In testing more than 100 boats each year, Boating’s Tech Team gets to assess more boats—and more different kinds of boats—than just about anyone else on the planet. Each editor brings their own Boat of the Year (BOTY) candidate boats to regular discussions, making our BOTY selection an ongoing and dynamic process. While candidates must meet the highest industry standards, as well as best practices in design, materials and construction, simply being a “great boat,” of which there are many, is not enough. The Boat of the Year must excel in its category more than any other boat excels in any other category.
During 2023, Montara’s Surf Boss 2.0 rated that status. In fact, it was the first BOTY candidate in some time that our team agreed upon without much debate.
The Surf Boss 2.0 combines the best qualities of two of the most popular boat categories—pontoons and watersports—with hardly any compromise. Rendered in aluminum and powered by a V-drive inboard, its monohull is optimized for creating wakes and waves that pro riders have raved about. Topside, it offers the wide-open sociability of a pontoon.
Congratulations to the entire Montara Boats crew!
