TomBettle

I'm going and have room in my car.....

.....she'll be sold by Thursday night then!

Hi Mike I've just logged on and seen all this lot. I have just replied to your email (before reading all of this) and hopefully you will start getting some ideas. I am not going to go into one on here, but be very careful about what you buy and read everybodies advice first. Outside space is great, but are you likely to be seriously fishing with more than three of you anyway? I am thinking of a major wreck trip here rather than maybe taking the kids mackereling. Finally, and this is pure guess and not factual, I would think the transom has been downrated to 100Hp for 2007 640's as the bigger engines have been damaging the boats due to their build. Quicksilver are part of what is known as Barrus who also distribute Mercury / Mariner. As a result the best packages, without a doubt, will be with one of these engines. Tom PS: Call on my mobile if you have any questions about the bits in my email PPS: I mentioned I'd let you have a pair,but seeing as you are 3 then that will be fine (I hope that makes sense).

Sam you would be welcome. Unfortunately she is being lifted to her trailer Friday morning and I am not here on Thursday. I'll certainly get you out on Quest II again soon and you are welcome on any of our boats if they are going out. Tom

Glad you are OK Mike. All I can say is your wife is sure lucky that you don't have to type to communicate with her....

It is a lovely looking boat Sam. I think all agreed this on the day. Adam's report kind of sums things up brilliantly. The boat is fine for two to fish, three would be a squeeze unless you were frugal with gear. As Adam said, it will br great fro someone who wants to trail, but still have the odd "comfy" overnight. It does exactly what I claim, in that it makes a great little fisher for two, but will also keep the family happy if you go for the odd cruise. Sea keeping wise, I think all were surprised at how good it was and for the boat's weight, the little Suzuki 70Hp was exceptional still popping her on to the plane very quickly with three big blokes onboard. The worst she had to face was the snotty little race at Old Harry. It was here that Dave decided to take the action shots so there was no comfy "on and off the throttle" driving to improve the ride. As Adam explained it was 15 to 20 knots through the middle of it whilst trying to get the camera angle right rather than read the waves. The Merry Fisher 585 will reside with me in Poole for some time, albeit she will go back onto her trailer, so anyone who may be interested please feel free to come and have a look around. Tom

1) Terry thanks very much for the offer of the video and a bit of 1 on 1 action . I shall certainly take up the offer of at elast one of those and mloer likely both. 2) BGB, stay well away . I keep my fishing tackle in theback passage and there is no room for anything else. 3) Badger, I own a 9 foot 9# rod, Greys GRX with spools of floating, intermediate and sinking. I also have a selection of sandeel, mackerel and god knows what immitations to pearce my ears with on the forward cast. 4) Sam, yes please, bring it to the do on Friday. Most kind. At present I have had one "self teach" session at the entrance to the blue lagoon on a flooding tide. Wearing my brand new chesties I waded in up to the pocket and promptly flooded it. My ciggies floated off towards "SEVEN" and my flys got an early dunking of salt water. Anyway, first cast I hooked a checker and dropped it just as I was about to hand it in, but it gave me the impression that this fluff chucking was a peace of cake. The long and the short involved the next two hours, wandering around the Blue Lagoon getting wind knots in my wind knots, breaking the sound barrier (literally) at the start of the forward cast, tripping and floodig my waders, aimlessly trying to follow "humps" in the water which were long gone by the time I got near them and finally almost sinking for good on the mud flats, which incidentally are particularly deep . Most of the above was watched with some hilarity by club member, my staff member, salty old sea dog, expert fly fisherman of decades and general old git, Geoff McGratty. So, I think lessons could well be in order! Tom

And finally, another tough day at the office!!! With that, I shall leave the guys to add any comments if they wish.

Almost at the harbour entrance in flat calm water, Terry has the hammer down and the engine trimmed right out. ...she's close to flying and running beautifully...

Terry crosses the wake of the camera boat at high speed as we head back towards the chain ferry. The bow has a partial "gull wing" which helps soften the ride and get the 585 planing quickly and easily, three-up with just a 70Hp engine. This gull wing can be seen fairly clearly as Terry takes off over the wave.

