Marlin boats: characteristics and popular models
There are many companies offering modern boat equipment. But even among all this diversity, the Marlin offer is in demand, and by no means in vain. To enjoy riding and solve practical problems, you need to know what exactly this company can offer and how to use its products.
Peculiarities
Marlin claims that its products will suit athletes, hunters and fishermen. But at the same time, they are also positioned as an excellent tool for recreation on the water. The company has its own production, and does not just resell finished boats or put their own stamps on them, as is often done. Production is concentrated in St. Petersburg and can use the entire scientific and technical potential of the city. All Marlin products have been officially certified.
Advantages and disadvantages
The advantages of boats of this brand are:
- many years of experience in creating advanced designs;
- careful attention to the wishes of customers;
- optimal ratio of cost and quality;
- application of advanced technologies.
Marlin builds its boats for harsh weather conditions. Designers also care about the maximum maneuverability of their products.
Dimensions are invariably compact and facilitate the transportation of ships, launching. Attention is paid to ensuring resistance to temperature changes and duration of operation.
Among the shortcomings of individual models note:
- difficulties with access to the glide path;
- rattling of plywood parts at high speeds;
- insufficient strength of PVC fabric;
- quite a significant mass;
- frequent valve leaks.
The lineup
Marlin 360 is a particularly comfortable PVC inflatable boat. The length of the hull is 3.6 m, and its width is 1.78 m. At the cockpit, these figures are 2.6 and 0.77 m. load capacity is 650 kg. In this case, its own weight is 54 kg, and the volume after inflation will reach 0.4 cubic meters. m.
A notable feature of the model is the complete set of mobile seats. They can be used by people of any complexion. Also provided:
- mooring bar;
- 4 sealed compartments;
- drain valve;
- keel and kilson;
- nasal eye-handle.
In the production of this boat, PVC fabric of increased (0.9 kg) density is used. The diameter of the sides is 0.49 m. An important characteristic is the presence of a transom with a height of 0.38 and a thickness of 0.021 m. It will be possible to install motors with a power of up to 15 hp on it. With. By default, equipment is provided with stringers and prefabricated plywood floors with a thickness of 0.9 cm floorboards.
As an alternative, you can consider the boat Marlin 330. It weighs 37 kg, and when inflated has a volume of 0.37 cubic meters. m. 5 people can sit inside. The total load reaches 550 kg. If you do not take into account that this boat is with NDND, then we can say that it is made up of 3 compartments. The diameter of the cylinders is 0.46 m. As in the previous version, mobile seats are used. The height of the transom is also 0.38 m. However, in the manufacture of the boat, a weaker fabric with a density of 0.85 kg per 1 cubic meter was used. m.The standard package is an envelope-type bag with dimensions of 1.05x0.65x0.34 m.
Other characteristics are:
- total length - 3.3 m;
- overall width - 1.62 m;
- cockpit length - 2.36 m;
- cockpit width - 0.7 m.
The package includes a pair of collapsible oars 1.6 m long, a pair of cans, a foot pump and a repair kit.
Another model with an inflatable bottom is the Marlin 340 SLK. Like the other versions, it is equipped with a transom measuring 0.38x0.018 m. It will be possible to install engines with a power of up to 10 hp on this transom. With. There is also a mooring bar and a bow eye-handle.
Thanks to the mass of 40 kg, moving the boat to the right place is not difficult. Assembling it from scratch will take a maximum of 20 minutes. The design is optimized for quiet fishing alone or with someone else. Therefore, a pair of movable seats is provided. The Marlin 340 SLK can carry up to 500 kg of cargo, it is 3.4 m long and 1.48 m wide.
deserves attention and Marlin 300E23. It can carry 400 kg of various cargoes or 3 passengers. Thanks to the 0.43 m diameter balloon, excellent buoyancy is guaranteed. The main properties are as follows:
- hull length - 3 m;
- cockpit length - 2.14 m;
- hull width - 1.52 m;
- cockpit width - 0.66 m;
- the total volume in the inflated state is 0.24 cubic meters. m;
- the presence of 3 compartments, not counting the keel;
- weight in a complete set only 36 kg.
How to choose a boat?
As with the choice of any technically complex products, you need to pay attention to reviews about their characteristics found on different sites. Among them, it is worth highlighting those that describe the "behavior" of the boat on the water, especially in waves and wind. It almost always makes sense to pay attention to the presence of a transom, to its characteristics.This can only be neglected if there is a firm intention to limit the passage by oars. Important: even when it is intended to use the boat only alone, it makes sense to choose a two-seater model, because it is more practical.
In modifications of the budget class, a single-layer bottom is often used. It is too thin and soft to be reliable in real water conditions. It is more correct to choose models with an inflatable bottom, which is much more resistant to various snags and stones. Important: if you don’t want to register with the inspection for small boats and pass technical inspection, you need to choose boats with a carrying capacity of up to 200 kg and with motors no stronger than 10 hp. With. But all owners of water transport with engines more powerful than 5 liters will have to pay taxes. With.
Care Tips
The Marlin company in the instructions for their boats prescribes to inflate the compartments with air one by one. Inflating to operating pressure is easy to check: with moderate pressure with the palm of the cylinder, the cylinder shell sags by a maximum of 0.3-0.5 cm. It must also be remembered that the valves are completely tight only after the covers are closed. Installation of motors must be carried out in strict accordance with the instructions attached to them. It is strictly unacceptable to fill the compartments of the boat using any devices with increased pressure.
It is undesirable to drag the boat on the ground, and especially on the rocks. If the watercraft is loaded, it must first be unloaded and then transferred. Drying the boat is possible only after the release of air from the compartments.
It is strictly forbidden to ride a boat with increased pressure inside the compartments. And skiing in hot sunny weather, even at the maximum allowable pressure, is impractical.
Bleeding of air as necessary is carried out only on the shore. Boat storage is possible only in dry, warm rooms, at a distance of at least 1 m from heating and heating appliances. In extreme cases, she is kept in cold, dry rooms, where the air temperature is guaranteed not to drop below 30 degrees. At the same time, contact with acetone and reagents containing it, as well as with other solvents and caustic substances, must not be allowed. All defects in the surface of the craft, even relatively small ones, must be repaired immediately. Thin patches can only be glued with PVC adhesive (optimally polyurethane-based).
It should be borne in mind that some subtleties are not brought to consumers even by manufacturers. It is highly undesirable to ride a polymer boat at a negative temperature. This must be remembered, even if the instructions say that you can swim in the cold. Storage of a PVC boat should ideally only occur in an inflated state.
It is not advisable to go out into open water and in very strong heat. The seams of polymer boats can begin to unravel as early as 40 degrees. Especially at the moment when the craft is on the sandy shore warmed by the sun. There are cases, most often in the vicinity of Astrakhan and in Sochi, when a boat left on the shore became unusable in just a few hours. Strong heating can also occur when the boat is in the car.
And one more important point: it is required to install motors of only the performance indicated in the instructions for the craft.
In the next video you will find a detailed review of the Marlin 330 PVC boat.