# Bahama''s Bound and need help!



## john_fennessy (Dec 4, 2001)

*Bahama''''s Bound and need help!*

My wife and I are trying to plan a bahama''s summer. If anybody could point me in the right direction for info on small boat cruising (montego 26)in that area it would be a great help. We have the entire summer so times not a problem. I have to bring the boat east from galveston bay texas and am considering leaving it in florida. I have been told slips are hard to come by?
Thak you all for your help.
john.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*Bahama''''s Bound and need help!*

John,

I had an ''84 Montego 25. It''s a big 25 footer and made in St. Petersburg, Fl. Is that the same as your boat?

Summer is hurricane season and I wouldn''t want to be there with my boat in June/July or later with a hurricane bearing down on the islands. Have you thought about a spring trip?

Pick your weather windows carefully and best of luck.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*Bahama''''s Bound and need help!*

John,

I''m planning my trip to the Bahamas in late April for several reasons. The first has already been mentioned..hurricane season starts in the late summer. The second, I''ve sailed in the Bahamas in early June and it was pretty hot. I don''t have AC on my boat. I''ll be anchoring out most of the time so it wouldn''t help even if I did. I think it will be a blast once we get our boats over there. When I sailed in the Bahamas previously on a 38 ft.Beneateau with a 5''11" draft, we had to really watch for the shallows. Some places we had to skip all together because the tide wasn''t right for entry. My boat draws 3''6". It seems to me that the Bahamas are ideal for shoal draft boats.Please also keep in touch during your planning stages. Maybe we can exchange some notes.


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## john_fennessy (Dec 4, 2001)

*Bahama''''s Bound and need help!*

Bob, Yes i do think it''s the same boat. And your right about it being big for a 25. I would love to go down earlier, but have school to deal with. Might be able to start in late april??? would that be a better time?
KP, you bet I''ll stay in touch.

Thank you all for the info so far.

John


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*Bahama''''s Bound and need help!*

John,

April would be better. Hurricane season actually starts June 1. Getting out in early June should be OK. Later in the summer, you would be pressing your luck. The Montego is a fine boat. The designer is Jopie Helsen. Jopie runs the Sailor''s Wharf in St. Pete. They are a big Hunter dealer now. Do you have an inboard engine? I had an OMC saildrive. My problem for extended cruising was fuel capacity. They also put a small Yanmar in them. I wish I had taken that option. That would have solved the fuel capacity issue. The OMC was gas and burned about a gallon an hour. The Yanmar would use about a quart in the same period. I had bought the boat new and kept it for 10 years. I installed H&C pressure water with a heat exchanger to the engine. That gave me a nice hot shower anywhere. My draft was 3''6" which should be great in the Bahamas. My boat only carried 20 gals. of fresh water. Water is an issue in the Bahamas. You might want to think about adding some tankage.

Have fun!


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## john_fennessy (Dec 4, 2001)

*Bahama''''s Bound and need help!*

Bob, thank you for the info on the montego. I have an outboard currently 15hp high thrust honda. Moves the boat along super. Fuel has not really been a problem, as a matter of fact I have been surprised how far a 5 gallon gas can will take us and I can carry alot more than that. As for the water supply your right. 20 gallons is all it''s got. Thats one of the changes we are considering making along with fuel and black water tanks, but wanted to know what the designer suggested. how did yours sail? It doesn''t head up as well as I would like, might be something I''m doing.

Thank you again.

John


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*Bahama''''s Bound and need help!*

John,

I would contact the designer, Jopie Helsen, and ask some of those questions. If I remember, the water tank was on the port side under the settee. It would make sense that an additional tank could be put on the starboard side. This might take away storage you need, but might balance the boat better. You also have space where my inboard engine would be (aft of the companion way steps) and behind it, there was a 12 gallon fuel tank. I also installed a 6 gallon HW tank to port of the engine and fuel tank (in the lazerette).

My Montego (White Ice) sailed wonderfully. I never felt unsafe in it. I sailed it from Toms River NJ to the Chesapeake Bay. The worst water was in the Delaware Bay. I found the boat would "hobby horse" in short, steep seas, pounding when beating to weather in these. This might give you a problem if you had to motor into such conditions. The outboard prop might come out of the water. That''s one of the reasons I went for the inboard. My boat pointed fairly well, even though it had the shoal keel. I also installed a roller furling unit which gave me more flexibility without having to carry a lot of extra sails.

Regarding holding tank. I would make sure you had an overboard discharge capability from your holding tank. If you don''t have one, there should be room under the V-berth. I installed a shower in the head and built a slatted teak seat the folded down over the toilet. This was great for a quick shower. I all ready had a shower sump pump installed from the factory.


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## halyardz (Sep 2, 2000)

*Bahama''''s Bound and need help!*

I agree with Bob. Add extra water tankage and in-line fuel filters & carry spares.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*Bahama''''s Bound and need help!*

Hi,

Sorry to just pop in but I''m considering my first Sailboat purchase and I''m looking at a 1981 Montego 25. From what I''ve seen it''s a very nice looking boat.

I stumbled upon your email thread.

Could you tell me about the Montego 25. Any Specs and your general opinion would be great. This one lists for $7,900. I might bite, what do you think?

I live in Tampa Fl.

Thanks for the help,

Rich


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*Bahama''''s Bound and need help!*

Rich,

I don''t have anything that I could send to you via computer, but I can tell you a couple of things about the boat. When you look in that timeframe and size range, you will see that there were the Catalina 25, Oday 25 & 26, and Hunter 25. Most of these boats were designed so that they could be trailered. Those size boats are a BIG handful to trailer. In my opinion, what the Montego designer did was to take trailering out of the equation and therefore was able to design a better boat. The Montego will be a bigger 25 and a bit heavier boat and have a fixed keel, not a centerboard. On the others you will find were either 8 or 8.5 foot beams. That''s the legal limit for trailering. The Montego is beamier at 9''1" giving it more stability. These are not necessarily bad things. Mine had the shoal draft (3''6"). It also has a deeper draft that will be a better sailing boat. It came as an outboard or inboard with a gas OMC saildrive or a small Yanmar diesel. The inboard had a 12 gallon fuel tank and carried 20 gallons of fresh water. Mine even had a small Edson wheel with engine controls on the pedestal. I ordered it new. Down below, there was a decent, built in ice box, ss sink in galley and head, and a very clever slide out alcohol (non-pressurized) 2 burner stove. There were options for a regular marine head. The Montego has a private head, in that, it is part of the forward cabin with a solid wood sliding door providing the privacy from the main cabin. These are things that set it apart from the pack and help make it more of a pocket cruiser as opposed to just a day sailer with a cabin. Pratical Sailor did a comparison around 1983 between it and the Oday. You might try to contact them and see if you can get a copy.

If you are in Tampa, you are close to the designer Jopie Helsen. Sailor''s Wharf is in St. Pete. I think you can find them on the web. I''m sure pride of authorship will have him talking to you about the boat. He might even have some specs to provide to you.

Hope this helps.

Bob


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*Bahama''''s Bound and need help!*

you can sail from texas to ft myers florida and leave your boat at marina 31, glades, or indiantown. all are on the caloosahatchee river which by way of lake okeechobee will take you to the east coast and bahamas when you are ready.


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