The NC range Versus the Merry Fisher Range and why buy one over the other now that size is no limit in the Jeanneau Outboard range with the launch of the new Merry Fisher 1095 in flybridge and hard top.
The NC (new concept) is a spacious tardis of a boat with sliding rear doors from the saloon to the cockpit and on to the bathing platform. This design is very similar to the Merry Fisher with its sliding doors so which boat is right for you?
The NC has a higher finish to its interior design than the smaller Merry Fishers but there is not much in it against the larger Merry Fishers coming out of Poland. The finish and design is now very similar to the French built NC.
What about the ride?
Well the NC semi displacement hull is arguably better in a big sea…Or is it? Our experience when testing the NC in close quarter handling is that it is no different to an outboard Merry fisher.
→ Both draw very little under the hull.
→ Both in the larger models have twin engine options, docking joystick and bow thruster.
With the right amount of practise, it is possible to spin the both boats in their own waterline length and with the bow thruster and engines in opposing thrust you can slide the boat sideways. Even without the joystick docking. Joy stick docking is available as an add on for Volvo inboards and Yamaha Outboard engines for those that require the extra security or want precision control for hoovering on wrecks or very tight berthing. Budget circa £20k for this additional option.
So that is close quarter manoeuvring covered but how about in a big sea?
Well the NC feels a lot more solid but is this deceptive as your ears cannot hear the outside seas. With the engines beneath your feet and not the noise of the Deep V breaking through the waves it sounds like the boat is more capable when in fact it is doing the same as the Merry Fisher. The large diesel engines go a long way to blocking out a majority of the noise of waves against the hull.
The outboard boats are lighter and designed to plane on top of the sea so these hull do work better on flatter seas especially where they can get up to greater speeds. The flatter the seas to more speed is achievable. However it has always been argued that the drawback is that boat is not as solid as and inboard set up. Yes, with the engines above the waterline the weight is higher up and at rear of the boat so the boat pivots from this area rather than at midships or the aft quarter with inboards and there is certainly less weight below the water line affecting the stability from side to side with outboards.
However with a good set of trim tabs the bow of the outboard boat can be trimmed down to allow the V in the bow to meet the oncoming swell and you can reduce your speed to increase the comfort of the ride which you would do in in any case whatever boat you are in. Furthermore you need to ask yourself why would you be out in a big sea in the first place? If the weather gets up then in the faster outboard hull you would be able to steam back to port in a quicker time ahead of any poor weather.
To sum up whether you can hear the sea under you or not it doesn’t necessarily mean the boat is built any differently. The Merry Fisher can take it as well as the NC… it just seems quieter on the NC.
Financially, the inboard boats are more expensive to build as they require more materials in the engine bay and the inboard engines and subsequent out drives themselves are very expensive units to supply. You can add 40/50% into the price of inboard over Outboard as a general rule of thumb. So in my opinion the outboard is the future of larger boat boating. Its more cost effective to build, cheaper to maintain with no expensive outdrives to overhaul, quieter to run, and with no engines inboard you have more storage space.
→ In Jeanneau’s case (New Merry Fisher 1095) you are rewarded with a second and third cabin. Less money and more space; now you don’t get that in the housing market!
With the right tuition from us at Atlantic yachts we can show you how to drive the Outboard Twin engines and Bow thruster combination as well as any inboard boat and we can save you money at the same time. For some, where speed isn’t so important but long distance and a self-affirming quietness in the ride is, then the NC is still going to be the preferred boat.
See the two largest of the Merry Fisher Range together on our youtube channel
Next week we will be looking into the Leader Versus the Cap Camarat range from Jeanneau with a special look into the New Cap Camarat 12.5 WA that was launched this season.
Contact Atlantic Yachts, dealer Jeanneau