Antares 9 or MF 895

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Cathy*

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We're looking for a smaller boat. We've looked in the flesh at Leaders, Quicksilvers, Bavarias and Parkers and a couple of weeks ago, for various reasons, decided to look at outboards rather than inboards and the Merry Fisher 895 seemed to tick all the boxes. We went to see one today and mentioned to the broker that we like to mooch along the coastline generally doing about 6 or 7 knotts. He said the 895 is more comfortable on the plane it isn't really a boat for driving slowly. Our Antares 980 was very comfortable driving slowly and on the plane and he said that's because it's a semi displacement hull. Back to the drawing board. The Antares 9 is a semi displacement and has many of the same features as the 895. Then I looked at a review of the Antares 9 by a guy in Australia who kept repeating that this is a boat for inland cruising not for going to sea!!!

Can someone help me out please. Do you have either a MF 895 or an Antares 9? Does it travel comfortably at low speeds and is the Antares 9 as seaworthy as the 895?
 
I only had a small MF...but I have never been on a planing boat that wasn’t more comfortable going slow
 
I have no experience of MF895.

Friends of ours started with their Antares 9 on the Norfolk Broads for a couple of years - single engine and was very happy pootling around; the skeg/keel set up meant it tracked and behaved very well. They then moved it to the East Coast Cruising extensively for some 10 years including taking it to Belgium. A good 'cross over' vessel as it appears equally at home at low speeds or pushing on. As an SD vessel there was no 'hump' to get on and would be happy to sit at almost any speed. If the weather was inclement and you needed to slow there was no worry about being on or off the plane. They did not have trim tabs and never needed them for 'planing'.
 

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pks1702 said:
I have no experience of MF895.

Friends of ours started with their Antares 9 on the Norfolk Broads for a couple of years - single engine and was very happy pootling around; the skeg/keel set up meant it tracked and behaved very well. They then moved it to the East Coast Cruising extensively for some 10 years including taking it to Belgium. A good 'cross over' vessel as it appears equally at home at low speeds or pushing on. As an SD vessel there was no 'hump' to get on and would be happy to sit at almost any speed. If the weather was inclement and you needed to slow there was no worry about being on or off the plane. They did not have trim tabs and never needed them for 'planing'.
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The Antares 9 were looking it has outboard engines so the hull is different.
 
We did our training on a MF 725 with Suzuki 150 outboard, it was not too bad on the plane cruising at 21-22knt with 4 onboard in a moderate sea with a force 5 wind blowing up the Clyde, as for low speed it was a lot more comfortable off the plane, it did not slam so much, well it was my wife driving at the time. ;) It tracked not too bad at slow speed when doing manoeuvres in the marina and was easy to point and park.

It is 100% better than the river boat we have now which has no keel to speak of and is at the full mercy of the propellor walk and the wind. In our boat you look one way and the boat tracks in the opposite direction,
 
There are two different boys being discussed in this thread

New style Antares 9, 40 odd knots88AA7686-F91C-4C6D-A7B2-00E9F2E4CAB9.jpeg

Old style Antares 9, semi displacement 20 odd knots
6AB8D984-0061-4AD8-97E9-C1C0002696EA.jpeg

Which one is the OP talking about? The new style Antares 9 is pretty much the same as an 895, the old style one is a better sea boat.
 
In fact...doesn’t the Beneteau Antares 9 share the same hull as the Jeaneau Merry Fisher 🤷‍♂️🤔
 
Bouba said:
In fact...doesn’t the Beneteau Antares 9 share the same hull as the Jeaneau Merry Fisher 🤷‍♂️🤔
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I think slightly different (Antares has 'airstep' hull or something), but I expecting it's salesman bs rather than anything substantive. Otherwise they'd use it on the 895 too...
 
To the OP,
We have a MF895.
There is absolutely no reason why you can’t potter about at 6kts (although the higher speed are addictive 😉).
I am 99% sure the Antares 9 is the same hull (But see post #6).
We are delighted with our 895, but note it slams more than most boats in a head sea.
 
I have 2021 Antares 9. The Antares 9 has a air step hull. its supposed to give a better ride on plane. Also Its fine for just puttering around. I am mostly in the rivers and bays but i do go out in the ocean to Martha's Vineyard a couple times a year. I have been in 5' seas and felt very safe. The air step hull is what sold me on the Antares 9. I have never ridden on a 895 so i cant comment on how the ride is.
 
rhermd said:
I have 2021 Antares 9. The Antares 9 has a air step hull. its supposed to give a better ride on plane. Also Its fine for just puttering around. I am mostly in the rivers and bays but i do go out in the ocean to Martha's Vineyard a couple times a year. I have been in 5' seas and felt very safe. The air step hull is what sold me on the Antares 9. I have never ridden on a 895 so i cant comment on how the ride is.
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I forgot to mention the Antares 9 Is a heavier boat.
 
Sorry I didn't realise there were more replies thank you for answering. After 6 months of searching for the type of boat we wanted, there weren't any Beneteau 9s to be had, I made a spreadsheet of every 895 available in the country. They're all different. Price and hours obviously, different engines, seating arrangements, heating the list went on. We looked at the 3 closest then yesterday went further afield and found 'The One' 😀 Deposit paid and we should have her back home in the new year.
 
Cathy* said:
Sorry I didn't realise there were more replies thank you for answering. After 6 months of searching for the type of boat we wanted, there weren't any Beneteau 9s to be had, I made a spreadsheet of every 895 available in the country. They're all different. Price and hours obviously, different engines, seating arrangements, heating the list went on. We looked at the 3 closest then yesterday went further afield and found 'The One' 😀 Deposit paid and we should have her back home in the new year.
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Congratulations
(y)
 
Cathy* said:
Sorry I didn't realise there were more replies thank you for answering. After 6 months of searching for the type of boat we wanted, there weren't any Beneteau 9s to be had, I made a spreadsheet of every 895 available in the country. They're all different. Price and hours obviously, different engines, seating arrangements, heating the list went on. We looked at the 3 closest then yesterday went further afield and found 'The One' 😀 Deposit paid and we should have her back home in the new year.
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Congrats!!!
 
Cathy* said:
Sorry I didn't realise there were more replies thank you for answering. After 6 months of searching for the type of boat we wanted, there weren't any Beneteau 9s to be had, I made a spreadsheet of every 895 available in the country. They're all different. Price and hours obviously, different engines, seating arrangements, heating the list went on. We looked at the 3 closest then yesterday went further afield and found 'The One' 😀 Deposit paid and we should have her back home in the new year.
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Congratulations! Please report how you find her.
also, be sure to check out “The Rudder” on YouTube (Australian 895 owners)
 
Cathy* said:
Sorry I didn't realise there were more replies thank you for answering. After 6 months of searching for the type of boat we wanted, there weren't any Beneteau 9s to be had, I made a spreadsheet of every 895 available in the country. They're all different. Price and hours obviously, different engines, seating arrangements, heating the list went on. We looked at the 3 closest then yesterday went further afield and found 'The One' 😀 Deposit paid and we should have her back home in the new year.
Click to expand...
Can you share the link to the one you purchased ?
 
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