Advice On Jeanneau Merry Fisher 645

[amoore658]

Hi all
I have a Dell Quay Dory presently, which I am looking to replace next season. The DQD has been a fantastic "work horse" over the years, but now it's time to upgrade. I was looking at a Jeanneau Merry Fisher 645
Does anyone have any advice on these boats? What is the fuel consumption like and how do they handle in heavy seas?
My Dory consumes roughly 1 litre of fuel every 15 minutes travelled at around 32 knots. I was hoping the MF would be similar/not as "fuel thirsty"
It comes with a 150 Yamaha 4. My other questions is 150 Yamaha 4 -vs- 150 Yamaha 2.
Thanks for your help

 

[vandy]

Jeanneau Merry Fisher, Arvor, and Quicksilver are all same class; known as Pilothouse. Arvor and Quicksilver are kind of the same, and have seen most arvors with inboard diesel engine and quicksilvers with petrol outboard.

Jeanneau Merry Fisher 645 is kind of the top of the range, has good space inside the cabin. One thing to remember is that at the end of the day they are all DAY boat. So whilst you have all problems related with damp inside the cabin, etc. you can't really stay onboard on a weekend etc.. Another slightly negative point is that the space outside is limited for fishing. We were three and could not really easily hold our rods. If you want something suitable for fishing go for smaller versions which actually give better space for fishing (i.e. Quicksilver 550).

If outboard, You may not find a 2 stroke engine on these boats, all come with 4 stroke. Twin engine; ummmm I would not recommend it. Will be so expensive and I would rather upgrade my boat to a higher class than having two engines.

Outboard; easier to maintain, less fuel efficienct compared to inboard diesel.
If you are after a new boat, try find a boat and then find a good outboard (Yamaha, Mercury, and Suzuki have passed their test in the UK market). If second hand, get somebody's advice as you don't want to spend that much money and then end up with a blown headgasket!

One more thing, my friend who owns a Merry Fisher 645 had an issue with water leak through hull. He was told it is very rare on these boats, but happened to him in less than 3 years....

I am personally after a Pilothouse, have sold two boats (one rib, one cuddy) and now waiting for a good package, most likely happen after September! so no boating this summer for me

 

[H. Lewis]

We've had a Merry Fisher 645 for 18 months, and although its a supposed to be a fishing boat the outside space is limited for more than two guys to fish at once.
We have the yam 115 4, and it has been faultless and its near silent.
Its a great boat for family and the odd bit of fishing with loads of space inside.

They handle pretty well at sea, Not as planted as the arvors but a lot more enjoyable to drive and more comfortable inside.

Got loads of pics if you want any.

Huw

 

[Firefly625]

..................Jeanneau Merry Fisher 645 is kind of the top of the range, has good space inside the cabin. One thing to remember is that at the end of the day they are all DAY boat. So whilst you have all problems related with damp inside the cabin, etc. you can't really stay onboard on a weekend etc..

We had a MF625 and stayed on board frequently. I fitted shorepower (inc RCD unit etc), battery charger and we had a full aft canopy which is a must if planning to do much overnighting, makes the usable evening space much bigger.... yes it was small, yes it was camping on water but we never had any issue with damp. Went away a few times for 4/5 nights in a row. Got to say the 645 has all the improvements that were on my wish list when I had my 625, looks a very good package.

to answer the other part of your question, we had a fuel meter on the 625 and from memory she would use 18 l/p/h at 19knots cruising speed and that was a Suzuki DF90 (great engine BTW!)

 

[Nautibusiness]

We had a MF625 and stayed on board frequently. I fitted shorepower (inc RCD unit etc), battery charger and we had a full aft canopy which is a must if planning to do much overnighting, makes the usable evening space much bigger.... yes it was small, yes it was camping on water but we never had any issue with damp. Went away a few times for 4/5 nights in a row. Got to say the 645 has all the improvements that were on my wish list when I had my 625, looks a very good package.

to answer the other part of your question, we had a fuel meter on the 625 and from memory she would use 18 l/p/h at 19knots cruising speed and that was a Suzuki DF90 (great engine BTW!)

Best answer of all the above from Firefly.

Concise and accurate.
The smaller Merry Fishers are camping on the water, but quite capable of weekending.
The bigger inboards move into the world of caravanning on the water... ooooh posh stuff.
LOL!

Expect to use a fraction over 1lpnm with a Suzuki / Yamaha 115Hp 4s at about 4000 rpm which will give iro 20knots in fair conditions with a sensible load.
Considerably juicier than your DQD, but still very economical for what they are.

Jeanneau's only true fishers built today are those with a "Marlin" badge in the name.
The other models are designed as a cross over boat offering family day / weekend boating fun with the ability to fish a couple of mad keen anglers or a family of mackerel snatchers.
They are dearer than the likes of QS and Arvor for one simple reason, they are a big step up in handling and build quality.
Nothing wrong with the cheaper brands in as much as they do what it says on the tin, but you will very quickly understand why they are somewhat less money.
If you want a pure fishing boat then consider the 585 Marlin, the Marlin 6 or if they still build it the 655 Marlin. The two smaller versions have smashing hulls and are much better fishers than their cheap "fisher" sisters from QS, the 655 Marlin is inboard and kicks serious butt off the Arvor 230 in absolutely every aspect apart from price.
If happy with a cross over boat then the 645 will be a great compromise and for a 21' outboard powered pilothouse she is good at sea too.

I own a Merry Fisher 695. I bought her purely for fishing although she has the caravanning comforts that the cheap brands don't have. I fish up to five off her and regularly cross the channel. She handles a big sea as well if not better than the Arvor 250 which is considerably larger. She is a different breed though, being semi displacement shaft drive diesel.

 

[Philiz]

One thing to remember is that at the end of the day they are all DAY boat. So whilst you have all problems related with damp inside the cabin, etc. you can't really stay onboard on a weekend etc..

Mmm, I beg to differ on that one. We had a MF625 and spent every weekend bar 2 for a year on it. 2 of us with 2 dogs and a parrot! Yes it was cosy, but perfectly doable. No probs with damp if you keep it ventilated.

Suzuki DF90, similar performance and fuel consumption to Firefly from recollection. Couldn't fault the boat or engine combo, jsut not big enough after a while!