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Help identifying the make and model of this boat.

Damon7

By Damon7
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Damon7 FLATHEAD

Damon7

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Hi everyone never done a thread or post before today so please excuse any mistakes. I would like some help identifying this boat that I am looking at possibly purchasing to restore. It looks like a pride hull I use to have that handled very well. Any information regarding the build, make and model and capabilities of it would be appreciated. Thank you in advance.

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slowjigger WHITING

slowjigger

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That's a Marlin Billfisher - made by Ross Hunter in the early 1980's. Had an unusual construction with fiberglass over foam stringers and a foam filled hull. There are a bit wet and hard riding - but on the flip side they are stable at rest, good in a following sea and don't need high hp (90 hp is sufficient). 

Edited by slowjigger
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Damon7 FLATHEAD

Damon7

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Hi thank you for your replies. What do you mean by hard ridding and I'm just after a boat that can handle FNQ chop out to the reef with my wife and kids. Don't need heaps of power just a good handling boat. If the foam is wet will it all need replacing. I'm  Already aware I'll probably need to do the transom. I have a Mustang 1500 at the moment 4.6m that has been fully rebuilt but it's just a little small and with the kids and gear it sits a bit low for choppy conditions. Thank you for your reply and information. In your opinions is it a boat worth restoring for the purpose of fishing with the family.

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slowjigger WHITING

slowjigger

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3 minutes ago, Damon7 said:

Hi thank you for your replies. What do you mean by hard ridding and I'm just after a boat that can handle FNQ chop out to the reef with my wife and kids. Don't need heaps of power just a good handling boat. If the foam is wet will it all need replacing. I'm  Already aware I'll probably need to do the transom. I have a Mustang 1500 at the moment 4.6m that has been fully rebuilt but it's just a little small and with the kids and gear it sits a bit low for choppy conditions. Thank you for your reply and information. In your opinions is it a boat worth restoring for the purpose of fishing with the family.

Well hard riding is the opposite of soft riding. With is moderate deadrise it will bang and crash a lot in short chop. I don't think it would like the FNQ chop one bit. A deep V like a Savage Mako or various Haines Hunters would be a better bet. If you were going to the trouble of rebuilding, you might as well pick something that is worth the effort. PS: the construction wasn't particularly strong with the lack of a proper stringer system. 

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Damon7 FLATHEAD

Damon7

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22 minutes ago, slowjigger said:

Well hard riding is the opposite of soft riding. With is moderate deadrise it will bang and crash a lot in short chop. I don't think it would like the FNQ chop one bit. A deep V like a Savage Mako or various Haines Hunters would be a better bet. If you were going to the trouble of rebuilding, you might as well pick something that is worth the effort. PS: the construction wasn't particularly strong with the lack of a proper stringer system.

Ok thank you very much for the advice slowjigger. I will have a look around for one of the boats mentioned. As I said we have a Mustang 1500 that I rebuilt but it's a bit small and we used to have a 5.5m pride Montego that handled great but was extremely heavy and thirsty with a 130b Yamaha on the back of it. So I guess I'm after something in-between. Thank you again for your reply very helpful.

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slowjigger WHITING

slowjigger

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3 hours ago, dunc333 said:

im sure there is a video out there some where with Ross taking that exact boat for a spin .it might of been a add for it maybe try you tube

It was advertised heavily in Modern Fishing - not surprisingly the magazine gave it good reviews.

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noelm BLUE MARLIN

noelm

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I can't say that I agree about the poor construction, they were built way better than any of the Haines and Seafarers of the day. The ride is not spectacular but it's certainly OK, not many boats will ride smooth in steep chop....except a cat!

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slowjigger WHITING

slowjigger

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10 hours ago, noelm said:

I can't say that I agree about the poor construction, they were built way better than any of the Haines and Seafarers of the day. The ride is not spectacular but it's certainly OK, not many boats will ride smooth in steep chop....except a cat!

The Haines and Seafarers had proper stringer systems. The Billfisher just employed foam for stringers and glassed over it. The foam provides no strength - you are relying on glass. This can work on smaller boats provided the glass is made stronger to compensate. But they just used medium strength chopped strand. As to ride it had a moderate deadrise which is maintained all the way along the hull. You will notice a big difference in short chop compared to a deep V hull with variable deadrise.  

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