New 2004 Marlin Owner

[nsp]

Greetings ! I am the proud new owner of a 2004 Marlin. I took delivery two weeks ago... has anyone converted the companion / passenger side chairs with a L shaped bench seat? Also, with the fuel gauge switch does it default to the main tank and when you press the rocker switch is that then showing the the auxiliary tank? I believe I read that the main tank is the one up front.

Thank you for any help...

NSP

 

[Tuna Man]

I have the same boat, but a 2006. Mine came with the L shaped seat and I think it would be a piece of cake to convert to a pedestal seat. I suspect switching from a pedestal to an L seat would also be pretty easy if your handy.

As far as the fuel gauge and dash switch goes, we have a forward and aft tank. I believe the the rocker switch works as follows, in the rocked toward the bow position it shows the forward tank, rocked toward the stern it shows the aft tank level. As far as I know there is no default position.

Hope this makes sense and congrats on the new boat!

 

[megabytes]

Welcome and congrats on the best boat in the GW lineup. I may be a tad biased. Mine is almost 10 years old and still meets my needs to a T. I never owned my other boats more than 6-1/2 years so you can say I love my Marlin.

BTW I run both tanks to keep the fuel fresh. Feel free to ask any questions. Many marlin owners here as with most models.

 

[stray current]

Congratulations and best wishes on your new boat.I bought an '03 Marlin this year and besides enjoying every minute with it it's been a real learning experience having a boat this large.So far I haven't felt the need to make any modifications but as stated it's still new to me and while not a 'perfect' boat she's damned close to it as I'm sure yours will be for you. Of course there's always tomorrow...

 

[Fishtales]

Congrats. You will like this boat. Prior to 2006, the round single fuel gauge Yamaha gauges were installed. The rocker switch when pressed up ( top pressed), shows the main (forward) 156 gallon tank. When pressed down it will show the aux (aft), 150 gallon tank level. Starting in 2006 (I believe) the square gauges were installed. These have two fuel indicators.

 

[Out-to-C]

Congratulations! You will love this boat. We own a 2000 Marlin and we love it! Like Fishtales stated, the rocker switch when pressed in the "up" end of it will indicate the gas level in the main tank on the gauge, when pressed to the "down" position it indicates the gas level the auxiliary tank.
When switching between the two tanks don't forget to change the levers which open the lines to each gas tank, which are located in the bilge area!

 

[nsp]

Thank you all for your input. At times, I can now faintly read the faded Fuel switch showing the main and auxiliary readings.

I was a little confused about the routing of the fuel valve switches but I believe now it is the smaller end of the valve that is pointing to the routing of the fuel. Initially, I was thinking it was the longer handle portion of the valve.

I am unsure if I should go through the effort of the L bench seat conversion, or go with the bean bags and possibly a sun shade extension to provide more shaded area.

NSP

 

[Slacktime]

I have an '03 Marlin. The Admiral likes the wrap around seat and uses a couple of pillows to sit on when underway, so no complaints. We found a very cheap way to provide shade while on the hook or at the dock. Two extended boat hook poles in the fishrod holders, 4 bungee cords and a $4.95 tarp from Wally World makes a great sunshade. Cannot use underway or it will blow off!

Good luck with the new ride.

 

[Gary M]

We've moved up from a 20 Grady, then the 25 Sailfish and have now enjoyed our 2001 Marlin for the past 8 summers, 15 Bahamas trips and nearly 900 hours on her. We had "dreams" of a bigger boat, etc but as I get a bit older, I realize that the Marlin fits really well within my/our needs. On two Bahamas trips, we've spent 18 straight nights aboard, showers, cooking and everything!

Think of your fuel tank selectors as a fist with a forefinger out, "pointing" to the tank that's being used. Locally, I run one engine off each tank so that when I add fresh gas, both tanks get some. Feel free to swap the selectors around to keep them flexible and moveable. Same with all your sea cocks....... open/close/open/close.... just exercise them to keep them from locking up on you.

If you only use your boat on occasion, I would suggest that you do not top off the tanks. I'd rather add 50-100 gallons of fresh gas more often than to run the risk of many months passing while you wait to burn down the 306 gallons of gas that the Marlin holds. No doubt, there are other opinions out there about this, but this has worked well for me over 3 Gradys and 15 years of regular boating. Get educated on the use of Ring Free as well as any fuel stabilizers......

If you have a genset, "try to wear it out" by using it! My trusted Genset mechanic says that he replaces 95 out of 100 gens from lack of use, versus from them being worn out! Crank it up, let it warm up for 5 minutes, then "load" it up with the Batt Charger, Water Heater (make sure the tank is full), run the AC, etc. When it's time to shut it down, "unload" it, let it idle for another 5 minutes to cool down a bit and then shut her down. Don't forget to get that fully serviced when you do the engines. Even at the dock, when I run the engines, the genset gets run and exercised.

Have fun and post a few photos!!