Monterey 270

To the untrained eye they could be just another American sportscruiser; another formulaic range of mildly entertaining boats with modest petrol inboard motors; a posse of production craft that rolled off an assembly line like donuts at Krispy Kreme.

But after testing so many ho-hum American sportscruisers with cookie-cutter styling and a predictable finish, take it from me, the American Montereys are truly different. They come with a huge standard inventory, upmarket Euro finishes and a great ride without a price premium.

Rightly, the local agents are expecting big things with their Montereys. When the brand debuted at the Sydney Boat Show there was one of every sportscruiser model, except for the 25ft which won't be imported, leading to a six-boat range from 27-35ft. Orders were forthcoming, but in a show of confidence, 100 Montereys were pre-ordered for the Australian market before the show.

The local agents happened upon the Montereys at the Miami Boat Show where they went searching for a family sportscruiser that was a cut above the production pack. While American, these boats aren't the product of a huge multinational company hellbent of driving profits for shareholders. Instead, the boats appear to be made with care, attention to detail, and a finish that is more worldly than American.

The smallest boat in the range, the 270 has sweet mouldings, upholstery and deck fittings, and an engine room and engineering that were all hard to fault. Every Monterey comes into Australia via Shipworks in Brisbane, which builds Warren superyachts for the overseas market, so expect a thorough predelivery.

While petrol powered, the demo 270 had an upgraded and powerful 320hp 5.7GXi Volvo engine and a grippy Duoprop for real sports performance. And while high volume with weekending accommodation, it travelled like a lithe sportscruiser, with 40kt top speed and exciting off-the-wheel steering.

The 270 is compact but has generous outdoor seating and a neat amenities centre for dayboating. Below is a galley module that doesn't dominate and an enclosed head with upmarket fittings. All Montereys imported here have Vacuflush heads, holding tanks, microwave ovens and more. About the only thing left wanting was an invertor, which can easily be fitted as an aftermarket add-on.

BUILD QUALITY
A boat manufacturer for 20 years, Monterey builds to US Coast Guard and Boat & Yacht Council standards. All its hulls are backed by a lifetime limited warranty, designed using CAD and five-axis routers, and tank tested before being shipped from the Florida yard.

Wading through the brochure, one can't help be impressed by the long list of features that Monterey considers a must-have on its boats. Among the good gear is a Ritchie compass, Faria engine gauges, abundant stainless-steel hardware, colour-coded wiring looms and a low-glare dash. The boatbuilder provides a walkthrough windscreen and a sunpad on the bow as standard, while offering a great convertible cockpit layout and an amenities centre with a supplied Igloo cooler where you can carry lunch or drinks on deck.

In the lay-up department, the hulls have polyester gelcoat; a polymer resin layer to ward off osmosis; something called Spraycor, which is described as a space-age material that reduces weight, as well as increases stiffness and dampens vibration; handlaid woven rovings overlapped at the chines and keel for added strength; and foam-filled underfloor cavities for sound deadening, further stiffness and buoyancy.

The 270's hull has 18 degrees of deadrise, which is a moderate vee, however the foam filling and stiff monocoque or one-piece hull make the ride seem doubly smooth. And with plenty of horsepower the boat jumps out of the water like a genuine sportscruiser.

LUXURY AFLOAT
Stepping onto the fully-moulded transom, which harbours a stainless-steel swim ladder, you find an aft garage or dunnage box for storing fenders, mooring lines, the boat hook and so on. There is a hot/cold transom shower - hot water via a heat exchanger and 240V - Shorepower connection, dockside water inlet, handy cleats and a stainless-steel insert in the rub rail. The coloured hull is a standard local inclusion.

 Up front, there's an opening windscreen with a walkthrough dash for a safe route to the bow. The non-skid foredeck has a cushioned sunpad flanked by stainless-steel grab- and bowrails. Anchoring gear includes a windlass as standard, stainless anchor roller and scuff plate, and a bitter end or deadeye in the locker, which often isn't a given.

The cockpit plays into the hands of the entertainer, with plenty of seating for a 27-footer and a removable aft lounge and cockpit table in case you want to fish or create more room to carry, say, an inflatable doughnut. With the dedicated cockpit table in place you can seat four for lunch. The table and surrounding lounges also convert to a daybed if you're feeling weary. Non-skid moulded steps and a non-skid gunwale panel assist with stepping ashore over the sides.

