my cup holder.

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I'm not sure if your boat is a 204 FS. The pictue/website you linked says it's a 2011, but if you do a search for 2010 194FS, the stock photos for that boat are the exact same as the link you posted. If you look at your dash and mine, there is a distinct difference. In 2011, Monterey changed the designation from 194FS to 204FS. They did change the dash layout. Both boats are exactly the same size otherwise. You can verify the year of manufacture of your boat by the Hull ID numbers. Last two numbers should be 11. I suspect it says 10. If your boat is a 2011 204FS, it will also have the 25th anniversary plaquard on the port side transome just above the swim platform. 2011 was Monterey's anniversary of 25 years of building boats. There also was no 204FS model designation for 2010, only 194FS .

But maybe your's was made late in the model year transition, and had the 2010 194FS dash installed, unlikely, but being overseas, I guess it may be possible. Either way, it's the same size as our 2011 FS and still a great sport boat.

 

Here is a 2010 194FS, note dash design

http://www.bighornwatersports.com/listing.php?num=401

 

Here is a 2011 204FS, note dash layout

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Interesting....I will have a look and let you know. I note though my engine is a 270bhp engine, not the 220bhp as the 194fs you have linked. It could be an international thing I suppose.

I am still struggling with the idea of mounting the GPS fish finder on the passenger side. I am considering fabricating a mount to fit in the cupholder on the drivers side. Have you come across anything like this?

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Engine may very well be a 2011. But the HULL ID on the starboard rear of the transom is what you need to check to verify year of manufactuer for the boat. Engine year is irrelevant to the year the hull was made (model year). It will read similar to this: RGFMC215J011 if it is a 2011 and RGFMC215J010 if it is a 2010.You could order a 270 HP Volvo Penta 5.0L in the 194FS in 2010. So it is possible, just the link I provided was not intended to be an exact duplicate of the boat you have, merely illustrating that you DO NOT have the 2011 dash in your boat. It is a 2010 style.

 

I would not put the fish finder on the port side of the console. Find a swivel mount and put it on the helm side of the boat, somewhere, anywhere. It will fit with the correct swivel mount.

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All clear now :) The boat is at the shop right now for it's annual service and you are probably quite right about the console.

I decided to sacrifice my helm cup holder and go with the GPS installed on a custom mount (this happened before I found the swivel mount company) but it looks pretty good so far and out of the way of any gauges.

I am quite annoyed though, since the coast guard force you to install a transponder on your boat in the event that you are stuck out at sea(you can click on "the red button" and they come to your rescue. They also force you to use their "gifted" installers that have damaged the upholstery on the bow/port side. This does sound a little silly, but I have been importing my parts directly from the US it works out cheaper than purchasing locally, as well as the fact that the local agent doesn't seem to have a large stock either, but would appreciate any help in knowing what the part number for that unit it and perhaps where I can purchase it from?

(Its the back rest I am after only)

 

http://montereyboats.com/upload/boats/2/photos/204FS_Aft%20Seating_1581x1050_resize_1693714036.jpg

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Yep, the cupholder had to go. Here is an older 194FS and where the FF was mounted, similar to your install I suspect.

 

digi45586471_l.jpg

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RIP5, had a closer look at the hull yesterday...the serial ends in 11. So I suppose there must have been a split in production during 2011. Whatever...it's a great boat!

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Thanks for confirming that. You learn something new everyday. Over the last several years, date of introduction of new model year boats has changed, so I suspect your boat was in the middle of that change somehow, got the older dash and newer hull ID. Is your stereo an MB Quart ?

 

And yes, it is a great boat. We had so much fun on our's this year, it's a shame our season is now over. Can't wait until next year !!

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If you're going to use the boat in salt water all of the time then I would add a fresh water cooling system (FWC) to your engine. The system will use antifreeze in your engine instead of salt water. You hot water tank will be heated by the same antifreeze and not salt water as it is with a raw water cooling system.

 

If you don't add a FWC system you might want to look into a system that will inject Salt Away or another chemical that is the same only a different name. For a couple of hundred dollars this will have a tank with the chemical in it and plumbed into your engine. There will be a button on your console that you press while your engine is at idle. This will inject the salt away into your engine and it will neutralize the salt in your engine, then you shut the engine off.

 

 

My boat has the Volvo 5.7 liter GS engine and I added a FWC system. I use my boat in both salt water in the Pacific Ocean and also in fresh water in the Columbia River. When I trailer the boat I always flush the engine with salt away and also spray the whole boat down then rinse off with plain water. After that I wash the boat and trailer with a boat wash.

 

Protect your engine and the gelcoat as much as you can. Salt can really do a lot of damage in a short amount of time.

 

 

Enjoy your new "Toy".

 

 

 

Mark

 

 

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Thanks for the advice GetAway...I didn't even know such systems existed. I read up on the saltaway and went out almost immediately to purchase the manual set up. Since I am moored at a marina (no trailer and plan to raise the boat out of the water once a year for its annual maintenance...not sure if that's a silly thing to do), fresh water is readily available every time we come back. I am not sure how the person before had taken care of his boat so I guess one can only start doing his best to keep it well maintained.

I will look into the FWC system as I feel that would be great although I can imagine the types of troubles I would face e.g. pump failure etc...

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If you're going to use the boat in salt water all of the time then I would add a fresh water cooling system (FWC) to your engine. The system will use antifreeze in your engine instead of salt water. You hot water tank will be heated by the same antifreeze and not salt water as it is with a raw water cooling system.

 

If you don't add a FWC system you might want to look into a system that will inject Salt Away or another chemical that is the same only a different name. For a couple of hundred dollars this will have a tank with the chemical in it and plumbed into your engine. There will be a button on your console that you press while your engine is at idle. This will inject the salt away into your engine and it will neutralize the salt in your engine, then you shut the engine off.

 

 

My boat has the Volvo 5.7 liter GS engine and I added a FWC system. I use my boat in both salt water in the Pacific Ocean and also in fresh water in the Columbia River. When I trailer the boat I always flush the engine with salt away and also spray the whole boat down then rinse off with plain water. After that I wash the boat and trailer with a boat wash.

 

Protect your engine and the gelcoat as much as you can. Salt can really do a lot of damage in a short amount of time.

 

 

Enjoy your new "Toy".

 

 

 

Mark

 

So I have started looking at different fresh water systems and have comes across two. Volvo penta about 1500 dollars and a San Juan engineering at about half the price.

Any adivce on the differences? Would these systems fit in the engine bay of a 204fs?

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