TRAILER-TASTIC
A choice for anglers who tow their boat.
Clearly a vessel that has been designed with fishing in mind, the Merry Fisher Marlin 605 is from the extensive and evolving range of boats manufactured by French company Jeanneau. I’ve always found the design, build and finish of these boats to be superb, which must be a reason why they hold their value. The Marlin 605 is no exception, and is certainly one of the very best trailerable fishing boats I have seen.
She features an asymmetric forward cabin that is offset to port, leaving a broad walkway along the starboard side from the cockpit through to the bow.
The cabin can be left open, enclosed by canvas or, for maximum security, fitted with patio-style glass doors.
The spacious cockpit is large enough for three anglers to fish in absolute comfort, increasing to four by utilising the full length of the boat when fishing on the drift, for example.
When the engine is trimmed down, a hinged section creates a solid transom incorporating a useful work station for bait preparation but, cleverly, this lifts up automatically when the engine is trimmed up – a nice touch.
Visibility from within the well-ventilated cabin is exceptional, thanks to an attractive wrap-around windscreen. Side windows provide necessary ventilation, while additional lighting and ventilation is achieved by the inclusion of skylights, within both the forward cabin and wheelhouse, though these are both optional extras.
Seating is provided for the helmsman and one crew. I particularly liked the innovative adjustable steering position system. It can be repositioned from its standard location at the console to the forward edge of the cockpit, allowing the helmsman to steer from there. I suspect this is a feature I will come across more often in the future.
The self-draining cockpit features an excellent amount of inboard freeboard, and an effective moulded non-slip finish. A large stowage hatch amidships within the main deck provides access to the battery and the fuel tank. Seating is provided within each quarter, and forward of the cabin at the bow.
A transom door to starboard opens on to a swim platform, which is fitted with a boarding ladder. Gunnel rail and grab handles are fitted, along with all necessary deck hardware, including various rod holders, as standard. An aerated livebait well is also provided.
The Merry Fisher Marlin 605 has an overall length of 18ft 6in (5.64 metres), with a decent 8ft/2.45m beam. She displaces 2,205lb/1,000kg, has a standard fuel capacity of 100 litres, along with a 20-litre water capacity, and has been categorised at CE Category C for carrying a maximum of six persons.
EASY HANDLING
She proved very easy to launch and later retrieve, as well as manoeuvre within tight spots within the marina. Once we had exited the Tawe Locks and cleared the breakwater, we encountered reasonable testing sea conditions as we ran across Swansea Bay towards Mumbles Head.
The Marlin 605 fitted with the Yamaha 115hp, as tested, has a maximum speed of 31 knots, which consumes 40 litres of fuel an hour. Her ideal cruising speed is 20 knots, providing a more economical fuel burn of 19 litres per hour.
I was very impressed with the way she handled, as I have come to expect whenever I step aboard a Jeanneau. As we sped across the bay, the waves were falling on our port bow, yet, despite this, we were able to maintain a comfortable speed somewhere approaching 20 knots.
Even when running with the wind, the sea breaking directly astern of us, she steered beautifully, showing hardly any tendency to breach or in any way veer away from the course I was steering. Her lateral stability was excellent when running with a beam sea.
A surprisingly little amount of spray was thrown on to the windscreen when we encountered more testing sea conditions in the tide race in the vicinity of Mumbles Head.
Certainly, this is a boat aboard which I would confidently venture many miles offshore in order to fish. With the Marlin 605 you have the ideal boat for both the more adventurous sea angler and the leisure boater looking to take a family out for a day’s fishing or cruising. ■