Minnesota-based Montara Boats introduces surf pontoon

Minnesota-based Montara Boats is excited to announce an industry first, a pontoon boat you can surf behind. After extensive research and development, Montara has developed a patent-pending design that blends the comfort of a pontoon boat with the performance of an inboard surf boat.

“For the past 15 years I’ve watched neighbors and friends buy tow boats for water sports in addition to pontoons for entertaining. We’ve cracked the code on this and figured out how to blend these, creating the Surf Boss that does it all,” said Montara CEO Mark Overbye.

Ending the frustration of having to compromise performance for comfort, size and space, Montara’s new Surf Boss is available in three lengths, 21 feet, 23 feet, and 25 feet.

Equipped with PCM inboard engines, the Surf Boss features competitive surf wakes, a fully enclosed head, over 100 cubic feet of storage, dual swiveling captains chairs, jumbo-sized dual transom loungers that flip from forward to aft viewing.

Overbye told Boating Industry that PCM sent two engines to Montara Boats for use in Surf Boss prototype testing.  “I’ve had a great relationship with them for 20 years,” he said. “We represent a potential entree for them into a huge market segment. The tow boat segment is roughly 10,000 units; the pontoon segment last year was roughly 52,000 units. If we have success with this, this should really open up some market floodgates.”

In total, there are probably 20 to 25 vendors that have helped us make the Montara Surf Boss prototype possible, Overbye said, adding: “Every single one of them said they wanted to help, and sent parts free of charge or according to memo billing just to get things going.”

Other features include a 110-gallon fuel tank, a changing room, Zero Off GPS speed control, a 5,000-pound plus ballast system, custom tandem trailer, Rockford’s premium audio system, carrying capacity exceeding 20,000 pounds for people and gear plus a top-end speed that tops 40 miles per hour. A custom tower with dual Biminis, speakers and lights that retracts into the hull compliments the Surf Boss’s design.

“If you put 5,000 or 6,000 pounds of ballast in a typical wake boat, it wallows,” Overbye said. “We’ve ran a prototype at 42 miles an hour with 6,000 pounds of ballast in it.”

After that test, Overbye went back to our Montara’s engineering and asked for additional calculations, and a capacity projection on what the boat could carry in terms of engines, ballast, and additional gear. The 25-foot Surf Boss will carry 25,000 pounds of mass. “We plan on going much bigger,” he said.

“This is some really fresh thinking and there’s so much more the Surf Boss can do that no other boat can. I can’t help but want this and believe I have two of them sold before they arrive,” said Don Clark, the owner of The Pro Shop in Longview, Wash., one of Montara’s first dealers.

“We have a sales meeting this week, and we are working with our global reps to establish additional dealers,” Overbye added. “We’ve identified the Top 25 markets in both the pontoon and tow boat segments, and we hope to sign a lease for factory space soon somewhere southwest of Minneapolis.”

Montara’s new management team, which is comprised of avid water sports enthusiasts and champion athletes,  is planning a fall roll out schedule for the Surf Boss boats as well as a complete line of pontoon boats.

Initial deliveries are expected to arrive dealer show rooms beginning in late December. Surf Boss street pricing is anticipated to range from about $65,000 to $75,000 for respective 21-foot to 25-foot Surf Boss models.

Montara manufactures all of its own interiors and seating, has in-house machining capabilities, robotic aluminum cutting and welding, and a full fiberglass development and production arm.

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16 Comments

  1. Sounds like a great idea for those that love the water. Wished I could have had a boat like this when I was young. Hope you come to Oklahoma.
    TLC in Oklahoma

  2. Montara is now opening up around the country!
    I am handling the North East and Mid Atlantic but am happy to help in anyway that I can.
    Please email or call me anytime with questions regarding local dealers, availability, and performance.
    We are well on our way to over 200 boats so far this year!

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