| WEEKEND CRUISERS |
Montego 20
Cruising is the Montego 20's forte. Her 2-foot deep stub keel and 2,300 pound weight make her less easily trailered than some of her cruising counterparts in the Trials, but what she lacks in lightness she makes up in increased comfort belowdecks.
She has noticeably more galley and counter space than any of the other Sea Trials boats. A single-burner alcohol stove, a sink, and a 50-quart ice chest, which doubles as the companionway stair, are standard. Like the other weekender/cruisers, the Montego's interior features a vee-berth in the forepeak and two quarter berths flanking the sole. There is sitting headroom on each quarter berth, though Owens thought they were somewhat narrow for sleeping. Because the vee-berth is raised to accommodate shallow storage bins, there's only enough room to lay down. One big plus of the Montego's cabin design over the other cabin boats is ventilation. There are four opening ports in addition to a forward hatch and companionway hatch, no small comfort on steamy summer nights.
The roomy 7-foot cockpit easily takes three to a side, and has high coamings for good back support. Even in a steep chop, it kept its passengers dry. A solid bridgedeck stiffens the cockpit and provides a comfortably high barrier to water that might slosh into the cabin. There's a small locker aft, beneath the tiller, but it's not easy to get to while under sail.
Stability is no problem with this fractionally rigged, heavily ballasted design. However, at a certain point, the keel would lose its grip and the boat would begin to sideslip, greatly reducing her upwind speed and pointing ability. As a result, the Montego sailed best when kept flat, with her sheets eased. She balanced nicely and responded well to her helm when tacking and jibing. She also tracked with ease, due to her long stub keel, and her long waterline gave her a respectable turn of speed.
Like most of the other weekend/ cruisers we examined, the Montego offers only the basic sail handling hardware with few adjustable components. The judges felt a vang, a cunningham, and quick-release jib sheet cleats would be options worth adding. Owens was frustrated by the aftmounted mainsheet system, which proved difficult to use in the strong winds. "Releasing the main to keep the boat on its feet is a must and just not possible in heavy air," he said. The jiffy reefing system worked easily. The Montego comes with a pair of winches, useful in a blow, but the jib sheets run through fixed fairleads, which makes optimum sail trim possible on only one point of sail.
The judges appreciated the Montego's standard safety features like the stern rail and bow pulpit, the molded-in toe rails, and the grab rails on the cabin top. Unfortunately, the non-skid became slippery when wet.
Though her career as a racer is doubtful, the relative comforts of the Montego 20's spacious cabin and big cockpit should prove attractive to the sailor interested in pocket cruising.
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| Pure Cruiser. Reefing lines and bow and stern rails contribute to the Montego 20's safety under sail (top), as does the bridgedeck in the two_toned cockpit (Ieft). Thefour opening ports provide adequate ventilation in her big cabin (right). |