Each "customer" had a chance to get to grips with the boat. Here you can see Plaicemat (Terry) and Dave chatting about the boat before heading off for some maneuvers.

We headed on out to near Old Harry and Dave got his main running shots right in the snot of the race. In the relative calm the other side, the guys all got a run and play with her to see how she went. ...the fog lifted and we ended up with a stunning Winter's afternoon.

A few pics in low res (not great quality) taken by various people using my camera. I hope they help tell the story of what we got up to. The day started in thick fog and Dave was running late after the drive down from South Wales... In the mist and damp I started showing the guys over the boat... ...And then Adam took over! From left to right: Max (Boyscott) Myself (TomBettle) Terry (Plaicemat) Adam (Adam F) doing the sales pitch.

A huge thanks to Terry, Adam and Max for taking the time to come down today to look over the 585 (and other boats). I hope you enjoyed taking part in producing the feature and, of course, meeting Dave Lewis and chatting to him about the differences between brands and styles. Dave doesn't bullsh1t or pull punches so anything he talked to you about will prove to be spot on and any points you raised with him will definitely be taken onboard. Thanks to you all Tom

Gordon I am sure it can be easily fixed and it isn't a major issue. At the end of the day all manufacturers of all engines (and boats for that matter) have a spot of bother from time to time. It is simply a case of how well it gets sorted by the dealer. As an add on to your issue, reading about it prompted me that there had been a recall announced by one of the members over at WSF. It only effects certain engines as detailed in the section I have cut and pasted below and it caused a hoo harr on WSF as it seems that virtually none of the owners had been informed about the recall and on further enquiring it even seemed like some of the dealers didn't. Tom ******* Section from WSF: Just had a registered letter saying there is a recall on my new E-Tec ( no big problem but they need to change a fuel filter on the engine, as these could have been damaged ), If you have a 2004 - 2007 Model Year 40 - 90 HP Evinrude E-TEC outboards with serial numbers below SN 5166490, and have not received a letter

Hi Dan There are a number of used Merry Fisher 625's kicking around. We get a steady number coming through our books every year (maybe 6 or 7) as owners buy them as a first or second boat, love the concept and trade up. If searching for used, try hard to get one with a 115Hp rather than a 90Hp. Some of the early ones were fitted with a 90Hp which is more than adequate, but the 115Hp does give it a lot more ooomph. The only downside to used is that they truly hold their money well. Imagine a well specified brand new boat (all your usual gear added) will retail at +/-

Hi Dan I know Andrew very well. He is a customer and from that link has become a friend. Is your Dad, "Bob", from Enfield? ...Gee what a memory! (or a very good computer database!). In seriousness, I do recommend giving me a call and we can chat about the pro's and con's more effectively than exchanging messages on here. Are you coming to London Boat Show? Handling and Sea Keeping: Now I have to be careful how I explain this... Both boats are exceptional in their size range and "class". So long as the statement in the sentence above is taken into account then it is fair to say that yes there is a considerable difference between the 625 and the 655. I don't mean it quite so literally, but with the 625 you will happily out run a storm to get home, but with the 655 you will be safe and sound driving home through the storm. The 655 will take the rough with the smooth and will plough through almost anything with little fuss. You will bounce around and the wipers will be going, but you will just keep on going. The 625 will fly around giving you a true adrenalin buzz and in anything up to a moderate sea you can keep a reasonable turn of speed on. When things start turning nasty if you try and keep the speed up high you will begin to really feel it and you will have to drop down to little more than displacement speeds to make comfortable progress. It will keep going through, but you will see a difference. These characteristics are not faults of the boats, but are common of the style of boat (both hull shape and power source). Clearly I am more than a little biased, but remember I also own one, but the Merry Fisher range are about the very best in their class / relative style. DO NOT BUY A RIB. Even if you go an buy an inferior brand of boat, do not buy a rib. For what you are intending on doing it will put a huge smile on your face for the first three times you take it out and then the family won't want to come as they get wet, then the wife won't come as there is no loo, then you won't go because you are worried about sticking a hook in it..... Ribs make great inshore dive boats, or safety boats and will blast at high speeds through anything. The boat is great for those purposes but at the expense of very wet and very bashed about crew. Tom

