Monterey Boats for Sale

Two brothers and a 19-foot cuddy

Charles and Jeff Marshall started the company in 1985 in an 18,000 square foot shed in LaCrosse, Florida. The legal name is Seabring Marine, doing business as Monterey Boats. They opened with five employees, two 19-foot models (a cuddy and a bowrider) and two dealers. Over the next two years they built three models in the 18 to 20-foot range, and they kept adding deck boats and cruisers after that.

On the night of August 31, 1999, a fire nearly destroyed the company's plant in Archer, Florida. Monterey kept paying the displaced workers during the cleanup and moved production to Williston, about 90 minutes north of Orlando. By 2005 it was building 24 models from an 18-foot bowrider to a 38-foot sport yacht. In the early 2000s the Marshalls also bought Blackfin, the offshore fishing boat builder.

What a current Monterey looks like

The 255SS is a good example of the sport boat line. Monterey lists it at 25'8" long with the swim platform, 8'6" beam, a 20-degree deadrise, 65 gallons of fuel and a dry weight of 5,500 lb with engine and batteries. The 8'6" beam is the widest you can tow in most states without a permit, which is why so many Montereys in this size range are sold with a trailer.

Older Montereys were nearly all sterndrive boats. The 2005 lineup was sold only with inboard-outboard power. Newer models, including the 255SS, are also offered with outboards, so check which you are looking at before comparing prices.

What to check on a used Monterey

Recall work. The Coast Guard lists two Monterey campaigns: an electrical system recall on 30 of the 2006 350 Sport Yachts, and a recall on 54 of the 234 FSX for cracked fuel fill fittings. Both are closed, but if you are looking at either model, run the HIN and ask for proof the fix was done.

Bravo drives. Most used Montereys have MerCruiser sterndrives, often Bravo III. Owners on Monterey's own forum trace most gimbal bearing and U-joint failures to water getting inside the bellows, from old rubber, loose clamps or a bad seal at the transom. Ask when the bellows were last replaced and whether the boat was stored with the drive trimmed down. One owner also traced a gear lube leak to the unclamped hose from the reservoir, low at the back of the engine, so look there.

Helm electronics. Owner complaints on newer Montereys are mostly about gauges and accessories rather than the hull: trim senders that read wrong, depth alarms and batteries drained by stereos on standby. Test every gauge on the water.

Cruisers. On cabin models, test the head, galley, generator and every pump, and look for water stains under hatches and windows.