Merry Fisher 855

[Whitelighter]

Although I like the 855 and it is very practical and easy to use single handed, we do miss the space of the previous Prestige 34 that we had.

SWMBO really does not like the 855 and with her bad back/hip finds the thinner padding on the seats uncomfortable, amongst other things like the small galley and not so stable out at sea etc.

So I am now pondering selling after just 7 months / 39 hours and getting a Prestige 32, which is the same size as we had before and has the patio doors which are a must for us. I have seen a Prestige 32 that seems to fit the bill, but need to sell our 855 first, as the dealer does not want such a new boat in part exchange. I suppose that the only advantage is that we have a virtually new boat ready to go and a potential new purchaser would not have a four month+ wait for a new 855.

Decisions....decisions.....

I might be interested if you do sell.

Though with the euro in free fall the new boat deals are very tempting..

 

[rustybarge]

Who is the other one?

Swapped his 855 for a new Antares 30; can't remember his name......?

 

[Cozzie]

Romans8 I think?

 

[rustybarge]

Romans8 I think?

Yes, I think that's right.

 

[romans8]

Romans8 I think?

Hi
I changed my last boat an Antares 8.80 with Suzuki 300hp for a
Beneteau Antares 30 fly
Wow what a different boat!
The fly bridge is the best bit of the boat always on the top deck as we used to have a series of RIBs so we now have all options. Best boat we have ever owned, great looker an all weather boat now completed about 85 hours.

 

[Cozzie]

Oh yes, Romans8. My mistake - apologies. Now you've all got me concerned about my life savings going on the Merry Fisher !

 

[Garold]

I might be interested if you do sell.

Though with the euro in free fall the new boat deals are very tempting..

I was thinking the same, having just bought my Antares 8.80.

Then I thought that since a significant proportion of the cost is in the engines, the reduction in the prices may not be as much as one may have guessed. And if they buy the engines from Japan in Euros, and the Euro weakens against the Yen, then the engines may actually get more expensive.

I also think that the delivery and commissioning will be done by UK businesses, and so this won't decrease.

So. all in all, I think that the reduction in prices may not be so great after all.

If you are buying a secondhand boat in Europe, then it's different. But then there's all that leasing paperwork to sort out fro most nearly new boats in France or Italy.

Interesting times though.

Garold

 

[dan from bhg]

I was thinking the same, having just bought my Antares 8.80.

Then I thought that since a significant proportion of the cost is in the engines, the reduction in the prices may not be as much as one may have guessed. And if they buy the engines from Japan in Euros, and the Euro weakens against the Yen, then the engines may actually get more expensive.

I also think that the delivery and commissioning will be done by UK businesses, and so this won't decrease.

So. all in all, I think that the reduction in prices may not be so great after all.

If you are buying a secondhand boat in Europe, then it's different. But then there's all that leasing paperwork to sort out fro most nearly new boats in France or Italy.

Interesting times though.

Garold

Dealers buy the boats in Euros, we buy the engines from Yamaha UK in Pound Sterling. However, Yamaha UK have just reduced the outboard retail pricing significantly. This may be partially because they buy engines in Euros from Yamaha Europe, so they are benefiting from the exchange rate. So at present, the boats and engines are both considerably cheaper than they were last year. For example, the F150 has come down by nearly £2000!

Dealer rigging and commissioning won't have changed, but that's a very small part of the cost.

 

[Whitelighter]

I was thinking the same, having just bought my Antares 8.80.

Then I thought that since a significant proportion of the cost is in the engines, the reduction in the prices may not be as much as one may have guessed. And if they buy the engines from Japan in Euros, and the Euro weakens against the Yen, then the engines may actually get more expensive.

I also think that the delivery and commissioning will be done by UK businesses, and so this won't decrease.

So. all in all, I think that the reduction in prices may not be so great after all.

If you are buying a secondhand boat in Europe, then it's different. But then there's all that leasing paperwork to sort out fro most nearly new boats in France or Italy.

Interesting times though.

Garold

i'm basing it on what i have already been quoted - its not a guess and it is VERY tempting

 

[Garold]

i'm basing it on what i have already been quoted - its not a guess and it is VERY tempting

Good luck then Whitelighter.

But it may get cheaper so I suppose you may wish to wait longer.

And so we start the deflationary type buying behaviour of waiting in case it gets cheaper, (even though the behaviour is currency driven).

