Monte Carlo 4

By Andy Adams

Photos By Gilles Marten-Raget

While the name Monte Carlo is a new marque in the Canadian marine industry, this newcomer comes with a rich history. It’s been developed by the Beneteau Group, one of the world’s leading boat builders for the past 130 years.

Big fast day boats have been hot news recently, but there is absolutely a market for a flying bridge boat, especially one that offers spacious live aboard accommodations and a rich list of amenities. The Monte Carlo line are high style yachts developed for the luxury market.

The Beneteau Group has now introduced five different Monte Carlo (MC) models in the past two years; the MC 5 in two different versions, the MC 6 which at 60 feet is the pinnacle of this range and now, the MC 4 in two versions. The MC 4 is probably the boat best suited to our readers.

The boat is approximately $860,000 USD as tested. There are two different trim levels available, the Advantage and the Exclusive versions and our test boat was the Exclusive level with more equipment, much of which you would definitely want on such an elegant yacht.

You board by the swim platform and go up three steps to the cockpit where you find genuine teak strip decking, useful storage space under the transom bench seat that can easily accommodate three or four and most of the cockpit is underneath the flying bridge overhang, offering shade and shelter.

Side decks are wide and the hand railings are well-positioned when you want to head up to the bow where there are big reclining sun lounges, drink holders, the anchor and windlass as well as a teak bow seat that offers a memorable place to ride!

In a boat filled with exciting features, the flying bridge is a standout. A series of teak steps lead through a hatch to the flying bridge which is equipped with an upper helm station to starboard, a large companion seating area and with cushions that allow full stretch-out sun tanning for at least two.

Also on the flying bridge is what will probably be your favourite dining area. This has comfortable seating for six around a foldout teak table where you can enjoy both the breezes and the great view. There’s a top loading refrigerator to keep your drinks cold and an available grill to do up top cooking.

The upper helm station is where most people will want to drive and our test boat was fully equipped with engine instrumentation and navigation equipment here, but so that inclement weather doesn’t slow you down, there’s also a full lower helm that we will describe in a moment.

At the transom is a Glendinning Cablemaster for pulling in the shore power cords, covered boarding ladder, and at the trailing edge of the bridge overhang, a flip down cover reveals an electric sunshade to extend further out over the cockpit. Very nice!

The large swim platform on our test boat was hydraulically operated and has dinghy chocks rated for up to 700 pounds already built into it.

The Monte Carlo 4 cockpit has a flat and uninterrupted floor right to the mirrored cabin doors and into the saloon without even a track to trip over. Love that feature.

Underway, we discovered the MC 4 was so quiet, it didn’t need carpet. Laminate flooring in a sandy gray finished textured wood was used throughout. It’s a modern design but should be timeless in its appeal. Lots of tinted glass keeps out the heat while giving great outward views and LED and ceiling lighting will make this very elegant at night.

The saloon features a six-seater couch, cabinet to accommodate a 26” TV and a two-level table. The galley incudes a 130 litre refrigerator, 2-burner Kenyon cooktop, microwave and big stainless steel sink.

A carpeted companionway leads down to the staterooms with the VIP guest cabin in the bow. This has a big island double berth, two hanging lockers, four opening port holes and a deck hatch. It also has its own head including electric Quietflush MSD, separate shower stall and port hole for ventilation.

The owner’s stateroom is even nicer. It’s full beam with large hull side windows that incorporate opening portholes. In daytime, this cabin is bathed in light. A centre queen berth is flanked by dressers on both sides, two hanging lockers and the private owner’s head, again with separate shower stall.

This is a really feature-rich yacht full of handsome light finished cabinetry, elegant fixtures, bowl sinks and many more touches that will delight its owner.

The performance is another area that will delight! The test boat was equipped with twin Volvo Penta IPS 500s producing 370 hp each, the boat was smooth and quiet at all speeds and thanks to the electronic engine controls, did not slow down even during a tight turn but instead maintained that speed. When we were running, the boat was very quick to plane off and experienced very little bow rise. It never seemed to labour but smoothly responded to every command. The Volvo Penta steering and autopilot are effortless to use, even on long journeys and of course, the IPS includes joystick docking. It is very easy and intuitive to use and Volvo Penta pioneered its use in pleasure craft several years ago now. It seems to us to have been improved somewhat over the years as well and moving the boat sideways, rotating it or positioning it in tight quarters never raised a gear-clunk sound. Very smooth.

The hull design has a distinctive bow that is almost plumb, features a stainless steel cutwater and the design has a very deep forefoot that helps to break the waves for smoother running. The long waterline may also reduce that hobbyhorse motion you can get when bucking the waves and in the relatively calm water on test day, the boat was serene at every speed.

It is easy to be distracted by all the features and handsome design elements onboard the Monte Carlo 4 but what counts the most is the very competent performance and the spacious accommodations that design house, Nuvolari & Lenard have found onboard this 45 footer. Most impressive.

Specifications: Twin Volvo Penta IPS 500, D6 model, inline 6 cylinder 336 ci electronic diesel engines producing 370 hp each with IPS drives, joystick docking

RPM Speed KNOTS MPH

1,000 5.5 6.3

1,500 8.3 9.6

2,000 10.0 11.5

3,000 20.0 23.0

3,600 29.0 33.4

Length Overall including swim platform 45’3” / 13.8 m

Beam 13’5” / 4.9 m

Weight 26,499 lbs / 12.023 kg

Fuel Capacity 2 x 145 gal / 2 x 550 L

Water Capacity 2 x 53 gal / 2 x 200 L

Price as tested: $860,000 USD FOB Annapolis, MD.