A Marlow Among Marlows
Over the years I’ve sea-trialed and examined many of Marlow’s vessels. And because the world-class levels of outfitting, engineering, and finish tend to be seen more or less across the board, I encountered many welcome and familiar features while touring the 66 (a three-stateroom-five-head boat, with crew’s quarters aft and an extra, stateroomy lounging area at the foot of the stairway leading belowdecks) once we’d arrived at Snead Island Cutoff.
Some of these features included: duplex Racors in the engine room (on both mains and gensets); two sea chests in the ER as well, providing both redundancy and obviating the need for unsightly through-hulls at the waterline; a single, dead-simple-to-deal-with fiberglass fuel tank (with a well-protected sight gauge and a fuel-reserve-usability-boosting sump) that sound-insulates the full-beam master from the machinery spaces; a rock-solid hull courtesy of Marlow’s proprietary Full Stack Infusion process, whereby the entire laminate (including Corecell coring, Kevlar, carbon-fiber, and engineered biaxials) is infused with a super-powerful vacuum and dynamic-viscosity-adjusted epoxy resin in one comparatively short shot; premium galley appliances from Sub-Zero, Dacor, and FisherPaykel; premium hardware from iconic manufacturers like Seaway, Ocean Frigast, and Schwepper; and last but not least, book-matched, single-log, teak joinery that’s the equal of the best Europe has to offer.
A short bridge passes over Snead Island Cutoff and, as I was crossing it in my rental car, after saying so long to David Marlow and his Marlow 66E, I slowed down to take a look over my shoulder. Maybe it was the boat’s yellow hull color. Maybe it was her faux-carvel planking. Maybe it was the massive, in-house-fabricated fairleads, cleats, and other on-deck hardware that shone in the
RPM KNOTS 6.6 9.3 10.7 11.4 17.4 21.3 26.5
GPH RANGE 4,455 2,511 1,313
dB(A)
TEST CONDITIONS: Air temperature: 67ºF; humidity 63%; seas: 1'-2"; wind: 5-10 knots; load: 500 gal. fuel, 260 gal. water, 3 persons, 1,500 lbs. gear. Speeds are two-way averages measured w/ Simrad display. GPH estimates taken via Caterpillar monitoring system. Range based on 90% of advertised fuel capacity. Sound levels measured at lower helm. 65dB-A is the level of normal conversation.
NOTEWORTHY OPTIONS: Engine upgrade; additional 23-kW Kohler genset; Naiad hydraulic stabilizers (price upon request)