Whittley Monterey 5.8

Whittleys are a bit like your favourite aunt - always full of pleasant little surprises. And the 5.8m Monterey serves as a perfect illustration. Its space efficiency is not fully appreciated until completely studied, indeed a number of the boat's features are multipurpose.

Whittleys have been dubbed 'caravans on water', and why not? So, for boating couples with a penchant for travel, why buy a pop-top caravan with a tinnie on top? Just buy a Whittley for the best of both worlds.

JV Marine's Greg Walker had five teenage girls liveaboard his Monterey over Easter and they had a ball. Yes, the quintet slept aboard for a week! Sensibly, Greg camped some distance away.

The Monterey is an all-purpose boat. It offers accommodation, can be utilised as a skiboat or fishing rig (though I doubt mum would appreciate slimey, smelly flathead on her lovely teak tables), and is a comfortable means of fun on the water.

The nice touches start at the bow which features a split bowrail and an anchor-carrying bowsprit. A recessed strip of teflon protects the hull from the length of chain which lays on the strip between the anchor, split bowpost and rope locker hatch. The entire foredeck is non-skid, but the walkarounds are a little narrow.

The front hatch is a good size but a devil to access because of the cabin bunk arrangements. If you want to anchor up, you'll be walking around the sidedecks.

CURTAIN CALL
Inside the cabin the curtained front and side windows are large, which makes for a very bright and airy interior. Headroom is also satisfactory. Carpet lines the interior, which prevents overnight condensation.

Grey marine carpet lines the floor and the cockpit. Cloth-covered V-bunks are thick, full-length and roomy, and parcel shelves above are wide and deep, padded and cloth-covered. Appropriate lighting is also provided.

There are storage compartments beneath the bunks, as well as a food and drink cooler. A porta-potty is cleverly hidden beneath the starboard bunk. The cabin can be isolated from the cockpit by a wide-opening bifold teak door for complete privacy.

With the door open, there is a teak drinkholder shelf on the passenger side at foot level which doubles as a lockable glovebox.

The windscreen mount is part of the deck mould and has two raked-back glass screens to the front and quarter panels either side. This moulding sweeps down to midships to give the boat distinctive Whittley styling.

The boat's cockpit is a fully-moulded liner, so rather than stepping into the cabin, there is a sloped walkway which makes life much easier.

Both the skipper's and passenger's seats are thickly padded and feature reversible backrests. The wheel is a six-spoked affair linked to NFB steering which, on the testboat, I found a little heavy. The teak dash features fuel, ignition, trim, rpm, speedo, psi, hour-meter and temp gauges. The waterproof switchpanel was handy on the starboard side under the steering wheel. A stereo was mounted left of the wheel and a marine radio to the right.

SOUND OF MUSIC
The passenger seat has stereo speakers and both seats have armrests on each coaming. These are padded vinyl with an inset red stripe. Naturally, drinkholders abound.

The seats are mounted on teak cupboards. Swing the driver's seat up and you've got a fully-plumbed sink and goodies cupboard. Beneath the passenger is a single-burner gas stove and storage cupboard. This seat, when flipped over, forms a small table.

Spacious sidepockets are padded with grey vinyl on the outside and marine carpet inside. Attached to them are twin fold-out seats which, when used in combination with the stern quarter removable seats and the fold-out tabletop, make for a cosy conversation corner in the cockpit. Pleasant touches such as velours, vinyls, curtains and carpet linings are all highlights of the boat.

Stern cleats are solid and there are two rodholders in the transom corners. The portofino stern is ideally designed for getting in and out of the water, courtesy of grabrails, steps on the starboard side and non-skid fibreglass. And so that you're completely comfortable once aboard, there is a freshwater shower linked to a 55lt tank under the rear port seat.

On the water the boat performed well, achieving a top speed on smooth water of 70kmh at 5400rpm and a cruising speed of 30kmh at 3000rpm. It ran smoothly in turns with no cavitation and felt comfortable and predictable.

Boats of epic status, Whittleys have more extras than 'Ben Hur' and 'The Ten Commandments' combined. On the 5.8m Monterey, you can sit back, relax, sip the chardonnay and enjoy...