{"id":108990,"date":"2020-01-30T13:56:30","date_gmt":"2020-01-30T13:56:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/?post_type=review&p=108990"},"modified":"2021-10-26T09:46:47","modified_gmt":"2021-10-26T08:46:47","slug":"jeanneau-merry-fisher-895-marlin","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/reviews\/wheelhouse-walkaround\/jeanneau-merry-fisher-895-marlin","title":{"rendered":"Jeanneau Merry Fisher 895 Marlin review: The best Merry Fisher yet?"},"content":{"rendered":"

While Jeanneau<\/a>\u2019s venerable Merry Fisher line now extends all the way from the 605 to the flybridge<\/a>-equipped 38, the sport-optimised Marlin variant stops a good way short of that. At 29ft in length, the new 895 is in fact the flagship of the Marlin fleet and, with its broad beam, its big aft deck, its upright pilothouse and its roof-top storage rack, it looks every bit the versatile sporting companion it ought to be.<\/p>\n

The external spaces also bear that out. For instance, the aft cockpit uses fold-down bench seats to port and starboard, plus an additional folding bench, built into a handy workstation perched out over the engine well.<\/p>\n

This helps maximise cockpit space for fishing parties, while still providing the capacity to seat six for alfresco lunches. The fact that it slides forwards on inset deck runners also means you can lift the engines clear of the water, while still accessing the storage beneath the central deck hatch.<\/p>\n

\"jeanneau-merry-fisher-895-marlin-foredeck\"

Deep sidedeck gives excellent access to the forward cockpit<\/p><\/div>\n

At around 1.9 x 1.7m, the forward cockpit is equally valuable. It offers seating for five around the removable table, or even six if you make use of the broad hatch for the anchor locker. It also offers a large convertible sunbed, which is easy to rig courtesy of Jeanneau\u2019s cleverly conceived lightweight aluminium infill; and it gives you quick access to the main cabin through a cargo hatch in the central seat base, so you can drop your bulky luggage directly below.<\/p>\n

Step into the 895 Marlin\u2019s pilothouse and, although the starboard storage unit behind the skipper\u2019s chair has been kept very narrow to maximise ease of movement along the diagonal walkway, it\u2019s still big enough for a compact microwave.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a fridge beneath the helm seat, plus a stove and sink under a lid ahead of the co-pilot, complete with side-window and overhead sunroof to help mitigate smells and moisture. Headroom of 1.95m is very good, the light grey fabrics are practical and attractive, and the capacity to create an extra double bed to port is a handy extra.<\/p>\n

Article continues below…<\/em><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n\t
\n\t\t\n\"jeanneau-merry-fisher-1095-video\"\n\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n
\n

\n Jeanneau Merry Fisher 1095: Outboard flybridge brings more choice to the range<\/a>\n <\/h2>\n <\/header>\n
\n

\n \n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n

\n
\n\t
\n\t\t\n\"Beneteau-barracuda-9-boat-test-running-shot\"\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe Barracuda 9 achieved a top speed of 41.7 knots on test\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/div>\n
\n

\n Beneteau Barracuda 9 review: Versatile cruiser offers something for everyone<\/a>\n <\/h2>\n <\/header>\n
\n

\n \n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n <\/section>\n\n

\n

Down below, the 895 Marlin\u2019s primary cabin is also very practical. It uses an easy-rig double bed with an integrated sheet of ply, which slides into place, eradicating the need for a separate infill.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a huge amount of natural light down here, courtesy of four windows \u2013 two in the hull sides, another facing forward into the bow space and a fourth up above, in front of the wheelhouse<\/a> in the ideal position to cast lots of light onto the big cabin mirror, which then disperses it all around the changing area. By the standards of a 30-footer, the heads compartment and guest double are also remarkably well proportioned.<\/p>\n

The large double guest bed is supplemented by a changing zone, complete with bench storage and a perfectly serviceable 1.5 metres of headroom and there are some particularly neat touches in the starboard heads compartment too \u2013 not least, an excellent fold-down hatch, secured with a couple of rotating thumb fasteners, which gives you rapid access to the wiring on the back of the dash.<\/p>\n

\"jeanneau-merry-fisher-895-marlin-wheelhouse\"

Pilothouse is practical and well laid out with plenty of ventilation<\/p><\/div>\n

Now of course, all these practical assets \u2013 the twin cockpits, the sheltered seating the sleeping for six and the convertible deck space \u2013 are very welcome, but they count for little if the 895 Marlin is overweight or unbalanced. Here, however, with twin Yamaha F200 outboards<\/a> on the transom, everything feels well sorted.<\/p>\n

The positioning of the helm controls is very intuitive, the visibility is great and the hull\u2019s grip is nicely counterbalanced by some reassuring heel in the turn. It can invite a little launching and slamming if you get lazy at the helm, but if you take a proactive approach, the 895 Marlin certainly doesn\u2019t feel like a craft that has to be \u2018managed\u2019 through a seascape.<\/p>\n

On the contrary, while the physical constraints of its scale and type mean it will never feel urgent or hyper responsive, a sensitive and engaged approach to wheel, throttle, trim and tabs will reward you with a reliable and remarkably satisfying drive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While Jeanneau\u2019s venerable Merry Fisher line now extends all the way from the 605 to the flybridge-equipped 38, the sport-optimised Marlin variant stops a good way short of that. At 29ft in length, the new 895 is in fact the flagship of the Marlin fleet and, with its broad beam, its big aft deck, its […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":405,"featured_media":108988,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[1620,1593],"review_manufacturer":[457],"review_category":[46],"review_type":[],"review_award":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/108990"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/405"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108990"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/108990\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":108994,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/108990\/revisions\/108994"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/108988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108990"},{"taxonomy":"review_manufacturer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_manufacturer?post=108990"},{"taxonomy":"review_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_category?post=108990"},{"taxonomy":"review_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_type?post=108990"},{"taxonomy":"review_award","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_award?post=108990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}