I have a Sawyer Loon, of which the Monarch is a knock off. Here are my
thoughts on the Loon.

It is a specialized boat. Great fun to paddle, but not really a good
choice for beginner paddlers. The hull is a rounded 3/27 spec racing
botttom, with flare on the sides for better secondary stability.
Sawyer uses a 4 position seat, which can be slid for trim and raised
or lowered. That raise/ lower option is necessary, in rougher water
you want to drop that seat for better stability. I haven't been in
anything so rough I wanted to drop it all the way, but I have gone
from top to middle.

Manuverability is not the best. The boat is designed to go in a
straight line, and it does that well. I don't like paddling with the
rudder, so it is up more often than not. The boat responds well to a
switch sides method of paddling.

All in all I like the boat. If you want some photos of my Loon, just
send me an e-mail and I can e-mail some to you.

Western Canoeing/ Clipper is the only company besides Kruger Canoes
(Kruger designed the Loon, Monarch, Seawind, etc) making a similar
boat.

The Bell Rob Roy is nothing like the Loon/ Monarch. It is stable, but
more of a recreation than a performance hull.