Monte Fino 96

After I tangoed across the transom on the Monte Fino 96 motoryacht, waltzed through the glorious saloon, and advanced beyond the dedicated dining table beside a cabinet filled with silver and crystal, I came across as compelling an argument for joining the high society on the high seas as you will find anywhere in the world.

In the front room on the main deck, a room usually reserved for the owner's cabin but custom ordered as an eat-in kitchen on this boat, I found our photographer. Like butter in the midday sun, he had melted into a leather lounge situated around a hand-crafted timber table, with marquetry inlays and burl swirls.

Our photographer (no camera in hand, I noted) declared he was putting himself up for adoption. To this little gem, he added a dog-eyed look of despair designed to elicit sympathy. That was before resuming work on his plate of gourmet goodies, courtesy of the boat's owners.

The owners, bless them, provided lunch complete with coffee from the Miele inhouse cappuccino machine. While I am not one to advocate feeding photographers, it became apparent that no-one, least of all our happy snapper, was getting special treatment.

Ever since this Monte Fino 96 was launched, life aboard has been one big nautical hoedown. Unlike a lot of big boats, which spend months lying in wait, this 96-footer has been on the go.

The twin Caterpillar 3412CTA 1 350hp engines have clocked up 457 hours in six months, most of it courtesy of a tropical odyssey of more than 3500nm. It is therefore delightful to discover there is a lot more to this privately-owned motoryacht than the usual Waldorf salads and Wedgwood china.

The Melbourne-based owners have already planned their next adventure. It will be a South Seas cruise lasting six months and departing April. But hush-hush, don't tell our photographer...

NORTHERN SAFARI
Far from a leap of faith, the owners worked their way up from a Horizon 78 motoryacht, an Ocean 50 and a Caribbean cruiser or two. They are testimony to the saying that the best boat is always the next and biggest one.

They saw the Monte Finos at a Fort Lauderdale Boat Show and had their hearts set on an 82-footer. They flew across to the Taiwan yard, saw a 96-footer in the making and nabbed that instead because they wanted more range.

This on-the-spot decision reduced the usual two-year build and delivery time to 18 months. The Monte Fino 96 arrived on May 20. Five weeks later it was declared biggest boat at the Sydney International Boat Show. The skipper drew gobsmacked looks when he parked the 96-footer there single-handedly, using bow and stern thrusters and a remote while strolling the deck.

Two days after the show he was bound for the Whitsundays. Cruising hands-free, he headed to Marina Mirage on the Gold Coast to meet the owners. From there they all sallied forth on their safari: island hopping to the Whitsundays, via some familiar places but also many others that few people have seen.

When they finally reached the Whitsundays, after eight to nine days of adventure cruising, they felt it a tad too busy for their liking. So they set off on an outer reef safari that took them to unchartered atolls. Rarely was a night spent at the same anchorage.

Digital images stored on the boat's computer provided a bit-map or jigsaw impression of its first big adventure. There were images of golden beaches, untrodden sand, the big boat at anchor, a tender in the water, underwater coral reefs, colourful fish and postcard sunsets. And lots of shots of people having fun aboard.

As testimony to this boat's homeliness, there was just one night in three months when a guest didn't join the owners for lunch or dinner. After the Ansett crash, there was an extended period when there were 15 people living aboard. But never was the boat stretched, privacy lacking or comfort compromised, I'm told.

CHAMPING AT THE BIT
Recognisable to many, Monte Fino is perhaps best known for making motoryachts with magnificent interiors. This was certainly the case with this 96-footer, yet what is more significant is the passage-making ability of this serious big boat.

More than costume jewellery, the Monte Fino 96 has been configured for long-range liveaboard cruising with a cast of family or friends aboard. Safety, seaworthiness and space are key qualities. To date the big boat has been a dream, with no dramas, not one leak in a window nor an odd noise or vibration, says the skipper.

At various times it has faced seas of up to Force 8 and 9, which translates to 34-50kt, at all compass angles. The boat's stability is helped tremendously by Naiad stabilisers, which are permanent 7.5sqm fins emanating from the hull like pectorals at an angle of around 30°.

The hull is a semi-displacement design with hard chines, a big keel added on request of the owner to protect the five-blade props on 3in shafts, and a couple of spray rails per side.

The boat has a surprising amount of vee in its underwater sections, which are solid glass with balsa and Divinycell coring above the waterline.

Longitudinal stringers and transverse bulkhead wells provide stiffness to the handlaid hull. All stiffening ribs are foam cored. The boat is then water tested in Kaohsiung Harbour - Taiwan's busiest waterway and the 10th largest port in the world by volume - before being shipped on a cradle.

