Merry Fisher 645 v Orkney Pilothouse 20

AllanG

AllanG

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I'm considering down-sizing my boat, and having been looking at boats under 7m and single outboard powered. So far, the Merry Fisher 645 and Orkney Pilothouse 20 have caught my eye and, whilst they have slightly different cabin arrangements, both could meet my needs.

Whilst outright speed isn't my priority, good sea-keeping and stability are, so, has anyone got experience of either boat, or actually compared these boats regarding these capabilities, and build quality?
 
I have a Merry Fisher 645, which I finding perfect for the Solent with the family. Small enough that you can pull up to a beach and all pile out, but big enough to all sit inside (there are 5 of us) when the weather is bad. Especially like the fact that 5 people can all face forward when inside.

Unfortunately it is my first mobo, so can't comment on how good it is compared to other boats.
 
Many thanks for your comments.

How do you find the boat handles the normal 'Solent chop'. Do you have the Suzuki 115hp engine and, if so, what sort of fuel consumption do you get?

How have you found the build quality of the boat? Do you have the white or blue hull....if blue, have you had any problems with colour fading?

Apologies for all the questions!!
 
The challenge for me in giving any meaningful insight is that I have been a lifelong sailor used to going upwind at 6/7 knots at 30 degrees off the wind and waves.

When I first got the boat, I did think that it slammed a fair bit, but that was because I was going straight into the waves. Having now had it a while (still only done about 20 hours though) I have to say that I really don't notice the slamming any more. Part of that will be me just getting used to the different motion of a mobo and part of that will be me driving better, not going directly into the waves, adjusting the engine trim and picking the right speed. If it is really rough (I've been out in 20+ knots of wind, with the short 2-3 foot wind over tide waves you sometimes get in the Solent) I might slow down to 16/17 knots, but otherwise tend to cruise around 20 knots. Tops out at 26 knots.

I have a Yamaha 115 and get around 4mpg with a clean bottom at cruising speed and smoothish sea. I found the fibreglass build quality surprisingly good and possibly better than anything I've owned before (I've owned boats up to a Moody 44). The joinery finish is obviously very basic, but then it is mostly performing a cosmetic function. The exception is the saloon table which is too ikea like with pressed on veneer strips at the sides. Easy enough to replace with some solid teak or better quality veneered ply.

I've got the blue hull, which really does lift the look of the boat from a typical peche promenade. The blue hull also comes with some teak front and back. The blue gelcoat again looks better quality than any other boat I've had (and I've had blue hulls before). I guess this is the benefit of a 645, it is nearly produced in mass production numbers, which means quality consistency on what is a simple boat is probably quite a bit higher than bigger boats.

Overall I'm very impressed with the versatility of it, with the sheer amount of space inside, the cheap running costs and most importantly for me (with triplets, another 21ft sailing boat and two sailing dinghies) low hassle boating.
 
Just to make the seahandling a bit more tangible, my family have never complained of the bumpiness so far.
 
Many thanks again for such a detailed reply.....which is really helpful and much appreciated. It looks like the MF645 is favourite for me at the moment, and I'll have to see if the local dealer could give me a demo, or I might wait until Southampton Boat Show, as they normally offer demos round this time.
 
I'd suggest you view and test both.
By design and appearance one has a greater appeal to me, but YOUR preferences might be different.

Several Peche Promenade style boats in our marina (MF, Ocqueteau, Ornvik, Quicksilver, Beneteau etc.) but no Orkneys so can't make a direct comparison.

Suzuki is by far most popular here and for all I know with good reason. Loved my 140 too.
 
Spi D said:
Interesting - and different in any way. Layout, design and of course need for double engines.
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The 6 mtr range comes in a multitude of different wheel house lengths and hull lengths from 6.2 to 6.9mtrs plus....
A lot of fishermen just run a single engine to save money, it seems to work well. It's really a commercial spec workboat that can be used for leisure use as well; I bought the 6.9 mtr hull moulding, and I'm fitting it out with a hard top roof with roll down canopy sides.
 
I've been on and helmed a few albeit of a bit larger build. Really like the ride especially in a chop where they smoothen the ride very well.

