Boat Test: 2024 Monterey Elite 30

Overview

Nothing calls for change like an election year, and at this writing, Monterey is offering a bold new candidate for performance- and luxury-minded boating enthusiasts. We don’t use the word “unique” casually in referring to this sleek boat with sports-car flavors and cutting-edge ­European style—there’s nothing like it on the water.

The Elite 30’s appeal for votes begins with its square stem and sleek, tucked-to-the-stem, custom, polished stainless-steel anchor, a fresh look at a center helm, and a broad hardtop that straddles the cockpit port to starboard.

Engines

We’ve seen square-stem boats in the US before, and they can have an alarming gift for stabbing into the next wave, spraying water all over the cockpit. In hard turns, doubling back over rolling wakes, we saw none of that bad behavior. Though the stem brings up the foreword freeboard in a near-vertical angle to the water, that freeboard doesn’t begin until the hull beneath it flares out broadly to keep the stem comfortably above the seas. The 21-degree hull deadrise at the transom cleaves chop for a comfortable ride without allowing it to roll excessively with shifting crewmembers, broad seas or crisp turns. The power of dual Mercury 250 hp V-8 outboards offers exciting acceleration—3.2 seconds to plane and 5.6 seconds to 30 mph. Our top speed was over 53 mph, and the joy of having all this in your throttle hand comes not just from the raw power, but also the unique centered helm that you’ll need to see to believe.

Interior and Accessories

Helm styling is straight out of a performance sports car, with a pair of bucket seats separated by a center console that positions the throttle levers as comfortably as an eight-speed racing shifter and makes the joystick equally reachable. In top-level race boats, the throttle is so ­arranged as one-half the skippering crew manages the wheel while the throttle man reacts to the seas by varying rpm and 150 mph speeds. You could employ a throttle man in this vessel just for fun if you wish, but even at its maximum throttle speed, it handles like a charm, thrilling crewmembers while protecting them from unexpected changes to direction and acceleration.

The next remarkable plank to this compelling candidate’s platform is the design of the hardtop and windshield. Mention center console and hardtop, and you’ll picture enormous stanchions springing from the console fore and aft of the helm, blocking sight lines. The top may extend only halfway to the gunwales from the helm ­perimeter, leaving much unprotected from the sun. Not here. The hardtop rests on highly styled and brilliantly sturdy supports affixed to the gunwales, and it extends well forward of the racily raked windshield and aft over the lounge and bar back-to-back with the helm bucket seats. The safety-glass windshield is full width of the helm and bucket seats, but the windshield stops at the helm sides, allowing fresh air (and passengers) to pass through the cockpit on port or starboard passageways, refreshing us on our test day’s 95-degree, 95-percent-humidity summer swelter. The arrangement is a moderate blend of the extremes of a dual-console windshield and a typical fishing center console. Nothing better than a well-balanced candidate!

We scoured the marketplace for a similar deck and helm plan to no avail, but the Four Winns H9 at a length overall of 29 feet, 11 inches brings a challenger with that vertical-stem style and with a comfortable standard bowrider setup ($343,025 base price with test power and hardtop). It too boasts a glass cockpit, and the hardtop lowers and raises on concealed ram screws to shrink storage height and can even be dropped down for more rain protection while running from a storm. Four Winns’ new designs from across the pond are the result of the company’s purchase by Groupe Beneteau, the world’s largest boat manufacturer.

Forward of the Monterey Elite’s windshield is another lounge that swings on hinges to reveal a comfortable changing room with a head and freshwater outlet that competes well with the Four Winns H9. There’s a ton of storage in drawers and cabinets on the Elite. While neither offers stand-up headroom, it’s deep enough aboard the Elite for comfortable movement. Door closed, the Elite’s forward lounge completes a triangular seating area with bow seats and padded
coamings to allow crew to relax and chat.

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Aft of the helm is the back-to-back lounge that I mentioned earlier. Nestled up to it is a refreshment bar with sink and fresh water. There are large coolers beneath the lounge. This faces a large lounge astern, giving up to six people face-to-face conversation in comfortable seating. A transom door leads to a spacious swim platform. The seatbacks rock forward, allowing boaters to face the water over the transom, or lay the ­seatbacks down for a comfortable sun lounge.

In a market filled with big, strong ­dayboat candidates, the Elite 30 stands out on the ­campaign trail. It may well emerge as the new sheriff in town.

How We Tested

• Engines: Twin Mercury 250 DTX
• Drive/Props: Outboard/Mercury Rev 4 14.6″ x 20″ 4-blade stainless steel
• Gear Ratio: 1.85:1 Fuel Load: 200 gal. Water on Board: 0 gal. Crew Weight: 430 lb.

High Points

• Glass-cockpit design displays all switching, engine functions, temp, oil pressure, speed and more via the flush-mounted MFD.
• Foredeck and cockpit can be quickly shaded with carbon-fiber poles and canvas ­covering, installable in two minutes or less.
• USB and USBC charge points throughout. The skipper gets an inductive charger.

Low Point

• Natural light and/or ventilation in the form of a window or port would be welcome inside the console head compartment. 

Pricing and Specs

Speed, Efficiency, Operation