Dry, the Monte Fino 96 weighed in at 104,000kg. With all the goodies and fuel and water, it takes on an extra 21,000kg. This is made up of 15,500lt of fuel in five tanks, 2000lt of water in three tanks and lots of toys on the deck... which we'll get to.

Considering its bulk, displacement and vee, the Monte Fino 96 is said to have an incredible motion at sea. The stabilisers work a treat and the weight gives the big boat unstoppable forward motion that cuts a swathe through the waves.

In passage-making mode, the Monte Fino 96 has a range of around 2000nm at 11-12kt. The boat has an 18kt top speed which is true semi-displacement stuff, helped along by its hard chines. With trolling valves, the big V12 motors can be reined in for no-wash work about town.

ENGINEERING GOOD GEAR
The controls are Micro Commander electronic shifts with around one-second delay. Combined with 38hp bow and 25hp aft thrusters, the big boat can be put in tight places. Jaws dropped when it spun on its length in the turn-around bay at the end of Woolloomooloo Wharf, for example.

At anchor you can rest easy, thanks to dual Aussie-made Muir heavy-duty windlasses, 150m of 5/8in chain, and twin 150kg CQR anchors. To reach the bow, as with the stern, there are large ship-like bulwarks backed by coamings and high stanchions. Amidships are concertina doors that grant access into the main saloon.

Nice touches on the foredeck include a ship's bell, viewing lounge and raised sunpad over the internal galley. Back aft is cockpit entertaining space for, say, 20 people, with the flybridge level having room for another 20 or more.

Also back aft, the engineroom is ship-like with as much as 3m of headroom over checkerplate flooring. You get a workbench, double-layered lead insulation and tons of room around the twin 25kW gensets. Plus 12 batteries, a 5000kw inverter, twin 30gal water heaters, giant water pumps, 220,000 of BTUs (linked to 11 separate AC touch panels), desalinator, central vacuum system and more, more, more.

The exhausts are underwater numbers that keep the transom clean and the sound down to a low purr. The boat has a trick Delta T breather system from America that provides the engineroom with a surfeit of clean, salt-free air, even at full noise when the V12s have maximum suck.

All the electrical wiring is colour-coded, the plumbing uses copper tubes to comply with international shipping standards, while the navigational equipment runs the gamut from an Endeavour chart system, four GPS sets and two plotters (mainly Raytheon and Furuno) to VDO gauges, Icom radios and special digital entertainment systems with big-bass Bose sound gear.

The nautical engineering is no less impressive. A 750kg davit on the aft bridge is used to launch and retrieve a 4.8m Zodiac Yachtline RIB with a 75hp Honda four-stroke outboard. This is the boat's most loved tender. It holds 120lt of fuel, has its own GPS plotter, CD player and VHF. There is also a Zodiac jet boat capable of 48mph flat-out.

For terrestrial adventures, the 96-footer carries a four-stroke Vespa and Peugeot scooter said to be great for shopping, and there are motorised stand-on scooters for short hauls to a waterfront restaurant. Way cool.

Looking after it all is the full-time skipper. In return, he has a generous aft cabin with ensuite, full shower stall and marble vanity accessed through a private companionway off the transom. The bed is a queen-sized number with a separate pullman berth nearby.

The transom, meanwhile, is graced with a big swim plat form and a garage for the fishing and dive gear, which includes a compressor for the scuba tanks. Removable stainless transom rails provide added security when, say, fishing at night for coral trout.

The Monte Fino 96 has two aft capstans or push-button mooring line winches for easy stern-in berthing.

Italian-designed, the Monte Finos are built in Taiwan to ISO 9002 accreditation, using the best bits from various markets. On this 96, for example, the equipment such as the gensets, air-con units, stabilisers and engines is American, the lights and door handles are Italian, whereas the kitchen appliances and bathroom fittings are German.

The stainless steel deck gear - and there is plenty of it aboard - is from Taiwan, recognised worldwide as having the best grade of stainless and the finest polishing methods available.

FINE FETTLE AND GOOD TASTE
A lot of thought went into this motoryacht's interior. Given the owners' big family and lots of friends, due consideration was given to providing generous living and sleeping areas. The big galley and dinette up front, for example, let you prepare and do less formal lunches while taking in the views.

Smart planning extends to things like shelves that slide out for access to stowed items, a dedicated wine cooler in the dining room, a trick GME fridge with icemaker, filtered water, a separate compartment for milk and drinks, and vast amounts of storage for victuals just about everywhere you look.