Hi Dan The difference between the 655 and the 625 is the drive system. The 655 is powered by a SHAFT driven 110Hp diesel engine. The benefits of this are a very low and central centre of gravity creating very solid sea keeping and very easy handling in a seaway. The downside to shafts is a relative drop in performance to an outdrive or outboard driven boat. The 625 is powered by a feisty little outboard which gives her speedboat performance whilst maintaining the Pilot House characteristics. Essentially, inside they are quite similar boats with the same features, however due to quite a large amount of extra space the 655 does feel a lot less cramped. Any boat you ever look at will always have a compromise somewhere down the line. I run my own Merry Fisher 695 and absolutely love her. The one compromise I had to make that whilst the boat did everything I could possibly ask she was about 3 or 4 knots slower than I would have liked. Now there were many boats out there that had the performance that I craved, but I would have had to sacrifice so many of the 695's other qualities that the compromise to something else wasn't worth it. Come down and take a look. I have both boats here at Salterns. I am here until 16:00 today and all next week (Tuesday very busy) until Friday. Tom PS: I'll try and get a picture for you.

I had the luck of meeting Laurence the guy from Trace Ace who actually makes them. I was staying inthe same hotel as him a couple of years ago when we were both exhibiting at Go Fishing. Nice bloke and I truly believe the hype he was putting to them. He tended to fish them from the shingle beaches around Kent and had made some truly remarkable catches where co-fishermen alongside were blanking. He kindly gave me a bunch to try and I haven't really given them a fair crack of the whip so to date they have blanked for me. This is unfair as I always reach for a tried and tested lure instead. If Laurence is as good as his word then In would suggest giving them a really good go and I bet you'll do well with them. Tom PS: They are very simply lures. Lead head styles with redgill type bodies and some reflective tape for the heads. Simple enough to be effective.

Dan Firstly, welcome to the site. I hope you find it as fun and friendly as I have in the year I have been a member. Between the members there are few technical questions that cannot be answered and fishing tips will soon be boiling over. Martin is right. The 655 makes a superb sea boat, a great family cruiser. Come and see, it truely is the best in it's class as it is the only one with the option of "proper" cockpit seating and sunbathing. It also makes a fine angling boat with space for up to four to fish depending on whether you have the seating or not. In reality it isn't a wakeboarding boat as it will top out, down hill and with the wind behind you at 20 knots. It will be fine for towing toys etc and has bags of torque so a truly good wake boarder (or smaller child) will have no problems and although it kicks up a a lot of wake it was never designed for this purpose. However! The Merry Fisher 625 is a different kettle of fish. It still has some nice cruising comforts and one of the "prettiest" 21 footer Pilot House boats out there (so the wife and family will approve). She has all the comforts of the 655 by way of a toilet, a stove, a sink, a large dinnette area that converts into a huge berth for occasional over nights and even a retractable cockpit bench seat which is fully cushioned. The cockpit is plenty big enough for three anglers and there is bags of storage for all the gear. The sporty bit: She is fitted with a 115 Suzuki 4s engine giving +/- 30 knots and she gets there pretty quickly. Back the speed off to about 18 knots and she is kicking up some good wash (particulalry with her rear end pulled down with a boarder) and will cruise alln day at up to 22 or 23 knots economically. A big 136ltr built in fuel tank gives a huge range and she has the usual Merry Fisher self draining decks. The best bit is she will be less than a better brand 6m rib (a huge amount less than the 655), is very sea worthy, will keep you warm and dry, can cruise with the family, can fish with the lads, can head out to and beyond the rips without special plans for extra fuel etc (skilled skipper only!), can do all your water sports and your dealer is me! Just so you know, even though the boat has not been designed for wakeboarding I actually have a customer who keeps their 625 at Shell Bay who has had a custom built wakeboard tower fitted to their boat. Good luck and if you want to know more then please PM me or call me on 07780687795 or the office 01202 706943. Better still, pop down and see me at Salterns Marina and I'll show you the boat I am talking about. ...the kettle is always on (just ask Maverick). Tom

So why not post the rumour on the world wide web, surely no-one will find it here Paul I do hope you are not suggesting I did that on purpose!

