Merry Fisher 695 being overpowered by dealers?

[wndsnd]

I have a 2017 Merry Fisher 695 on contract.  The local dealers are rigging with Yamaha 200's. I can not find anything from Jeanneau That rates this boat this high. All ratings are in KW and equate to 175 max HP.

I am concerned that this 200 hp engine will null the factory warranty and possibly make the boat uninsurable.  Interesting though, I have requested two boat policy samples and there is nothing in the policies that mention overpowering.

Is there anyone that can steer me to a factory representative?  I find that the factory website steers everything to dealers and as I am questioning their practice I do not want to get them involved at this time.   Since this boat is under contract and this issue could be a deal breaker for me, I would appreciate any advise given.

Thank you.
JB

[danydv]

Good morning,
on the jeanneau site is mentionned max power for the 695: 175 HP / 129 Kw. max power 200 HP is for 795.

Grtz,

[wndsnd]

Yes, that is my concern.

Does anyone have a 200 hp 695.  Dou you have any warranty or insurance concerns?

I guess I have three options at this point

1)  Purchase as is and forget about it.

2) Ask the dealer to re-rig it with a 175

3)  Walk away from deal.

This is really disappointing me because there are not others around and this boat would really suit my boating needs these days.

[sitara]

You could try contacting the naval architects who designed the boat - Centowski & Denert. Sorry don't have a link to them, but they should understand the hull capabilities best of all.

[Capt’n Ron]

Hi JB, I know this doesn't address your concern regarding manufacture max power specifications, but all the 695's in the U.S. Northwest are rigged with the F200 and I'm pretty sure Jeanneau was consulted by the dealer. A buddy of mine has a 695 with the 200 and the boat rides extreamly well and he loves it. I have the a 795 with the F200 and we are always comparing performance spec. I'll check with my buddy to see if he knows, but I'll also follow up with my dealer and inquire regarding your warranty concern.

Cheers,

Ron

[wndsnd]

That is good news to me Ron.  Maybe the factory upped the rating for 2017 and the paperwork has not caught up yet.  I now have a couple of factory contacts to reach tomorrow and hopefully sort it out.

Wish I could do the 795.  I am envious, but I think it is too large for me to handle the trailer.  The big reason I purchased the 695 was to take it home end of season.  This little pocket cruiser should let me crash overnight if I want and maybe do a weekend.  I am on the eastern Atlantic side so it's speed will allow me to get to a variety of nice beaches and anchorages.  I have never purchased a new boat before so I am a little nervous.  I have been sailing my entire life but health reasons require me to downsize.  My boats have all been 30 or more years old.  This is an entirely new experience for me.

I appreciate if you could follow up as well.  I want to close on this boat with peace of mind.

JB

[Capt’n Ron]

I checked with my buddy who has the 695, and he said he got an email from the dealer saying it was OK, and Jeanneau was going to update the specs on the boat. We also think it has to do with the light weight of the Yamaha F200 4 cylinder motor. 

You will really enjoy the boat, and the 695 is nice package for cruising and weekend sleep overs.  The only issues I've had is the after factory add-on's the dealer did, where I've had a lot of ongoing issues with workmanship quality so make sure the dealer has qualified people doing the work or find a reputable marine service company. 

I do trailer my boat and keep it at my house. The only issue I have is with the beam being 9'2" it's considered oversized so I have to pull a permit and run wide load signs. I know a lot of people don't do that, but all it takes is for some incident and my insurance company deny a claim if without the permit. Not worth the risk!

[wndsnd]

Ron,

As far as I know, besides rigging the engine, the only thing to be dealer installed is the rear Bimini.  

I need to order a vhf ASAP and decide if I want to keep the Lowrance.   I do not fish and am a Garmin fan.  I hate to pull something that is not broken, so I will spend a little time with the Lowrance GPS/Sounder and see how I like it.  Once I decide on my Plotter, I will add radar.  

As far as I know, there is no shore power on this boat, but it has the three battery option.  I will have to see about adding a charger.  Coming from sailboats, I am used to watching my batteries, but I do not think there is a battery monitor.  Maybe built into the Yamaha gauges?  

I have no paperwork yet, except an owners manual I downloaded.  It might be a couple of years old. It does not cover engine or engine gauges.  I am looking online for that now.

Is there a ratings plaque on your Boat?  If so, where is it located?

Thanks 
JB

[Capt’n Ron]

I went with the Lowrance and 3G Radar and I'm pretty pleased with it. One thing to keep in mind is if you want radar/chart overlay with the Lowrance you will need to add a Point 1 GPS or a rate compass like the RC42N or Precision-9, whereas the Garmin has it built in. 

As for VHF, I also went with Lowrance, but another 795 owner went with the Black Box VHF, where the power unit can be installed out of sight with the controls in the hand unit. If I had it to do again I would get the Black Box. 

Not certain, but I thought the 695 came with shore power and charger. The Yamaha gauge does show voltage, but only for the motor battery and not the house batteries. I put an inverter/charger on mine so I have some AC while under way. 

I do do have a ratings plaque but I don't recall all the info included, and my boat is currently in for warranty work so I can't go look. 

[wndsnd]

Ei Yie Yie, boat buying should not be this difficult. Still waiting on Factory and Dealer responses. I have a buyer in waiting for my boat, would really like to close on the 695.

[wndsnd]

Today Jeanneau came back and told the dealer to take off the 200 and put a 175 on it.  

At least we now have a resolution and I can close on this boat.

Now on to adding Electronics!

[Capt’n Ron]

That's interesting JB, I never did get an answer back from my dealer, but like you said at least you have an answer to move forward, so congrats on that! 

Regarding your electronics, one thing I'd also recommend is to have an addition fuse power block added for the electronics. It maybe that other dealers do that anyway, but my dealer ran all the wires to the battery isolator switches, which caused some issues so they are now the in the process of adding the second fuse block and I'll have some spare slots to add more equipment. 

Cheers,
Ron

[wndsnd]

Ron,

How is the access for running additional wiring.  Good idea on another fuse block.  That makes a lot of sense. 
The new trailer is here and I have numbers for that, but now I am waiting on the new engine numbers.

I did start ordering things, as this is my first new boat I ordered new fenders, lines, etc.  Trying to keep it looking nice.  At least to start!

Love the picture of your boat in your Avatar.   They definitely are sharp!

JB

[Capt’n Ron]

The access for wiring on the 795 isnt too bad, except for a couple places; transom, roof down the back side and its tight under the sink. I'm not sure about the 695, but Lynn (friend with the 695) is coming over this weekend to help install my Bennett trim tabs and a MOB+ wireless cut-off switch, so he will be able to give me a good comparison. 

If you got the blue hull I'd recommend getting fender covers to cut down the friction and scuffs on the gel coat. 

They are sharp boats and easy to spot on the water. That's how I met Lynn. Saw him and his wife out there so we motored over to chat and became friends. Looking forward to meeting others on the water this summer as I know they sold quite a few 795's up here at the boat show this year. 

-Ron