Mariner Pacer 22

Back in the 1970s, the Mariner Pacer 22 Lady Dianne would have been quite a stunner. Its teak would have had a rich, freshly-oiled lustre; its brightwork would have been shining; and its hull and deck sparkling. Now almost 30 years on, despite the wrinkles and blemishes of advancing age, this Mariner - one of the early models built by Bill Barry-Cotter - still exhibits a certain panache.

This cabin-cruiser was brought to our attention by Ian Frazer, of Stylecraft Boats at Patterson Lakes Marina (adjacent to Melbourne's Port Phillip Bay). With a pricetag around $20,000 it is an excellent example of 1970s-style leisure boating.

During a comfortable run on the smooth bay, the Mariner loped along at a maximum 30kt at a conservative 4200rpm from its 165hp straight-six Chevy engine marinised by MerCruiser (which looked so much like the old 179 engine that powered the EH Holden in the '60s).

Still it was fun, as my companion enthused, relaxing back in one of the stern quarter seats, the wind blowing through her hair. "This is me," she declared.

PLENTY OF SPACE
The Pacer's cabin features very substantial blue-green cloth-covered twin bunks which can be changed into a double with infill panels. A toilet hides underneath. A swing-out table is fitted under the port cushion. On the same side, against the bulkhead, is a storage compartment for lifejackets.

Teak is everywhere in the cabin, and still in good condition. The vanity cabinet has a large mirror on the front, and a nearby drinkholder rack (holds four drinks) is also teak. There's a cassette player, bulkhead-mounted speakers, matching blue curtains over substantial windows on each side which slide open, as well as curtain-covered windows in the forward slope of the deck looking towards the bow.

Fancy teak railing surrounds the large storage ledges either side in the cabin, while blue carpeting, still in good condition, covers the walk space.

The hatch in the cabin roof is small and very difficult to access. To drop anchor you'll be taking the long route around the gunwales.

There's a spirit stove, sink, more drinkholders, paper towel rail and bits 'n' pieces holder. The ceiling is raw fibreglass but it's patterned neatly.

Although it's not possible to stand up in the cabin, there's heaps of headroom sitting down.

The teak bulkhead and carpet-covered dash has a slide-out panel to make access to the cabin easier. A barometer, which has seen better days, is mounted on the bulkhead. The companion captain's chair has a dash-mounted grabrail in front. The chair is mounted on a teak storage box which has a dickie seat on its back, as does the skipper's chair (its storage box features a side-opening mini-fridge).

SOUNDS QUITE QUAINT
There's an alarm onboard, fire extinguisher mounted on the starboard side, no marine radio, and the quaintest depth sounder I've seen for years. It's an Electrodepth Model 80 sounder, and still filled with a roll of part-used printer paper.

The hour meter showed 313 hours. Other instruments were tacho, trim, oil pressure, battery, temperature and fuel, flush-mounted on top of the dash, while the speedo is mounted beside the beautifully old-fashioned teak helm driven by a very soft Teleflex steering system. The VDO speedo, quite oddly, reads right to left, is calibrated in knots and incorporates a sumlog.

Also on the dash are buttons for engine trim and trim tabs, which both work very well.

The hardtop over the seating position is substantial but not very high, about 178cm (or 5ft 10in). It has sliding perspex windows either side and a spotlight and foghorn mounted on top. There is not a lot of fishing room in the cockpit, mainly because of the length of the foam-lined engine box. That in turn is covered by padded vinyl and each side are two substantially padded stern quarter seats, which have been out in the sun too long but could be easily replaced.

It's also worth noting that the engine well was particularly clean - an unusual feature in a boat so old and a tribute to its fastidious owner.

There's a storage space behind the port-side seat and batteries are mounted in two boxes on the starboard side.

On the transom are two storage boxes with teak lids, over which is a painted timber rail mounted on short stainless supports. The stern has a short swim platform above the outdrive, a mounting bracket for an auxiliary outboard and a stainless steel boarding ladder on the starboard side. There are two flush-mounted rodholders. The gunwales are wide, and access to the bow easy with the help of a grabrail on the hardtop. Sidepockets are substantial.

The Mariner has a substantial bowrail mounted on the flat non-skid deck and the anchor is mounted on brackets on the starboard side, separate from the rope and chain locker behind the large bowpost.

AN ABSOLUTE CLINKER
The hull is a clinker design and looked in good condition, although we didn't have the opportunity to inspect it below the waterline.

The trailer has seen better days, needing new mudguards. It's a dual-axle, brakeless Noble brand with small centre rollers and two skids either side with an ordinary winch. The steel seems to be in reasonable condition, but there would be some work to do to rejuvenate the trailer and make it roadworthy.

On trailer the boat would probably weigh around 2500kg.

In summary, a handyman looking for a comfortable, trailerable Darby and Joan cabin-cruiser could restore this boat to its former glory with a bit of TLC. It would be ideal for overnighting on the Gippsland Lakes or Murray River cruising.