New Marlin in the Family

[Shortround]

I just purchased a new 08 Marlin with F250's. All my buddies have congradulated me - however I'm not so sure its congradulations or condolenses - due to the economy!!! All kidding aside we are thrilled and can't wait till the season starts.

I've owned a 24 explorer since purchase new in 92. It is and has always been a great boat.

I am some-what anxious over learning the docking aspects on the bigger rig. Everyone tells me twins are much easier to handle - OK but what about the extra surface area for the wind to grab - and do twin outboards function as efficiently in docking manuvers as twin inboards?? I know all will be learned in time.

I think most people with this size boat paint the bottom. I have the option of leaving on a rack and not painting. The problem with that is in order to go on trips down the bay, O.City etc. for any extended period an unpainted bottom is left vulnerable? Any thoughts?

Thanks

 

[ElyseM]

A. congratulations! enjoy the boat. as far as the economy; consider that you have done your part to stimulate it.
B. do yourself a favor. get a professional captain for a few (many) hours and go thru the whole handling drill. when i got back on the water in 2002 after being a landlubber for 15 years that's what i did. we bought a gulfstream with twin f200's. the captain wasn't at all expensive and really built up a lot of confidence. i hooked up with another captain (a local ferry captain) and really got some great tips on handling. do it right from the get go, don't wait and you will be very pleased.
C. in the waters here, you're good for a bout two weeks. if the marina washes your boat (or can do a low cost powerwash when you come back), i would say no paint. that said, i am in a slip because that's what i like.

congrats again, ron

 

[Tommyboy]

New Marlin

Hey Congrats on the new addition ! The Marlin is a beutiful boat ! As far as handling/docking ... No, t/outboards do not handle like t/inboards .... with the inboards you have much better control ... I moved down from a 36' Pace SF to my 25 Sailfish ... it takes some getting used to, and practice .... but you'll learn ... As far as bottom paint goes .. I have always HAD to paint my hulls as I sit in the water all season ....I would think though if you primarily rack store your boat ... and take a trip now and then for a few days ..you'll be fine, most of the scum will come off when your running .. the rest you can powerwash when you lift it out! ....

 

[Capt Bill]

Shortround,

First of all, let me say this: I hate you! :wink: But I would be willing to take her off your hands for, lets say, a year or 2, and do a complete, very comprehensive and exhaustive, in-water shake-down, to make sure that she runs good, catches fish, and can be docked with those twin outboards that are new to you. I will give you a full report on at least a monthly basis, so that you will know what to do, once you take command.

If this doesn't work for you, then I just say C-O-N-G-R-A-T-U-L-A-T-I-O-N-S on an AWESOME boat. I am soooo jealous. She will be easy to handle. You will learn in no time.

p.s. Don't worry about the economy; it will sort itself out some day. Meanwhile, you can be fishing in that new Marlin. Life doesn't wait.

 

[striped bass]

Shortround:
The biggest difference I found in the outboard twins vs the inboard twins was the props are further apart with an inboard providing better control and maneuvering. The outboard twin props are too close together for maximum control because the wash from each affects the other which reduces effectiveness when maneuvering around a slip. I could move a 29' Blackfin Combi on a dime. Not as easy with twin outboards I have driven.
The other post was excellent advice. Take lessons from from a pro and increase your learning curve at warp speed compared to the hard lessons learned from the self taught method. Avoids some nasty dings in the hull as well.
Enjoy the new boat. Think of your purchase this way - your money is now tucked away in your new boat where the tanking stock market and failing banks cannot dilute your holdings.

 

[Tuna Man]

Congratulations on your purchase. Thanks for stimulating our economy. Wise boat choice

It was not too hard going from an Explorer to the Marlin a year ago. Yes docking is a little different with twins, but not too hard to pick up. Simple advise is,"only drive as fast at the dock that you are willing to hit it."

With regard to paint, I have always stored my boats in the water for the season, so I am probably not the best person to ask. I think others that keep their boats in dry storage may be able to answer better. For my schedule I don't think dry storage would work, as we often decide Friday evening whether or not we are leaving before sunrise Saturday morning.

 

[Fishtales]

Congrats....
You won't have much of a problem with the boat. Just go slow and practice coming in/out of the slip a bunch of time in the early spring when hopefully everyone isn't in or on a day when a lot of folks are out.

If it has the thruster, it is almost too easy...

Great boat and best of luck with her.

 

[magicalbill]

I also concur that the Pro-Captain advice is good. I would've never thought of that.

I have a Gulfstream with twin 200's. I have and am still learning on-the-fly. The most important thing I've learned so far, other than GO SLOW is to maneuver as much with the engines as possible when backing into a slip. Straighten them out and back in with the throttles and use as little steering as you can get away with.
I used to spin the wheel, do the throttles, and overwhelmed myself in the process. One action will undo the other one and then, presto, I'm in trouble.

Bottom paint? I love it on my 232. But I'm a clean freak, and I opted not to add bottom scrubbing and waxing to my already-hefty cleaning routine.

 

[georgemjr]

Congratulations. I just upgraded from a '87 24 Offshore w/ the engine on a bracket to a '01 28' Sailfish. The newer boat is much, much easier to manuever. If your explorer had a bracket, I think you'll be in for a pleasant surprise w/ the handling of the Marlin. All other responses are spot on, go really slow when around other objects, and if you have a thruster, it's a no-brainer. Good luck w/ the boat.

 

[Stonewall]

Shortround - Congratulations on the Marlin. This is a great boat. I owed one just like it.