That was down under. Where I am now berths for short and wide boats are uncommon - and expensive. Since Beneteau Group (who own Jeanneau) is the worlds largest manufacturer of leisure boats I'd expect them to be of a different finish etc. than those of a smaller manufacturer. Of course any personal preferences or customization would be easier to agree on with the a smaller builder, though.
 
rustybarge said:
If you are looking for a seaworthy sea angling boat cheetah cats are very popular.......
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Thanks for the suggestion, though I'm not actually looking to use the boat for fishing, but just for local day trips, and anchoring off beaches to relax and take-in the sun....if we get some!
 
Spi D said:
I've been on and helmed a few albeit of a bit larger build. Really like the ride especially in a chop where they smoothen the ride very well.

That was down under. Where I am now berths for short and wide boats are uncommon - and expensive. Since Beneteau Group (who own Jeanneau) is the worlds largest manufacturer of leisure boats I'd expect them to be of a different finish etc. than those of a smaller manufacturer. Of course any personal preferences or customization would be easier to agree on with the a smaller builder, though.
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The cheetah range are primarily workboats, and the finish is for inshore fishermen and patrol boats etc etc where they get knocked about on a daily basis; don't expect a leisure boat finish, think ford transit that floats.....!

The 6.9mtr hull moulding plus ally outboard pods to give 7.6 loa by 2.4 beam cost about £18k plus vat...........

Sit down before you get a quote for the Orkney 20.:D
 
AllanG said:
I'm looking at secondhand boats, not new, but I agree that the Orkney 20's advertised do seem quite expensive for their size, but I suppose this reflects the initial high price for a new boat.
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Have a look at the Finnmaster 6.1mtr, it's a fantastic Scandinavian boat that has good rough water capability, it got a very good write up in MBM a few years ago, and it's got sleeping accommodation, galley, and walk through standing headroom wheel house.
It's in a totally different category and class to a MF or Orkney, at about the same price......£35k inc OB when new.
It takes a 115hp OB iirc.
 
Thanks for the suggestion, rustybarge, I'll check the Finnmaster out....especially as the quality sounds similar to my Nimbus.

Cheers, Allan
 
I just looked up the Orkney and is does look a very different style of boat. Much more fishing orientated, with substantially smaller cabin, but possibly bigger cockpit. It is nearly 2/3 of the weight of the MF, narrower beam and nearly 2 feet shorter, so it is generally a much smaller boat.

Given your usage is identical to mine I would think the MF is much more suited. I did look around at least 3 boat shows before going for it and IMHO there was no boat that even came close for versatility. I found a lot of the scandi boats were just too small, although I'm probably a bit more demanding of space being 6'6".
 
rb_stretch said:
I just looked up the Orkney and is does look a very different style of boat. Much more fishing orientated, with substantially smaller cabin, but possibly bigger cockpit. It is nearly 2/3 of the weight of the MF, narrower beam and nearly 2 feet shorter, so it is generally a much smaller boat.

Given your usage is identical to mine I would think the MF is much more suited. I did look around at least 3 boat shows before going for it and IMHO there was no boat that even came close for versatility. I found a lot of the scandi boats were just too small, although I'm probably a bit more demanding of space being 6'6".
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I think The earlier MF 625 was a much better boat,it's exactly the same size but it weighs 300kg less than the latest model, and can easily cruise on 90hp not the 115hp recommended for the MF645......
 
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rustybarge said:
I think The earlier MF 625 was a much better boat,it's exactly the same size but it weighs 300kg less than the latest model, and can easily cruise on 90hp not the 115hp recommended for the MF645......
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You may well think that (or you might be trolling), but if you search back in the forum ex 625 owners seem to rate the 645 as better and MBM certainly does. From my perspective the 625 doesn't even get close, particularly in terms of space, but of course that is IMHO.

And It seems the OP has already made that choice, so bit of a pointless debate really.
 
rb_stretch said:
You may well think that (or you might be trolling), but if you search back in the forum ex 625 owners seem to rate the 645 as better and MBM certainly does. From my perspective the 625 doesn't even get close, particularly in terms of space, but of course that is IMHO.

And It seems the OP has already made that choice, so bit of a pointless debate really.
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...and finally the very best sea Angling boat was the Drago 'Sunday fishing'; when it was tested against the MF'ers and Orkneys and others, it romped away with the prize: from memory 600 kg, fantastic slam free hull, cruises with 60 hp OB, flat soft ride...but it looks very clunky, but is less than half the cost if the other heavy weights. Early models had low height under the wheelhouse, later models raised it to give ample standing headroom.
 
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