Offshore Boat, Marlin Broadbill Or Stessl Yellowfin?

[herbmozo]

Hi Raiders,

I was tossing up between a Marlin Broadbill 6 metre and a Stessl Yellowfin 6m. ( both have twin outboards for safety )Obviously cat vs monohull. I had a 6 metre half cabin glass boat but split the hull, after replacing the transom and alot of other glass work to have this happen has put me off glass for good. I know its a different story in buying a new boat but i just don't have that budget.

So has anyone had any experience in either of these hulls?

I'm looking at around the late 80's to mid 90's hulls and will update the engines.

Or am i mad to be taking this size vessel 20nm out to sea?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks

HM

[warnie]

Hi Raiders,

I was tossing up between a Marlin Broadbill 6 metre and a Stessl Yellowfin 6m. ( both have twin outboards for safety )Obviously cat vs monohull. I had a 6 metre half cabin glass boat but split the hull, after replacing the transom and alot of other glass work to have this happen has put me off glass for good. I know its a different story in buying a new boat but i just don't have that budget.

So has anyone had any experience in either of these hulls?

I'm looking at around the late 80's to mid 90's hulls and will update the engines.

Or am i mad to be taking this size vessel 20nm out to sea?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks

HM

HM

I may be able to give you some advice of sorts i am currently in a 7.2 broadbill with my boat prior to this one being a 6.0 stessl Yellowfin..... weather conditions aside.....Apples for Apples to be considered but both handle offshore work comfortably..As for the 6 mtr broady v the 6 mtr Yellowfin the Yellowfin gets the nod go up in size though in the Cat...ie to a 7.2 and it becomes a no contest...the cat wins hands down

Cheers Warnie

[pjbink]

Sorry about your problems with your fiberglass boat. Unfortunately aluminium boats can have just as many problems with cracking and corrosion issues as they get older. I'd give the boat a very thorough inspection.

[herbmozo]

HM

I may be able to give you some advice of sorts i am currently in a 7.2 broadbill with my boat prior to this one being a 6.0 stessl Yellowfin..... weather conditions aside.....Apples for Apples to be considered but both handle offshore work comfortably..As for the 6 mtr broady v the 6 mtr Yellowfin the Yellowfin gets the nod go up in size though in the Cat...ie to a 7.2 and it becomes a no contest...the cat wins hands down

Cheers Warnie

Thanks for the reply warnie, point taken!

Just curious, whats the loaded weight of a 7.2 Broady? What size engines and economy do you get?

Cheers

[warnie]

Thanks for the reply warnie, point taken!

Just curious, whats the loaded weight of a 7.2 Broady? What size engines and economy do you get?

Cheers

I am around the 2.2 tonne mark and are running counter rotating Yamaha 115 XL Four Strokes

my economy is reasonable....on a normal day for me out of sydney travelling out from Gladsville to the shelf and beyond keeping in mind my on water hours normally involve a min of 10 hours trolling the majority of the time and i consume around 70-75 litres a side a day......with a fuel capacity of 200 litres a side.

I can't fault the yammies bar a few hic ups once from contaminated fuel...the odd sensor here and there

other than what has recently gone Kaput in the starter motors with the starboard going firstly and the port going two trips later that been last weekend......I guess you might say that the yammie starter motors may be good for around 2.000 hrs other than that....... the motors are impecably still purring away...

Cheers Warnie

[herbmozo]

I am around the 2.2 tonne mark and are running counter rotating Yamaha 115 XL Four Strokes

my economy is reasonable....on a normal day for me out of sydney travelling out from Gladsville to the shelf and beyond keeping in mind my on water hours normally involve a min of 10 hours trolling the majority of the time and i consume around 70-75 litres a side a day......with a fuel capacity of 200 litres a side.

I can't fault the yammies bar a few hic ups once from contaminated fuel...the odd sensor here and there

other than what has recently gone Kaput in the starter motors with the starboard going firstly and the port going two trips later that been last weekend......I guess you might say that the yammie starter motors may be good for around 2.000 hrs other than that....... the motors are impecably still purring away...

Cheers Warnie

Hey Warnie,

What year hull is your 7.2m mate? I heard from one of the guys from the club (SSAFA) that some of the broadys built between 1988 and 1993 approx were a bit suspect? You sound like you know your stuff so all advice is appreciated.

Thanks

HM

[warnie]

Hey Warnie,

What year hull is your 7.2m mate? I heard from one of the guys from the club (SSAFA) that some of the broadys built between 1988 and 1993 approx were a bit suspect? You sound like you know your stuff so all advice is appreciated.

