Jeanneau Merry Fisher 895: Review

OVERVIEW
- More comforts, accommodation, power, twin engines, fuel and range
It was one of those summer days with high humidity and a building sea breeze. The Sydney dealer wanted to skidoo, too. A southerly buster was on the way. But it says something that the new Jeanneau Merry Fisher 895 was about to be delivered from Sydney to its owner in Port Stephens by sea.

As time would tell, an 80nm ocean passage certainly isn’t beyond the capabilities of this flagship in the French Jeanneau company’s Merry Fisher range. While you can run a single outboard from 200-350hp, our test boat had twin four-cylinder supercharged 200hp Mercury outboards that, in the go-to 18-22 knot cruise range, created a really comfortable cruiser with twin-engine reassurance.

As you don’t get that clatter of a diesel inboard under the wheelhouse floor, as with traditional boats like this running a shaft-drive, this is a nice boat in which to spend time cruising. The engines are on the transom and, being modern four-strokes, they purr in an innocuous way.

Families will feel safe aboard thanks to the high-sided, high-volume hull with plenty of freeboard. The offset or asymmetrical cabin creates a wide helm-side walkaround deck for easy access to the foredeck. Meanwhile, deep glazing around the wheelhouse and lack of mullions create 360-degree views. The bow thruster will also play a big part in helping with the twin outboard-engine docking.

As tested with key upgrades, the new Merry Fisher 895 is as a feature-packed weekender with plenty of space for a family of four and autonomy from its twin engines, 400lt of fuel, 160lt of water, gas stove and 60lt fridge.

It's a step out a trailerboat into the realms of more capable outboard cruisers.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
- A loaded weekender with bow thruster, hot water, fridge, stove... the kitchen sink
This Merry Fisher 895 is the big sister to the Merry Fisher 795, only this new-for-2017 flagship has more of everything from comforts and accommodation to, yes, seaworthiness, power and range.

Of course, you pay a premium for this bigger flagship Merry Fisher, but you do gain a feeling of space that transcends the 795’s trailerboat legacy to move you and your family into the mini cabin-cruiser category. The volume, walkaround decks, cockpit and foredeck sizing, headroom and shoulder room, and storage throughout are noticeably more generous.

The base price is around $200k with a single 300hp four-stroke outboard; Trim Level Premiere with electric winch, aft cockpit bench cushions, 12V 60lt fridge, cockpit shower, electric trim tabs, LED light package, island bed and toilet seat; Comfort Pack including double berth conversion in the saloon, bow thruster, 220V shorepower with charger, plug and water heater; Electronics Pack including Lowrance Combo Elite 7in plotter with sounder; Fusion RA205 head unit, Bluetooth with four speakers; mooring and anchoring kit; upgraded teak-topped swim platforms with side grab rail; forward sundeck convertible to a chaise lounge; pre-rigged electronic controls and gauges; and dual batteries with isolating switches.

Our test boat had all that above and the twin 200hp Mercury Verado outboards that added about $16k to the single 300hp Mercury pre-rigged equation.  The bottom line was about $220,416 drive-away with the upgrades and options. By the way, most owners have opted for twins, which certainly add to that cruising confidence if you intend to range beyond your backyard boltholes and find somewhere new.

LAYOUT AND ACCOMMODATION
- A high-volume 26 footer with two cabins and a separate head
Jeanneau always builds a nicely moulded boat, but the 895 allows for more inbuilt features than its smaller trailerable rigs with lots of smooth shiny fibreglass but not a lot else. The level of design steps up to meet those family expectations.

The bones include a functional cockpit with in-built seating; that wide walkaround side deck with a handy helm door for bow-to-stern access; an all-weather helm deck or wheelhouse with deep windows and loads of ventilation; a compact galley with fridge and gas stove; and sleeping for four in two cabins serviced by a separate head with saltwater manual-pump loo (although an upgrade would be easy enough).

There are plenty of opening portholes, light and a cheery ambience, though the finish is best described as typically high production, with neutral fabrics and router-cut Moabi timber panels with a generic yacht-like look.

Despite the cabin superstructure and twin outboards on the transom, the 895 has plenty of all-important outdoor space and good water access. There are extended swim platforms with prominent rails either side of the outboards, plus a cockpit side door for marina access.

Before you can fully trim the outboards clear of the water, you need to slide the transom lounge inboard on its tracks to make room for the cowls in the engine well. This isn’t a bad thing, as it maximises cockpit space for seating most of the time. Even with the engines trimmed up — say with the boat on the marina or mooring or anchored in close to a beach — you can still use the rear lounge.

Add the small supplied table to the cockpit seating, which was the full U-shaped arrangement on the test boat, and you get a lunch spot. After lunch, you can add an infill to create a daybed. Except for the transom lounge, the seating also removes if you want more room to fish.