...Would be easy to blockade Poole Harbour ....Portsmouth Harbour ...Plymouth Sound ...Weymouth In fact it would be very easy to blockade any of our major ports and harbours with maybe the exception of the mersey and Southampton water. It only takes a few small boats with the anchor down to cause a huge problem at a harbour entrance.

....tucked in that little cubby hole on the port quarter. Paul.... give me a call when you get the chance.

Current weather predictions look "OK" for tomorrow with the wind dropping down to a 3 N or W by around dawn. Any rain should clear about the same time leaving a reasonable day for our little trial. So Adam, Terry and Max please arrive around 10 for a slurp of coffee and the off. If you can, bring your own lifejackets. I have plenty here, but they aren't great. There is still space for one more person should anyone wish to come and try a Pilot House at the smaller end. Still very trailerable, but as I have just found out pretty good in a sea too. I launched her an hour or so ago and due to a flat battery (someone had left the isolator on) I simply had to take her for a spin to charge her up. Light (just me) and a full tank of juice I headed out into the harbour into a SxSSW 5 to 6 that was throwing up a snotty little chop. Nothing dangerous, just uncomfortable. Predictably, into the sea she did need a little backing off, but would still run with nothing more than a bump here and there and close to full throttle. A little fiddling with the trim on the outboard produced a smoother ride, but she liked to be kept "flat" when going into the sea rather than trimmed right in which produced the mearest hint of the nose digging in at high speed. It was particularly choppy out between Brownsea Castle and the chain ferry and I used this to see how she would drift. Not bad, it was a very short chop which did throw the boat around a bit, but you never felt unsafe. Flicking the wheel to hard lock and then nailing the throttle saw her shoot around in very tight circles at a truly impressive speed. It wasn't until the fourth or fifth full circle and we caught up with our own bubble trial that I started getting any noticeable cavitation. Full speed back from the ferry to the castle and with the chop on the port beam she behaved remarkably well. As with any boat she heeled slightly towards the wind, but this was to be expected and was of no concern. Up until this point, she had remained bone dry topsides, but I had been getting carried away and hadn't noticed the heavy wash coming from two 60 plus foot gin palaces which made the sea akin to a tide race with waves in all directions. The first I hit at full throttle and did get the first and only proper slam sending a cloud of white water over the entire boat, but bringing her down to displacement speed saw her go back to her dry state by the second wave. Heading back up the harbour towards Salterns I set her on a straight course and nipped out (very bad seamanship this, don't do it at home) to get the lines and fenders ready. The small keel on the hull clearly works as she remained straight and true when most planing hulls would have been "swan necking" their way up the harbour. In the marina she was easy to maneuvour and very predicatable. She's now tied up and hosed off waiting for the true test tomorrow. Performance whilst light with a full tank of fuel and using the standard Suzuki 70Hp 4s (hull will take up to 100Hp): 4,000RPM 12knots 4,500RPM 15.5knots 5,000RPM 18Knots 6200RPM (WOT) 25.2knots The above figures were taken on a handheld GPS and are approximate averages of the top speeds attained in either direction (into and against the conditions). Seastate was officially slight to moderate, but this was made uncomfortable by the steep short chop created by the stiff breeze. Well there you go. That is the salemans review! I am now looking forward to hearing from the people that count, possible customers! Tom PS: don't tell a sole, but there is a little rumour that slightly beyond drawing board stage are the plans for a "Marlin" version of the 585. Simply put, this will be a pure fishing version with far more cockpit and deep walk around side decks, still with the comfort of a proper wheelhouse. ....Like I said, this is just a rumour

Give local Raymarine dealer and regular club sponsor MES a call. 01202 666066 They should have the answers for you. .....why did you buy a VHF with no mic?