On the Water Report

Les Lampman · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 2:57 pm Post subject: On the Water Report

Greetings!

[In the interest of full disclosure, for those of you who don't know me, I'm a Marinaut dealer. This post is NOT intended to "advertise" the boat per se but I know a lot of folks are really interested in how the boat rides and performs...I wanted to know myself. I'm writing what follows like any other boater and not as "the dealer" (trying to spin hype).]

I finally got to spend a full day on the Marinaut doing exactly what most of us love to do...just enjoy the boat! I thought I'd pass along my thoughts and observations here.

I asked my best friend if he'd like to join me for a boat ride and he said "yes" right away so we made plans to get together on Sunday (June 5th). My friend Mike bought a brand new 1995 C-Dory and still has it (it originally had the Johnson 70 we repowered it with a Honda BF75 many years ago) so I was interested to get his take on the boat. Plus it's just great to get out with a friend and hang out.

We launched at Cornet Bay just inside Deception Pass and ended up at Roche Harbor with a few detours along the way then headed back home on a winding path. We got the opportunity to run the Marinaut in water conditions from flat, to tide rips, to large boat wakes, and sometimes a mixture of all.

The short version of the report is that we both came back with big grins on our faces and ready to plan the next Marinaut outing.

What I'd say most about the boat is that the sum of the parts is greater than any one part alone. Taken as a whole the boat is just a great combination of size, comfort, ease of operation, and performance (including fuel burn). It really just felt good to be on the boat and I was enjoying it as much when we got back as when we left. For me that says a lot.

So how 'bout some particulars...

We decided to not pay attention to the tachometer and/or GPS speed other than to check it for reporting purposes. What I didn't want to do was get fixated on running a particular speed or rpm based on Mike's or my past experience with other boats. This was helped by the fact that this particular boat is powered with an E-TEC 90 and has the I-Command digital gauge that neither of us could see without getting close to it and being at just the right angle...I hate digital gauges!

We stopped a lot for sightseeing and slowed down quite often to take a look at something interesting so we had lots of opportunities to come back up to cruising speed. I found we routinely ended up at about 18 knots. Mike did all the driving on our trip and sometimes after he settled into a cruise speed I'd ask him to increase it so I'd know if he chose the speed he did out of a comfort situation. The answer was no. If we were at 18 knots then 20 knots was also comfortable. The reason for ending up at 18 knots tended to be a combination of feel, hull noise, and engine sound. Also, Mike is used to cruising at about 13 to 14 knots in his C-Dory 22 so 18 to him felt "way fast". We both agreed in many circumstances that we would have been uncomfortable in his boat at the same speeds (and we've spent lots of time in his doing the same route we did Sunday).

The two characteristics that I most noted on the Marinaut 215 were cushioning and roll response. We crossed several areas of tide rips and lots of large boat wakes (some really big ones!). In all cases when the Marinaut dropped its bow over a wave we got a very nice cushioning effect that didn't slam the boat. We also took some of the larger wakes beam on to see how the boat would do. I love the roll on the Marinaut, it's easy enough in the beginning to soften the blow, it doesn't go far over when it rolls, and it dampens out remarkably well.

I noticed Mike had a tendency to run the boat flatter than I normally do. Because of the elongated waterline, that pulls the bow wake quite far forward and trimmed like that (while comfortable) makes for a wet ride. I've insisted on 3 wipers up front (all front windows) and I'm glad I did. I noticed that as soon as we slowed down for larger wakes and rips that the bow dropped down and nicely cut through, then launched a fair amount of water on the front windows (and this happens regardless of trim).

The roll trim of the boat is impressive. If I moved to the same side as Mike (at the helm) in the cockpit the boat would lean a bit to that side (but not by much). As soon as the boat started coming up on plane it would roll itself almost flat. We spent the whole day (from 10 AM to 7 PM) out on the water; the trim tabs were never used. I'd still want them on my boat though since fully loaded boats are more likely to see imbalances and it's nice to be able to level the boat.

