Question:
Does anyone know a thing or two about Monark Bass Boat. A friend of mine
asked me if I wanted to purchase his and I don't know much about them. Any
personal experiences with a 17 glass Monark? It has a 50hp Evinrude,
trolling motor, and navigation equipment.
Answer:
-Monark made a pretty nice boat back in the mid to late 70's. They were
the company that led the way in specialized tournament bass boat
design. Since that time bass boats have evolved way beyond those early
days in both styling and performance. However if the price is right buy
it. It's still a great boat
-Monark is now SeaArk. Try this web address and check with them. I am not that
familiar with the old Monarks
http://www.seaark.com/
-It really depends on your desires and the type of water you will be fishing. I
own a couple of aluminum boats: a 1969 Monark 14' and a 1992 Tracker TX 17.
Both are great boats depending on how you want to use them.
One quality that I look for in a boat is stability. To get this you will need
to find a boat with either a thick hull material (which will add weight to the
boat) or braces across the width of the boat. The Monark boat I have is made of
.070 hull material which makes it very strong and stable, but very heavy for
such a small boat. My Tracker is made of much thinner hull material, but has
many cross braces and decks which help provide stability.
Another thing I like in a boat is a built-in livewell. My Monark does not have
one, so I have to carry a 48 quart cooler with me and keep fresh water in it.
It makes for a little trouble and a lot of inconvenience while you are trying
to fish.
Another thing I really like is a foot controlled trolling motor. Again, my
Monark does not have this. I might put one on it in a year or so, but if I
bought a boat to replace it I would demand a foot controlled trolling motor.
The convenience it provides while fishing is wonderful, especially in windy
conditions.
My Monark is a jonboat... it does not have raised decks, electric start motor,
or good electronics. These are all desirable if you are wanting a bigger boat
for major lakes or rivers.
As for name brands, I have fished from Tracker, Monark, Lowe, and Alumicraft.
My favorite hull is the Monark because it is so heavy and stable. As for the
packages that come with the boats, Lowe offers good packages on their boats.
Tracker is OK, but things like power tilt and trim will cost you extra... they
are standard on the Lowe's with a 40 HP or bigger motor.
One other piece of advise... be sure you get a big enough outboard. My Tracker
has a 40 HP motor, and it will run about 25 MPH empty. I got to use a Tracker
(18') with a 75 HP this summer, and it was wonderful. The motor had plenty of
power to plane the boat and still run at about 50 MPH. You might not want to
run this fast, but having enough motor and running it slower is better for the
motor than running it wide open all the time.