Since you are in the area, you should consider joining the Chesapeake Bay Grady White Club. We have about 75 boats in the club and more than 150 members. We have various activities and events throughout ther year. If you are interested, just send me a PM and I'll send you all the details.

The trip to OC is an easy one. I am at Podickory Pt (just above Annapolis) and can make the run up through the C&D to Indian River Marina in about 5 hours. (126 NM dock to dock)

Come on Spring!

 

[Heavy Duty]

Congratulations on the new member of the family and some great questions.

I too just pulled the trigger and am moving up from a GW Overnighter with a single 225 up to a Sailfish with twin 225s. Your docking question is of high interest to me too since: A. Seven more feet of boat to deal with, B. twin engines, C. A boat that weighs twice as much as the Overnighter. Not to mention how to work all of the gadgets on the boat. So given that, my bet is when things go wrong you stand a good change of a major "crunch" . So I'll mark the need to get a CAPT to show me some stuff on my things to do list.


HD

 

[SOJOURN]

New Marlin

Upgraded last Feb from a Gulfstream to a Marlin - Had the same docking concerns as you. When I picked up the boat, it flet like a 40 footer!!! I can tell you after 117 hrs, trip to the Cheaspeake, etc., I don't look back. But, I always, always check the wind and the tide and adjust & plan accordingly. My first 2 or 3 hours was just getting the "feel" in winds and currents. A pro would help greatly. After my first year, I have no issues with taking my Marlin out by myself.

Good Luck and safe boating

Sojourn 2

 

[Legend]

Congratulations

I graduated from a single engine gulfstream to a twin Salifish last year. The first couple of dockings were a challenge. First let me say that the Gulfstream was a great boat but impossible to backup. Once you get the hang of the twin engines you will love it. They may not be as responsive as twin inboards, they certainly do the job on the Salfish. I also find that although the wind can be a factor, the boats are very heavy and do not blow as much as the smaller ones.

 

[no restrictions]

I have 33 express and used to try to use both motors and the steering wheel to back into the slip. As mentioned above it got very confusing. Hung out with a captain of a large hatteras and he showed me a simple trick. Since the motors are so close together, it really doesn't make sense to use both. So now I only use one motor and use the steering wheel. Just go slowly and practice. Get yourself a steering wheel with knob on it. Edson makes a variety of them.

 

[Grog]

I use both motors and no wheel. Go past the slip, stop, then put the engine further away from the slip in reverse and bump the one closest to the slip in foreward (you need more REV than FWD). The boat will pivot around the motors. As you cut back on the FWD motor you will mostly go backwards. When the stern is past the piling, use 1 motor and the wheel to finish her off (you're in at that point). Go where you can't hit anything and mess around, then try to manuever around chanel markers (the sticks). She'll pivot around the motors., it just takes time.

Let the pilings be your friend, just be gentle.

 

[elloco2]

Congratulations on a beautiful boat! As others have said it looks like we're doing our part in helping the economy, one Grady at a time. The Marlin was actually our first choice as well before the 330 made its way into the picture.

We're in the mastering the docking stages with you out here as well, so we feel your pain as well as excitement! While the boat doesn't quite maneuver like our 29 Blackfin does around docks, after a few trips down to the boat for practice sessions, we're slowly becoming more comfortable running the boat at slow speeds. Hopefully the learning curve will have been minimized by the time the fish start to show in numbers!

Best of luck!

 

[Heavy Duty]

Sounds like I may need to sell tickets to the "Docking Show" :lol: .

My little Overnighter taught me a lot about docking. But just like in flying were you move up from a single to twins (and a bigger plane), it never hurts to practice. The only difference is in a boat you can go slow (or stop if you need to) and learn the finer points in boat handling, and a boat is A LOT more forgiving.

HD

 

[Grog]

You're going to screw it up at some point, just stay cool.

Landing a plane would scare the living !@#$!@% out of me.

 

[Heavy Duty]

You're going to screw it up at some point, just stay cool.

Landing a plane would scare the living !@#$!@% out of me.

Done a lot of landings. Only once did I scare the crap out of myself. Everyone else in the plane thought it was normal. Never bothered to tell them how close i came to losing it.

Yep....look cool and stay cool while screwing it up. That way no one but the pros will ever know what you did :lol:

HD

 

[BobP]

If you have a professional help you, make sure he is recommended. I've seen so called professionals having no business teaching, incl. a charter boat mate who knew it all and clipped another boat while he was showing a new owner cowboy moves. I hope he's better as a mate.

Either way, it is not likely the professional will be with you under all conditions, the worse is in high winds and current combo.

Don't go out on a windy day to start, first -
find a padded dock open to approach, in a no wind, no current state, and practice stopping the boat, and turning it so you stay very close w/o touching dock. Do this at times when crowds don't build to watch and want to jump on and teach you.

I would not bother working the throttles seperately, use both together and use steering also to direct thrust, which does not exist on an inboard.

Then go out on day with a little breeze, you get the message, work up to worse conditions.

Eventually, you will be skilled (hpefully) in all conditions, then you can work the throttles seperately, see if it helps you.

If you dock where you normally back in, in difficult conditions, forget it, and steer in forward and come back later or another day to reverse the boat.

If you find your approach is not going to make it, immediately reverse and get out and try it again. I've been living where I am 20+ yrs, still once and a while make a wrong turn down another block. I eventually get home.
When backing, realize you will have to apply more throttle to make moves vs. forward, don't be shy, use the power to control your boat.

With a boat your size, when you hit something rigid or another boat, expect damage that may be costly to repair, even at a slow speed impact.