Thanks

HM

HM

I am not aware of the suspect aspect that you are reffering to but in fairness every make and model of boat may this be aluminium or glass will be suspect of something one way or another involving a compromise of some sort's......and is not limited in to how big or on how much money you spend...may I add

Mine is a 2002 model....An annoying aspect of this particular model Broadie is what i term to is in having air brakes say for example when travelling home at a comfortable cruising speed of around 20-22 knts when coming down of the back of a wave as the wave piercers are forced into the back of the next wave and just before she wants to rise up and over the wave there is a momenterily braking effect as air trapped in the tunnel has no where to go creating this airbrake effect i made mention to and if caught unawares can throw a person annoyingly forward so i quater it slightly when travelling in a following sea which gets it to Cat walk instead...I can then take her up to 30 odd knts and travel home without so much as even spilling a drink left standing up on the dash......I guess as well as compromise... learning and getting to know in what, and how your boat, handles safely is every bit just as important.

Cheers Warnie

[Gaffi]

"so i quater it slightly when travelling in a following sea which gets it to Cat walk instead"

G'Day Warnie,

I've got 720 BB and have tried various speeds and trim positions to minimise the "airbrake" effect you mentioned in a following sea. Would you mind elaborating on the "qater it slightly"? Its never bothered me a great deal but if theres something I can do to minimise it, I should give it a go.

Cheers

[dinnerbell]

Hi Raiders,

I was tossing up between a Marlin Broadbill 6 metre and a Stessl Yellowfin 6m. ( both have twin outboards for safety )Obviously cat vs monohull. I had a 6 metre half cabin glass boat but split the hull, after replacing the transom and alot of other glass work to have this happen has put me off glass for good. I know its a different story in buying a new boat but i just don't have that budget.

So has anyone had any experience in either of these hulls?

I'm looking at around the late 80's to mid 90's hulls and will update the engines.

Or am i mad to be taking this size vessel 20nm out to sea?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks

HM

Gday Herbmozo.

I have a 6.1mtr broadbill. It has been a fantastic boat. It is a 1991 model with twin extra long shaft 1991 model mercury motors. I have had it for 3 years and have not had a problem. My boat had little use in the years before i purchased it. It was a christmas and easter boat. Only had 170 hrs on the motors.

The only problem i had was towing. I had a falcon 1 tonne ute. The ute did a gear box even though it had pulling power the gearbox did not like it. Upgraded to a nissan navara 2.5 litre turbo diesel. The navara pulls it great. The trailer had to be rebuilt as it only had a mechanical over ride brake and 9 inch alloy wheels. I changed it to electric hydraulic brakes on both axles with 13 inch holden rims and light truck tyres. Anything over 2 tonne is required to have 4 wheels and brakes on both axles and also electric brake away.

Once i changed the rims and axles it rolled fantastic and the brakes are fantastic but make sure the brake booster is mounted high as it is expensive and if drowned will have problems.

Hope this helps.

Cheers Dinnerbell.

[pjbink]

personally i would've thought a lot more issues with alloys...wouldnt touch an older alloy boat myself but perfectly happy to do a resto job on a good glass hull with a good history.

Doesnt matter what brand or type of hull tho they can all have issues i guess...and often these issues result from things the owner never wants to reveal truthfully...noone wants to look stupid or reckless.

Like cars...when offered up cheap you're best to assume something isnt right...when it comes to boats for some reason many dont think the rule follows.

I'd always take the glass hull

Your right there Boomer. A restored fiberglass boat is probably stronger than the original version and should last another 20 - 30 years. You can do the work yourself if you are determined enough as it doesn't require any advanced skills. On the onther had I would trust an old alloy boat that has been repaired - often the same problem just re-occurs. Some of the alloy boats that fail aren't all that old either!

[warnie]

"so i quater it slightly when travelling in a following sea which gets it to Cat walk instead"

G'Day Warnie,

I've got 720 BB and have tried various speeds and trim positions to minimise the "airbrake" effect you mentioned in a following sea. Would you mind elaborating on the "qater it slightly"? Its never bothered me a great deal but if theres something I can do to minimise it, I should give it a go.