I could hardly believe how well the Marinaut attenuated its roll. As we got more comfortable with the boat we let several large wakes hit us beam on. In every case the boat rolled to dissipate some wave energy, rolled at a comfortable speed, then came back up and dampened the roll without a lot of acceleration loads. It reminded me of finding the perfect shocks for a vehicle...good ride and nice handling. Passengers that are a little more skittish about a boat rolling will appreciate the Marinaut.

Since Sunday was such a nice weather day we also had occasion to appreciate the tinted windows and the ventilation available.

I'm finding that we can count on about 4 NMPG for fuel economy but keep in mind the Marinaut we're running is still light. At our typical 18 knot cruise we were burning about 4.5 GPH. This is with the E-TEC 90. The Marinaut that's in production and sold will get a Honda BF115 (same engine as the 135/150) and I'll be interested to see how it performs. For now I'd feel comfortable telling someone that they're likely to see 3.5 to 4 NMPG, at least until we do more testing.

I found the boat noisier than I'd like. I think some of this is attributable to the E-TEC. I found I didn't care for it that much on this hull but Mike liked it a lot. It's not a very smooth engine just off idle and it rattled many things on the boat when we were a slow speeds and there's a resonance to it that reverberates through the hull. I think we're going to add some insulation to the new Marinauts to quiet it down a bit. I'd love to be able to listen to some nice music underway and I don't feel like I could do that now.

The other thing I should mention I really liked is the tracking. Even when running in rougher conditions I've found that the wheel can be left untended for quite some time and the boat stays on course. It seems to have no tendency for the bow to hunt.

Well, there you have it. I hoped that answers some questions and gives those interested some perspective as to how the boat runs out.

Les

tpbrady · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 7:39 pm Post subject:

Les,

That was the one thing I noticed with the ETEC that didn't occur with a Honda or Yamaha. The noise harmonics at certain RPMs were just plain uncomfortable.

Sam Walker · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 8:00 pm Post subject:

Hi Les. Great post. Thanks for getting out there for all of us who have inquiring minds.

Casey · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 8:22 pm Post subject:

Les, thanks for a great report.

For those of you who don't know Les or EQ Marine check past threads. You can make book on what he says. Period.

Casey

c-ness · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 9:16 pm Post subject:

Les, it sounds like you have a winner. Keep the reports coming, and we wish the best for you and the Marinaut.

Jay and Penny

Dora~Jean · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 9:30 pm Post subject:

OK Les, how much will a well cared for CD25 be worth on a trade-in for the Marinaut Wink

. Just kidding. But it does sound like an excellent candidate for the next generation of this style of boat in a 22ish size. Great report!

Matt Gurnsey · Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 1:44 pm Post subject:

As far as the digital gauges- I found the factory contrast setting to be very hard to read, but adjusting it to about 30% makes the gauge very readable.

I wonder if a Vibra Stop isolation pad would help with the harmonic? I noticed on a 22 C-Dory we repoqered with twin 60 E-Tecs that at a certain RPM there was a harmonic through the boat, but I think that was as much because the engines weren't prefectly in synch as anything else.

I'll be interested to see how the Honda 115 performs since it's 150 pounds heavier than the 90 E-Tec.

starcrafttom · Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 2:15 pm Post subject:

I am not a fan of heavy motors but after I drove the marinaut at friday harbor I think a little weight on the aft end would be a good thing.

what is the lightest 115 on the market??
also with the honda 90 fuel injected motor making more then 90 hp why not use that motor instead?

Captains Cat · Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 4:20 pm Post subject:

HERE YOU ARE TOM

Looks like the Yamaha 115 2 Stroke is 358 lbs, the lightest one in the bunch!

Charlie

Matt Gurnsey · Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2011 4:54 pm Post subject:

Except there is no Yamaha 2 stroke 115 anymore.

Les Lampman · Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 1:02 pm Post subject:

Les Lampman · Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 1:15 pm Post subject:

Les Lampman · Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 1:19 pm Post subject:

Thanks everyone for the kind words and well wishes! Thumbs Up

Much appreciated.

Les

Les Lampman · Posted: Fri Jun 10, 2011 1:31 pm Post subject:

C-Hawk · Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2011 6:49 pm Post subject:

Les-

Is it possible to rig the M215 with twin engines.

Thanks for all of your information.