Accommodation is set down on the lower deck in six separate cabins serviced by five ensuites. Three cabins contain emergency pullman berths for those times when no-one wants to leave. All-up, the boat can sleep 15 people without being crowded.

The owners have done a tasteful job with the decor, which is best described as stately superyacht, not glitzy over the top. There are leather lounges and American cherrywood joinery with burl walnut tabletops. All the timber is finished with a blemish-free high-gloss clear topcoat.

Indian marble is used on the galley benchtops and the bathroom floors are also marble. Other floors in high-wear areas are fashioned from teak parquetry, though most of the interior is carpeted.

The lighting is for all occasions, with everything right down to fairy lights around the windows. Bedspreads and fabrics are sourced by the factory from around the world.

LOUNGE AND DINING
The primary living area on the main deck includes the aforementioned forward galley where you can cook and cruise. Even at sea the owners can whip up a stir-fry or spag bol, such is the boat's stability. They aren't reduced to serving cold meats, as is the case on many supposed cruising boats.

Indeed, the 96 has more appliances (full-sized, not boatie stuff) than most homes.

For formal occasions, the amidships dining room can seat eight people under a ceiling feature, beside a glass cabinet holding crystal and silver that is packed away before taking to sea. Wedgwood fine china in a blue and cream check pattern gives a nautical feel to the setting, which has curtains for privacy should you need it.

The aft lounge room has giant sofas fronting a flat-screen television, a separate card table under a mirrored ceiling that, the owners have discovered, lets you see your opponent's hand. There is a bar within reach, too.

Sculptures of various sea creatures, including turtles and eagle rays, adorn the living room. There is a dayhead nearby, so you don't need to descend to the lower deck to splash the boots while dining or cruising.

Giant stainless-framed sliding doors lead back to the aft deck, where there is a table with a lounge and loose chairs that can seat 10 for brekkie in the shade.

The upper deck is where you will find more room to entertain than you may ever need. As previously mentioned, the upper viewing platform could cater for 20 people or more. There are tables and undercover lounges that can seat 14 for lunch and, get this, a barbecue system backed up by gas in case the electricity goes off.

You also get a sink and a wetbar with fridge and icemaker and helmstations where the views are perfect for cruising enclosed waters. The main helm is a pilothouse with everything including voice-activated Icom communications, computers and cameras to the engineroom and aft deck.

SWEET DREAMS
Two spiral staircases lead from the living room to the accommodation on the lower deck. If there is one thing that can be said of the Monte Fino 96, it is that its accommodation is amazingly roomy.

Perhaps because the company caters for the girth-challenged American-market, there is none of the pokiness peculiar to some Asian-made boats. Think head, shoulder and elbow room.

The forward staircase leads to the master guest cabin, which has an island queen bed topped with a stylish gold leaf patterned bedspread. The bedhead is mirror-backed.

There are AC controls, ship-like recessed portholes and storage aplenty for personals. Being in a separate part of the boat, you are afforded total privacy. The boat's laundry is also up front, featuring a separate washer/dryer.

Each cabin has a phone linked to the boat's PABX system, interphased with the satellite communications so you can get a line out from anywhere in the world. There are also separate entertainment or music controls.

All the five ensuites have coral-sand coloured marble vanity tops and flooring, Vacuflush loos and full shower stalls. Hot water is on tap, naturally, and there is a central pump for the boat's loos, backed by two spares.

Take the other staircase down from alongside the dining room and you will find the owners' cabin. Amidships, this cabin is a whopper that runs the full 6.47m beam, with a queen-sized bed.

There is a separate sofa, library/office with computer connection or vanity/dresser, and a Tridata display so the owners can rest easy in the knowledge that there is plenty of water under the boat. The ensuite has a walk-in wardrobe, his and her vanities with twin sinks, a big shower and a spa bath.

SOUTH PACIFIC BOUND
A token coffee cruise would never do justice to the Monte Fino 96 - that I knew from the outset. After all, the boat is being used as a serious family and adventure boat, not a show pony.

Not even tight inlets like Nara in the Whitsundays have stopped the skipper and owner from going wherever they want to.

"I have always wanted to cruise the South Pacific. It is a long-held dream of mine," said the owner, adding that the boat is one of four homes he now owns. "We have lots of takers willing to join us on the trip."

Given the opportunity, our photographer would have jumped at the chance to stay aboard. I mean, he had the gall to declare himself "up for adoption" before dessert had been served. The height of rudeness, that, though his pics will doubtless show this special boat in an endearing light.

HIGHS

LOWS