Matt341
Well-Known Member
Hi All,
We are contemplating a move from sail back to motor and recently viewed a Merry Fisher 925. We currently own a Sun Odyssey 35 which has proven to be a superb boat, and so we were keen to stick with Jeanneau when looking for the motor boat alternative.
We came across a couple of rather concerning issues with the MF925 we looked at which shocked us a little and has left us wondering whether the 925 is the right one for us.
The first issue was regarding the anchor windlass mount, the windlass was listed on the original purchase order & VAT Invoice so can be assumed that it was an original fit, however, it was mounted on what can best be described as a fibreglass box that had then been bolted through the forward bulkhead. With use, the vibrations and force from the windlass had caused the top of the mount to crack right across the top near to the mounting bolts. The cracks were large enough in one area to fit my little finger through. This had also allowed rain to leak through in the past so the owner had done a temporary repair with silicone to at least make it water tight. Subsequently the wiring and relay mounted directly below the cracked area was looking in a sorry state with some corrosion. On demonstration under load the windlass was moving quite alarmingly and you could see the crack visibly opening. I think it would be quite feasible for the windlass and mount to come away completely if lifting the anchor in anything but perfect conditions and dread to think what damage or injury this could cause.
I have done a little research online but can't find any mention of such an issue so wonder whether the problem is unique to this vessel or whether other owners have experienced the same problem? Other similar aged vessels (2004/2005) seem to have the same arrangement from what can be seen in pictures but I wonder if this design was modified on later models around 2008/2009?
My other question relates to the stern gland fitted to this boat. We currently have a Volvo dripless gland fitted to our Sun Odyssey which is greased a little each Winter and burped on launch, Volvo state a life of around 7-10 Years. Ours started to drip a little last year so was changed relatively easily, it was 12 years old!
I tried to inspect the stern gland on the Merry Fisher but failed to get anywhere near it, a bulkhead prevented access from the engine bay and the fuel tank was mounted directly above it in the lazarette so you could only just see the stern gland with a torch below the fuel tank. It looked quite substantial with a few hose clamps around it and a small black pipe attached to the top, I couldn't see where this pipe went but thought there must have been a seacock somewhere, although the owner said this wasn't the case and that the only seacock we could find was the raw water feed for the engine. The gland has never been changed, greased or burped as access to it is impossible. Can anyone advise what stern gland would be fitted to this vessel and what the suggested life expectancy of it would be? It must be a nightmare to change it due to the location of the fuel tank which I guess would need to be removed in order to do the job, therefore it is something I would rather take into account when negotiating at the time of purchase than have to face Months down the line.
Thanks
Matt
We are contemplating a move from sail back to motor and recently viewed a Merry Fisher 925. We currently own a Sun Odyssey 35 which has proven to be a superb boat, and so we were keen to stick with Jeanneau when looking for the motor boat alternative.
We came across a couple of rather concerning issues with the MF925 we looked at which shocked us a little and has left us wondering whether the 925 is the right one for us.
The first issue was regarding the anchor windlass mount, the windlass was listed on the original purchase order & VAT Invoice so can be assumed that it was an original fit, however, it was mounted on what can best be described as a fibreglass box that had then been bolted through the forward bulkhead. With use, the vibrations and force from the windlass had caused the top of the mount to crack right across the top near to the mounting bolts. The cracks were large enough in one area to fit my little finger through. This had also allowed rain to leak through in the past so the owner had done a temporary repair with silicone to at least make it water tight. Subsequently the wiring and relay mounted directly below the cracked area was looking in a sorry state with some corrosion. On demonstration under load the windlass was moving quite alarmingly and you could see the crack visibly opening. I think it would be quite feasible for the windlass and mount to come away completely if lifting the anchor in anything but perfect conditions and dread to think what damage or injury this could cause.
I have done a little research online but can't find any mention of such an issue so wonder whether the problem is unique to this vessel or whether other owners have experienced the same problem? Other similar aged vessels (2004/2005) seem to have the same arrangement from what can be seen in pictures but I wonder if this design was modified on later models around 2008/2009?
My other question relates to the stern gland fitted to this boat. We currently have a Volvo dripless gland fitted to our Sun Odyssey which is greased a little each Winter and burped on launch, Volvo state a life of around 7-10 Years. Ours started to drip a little last year so was changed relatively easily, it was 12 years old!
I tried to inspect the stern gland on the Merry Fisher but failed to get anywhere near it, a bulkhead prevented access from the engine bay and the fuel tank was mounted directly above it in the lazarette so you could only just see the stern gland with a torch below the fuel tank. It looked quite substantial with a few hose clamps around it and a small black pipe attached to the top, I couldn't see where this pipe went but thought there must have been a seacock somewhere, although the owner said this wasn't the case and that the only seacock we could find was the raw water feed for the engine. The gland has never been changed, greased or burped as access to it is impossible. Can anyone advise what stern gland would be fitted to this vessel and what the suggested life expectancy of it would be? It must be a nightmare to change it due to the location of the fuel tank which I guess would need to be removed in order to do the job, therefore it is something I would rather take into account when negotiating at the time of purchase than have to face Months down the line.
Thanks
Matt
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