Cheers

Gaffi

Sorry re late reply as i am away out of Town.......The 7.2 Broadie just love's to get up on top of the water and boogie by getting plenty of air under her but at times it comes at a price for me..In that being that she will quite gladly do it in sea conditions that i don't feel comfortable travelling back in at ......by pulling back on the throttles slightly and cruising home say in a following sea having it on your stern quarter slightly more so than in directly behind you..... this will enable it to walk by allowing one sponson to enter the water just before the other creating it to do a so called cat walk eliminating the air brake effect i refered to earlier........I guess someone who has never driven or been in a Cat before will not understand the Cat walk i make mention to but i am sure you will know what i am on about..I hope i have explained well enough....It would be so much easier on my part to just show you...

Cheers Warnie

Edited August 19, 2009 by ungry warnie

[pjbink]

If it's a structural repair it's usually stronger than the original Boomer. Repairers (amateur and professional) usually take more care and effort than went in to building the boat in the first case. Eg transom rebuilders often put in extra thickness of plywood, they will glue the layers together instead of stapling etc.

If there is no sign of rot or movement then there is no need to rebuild a transom. A good idea though is to take bungs and drain holes out and treat the wood with a penetrating epoxy like Evadure to stop the rot from forming.

If the boat has been resprayed it was probably because it was faded. If you really want to see if the hull is structually sound the simplest way is to thump it with your fist or give it a good push. If there is any bounce or movement then I wouldn't trust it. With the transom try flexing the motor leg a watch for any signs of movement. You can sound around for rot also by wrapping the transom with your knuckles or a smaller hammer covered with cloth. You well get a dull sound in sections where rot is evident.

Edited August 20, 2009 by billfisher

[Gaffi]

Gaffi

Sorry re late reply as i am away out of Town.......The 7.2 Broadie just love's to get up on top of the water and boogie by getting plenty of air under her but at times it comes at a price for me..In that being that she will quite gladly do it in sea conditions that i don't feel comfortable travelling back in at ......by pulling back on the throttles slightly and cruising home say in a following sea having it on your stern quarter slightly more so than in directly behind you..... this will enable it to walk by allowing one sponson to enter the water just before the other creating it to do a so called cat walk eliminating the air brake effect i refered to earlier........I guess someone who has never driven or been in a Cat before will not understand the Cat walk i make mention to but i am sure you will know what i am on about..I hope i have explained well enough....It would be so much easier on my part to just show you...

Cheers Warnie

Warnie

Yeah, I know what you mean now. Thanks for the reply. Always interested in other blokes methods/ideas. They are a great hull. Always inspires confidence with me but the "air brake" effect can certainly create the odd whinge from offsiders which in turn makes me feel like I should be easing up to keep em happy.....which I'm not a fan of as my BB needs 20 knots minimum to plane properly and maximise fuel economy. (As I'm sure you'd know)

Thanks again

[herbmozo]

Warnie

Yeah, I know what you mean now. Thanks for the reply. Always interested in other blokes methods/ideas. They are a great hull. Always inspires confidence with me but the "air brake" effect can certainly create the odd whinge from offsiders which in turn makes me feel like I should be easing up to keep em happy.....which I'm not a fan of as my BB needs 20 knots minimum to plane properly and maximise fuel economy. (As I'm sure you'd know)

Thanks again

Hey Raiders,

Thanks for all the responses so far!

Advice is always appreciated.

I guess buy a Brand of boat you know is good and has a good reputation, i guess as far as Plate Aluminium goes Marlin Broadbill are built to survey so thats a positive? I guess when you are set on something its hard to change your mind!

Edited August 21, 2009 by herbmozo

[mitaste]

Hi Raiders,

I was tossing up between a Marlin Broadbill 6 metre and a Stessl Yellowfin 6m. ( both have twin outboards for safety )Obviously cat vs monohull. I had a 6 metre half cabin glass boat but split the hull, after replacing the transom and alot of other glass work to have this happen has put me off glass for good. I know its a different story in buying a new boat but i just don't have that budget.

So has anyone had any experience in either of these hulls?

I'm looking at around the late 80's to mid 90's hulls and will update the engines.

Or am i mad to be taking this size vessel 20nm out to sea?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Thanks

HM

Hi,

I have owned boat boats you mentioned. My preference is the Marlin broadbill as they are more stable and easier to get in an off trailer at the boat ramp. You will need a landcruiser or someting of this size to tow the boat.

[mitaste]

Hi,

I have owned boat boats you mentioned. My preference is the Marlin broadbill as they are more stable and easier to get in an off trailer at the boat ramp. You will need a landcruiser or someting of this size to tow the boat.

HM,

If you purchase a Marlin broadbill you will have a stable fishing platform and with twin outboards you can get out to the shelf quickly and know you can get back safely. Fuel capacity is critical if you do a lot of 20nm trips so be shore to get good long range underfloor fuel tank capacity.