An optional cockpit sun awning was bundled in our test package, but we’d create a Euro-style extended awning mounted on aft poles with our local trimmer to ensure we had loads of shade in the rather white and stark moulded cockpit.

From here, side decks lead forward. The cabin is mounted asymmetrically, so the starboard side is the wider of the two walkarounds. The cabin side door alongside the helm station is very handy. Driving this boat one-up, you can be out that door and grabbing mooring lines or dropping anchor on the windlass in no time at all. Leave the door open while cruising and the wind whooshes inside.

The 895 had the optional forward sunpad on the bow (not fitted for photo shoot) with a flip-up backrest that makes a neat forward-facing lounge when anchored. Kids can escape their parents and listen to their choice of music. A couple of suction-cap drink holders are needed, but the split bow rail adds to crew safety on the bow. There’s also room on the narrower portside walkway to stash a SUP. (A factory option that piqued our interest is the forward fold-down ladder on the bow for beach access.)

Back in the cockpit, sliding saloon doors, level decks and an aft galley help blend the indoor and outdoor areas. In the wheelhouse, the dinette to port converts into an impromptu berth, an ideal spot for kids to watch a movie on the mounted TV in the rain, but otherwise the nook is good for cards while waiting for a bite at night or breakfast the morning after.

The forward seat of the dinette doubles as the co-pilot’s backrest when underway, while the helm seat is a separate swivelling bucket. With twin sunroofs, an opening window and door, it’s all very well ventilated. Curtains can be drawn for privacy and sleep ins.

The galley module behind the helm seat deserves a mention. It has a sink and the two-burner gas stove for creative gourmands. We’re not keen on the curtains draping down around this stove, so shift them forward when cooking.

As the boat comes with a decent vented gas bottle locker in the cockpit, we'd add a rail-mounted LPG barbie with regulator to our 895 for outdoor cooking Aussie-style.

The 12V ‘bar’ fridge is all you need for a weekend, with bulk drinks (and big fish) best left on ice in the aftermarket portable icebox/seat that we'd also add and carry in the cockpit.

Sleeping arrangements are conventional. There’s a rather generous island double berth in the bow and an aft cabin with transverse bunk cutting back under the helm deck, where there’s only seated room near the bedhead. Nevertheless, kids will love the second cabin, while the stateroom actually feels quite luxurious for parents. Or so I thought lying on the bed.

The floor and dressing space gains in the for’ard cabin from the offset mattress, the sliding rather than swing door, and the fact you add a small infill to maximise the length of the bed. Storage exists under the forward bed, in a various lockers and back aft of the aft cabin, where the optional generator would go (don’t bother with that option).

Importantly, ventilation is good via the forward deck/escape hatch and portlights deliver light indoors. With a wide companionway, it’s easy to move through the 895 and it doesn’t feel cramped. Jeanneau has enlivened the interior with this upgraded 895 compared with the 855 it supplants.

HULL AND ENGINEERING
- Power options for an easily driven hull
Jeanneau always builds a slippery hull and the 895 is no exception. It’s almost 1300kg heavier than the 795, so it comes with a number of pretty decent horsepower options. Of the five 895s sold here to date, all but one have been twin rigs. For a $10k saving, the twin big-block 3.0L 150hp Mercury twins give you 30 knots instead of the 33 knots top speed for these 1.7L 200hp Mercury Verados.

The single option is a 300hp Mercury up to a 350hp V8 Yamaha. We’re thinking 30 knots with twin 150s is the way to go here. The boat comes with twin 200lt fuel tanks and with the 150s they’re going to give you a very decent range and top torque. There is the option of bigger twin 300lt fuel tanks, but we don't imagine that's needed for the purpose of this weekender.

There is hot water from the 220V shorepower system, but after (say) 12 hours away from the dock it will be luke warm at best. Still, on a boat like this, the 160lt of water is generous.

While there is a handheld shower in the head below, it will be used infrequently at best on a boat like this. We all know the deck shower is the best option for a rinse after swimming. At 80lt capacity, the holding tank for the manual head is decent for weekending in crowded anchorages.

On the power front, there were twin batteries, an extra 110A fitted locally, along with the battery charger. You might want to consider the solar panel charging system factory fitted for $3400 if you intend keeping this boat on a mooring.

Otherwise, it’s all built to the European CE standards and pretty much the standard for high volume global pleasure boats.

Of course, one can nitpick — unsealed plywood edges are a pet hate — but you should also consider the value part of the equation here thanks to robotics, routers and massive assembly lines.

Short answer: owners aren’t in for too many surprises with the engineering and hull layup; parts are easy to come by.

