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Old 05-13-2019, 12:01 PM   #1
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City: Seattle, WA
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Any Mariner Orient Owners Here?

We looked at a number of trawlers before we settled on our Mariner and it doesn't seem like there are a lot of them around. We bought ours from a broker here in Seattle but it originally came from Maryland and it seems like there are a number of them back east. It's a Grand Banks Europa knock-off (ours is 34').

The photo is actually our boat on Lake Union from the listing before we bought it.

Anyway - just curious.
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Old 09-19-2019, 03:36 PM   #2
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City: Oxford, MD
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just about to buy 1 here in MD - pls tell me what your experience has been - good & bad.
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Old 09-19-2019, 04:36 PM   #3
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Thoughts on Mariner 34

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Originally Posted by Jmreim View Post
just about to buy 1 here in MD - pls tell me what your experience has been - good & bad.
It depends on what you're looking for I guess.

First off - this was our first big boat, and we looked at lots of boats (Nordic Tug, Lord Nelson, Camano, Ocean Alexander, Tollycraft, Island Gypsy.) We live in Seattle so a trawler is a good boat for up here. We bought our boat in 2010 and still have it. We were torn between it and a Camano, but chose it because it had a larger cockpit and it felt more solid and well-crafted.

We like it a lot. We haven't used it as much as we'd like due to scheduling, but it's very comfortable. We have a single cabin, and for the 2 of us it's fine. The only problem we've had that wasn't self-inflicted (hitting submerged objects, for example) was the bow thruster gave out, but that was an easy fix. We have added a heater and stern thruster, updated the electrical / battery system and hope to replace the navigation system this winter.

I don't like the helm seat, as ours only seats one person. It would be more comfortable if we could sit together. I just bought a folding director chair and we set that up for trips. (Our dining table / seating is aft.) And even though the brightwork doesn't seem like much, it is - we don't under cover because of the mast and have to do brightwork annually. Thank God for Bristol Finish.

Because it's a little "obscure" (not a production boat) I had trouble with little things like replacement bulbs for the engine room, and had to use Taco tape (weatherstripping) when the rubber strips came off the windows. (I even asked waterfront guys / engineers in Seattle and they had no idea where I could get the same material.) Those are nits but were irritating at the time. The cockpit shower leaked which drove me nuts, again a nit.

The Cummins diesel is great and w/300 gallons of fuel capacity we fill up every other year - it's pretty fuel efficient. I will say that with the engine almost smack dab in the middle of the salon (underneath) it does get loud in the salon when underway, even with the insulation. We have a very thin rug on the floor and could probably do better to muffle the sound.

What's nice about this boat also is that it's not too beamy. I've had people asking if we'd sell for just that reason - packs a lot into a reasonable sized package.

There's plenty of storage in the salon, sleeping berth, lazarette and up on the flybridge. We haven't had to use the block and tackle but it's nice to have although I always bang my head on the boom.

Cleat location is not my favorite feature for convenience / accessibility to the lines from the dock side but I think overall they provide for more secure mooring.

Overall if you're not in a hurry to get somewhere, it's a great boat. It's comfortable and reliable, not fancy but solid and well-made. We get a lot of compliments on its appearance too - not necessarily important but being safe, comfortable, economical and pretty is a very nice thing!

Ours came from Annapolis by the way, they had it shipped out here b/c there's a bigger market for trawlers here apparently. But it's a great cruiser. If we ever replace it, we'd probably go for a Ranger Tug, because I love the thoughtful design, but who knows.
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Old 09-20-2019, 08:38 AM   #4
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City: Oxford, MD
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Thx so much for taking the time to write this - just a few add'l questions if you don't mind:

1) not familiar with Bristol Finish but sounds like I should be for the brightwork - pls explain.

2) With regard to the helm seat you don't like, are you referring to the lower or upper helm?

3) can you pls tell me what engine room bulbs you finally found (just trying to avoid starting from scratch when mine need replacing)?

4) for the window rubber strips, are you referring to the outside of the salon windows? During our survey, we noticed that the aft salon window still had this but all the others (port and stbd) were missing and just had exposed screwheads around the perimeter of the window. Not sure if this is a functional problem or just an aesthetic issue? Your thoughts?

4) Do you have a sense for the engine efficiency at cruising speed, which I assume is about 8 kts @ 2000 rpm (gph or mpg)?

5) Have you had any moisture issues? Specifically, ours appears to have some under the mast base on the bridge.

Thx again -
Jim
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Old 01-01-2020, 04:17 PM   #5
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I am so sorry I didn't respond, I don't have notifications set up and didn't see this. If it still matters:

Bristol Finish is an alternate to Epiphanes - dries super-fast and makes brightwork easier to maintain.

The lower helm - it's a seat for one. It could possibly be modified.

The light bulbs - goodness, I don't recall but if you remove one it says the #, they're automotive bulbs and I found them on Lightbulbs.com

The rubber strips - yup, you got it. The factory stuff doesn't stay on so I use the Taco Tape. It's more cosmetic really.

Efficiency....I don't recall but on Cummins' website you can find it. I WILL warn you about the sight tubes...over time the color of the diesel burns into the glass...and there's no gauge...so we thought we had more fuel than we did. BoatUS did a great job towing us, LOL. We replaced the tubes.

No moisture trouble at all but I use a dehumidifier and DampRid. We do have a leaky hatch.
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