A portside moulded amenities centre is traced by a decent stainless-steel grabrail and graced with a sink, dry ice box for holding a bottle of wine, and an Igloo in which you can carry your drinks and lunch. You could very easily mount a barbie on this boat.

The chaise lounge ahead of the amenities centre has contoured Ultraleather upholstery. Meanwhile, the skipper has a double helm seat with folding bolster to create more room when driving on his or her feet.

Rubber-backed carpet, drinkholders, a canopy trailing off the radar arch, a spotlight and courtesy lighting are other highlights. Yet the 270 isn't cramped. The thoroughfare from transom to cockpit, through the windscreen and to the foredeck provides a clear passage.

Thumbs up for the engine access that requires nothing more than opening a floor hatch on a gas strut. There is clear access to all sides of the motor in a gel-coated space, a Vacuflush loo mechanism, hot water service, batteries and twin bilge pumps just in case. The through-hull fittings are stainless steel, sound insulation is excellent and the boat comes with a fire-suppression system.

Last but not least, the boat comes with a full set of covers, a wiper on its windscreen, and an automotive-like dash with low-glare surfaces and mock burl inserts. Everything from a remote for the supplied marine stereo and CD player to the throttle, digital depth sounder, trim tabs with sight gauges, and 12V breakers are at hand.

INDOOR COMFORTS
A sliding lock-up door and moulded steps lead inside the boat. My notes read: great finish. The flavour is European without much glitz. The joinery is cherrywood, there aren't too many mirrors, you get a cushion package, and the carpet is a premium European buff-coloured material protected by a supplied Sunbrella floor runner.

Headroom at the foot of the ladder is around 1.90m, with a galley immediately to port that's big enough to make lunch but not so big it's intrusive. There are black-ice granite-look moulded counter tops, a single-burner electric stove (needs an invertor to work away from the marina), a basic microwave oven, round stainless-steel sink, a decent 12V/240V Isotherm fridge, 240V outlets and plenty of storage hatches and adequate pantry space.

The interior has a big spread of courtesy and task lighting and ventilation via a circular hatch and two opening portlights. For a 27-footer, the saloon living space is generous, with a deeply padded surround lounge in the bow and timber dinette that converts to a double berth. The nearby hanging locker is cedar-lined, no less, and there are trick reading lights and storage under the lounge bases.

The boat is wired for television - an LCD model was being fitted locally - and the 12V/240V panel was logical without too many switches to consider. I noted a 12V outlet for the mobile phone nearby.

The aft or mid cabin can sleep two adults in comfort or roll up the mattress to create a crèche. There's a storage pocket and a privacy curtain.

At the foot of the companionway is a sump pump servicing a surprisingly upmarket moulded head with headroom when ever so slightly stooped. There is a handheld hot/cold shower and shower curtain, a sink and Vacuflush loo with Tankwatch gauge for the 75lt holding tank, and a good amount of storage.

Put it all together and you have a boat that works well from a static perspective. Indeed, this could be all the young family ever needs, while just as easily being a neat conveyance for a couple who like to entertain. The Vacuflush loo is as good as you will find on boats with pricetags of 10 times this amount.

SPORTS CRUISING
I can't say I'm a big fan of the manual gearshifts on petrol motors - they seem to clunk in and out of gear - but I am a fan of Volvo's fuel-injected 5.7ltr V8s and especially its Aquamatic sterndrive legs with Duoprop. These legs and props just love tight cornering. True to form, the Monterey 270 was a lot of fun to drive. With the supplied trim tabs and leg trim, you could run the boat at every position imaginable. It reacts very quickly to the tabs.

 While it was a tad wet at times, this was more a product of the surprisingly big swell and a stiff winter wind buffeting the harbour. At one stage, I ran down the face of a wave which looked like it wouldn't be out of place at Bondi Beach and a fair amount of spray came over the windscreen.

The 270 was a sporty boat through the turns and an efficient boat on the peg. With the trim tabs down it held plane at 2200rpm and 9.7kt, turned in a handy low-speed cruise of 16.3kt at 2600rpm, and cruised freely while affording the skipper excellent vision at 24kt at 3200rpm with no tabs and nominal leg trim. Fast cruise was clocked from 29.5kt at 3600rpm to 34kt at 4200rpm. Top speed was 39.9kt.

Yes, they are American. Yes, they are sportscruisers. Yes, they come with inboard petrol power. But take a close look at the engineering, ergonomics, design and the finish and compare prices. Even a jaded old powerboat writer found something worth getting excited about in the 270. Now for Monterey's other neat sportscruisers.

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