Tested By Capt. Bob Smith

It is hard to believe I would be happy to leave Florida for a cooler environment without any regrets, but this year is different. We are dodging hurricanes almost every weekend! Well Doral provided the perfect get away on the Georgian Bay of Lake Huron. This time we were testing several of their cruisers, one being the Monticello. She is a nice cruiser with a lot of space for a trailerable craft, and sports quite a list of standard features and an equally impressive list of optional features to customize it to your liking. Once you step on board, you will be forgetting the hectic life and planning a relaxing day on the water.

Our test boat had the optional custom Doral high polished stainless steel anchor with stainless chain and windlass system. It also had a really nice sun pad that could easily put you to sleep with a built in headrest and safety stainless rails surrounding it. Getting to the sunpad is simple up three steps up the dash.

Behind the Wheel

The helm has a wiper for the driver’s visibility in the rain. A forward swept arch is functional and adds a sweet look to the boat. The driver has a good view of the instrumentation that has a space to the left of the wheel for additional electronics, a stereo remote control, rocker control switches and gauges in burlwood accents in an arc above the wheel. Our wheel was a wood three spoke tilt wheel. The spotlight joystick, bow plane switches and a 12 volt socket for portable gear are to the right of the wheel. The VHF is mounted under the wheel. The helm seat is a comfortable double helm seat with flip up bolster.

Cockpit Features

Topside, across from the helm is a portside bench with lounger back. Stern seating wraps around from the helm all the way to the walkthrough at the stern. The rear bench adjusts for more seating with add in cushions. The swim platform has a stern trunk for power connections and on the other side a wash down and freshwater connection. You board from the water with a four step telescoping ladder. Grab handles are across the back for easy self boarding. Pop-up cleats give you something to tie your water toys to the stern with.

Down Below

The cabin has a galley with microwave, sink and single cooktop. You also get a refrigerator with the galley setup. The settee is heavy cushioned and convertible to another berth. There is a hanging locker next to the head. In the head you have a vanity with sink and shower head, and ours had an optional Vacu-flush head. In the stern is a double berth under the cockpit.

Engine Access

Even with a beefy MerCruiser 6.2 MX MPI installed in the engine spaces, you have lots of room to work with the power plant. The optional Vacu-flush system is mounted on the starboard side in these spaces.

Specs

Doral’s Monticello is 25’4” length overall with 28’3” length overall with the extended swim platform. She is 8’6” across the beam. She weighs in at 6390 lbs., carries 65 gallons of fuel, and has a freshwater capacity of 30 gallons.

Performance and Ride

My cameraman, another captain and I took the Monticello out in 1’ chop with ½ a tank of fuel and 30 gallons of water on board for testing in fresh water. The winds were blowing steady at 4-7mph and we had some white caps occasionally. She handled very well around the docks and delivered a smooth dry ride. She cruised at 3500 rpms or 27.8 mph. At cruise, she burns 13 gallons per hour and delivers a cruise range of 125 miles. She tops out at 4750 rpms or 43.3 mph. At top end she is burning 24.1 gallons per hour with a Mercruiser 6.2 MX MPI 320hp engine installed. Sound readings were good with 62 dBa at idle and 89 dBa at top end. We had her on plane in 8.2 seconds and at 30 miles per hour in 14.8 seconds.

If you are looking for a classy looking, smooth riding trailerable cruiser that you can be comfortable on with a family, the Doral Monticello certainly needs to be on your list to be testing out.

• Top speed for the Doral Monticello is 43.3 mph (69.7 kph), burning 24.1 gallons per hour (gph) or 91.22 liters per hour (lph).


• Best cruise for the Doral Monticello is 27.8 mph (44.7 kph), and the boat gets 2.13 miles per gallon (mpg) or 0.91 kilometers per liter (kpl), giving the boat a cruising range of 125 miles (201.17 kilometers).


• Tested power is 1 x 320-hp MerCruiser 6.2 MPI MX.