Merry Fisher 695

[boatmike]

Looking for opinions. as an 85 year old still in good but used condition, I have done a lot of blue water sailing on several larger boats, mainly under sail. Some years hence my wife and I sold our catamaran and bought an Aquastar 33 Oceanranger, largely bacause we wanted to go inland through France, which we did. The Aquastar has proven to be a great sea boat and is of course a semi-displacement hull with twin Volvo TMD41a engines. So I know all about performance regarding such. I am now however considering downsizing to a MF695. Have been offered one on part ex for my Aquastar which seems to be a good deal and would suit an old fart like me who only wants to play around on the Solent and go fishing. Thing is I have absolutely no experience of hulls that plane and have no idea how they perform. This little tub has a Nanni 130HP inboard diesel, I have no experience of these either being a Volvo man at heart. So any comments on the sea-keeping qualities, performance (consumption, speed) I might expect from a little "pocket rocket" like this would be welcome.

 

[Bouba]

I had a smaller MF with a 90 Honda outboard (great motor)...anyhow, MFs are very popular here and have great reputations....also Nanni is a highly regarded engine. It should be an awesome combination and loads of fun

 

[Hot Property]

I'm not convinced that the MF 695 is a particularly good hull for the Solent Chop.

An ex colleague had a 795 and that slammed quite a lot.

Good points are the enclosed cabin, but you will bake in summer.

I would go outboard at the 6-7 metre size. No prop fouling and easy cheap maintenance. Plenty of places to fill up on the South coast.

 

[Bouba]

I'm not convinced that the MF 695 is a particularly good hull for the Solent Chop.

An ex colleague had a 795 and that slammed quite a lot.

Good points are the enclosed cabin, but you will bake in summer.

I would go outboard at the 6-7 metre size. No prop fouling and easy cheap maintenance. Plenty of places to fill up on the South coast.

I’ve had three pilot house boats and our summers are hotter....there is usually some form of ventilation with opening doors or windows. I think my MF585 was a first generation one and it was stuffy with only rear opening doors...but I think that was corrected on future models with opening windows. I did have the roof hatch with was optional and that helped

 

[Andrew_McEwen]

Hi I bought a 06 build /07 model year inboard 695 last year - VERY pleased with it. It's a light boat (displaces less than 2 tons) its a great little boat for what we want, which will include Solent trips from Poole.
BUT - WARNING - check the HIN number. The last few digits represent the month and year of build (eg. my HIN finishes ..... I607 meaning Build Month I = September (the months are Alphabetical, starting A = January; build year 6; to Model year 07. The year build and model built always relate - boats built early in the year might read as example ..... B505 = built in Feb, year 5, to model year '05). We looked at one 695 at Fareham which the seller swore was a 03 build , but her HIN finished 000 , hence year 0, model year 00. So I knew he was lying.

 

[simonfraser]

my MF695/2 has opening windows & roof and forward hatch opens at the aft edge, lets in plenty of wind & spray
i have an aft cockpit tent with internal velcro attached shades for sides, no prob with the heat during the summer as long as not direct sunlight
its a light boat, my aquador HT 7m, was less bouncy, but out drive and inboard, def prefer OB

 

[Bouba]

my MF695/2 has opening windows & roof and forward hatch opens at the aft edge, lets in plenty of wind & spray
i have an aft cockpit tent with internal velcro attached shades for sides, no prob with the heat during the summer as long as not direct sunlight
its a light boat, my aquador HT 7m, was less bouncy, but out drive and inboard, def prefer OB

A lot of people in Britain are biased against outboards because of the history of red diesel and lack of petrol availability...but I agree...these little pilot houses are perfectly matched to outboard power...quiet, fast, reliable, cheaper, easier to manœuvre

 

[simonfraser]

A lot of people in Britain are biased against outboards because of the history of red diesel and lack of petrol availability...but I agree...these little pilot houses are perfectly matched to outboard power...quiet, fast, reliable, cheaper, easier to manœuvre

Indeed
All year park and launch / recover, plus yard full engine service, annual cost 3k
Rinse it down after use

200L petrol tank, how far do you wanna go !?
Take some petrol with me as and when no issue, siphon it down into the tank

Simplest boat I’ve had so far

 

[Little Ricky]

Have you though about joining a boat club where you can "rent/lease" a boat for months at a time? Parker Adams do a flexisail with some motorboat and sail boats, but there are others too on the south coast.