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The Monterey Montura LS Series: It's All in the Details

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The Monterey Montura LS Series: It's All in the Details (7/15/2001)

 

Building a boat takes considerable attention to detail. Design factors such as the styling, cockpit layout, engines and the like are the big picture. The little things take the most sweat to make right. So when Monterey Boats decided to redo its sportboat line, they had a big job ahead of them.

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"What we set out to do in designing the Montura LS Series was to make it the finest sportboat line, bar none," Anthony Kalil, Monterey's Director of Design, explains. "We looked at what else was out there, plus came up with ideas of our own, all to make the line unique."

 

The result is a series of boats that are full of features that impress you immediately, "and about ten times more that you'll never see," Kalil continues.

 

At the core of the Montura LS Series are a lot of little things done nicely. There's plenty of room for options and the boats are designed so they can easily be installed. There are also quite a number of thoughtfully integrated components--for example, the grab rails in the bow seating area that are recessed so that when you sit sideways, they don't poke you in the back, or the company name graphic across the stern that doubles as a nighttime reflective safety device.

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"These things might not necessarily the bases on which you decide to buy the boat today, but they're done so, after you’ve bought the boat and had the opportunity to experience these details, you'll come back and buy another Monterey in five years," Kalil says.

 

The Monterey Montura LS Series consists of four hulls -- the 198, 200, 218 and 248. All are available as bowriders. The 218 and 248 also have a cuddy cabin version. MerCruiser I/O's are the power of choice. The Montura LS boats are a bit beamier than others in their class, giving them an extra measure of cockpit space. They're built with a fully integrated fiberglass deck liner. You have a choice of seating configuration that includes swivel captain's chairs and either bench or jump seats across the back. You won't need to buy a big tow vehicle to trailer any of the Montura LS Series. The heaviest of the group tips the scale at just over 3,000 pounds. Their size belies the interior roominess. All have generous seating and storage.

 

Another of the well thought out elements of the Montura LS is the closeout door to the bow seating area. Yes, some bowriders don't even have one, and on a chilly day, your legs are left to the icy breezes. On others, the door is added on almost as an afterthought. The door, along with the plastic strips and hardware that support it stick out in the passageway, creating something that can poke you in the leg and hurt you while you're moving around on the water.

 

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"I think we're the only manufacturer who has addressed that problem," Anthony Kalil points out. "We've taken the effort to recess the door into the bulkhead and deck. It makes for a better, cleaner look, too." He adds, "You probably won't buy the boat for that feature, but you'll appreciate it once you've used it for a few seasons.”

 

Another of the considerations taken into account by Monterey in building the LS Series was a problem common to all boats - moisture getting to the stereo. Often the chassis will be mounted inside a carpet lined wooden box. When it gets wet, as will everything onboard at one time or another, moisture wicks into the electronics to cause corrosion and ultimately the unit fails. Sometimes the stereo is mounted next to an in-dash cooler that on a hot summer's day sweats up a storm. Monterey puts their stereos inside an insulated fiberglass box that's integral with the deck and includes a water dam to keep the space dry. There's also a CD holder in the glove box door to keep the discs out of the bottom of the compartment and away from dirt and moisture.

 

Another clever moisture relief solution is a channel that runs down the keel, inside the ski locker. It drains water to the bilge pump instead of soaking PFD's and other items stored there. This channel also runs under the fuel tank to keep the area dry, preventing damaging corrosion and mildew odor.

 

All the little things that go into the new Monterey Montura LS Series boats are intended to, as Anthony Kalil says, "eliminate the things that take the enjoyment out of boating." And in todays busy world, a boat that provides a great boating experience is what Monterey is all about.

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