ON THE WATER
- Cruising out The Heads and beyond
The new dash on the Merry Fishers adds a sporty feel to the drive, and all that clear glass creates big views that let you drive with confidence. There are wipers in case the weather turns turtle, yet the boat rides high on the water and is dry.

The bow thruster makes for an easy exit, while the Mercury digital shift and throttle add to the refinement when nudging in and out of gear. The Lowrance Elite 7in MFD was the centrepiece of the helm, but there was no dedicated VesselView display or Mercury link data back to the plotter. Such things are available at a cost, but we had just plain old analogue gauges for the engines instead.  

Powering up, the twin 200hp Mercury Verado zipped our boat up to planing speed briskly after which I settled down to a 20 knot cruise at 4000rpm. This is the sweet spot in every which way. You’ll be burning around 45lt/hr in total for a range around 160nm+.

Top speed was 35 knots, but we were a light ship compared to working load. So expect 32-33 knots in weekender trim. A similar weight to a Caribbean with dual petrol sterndrives, the 895 twin outboard is more frugal and accommodating.

The 895 also proved pretty smooth. True, it hasn’t quite the ride of a bluewater thoroughbred, but it’s acceptably comfortable if you match your speed to the conditions and ensure the hull forefoot cuts through the swell.

The easily driven hull rides also higher than a diesel inboard, so do use the leg trims and tabs to keep that forefoot licking the water. Small cabin cruisers like this also need to be kept an even keel when crew are seated about the place.

For the intended purpose of family cruising in rougher water — read heading home on busy Sunday afternoon — the 3500rpm and 17-20 knot low-speed planing range was held easily without wallowing. The boat turns nicely off the wheel and, in short, fulfils its design brief.

VERDICT
- What we like about this 895 Merry Fisher.
Of course, the enclosed wheelhouse means all-weather boating comfort. It was actually 36C outside during our test, but it could just as easily be 6C and mid-winter. You get protection from the elements in this boat.

Access is a strong point. The sliding helm side door and the walkaround decks are great for reaching the bow, mooring lines, and dropping anchor in tight spots. Ventilation and views are other strong suits.

The cockpit is more than just an empty space, it’s got decent seating. We’d run a full Euro awning out here for shade when anchored, but otherwise it’s really quite a spacious and accommodating area.

Of course, outboard engines reduce your maintenance because you can trim the leg(s) out of the water. They are also low draft. With this boat you can wend your way up shallow rivers and creeks, find secret anchorage for the night, and just as easily as tuck into the corner of a busy beach for a wade-to-shore picnic.

Beyond this saloon and convertible dinette you have two separate cabins and a bathroom. That’s a lot of sleeping space in a boat like this. And who doesn’t enjoy staying out on their boat?

An upgrade of the 855, and with a new hull and deck, the new Merry Fisher 895 is a roomy cabin cruiser that gets along in an agreeable manner with the latest four-stroke outboard engines and has the range to actually explore large waterways, cruise the coast, and port hop.

This is a terrific all-weather weekender and it will be at home on diverse waterways
from the Gold Coast Broadwater and Moreton Bay to Port Stephens and
Myall Lakes, Pittwater and the Hawkesbury, down to the Murray and
Gippsland Lakes, Tassie... and that's just for starters!

LIKES
>> Functionality in a cabin cruiser with the lot
>> Twin outboard reliability, range and refinement
>> Bow-to-stern access and outdoor areas
>> Ventilation and vision
>> A family weekender suited to many Aussie waterways

NOT SO MUCH
>> Curtains gather near galley stove
>> No digital engine data to helm (available upgrade)
>> Needs a decent awning for shade over the bright white cockpit
>> High volume hull doesn’t punch like fine entry offshore boats

Specifications: 2016 Merry Fisher 795
Price as Tested: $220,416 drive-away with the upgrades and options as listed above and including twin 200hp Mercury Verado L4s
Priced From: Around $200k with a single 300hp four-stroke outboard and options as above
Overall Length with Optional Platforms: 9.07m
Overall Length: 8.90m
Hull Length: 7.98m
Beam: 2.99m
Hull Weight without Engine: 3060kg (about 4000kg with twin 200hp Mercury L4s and gear)
Draft: 0.63m
Air Drat: 3.17mm
Fuel: 2 x 200lt (2 x 300lt option)
Water 160lt
People Capacity: CE Category C-10
Sleeping: 4 + 2
Engine: Single 200-350hp, twin 150-200hp outboard
Shaft Height: XL 25in
Engine on Test: Twin L4 200hp 1.7L Mercury Verado

Supplied by and tested through:
Matt Willett Marine
D'Albora Marina, The Spit,
The Spit Road, Mosman
NSW 2088
Phone:(02) 9930 0000
Also the

Jeanneau website.