Monaro Marine

Even in these troubles times, a Richmond company is still going strong, improving a tried and tested format for sea-kindly vessels. Established in 1976, Monaro Marine is still building good, tough hulls from 21 feet to 33 feet long. Customization is common place and owners are able to fulfill their own personal needs and desires in the layout. They also have a thriving business upgrading older vessels for keen owners who love their boat, and can’t find an acceptable replacement. Instead, these owners decide that upgrading their current vessel is the more economical way to go. New engine(s), new custom upholstery, new gelcoat and all of a sudden your baby is as good as new.

But I am here to test the new Monaro 27 SE. This particular boat is off to its life in Sidney with owners Jeanne Millis & Doug Pickering, but before they left they kindly let me aboard to look her over.

CONSTRUCTION

Dan Parker, Monaro founder and president, told me this philosophy on boat building. According to Dan:

“……….what we build are boats meant to be used, not moored at the marina gathering bottom growth, or parked in the driveway waiting for calm water. The accounts of trips made by our owners of all models of Monaro would truly amaze some "average normal boaters". We are told by Monaro owners and many in the marine industry that we build the best in its class.”

A Vinylester resin is applied as the first coat in the layup process of the deep ‘V’ hull, to guard against osmosis bubbles. Extra woven roving is put on impact places such as the bottom of the ‘V’ of the hull, stress points such as cleat mounting are reinforced with marine ply, and the roof of the wheelhouse, and cabin are balsa cored for strength and lightness. The stringers and transom are fully encapsulated, and the factory assures me that there will never be a problem in that department. Overall, the boat is strong and well built. All floors and bulkheads are glassed in place using biaxle glass fibers. The core mat is used extensively in the deck and the top eight-inches of the hull for rigidity.

ON DECK

A Lewmar windlass graces the foredeck and a solid stainless welded railing carries all the way aft to the cockpit. Hand holds are everywhere, along with some very sensible custom rails ordered by the client to help in boarding and moving forward. This is one of the advantages of dealing with Dan at Monaro, you can make suggestions on how you want your layout, what hardware or safety aspects suit you, and so on. Again, in this case, there was another sensible custom addition to the transom mount for the kicker motor. An aluminum step has been placed over the control wires that lead through the transom, thus covering a hazard of trip wires when boarding. The step helps in boarding too.

On the subject of the transom, the swim grid has been made much bigger in this model, allowing for so much extra useable room that the whole boat feels bigger than it actually is. Hooped (and removable) stainless railings protect you from falling overboard, and on this model, rod holders where attached to them as well. In fact, the owners say that they will use the space to put a couple of deckchairs out to watch the sunset in their favorite bay.

WHEELHOUSE

More custom work was done here to accommodate the owners’ needs, such as the twin bench seats that have reversible back rests to enable the family to sit facing each other while moored. The aft one has a removable teak insert to lift the seat to the same level as the helm seat, and this also allows the combination of seats and infill to make a full bed up top.

The helm station is fully equipped, and houses the electronics in front of the helmsman. Dan Parker has designed a completely new dash to house today’s electrical equipment and keeps it all in good view, while making a large lockable “glove box” to port which can hold binoculars and other odds and ends, including gloves (it’s always good to know where they are when you need them). Also requested by the owner were drop boards in place of the folding cabin doors. Made of teak, they were a reminder of their sailing days. In this giving you an idea as to the sort of things Monaro can do?

A new panel in the roof of the wheel house incorporates a string of LED lights for great illumination

DOWN BELOW

The ‘V’ berth is convertible to a diner, and there is an “aft cabin” under the helm station that has a large double berth as well. The galley on our 27 SE has an unpressurised alcohol cook-top that is lit electrically, so no more of those frightening efforts to light a ring with rolled up bits of newspaper. A Microwave is to starboard just forward of the head, and there are opening hatches above both spaces. There is six feet and three inches of headroom in the bathroom, so showering is not a problem for most. In the main cabin there is six feet and eight inches, which should accommodate almost anyone. There are nice bits of teak trim to make a more “yachty” feel for these owners, where normally this area would be more maintenance free and easily cleaned. The space has a light and airy feel and makes a comfy spot to rest after a hard days fishing, or cruising the islands.

MECHANICALS

After much soul searching and research, our owners decided on a gas engine, and opted for the Volvo 8.1 Gi (Gasoline Inboard) big block with Duoprop I/O drive. The installation is considerably cheaper than diesel and, as the couple that bought this boat plan on doing no more than 200 hours a year, they felt they could buy a lot of gas for the difference. Noise was another factor (although modern diesels are rally comfortable with a system they knew and understood. The installation is immaculate and easily serviced through an electrically operated full-width hatch in the cockpit sole.

There are various pumps: one for water pressure to the hot and cold system, one for wash down, and one for a bilge pump with a remote head on the end of a hose that allows cleaning of the filter by simply pulling the hose up from under the engine and cleaning the offending muck of the filter. There is also an automatic bilge pump just for ‘belt and braces’.

SEA TRIAL

This is not a lightweight runabout, but is solidly built to withstand some pretty severe weather conditions. Yet, as we took off from the dock at Captains Cove marina, she came on the plane in five seconds. With this power plant, the boat is capable of 45 miles per hour, which is pretty impressive. To test the hull, we quickly found a tug and tow’s wake to play with and the ride is as I expected of a Monaro – sea kindly, smooth and dry. I think the Duoprop system is the best in the world, and the “shove” the twin props give this boat is immense. The big block V8 purred smoothly behind us as we carved some turns and played with a ferry in the South Arm of the Fraser River. These boats are used by serious fishermen, commuters who need to get where they want to go in any weather, and cruisers alike. This boat does it all. The controls are smooth, the power assisted steering is easy and the visibility is second to none. Spotting logs in the river was easy as the boat’s bow was not poked up in the air as so many others are. She rode flat and stable and gave me the feeling of confidence in the boat that doesn’t come with every boat, I can tell you.

CONCLUSION

As we slowed down to come back alongside, Dan showed off the bow thruster that made docking so easy it was silly. Single engines might not be for everyone, but with a good kicker for a spare wheel (which we had), the combination was as good as anything I have seen. The economics make sense, the serviceability is amazing, and for speed and maneuverability it is hard to beat. If all you want to do is sit alongside and drink gin and tonics, then this boat is probably not for you. But if you want to get out there, in any weather, safely, for whatever reason, then this is the one. Go for it, and ask Dan to make the boat how you want it, and he probably will.


	MONARO 27 SE