Busy - well that's an understatement describing our workload at Monaro. We apologize for being so late on getting the newsletter out this year. Many projects between tooling, mold making, repowering and upgrading covers most of our projects. It's been a challenge to keep up with demands on our time. We have been dealing with a shortage of available skilled and semi-skilled labourers, but speaking with many other business owners the problem is widespread.

Preowned Monaros have been very sparse all year, where we have had only one or two listed any given time. Demand, however, has been quite high and have found ourselves in multiple offer sales. We have a search form on our website where customers can essentially sign up to be on a waitlist for a particular Monaro. Highest demand currently is the 24 hard top with outboard and 27 with diesel power.

One of our owners recently inherited a Monaro 24 from her father. We built the boat in 1989 for her father who lived locally but she lives in Tennessee which is where the boat will be relocated to once the work is complete. We are currently doing a major refit including replacing the original Volvo AQAD41 diesel engine with a newer Volvo D3-190 diesel. The newer engine is much lighter which requires us to relocate the fuel tank aft and shorten the motor box. The centre of gravity would be too far forward for proper trim and performance of the boat.

After about 6 years since the first design work, the 235 Sport model has finally been completed and launched in April. Watch for the review in an upcoming issue of Pacific Yachting. This model is now available on a built-to-order basis. Peter Vassilopoulos took the photos and wrote the article. Peter, as many of you are aware, owned first a Monaro 21 and then one of our 27's in 1993. Peter and his wife Carla cruised all over our coast until they sold it in 2015.

We currently have three 257's under construction. They will all be fitted with our new 235 hard top but utilize a longer windshield. All boats will be equipped with bow thrusters, Alaska bulkhead and Yamaha power but all will be finished differently inside. We have created a number of new molds and construction techniques for this model.

A major repower has recently been completed on Bob and Gail's 298. They are proud owners of their 3rd Monaro with the first one launched in 1980. We pulled out the old twin Volvo KAD32's and replaced them with two new Volvo D3-220's. These motors are much lighter than the old power resulting in almost 2" change in the waterline aft. Bob reports the new motors to be much quicker, smoother and more fuel efficient.

Of special interest to you Monaro owners is that we now have a 298 Monaro located in Southern Chile. The boat was shipped down there last September via 2 different freighters. It landed in the Santiago area and then trailered approximately 1000 kilometers south to the owner's summer retreat. There he had a marine railway built along with a cradle that Brad designed for him. So, we now have Monaros cruising at 75° north latitude in the high artic and 41° south latitude in Chile!