Among boaters in Australian cities and around our waterways, there seems to be a mini-trend of downsizing. Rather than opting for big luxury cruisers with big horsepower and big maintenance costs, many people are choosing smaller boats with cruising capabilities and appointments that cost little to run and are easy to store.
Crossover boats are also popular – boats that can double as fishing boats one weekend and cruisers or family conveyances the next. Enter boats such as the Jeanneau Merry Fisher 695.
Although better known in Australia for its yachts, French manufacturer Jeanneau has been turning out powerboats since the 1960s. In fact, the first boat that Henri Jeanneau built in 1957 was a wooden powerboat intended for racing. Jeanneau proved quite successful and in 1961, the fledgling company built its first fibreglass boat. The rest, as they say, is history.
Today, Jeanneau builds many styles of powerboats, from the diminutive Cap Camarat 4.7 CC centre console through to the Prestige range of large, luxury motoryachts. Somewhere in between is the Merry Fisher range of hardtop outboard-powered ‘pocket’ cruisers, the focus of our test.
The Merry Fishers are ideally suited to Australian harbours, bays and estuaries with a bit of light offshore work thrown in. They’re tough, safe, well-equipped, and weatherproof. But the big point is that Jeanneau seems to have looked toward its larger boats to design a smaller cruiser with big-boat features.
The Merry Fisher range comes in sizes from 6.05m to 8.55m and with styles designed to suit either the fishing- or the cruising-oriented owner. Our test boat was a more cruisy version with an overall length of 6.55m and a beam of 2.54m.
Stepping aboard the Merry Fisher 695, I found it’s a boat that seems to be bigger than its length suggests. The cockpit is expansive and workable, either for fishing or socialising. There is a comfortable couch along the centre of the transom, which slides forward to facilitate the full tilting of the engine, and a portside corner seat with a stainless steel grabrail built into the coaming.
Out the back are two big swimplatforms flanking the Mercury 150hp four-stroke engine, which we found quite adequate for the job, even though the boat is rated to 170hp. The starboard-side swimplatform has a telescopic boarding ladder that is deep enough to get two or three rungs in the water when fully extended, while the port-side features a storage locker with lid that would be ideal for swimming gear, snorkelling equipment, or even bait.
Under the cockpit sole is a huge locker that could store all manner of items such as fenders, lines, water toys, or fishing gear. Also in there are the batteries, neatly stowed, as well as the fuel filters for easy servicing.
Crossover boats are also popular – boats that can double as fishing boats one weekend and cruisers or family conveyances the next. Enter boats such as the Jeanneau Merry Fisher 695.
Although better known in Australia for its yachts, French manufacturer Jeanneau has been turning out powerboats since the 1960s. In fact, the first boat that Henri Jeanneau built in 1957 was a wooden powerboat intended for racing. Jeanneau proved quite successful and in 1961, the fledgling company built its first fibreglass boat. The rest, as they say, is history.
Today, Jeanneau builds many styles of powerboats, from the diminutive Cap Camarat 4.7 CC centre console through to the Prestige range of large, luxury motoryachts. Somewhere in between is the Merry Fisher range of hardtop outboard-powered ‘pocket’ cruisers, the focus of our test.
The Merry Fishers are ideally suited to Australian harbours, bays and estuaries with a bit of light offshore work thrown in. They’re tough, safe, well-equipped, and weatherproof. But the big point is that Jeanneau seems to have looked toward its larger boats to design a smaller cruiser with big-boat features.
The Merry Fisher range comes in sizes from 6.05m to 8.55m and with styles designed to suit either the fishing- or the cruising-oriented owner. Our test boat was a more cruisy version with an overall length of 6.55m and a beam of 2.54m.
Stepping aboard the Merry Fisher 695, I found it’s a boat that seems to be bigger than its length suggests. The cockpit is expansive and workable, either for fishing or socialising. There is a comfortable couch along the centre of the transom, which slides forward to facilitate the full tilting of the engine, and a portside corner seat with a stainless steel grabrail built into the coaming.
Out the back are two big swimplatforms flanking the Mercury 150hp four-stroke engine, which we found quite adequate for the job, even though the boat is rated to 170hp. The starboard-side swimplatform has a telescopic boarding ladder that is deep enough to get two or three rungs in the water when fully extended, while the port-side features a storage locker with lid that would be ideal for swimming gear, snorkelling equipment, or even bait.
Under the cockpit sole is a huge locker that could store all manner of items such as fenders, lines, water toys, or fishing gear. Also in there are the batteries, neatly stowed, as well as the fuel filters for easy servicing.
