Marlin Instinct 360

When Steve Hunt of Marlin Boats decided to build a boat for himself, he had a specific brief in mind.
He wanted a fishing boat that was small, compact, economical to run and power, and able to be towed with his wife's 1500cc car. It also had to have all the goodies found on Steve's larger models.
That's how the 360 Instinct was born.

This little boat attracts attention wherever it goes. Everybody has an opinion about it. There's no denying it's an interesting concept and I - like most first time viewers - was blown away by the little craft's level of specification - it's got everything!

Built on very similar lines to Steve's capable 'full-size' alloy boats, the 360 is nothing less than a miniature version of a Marlin sportfisher, right down to the small (but perfectly formed) Composite Sports outrigger poles fitted to the rocket launcher. Featuring a 4mm alloy hull and 3mm sides, the boat has a fine entry, a relatively deep vee (for a small boat), a pod-mounted engine, and plenty of power with its 30hp manual start Mariner.

Initially Steve fitted a 20hp engine - adequate for fishing purposes, but lacking the power to give the boat the sporty performance demanded by its sharp looks. In its latest incarnation, the boat is good for 65kph with one occupant, according to Steve.

Steve proved the boat's easy handling attributes by launching solo into reasonable surf at Stanmore Bay on Whangaparaoa Peninsula. He had the boat off the trailer, in the water, and anchored bow-on into the surf in no time. It stayed put while we launched the Fishing News Zodiac Reefrunner, our photo boat for the morning.

Steve and I climbed into the 360, fired her up and punched out through the low surf. The bilge pump was welcome, as we had managed to take a wave into the boat while dropping the engine (no power-trim and tilt) and getting it started. Although the engine's a manual start, Steve has fitted a battery to power his bilge pump, bait tank pump, navigation and anchor lights, and an auxiliary cigarette lighter socket for the spotlight he carries at night.

Not surprisingly, the little boat is reasonably tender. Some care is advised when moving around, and though we did position the pair of us on one side of the boat without mishap, the list was pretty severe. That tenderness is the trade-off for an exceptionally soft ride compared to most boats of similar size. The heavy gauge hull helps, too, and the little Marlin was a heap of fun to fizz around in.

We were comfortable and reasonably dry and the hull behaved very well, even when we purposefully launched the boat off the bigger swells (easy to do with the power available). Re-entries were smooth and soft and the hull does a reasonable job of directing the spray away from the boat's interior.

On the other hand, there is no reverse to the chine and only narrow capping to turn the water away, so some spray found its way inboard with the crosswind. Generally speaking, small boats and dry rides don't go together, so this little boat is as good as or better than most.

To drive, it's a bit like a hot-rod. There's plenty of power and the ride inspires confidence. The extra weight and power of the 30hp engine led to Steve modifying the boat's stern. He's extended the hull all the way back to the pod (to add lift aft) and also fitted a SST hydrofoil (courtesy of Mike's Marine, Silverdale) for the same reason. This has eliminated any tendency to dig in the stern under acceleration, and resulted in the added bonus of better stability at rest (the extension acts rather like a flooding chamber - an effect that will be even more noticeable once Steve boxes in the sides). While the boat gets up and goes easily enough (thanks to the modification) there is some cavitation, particularly turning sharply to starboard. This, too, is likely to disappear once Steve finishes the modifications to the extension.

In practice, the cavitation didn't detract too much from my enjoyment of the boat; although designed as a fishing boat, it's very sporty to drive and quite capable of towing a skier.

Fishing is its real focus, however. There are six rod holders (sensibly angled so that all six are actually usable), a fully plumbed livebait tank (bilge pump and force-feed venturi) with rounded corners to ensure good water flow, a smaller bait tank (both with hinged, solid timber lids/bait boards), a built-in alloy berley pot in the swimstep, and a removable standard plastic fish bin set into the floor - as well as the outriggers already mentioned.

Two bucket-seats are mounted on the thwart. They swivel around to face aft and are perfectly placed for two anglers to sit and fish, with everything in reach. The cockpit is not really big enough for two people to comfortably stand and fish, and the idea was to design everything so that it can be reached from a seated position.

For a small boat the 360 Instinct has heaps of dry storage. There's a well-protected and very deep shelf under the dashboard, side pockets and a lot of room under the seats, which attach to a hinged lid on the thwart. The two bins across the transom can also be used as dry storage, rather than for bait or live bait. There's not a lot of room for your feet up front, thanks to the deep-vee and fine entry, but it's not a boat you would stand up in to drive, anyway.

Other 'big boat' features include: a solid fairlead and bollard; a checker-plate foredeck with self-draining anchor well; a solid alloy dodger, bow and stern rails; plastic rubbing strip all round; folding dive ladder; generous swim step; a pair of bollards on the transom; and a full complement of navigation lights. In short: a veritable pocket battleship!

The boat is supplied on a fully-rollered Fireline trailer and retails, as tested, for under $11,000.

The Marlin 360 Instinct is a fun little boat with better than average rough water ability. It will fish two anglers comfortably and safely, and get them home in better condition than most twelve-footers if things cut up a bit. With the 30hp, it delivers exhilarating performance without sacrificing economy, though I feel a 20 or 25hp engine would be adequate for fishing purposes.

This boat is best described as a miniature sportfisher. It has all the mod cons and more features than you can poke a stick at, but it remains a small boat with most of the disadvantages small size entails. Provided you remember its (size-related) limitations, the Marlin 360 Instinct should prove to be a great little fishing /sport boat: solidly built, superbly equipped and very visually appealing.

Steve also builds 4.2 and 4.9 metre versions of the boat, which for my money should be even more impressive, if not quite so 'cute'.

	This article is reproduced with permission of NZ Fisherman Magazine John Eichelsheim Re-publishing elsewhere is prohibited