Interesting info there Dan. So, if a Japanese product travels through Europe on its way to the UK we still may benefit from reduced prices due to the currency movements.

Not only interesting times, but also complicated times.

Garold

 

[Bubblegtt]

Well we looked at both a Prestige 32 and a Prestige 36 and they of course have far more room on them and a nicer place to be, but......

The engine access is somewhat dire and it then came flooding back to me of all the problems with those green Volvo engines that I have read about and why we went for reliable petrol outboards with this boat!!

So I am being sensible and keeping the 855 for the foreseeable future

She needs to come out of the water at some point to service the engines and a scrub off, I might plan that for when we are in the USA in May.

 

[Garold]

Well we looked at both a Prestige 32 and a Prestige 36 and they of course have far more room on them and a nicer place to be, but......

The engine access is somewhat dire and it then came flooding back to me of all the problems with those green Volvo engines that I have read about and why we went for reliable petrol outboards with this boat!!

So I am being sensible and keeping the 855 for the foreseeable future

She needs to come out of the water at some point to service the engines and a scrub off, I might plan that for when we are in the USA in May.

The whole outboard vs inboard debate is very unclear because each of the engine choices has its own advantages. perhaps it depends how you use your boat too.

But the increased reliability of outboards due to the much larger market for them in USA seems to be well established.

Perhaps a larger outboard powered cruising boat will come soon, and that would offer a few more people what they want. The Americans seem to have a few.

Garold

 

[Bubblegtt]

Well Keiko is now out of the water for a scrub off and a bit of maintenance. Most important is a service on both engines, although they have only done 40 hours and the oil looks like new, I need to keep up the warranty. So engine oil and filter change and also change the gear oil.

As she is out of the water, it is much easier to put on the new larger stainless steel props that have been sitting in their boxs for a while now. I have also got some coarse scotchbright pads to abrade the coppercoat. The weather looks reasonable this weekend, so I hope to get a coat of 3m wax on the hull before she goes back into the water on Monday.

 

[Cozzie]

Dare I ask how much a service on both engines woill cost, and how often to cover the warranties?

 

[Bubblegtt]

Dare I ask how much a service on both engines woill cost, and how often to cover the warranties?

I refuse to pay the dealer around £1200 with parts and labour, as owning a garage, I am more than capable of doing it my self. The engine oil has to be changed every 6 months or 100 hours, with the filter every year, or 200 hours. The gear oil every 6 months, or 100 hours. Other things need doing as well and all a bit over the top in my opinion. When I did the 6 month oil change, it understandably still looked like new.

I don't know if other makes of outboard have a less stringent service regime, but I must keep up the warranty.

 

[Chamaerops]

The twin Yamaha 150 hps have a 20 hr service required to comply with the warranty and then every 100 hours. The 20 hour service cost just over £300 in January. We are now up to almost 40 hrs.

 

[Whitelighter]

New G2 evenrude requires a service every 5 years or 500 hours

 

[webby]

Sounds like about 2mpg, compared to about 3-4 mpg on the 645. Really surprised the twins are faster and more economical than the single which seems to defy accepted logic. Why do you think that is?

Hi, I have the 855 with a single 300hp and also question the logic of the figures for the twins. Standard opinion seems to be that you generally lose 10-15% in efficiency with twins due to prop interference. Also weight increases, maintenance increases, fuel consumption increases and noise increases! Can't really see the argument for the reliability factor, we all drive cars around with one engine and diesel cruisers generally only have one engine and, in my experience, are a lot more susceptible to fuel problems than than outboards. We are more than happy with the single 300hp plus bow thrusters.

 

[LadyJ]

She is ready to leave the berth in just minutes that way, after a quick engine check

Old thread I know but as I've just purchased a new MF with 175 Suzuki, I'm interested in what is entailed in your engine check! I tend to turn up and go but Prob should be doing some checks?

 

[Chamaerops]

Hi, I have the 855 with a single 300hp and also question the logic of the figures for the twins.

Each to his own. I can see the logic to just having a single 300hp. But likewise if I were to be able to go back in time, I would still pay the extra and have my twin 150hp yamahas. The 855 is beautifully balanced with the weight spread by the two outboards. I just point it and it stays on line with no need to wrestle the steering. It manouveurs well and goes like a rocket. We are going cross channel in a couple of weeks and having twin engines is also reassuring.