Stuart Field takes a first look at the Mariner 700, the hotly anticipated new prototype fisher from ABC Marine.

The Mariner 700 Sport Fisher was first seen at the 2010 Birmingham Boat Show, where it towered over the Kruger boats also exhibited by ABC Marine. It inevitably aroused a hell of a lot of customer interest, so when an invitation arrived to give the pre-production prototype its first test, my acceptance was naturally instant.
The prototype preparation

What I could not know was the huge amount of work put in by ABC Marine to prepare the boat for testing, nor the story behind this interesting new craft. When I arrived at Hayling Island at lunchtime on the day before the scheduled test, the Mariner 700 was ashore and in many parts. There were bodies everywhere, installing cables, drilling holes, and running a network of wiring for the engines and electronics. And there was a pair of ‘just out of the box’ Mariner 125 Optimax outboards, waiting patiently to be bolted onto the transom. It seemed the chances of getting afloat the next morning might be a bit slim . . .

But compared to building 60-foot aluminium wind farm support boats, rigging a seven-metre fisher was a doddle for the enthusiastic ABC team and by teatime both engines had been fitted, started and run-up, and the Mariner 700 was ready to be craned into the dock. Just half an hour later we were at sea en route for Northney Marina. Oh, and by the way, the lads specially rigged two other brand new test boats which were  also launched for the first time to take part in our test day

Birth of the Mariner range
Having had great success with its traditionally styled Kruger boats, ABC Marine has been looking to expand its horizons by developing a new range of Mariner boats - and the little four-metre dory and the Mariner 700 fisher, both afloat for the first time, represented the opposite ends of the hitherto unseen Mariner range.

When ABC were considering new boats for the Mariner range they thought this wheelhouse sports fisher might well be ideal for UK waters and they’re probably right. In essence, the craft has the popular lines of an American sports fisher, combined with a very beamy double stepped hull. Not only does this give plenty of room for a genuine walkaround wheelhouse but it also offers a spacious cockpit, a comfortable foredeck and a usable cuddy - pretty much all the virtues you need in a versatile and workmanlike craft.

The finer details
With an extremely wide and very tough transom, the Mariner 700 has been designed to take twin outboards and a maximum rating of 300hp. But the boat is designed to perform on far less horsepower – which explains the two new 125hp Mariner Optimax outboards fitted to the test boat. In fact, the Mariner 700 has apparently been tested with just 90 horses on the transom, so the engine options on offer here are very broad indeed.

The crew at ABC Marine has plenty of experience selling affordable craft and the prototype Mariner 700 is no exception. It’s not a craft designed to compete with pricy ‘every gizmo as standard’ competitors. Instead, ABC is attempting to make this an affordable alternative to more traditional UK-built craft.

In fairness, the Mariner 700 pre-production prototype certainly has some of the rough edges you would expect, but the concept itself looks extremely sound. For a start, the wheelhouse is extremely roomy and very tough with a second roof adding yet more resistance to big seas or violent sun – what a lovely thought. All the windows are built of equally tough laminated glass, and a sun roof with a neatly arranged ‘Houdini hatch’ adds extra ventilation and light.

There’s excellent all-round vision from the extremely well thought out helm and the slightly off-centre wheelhouse allows easy, safe and well protected access to the bows. There’s a simple galley, space for a portable loo or sea toilet, and plenty of stowage, which only increases if you choose to use the cuddy as a receptacle for your gear rather than as a double slide-in berth.

The transom features a walk-through section and a huge pumped wet bait well, while the cockpit is wide with an uncluttered deck and a space saving fold-down four-seater transom bench. The test boat also has a very large hatch in the cockpit deck, housing the large fuel tank with stowage above it - always a welcome feature. And there’s also a cavernous stowage space (accessible from the cuddy) extending right back under the wheelhouse.

Following our test, a viability study is underway to see if the fuel tank can be moved forward and relocated under the wheelhouse. This would free up the entire under cockpit deck space for rod and clobber stowage, improving the layout even further. So yes, there may be some rough elements to the finish of this prototype craft but if production models improve as I expect them to, the excellence of the concept itself should prove very effective.

The finer details of the test boat’s configuration are not set in stone. The builders are both efficient and flexible so if you have specific requirements, make sure you speak up. Chances are they can be incorporated.

Solid in a seastate
The Mariner 700 is certainly no sluggard and this is obviously due in no small part to the sterling power provided by the twin 125hp Optimax outboards. As this was the first time this hull had been rigged with twin 125s, we spent a couple of hours during our sea trials experimenting with different props to take full advantage of the power on tap.

Once we had the engines set up to pull full RPM we could not help but drool over the  wondrous nostalgic sound and acceleration of the two big fuel injected two-strokes - but we had to leave the wheelhouse doorway open to hear them to full effect. No doubt further experimentation with engine set-up will result in even better performance in the future - and had the engines been available contra-rotating, our recorded test figures may have been even further improved.

Even so, for a craft previously untested in UK waters I’m happy to report that her sea manners are very sound. The hull planes easily, gives relaxed cruising at sensible engine revs, and handles choppy water well. She is equally unphased when dealing with a gentle swell or a steep chop and while, at high speed, the width of the hull results in a slightly harder ride, the impacts are not too severe. She responds easily and willingly to the helm and, for a beamy boat, she even turns pretty sharply.

Come off the plane for a gentle troll and she avoids lolling around like a drunken pig, something that is often the curse of deep-V fast fishers and traditional round chines. Instead, she just sits on her rails and provides a stable platform, which is precisely what she was designed to do.

Also significant is the fact that we experienced no cavitation, even during abrupt manoeuvres. The double-stepped hull simply keeps her balanced, remaining on the plane at quite low speeds while the flared bow chucks the stray water away very effectively. To say that this is a dry boat is an understatement.

The verdict
It would be extremely interesting to re-test this boat in full production trim when adjustments and modifications resulting from her evaluation testing have been incorporated. But having said that, even in pre-production format, the Mariner 700 is a formidable new contestant in the affordable sport fishing category. If you want a stylish fisher built for European conditions, you could do a great deal worse.

Specs
LOA: 7.2m
Beam: 2.85m
Draft: 0.4m
Weight: 1,400kg
CE Category: C
Max people: nine
Max load: 1,040kg
Max power: 300hp
Engines: twin 125hp Optimax outboards
Price (bare boat) £24,995
Price (as tested) £43,798
Special package price: £39,995

More information
02392 461968
www.pepeboatyard.co.uk