Hello All, Have really enjoyed the vast information on this forum. Would appreciate advice on 2006-2008 Marquis 65. Am currently in a 2014 Prestige 500 Fly. Have looked at a number of different yachts and I like this layout and amenities best. Glad to have read about Azimut as it’s looks had the wife and kids(and me) hypnotized. Several good 65 Marquis for sale at the moment. Thoughts?
I hate to say it, but I'd say the Azimut is a better built boat than Marquis. It's definitely a better sea boat. Marquis is about along the same lines in build quality as a Prestige, maybe even a step less.
That’s unfortunate about Marquis. They are so well laid out. My Prestige is a great bay cruiser but a recent trip to the exumas showed her shortcomings. Looking for a 64-70ft with a fly and a 24knot cruise in the $900k-$1.2M. Suggestions?
64' Hatteras, 63' Sunseeker Manhattan, 62' Neptunus, are a few that comes to mind. I've run a 50' prestige fly extensively too, so I am quite familiar with them as well.
There were several but the ones that have us shopping for s new boat are: several knot speed loss as a result of a 550lbs tender on the hydraulic platform, thrown around quite briskly in 3ft-5ft conditions. We’ve loved having her for day trips and overnights at Elliot Key in Biscayne bay but we plan on spending more time cruising the Bahamas and it feels outside her scope. Also done with pods for a few years or until they are as reliable as traditional gear.
It’s been quite a few years since I was onboard the Marque 65, but I remember liking the layout of the boat. Not hard to look at either. I would rate it a good wrung above the parent company’s products.
Water intrusion. Have owned the boat for two years and have twice had to haul her for water intrusion on a pod. Bought her with 350hrs and have added another 175hrs of my own. I hear this is not unusual for Volvo IPS. The pods deliver good efficiency as well as superb maneuverability for us novices but you give all the savings back in hauling and repairing.
I ve never been on 65 but a buddy and neighbor has a 59. Probably same vintage. Nice boat. Good layout and few bonehead features. I helped him quite a bit with it and went with him to BIM for a week end. Wasn’t a bad day in the the stream, but wasn’t a great day either. Good ride. It had MTUs
Looked at two boats today, a 2009 ‘66 Sunseeker Manhattan and a 2013 ‘64 Azimut. The Sunseeker was highly worn as was the Azimut, both foreign owners. Azimuts win on layout and styling but the cramped engine rooms are frustrating. Looked at a “one-owner” ‘70 Azimut earlier in the week. Dazzling for sure and superbly kept but again, cramped engine room. The Marquis’ i have seen range in condition but all seem to be have been very well maintained. One particular 2009, fresh water boat could pass for being 5 years old.
The European ownership model is that all service is done by hired hands, owners would not even be expected to check oil or spend time in the engine room. Hence, the crappy, tight engine room layouts meant for paid mechanics only, not for the hands on owner/operator types.
The cramped engine rooms are a minus but the bigger concern is the near unanimous agreement on the problematic nature of the Azimuts in general. It’s truly been surprising.
What?????? Oh come on...….you just need a marine electrician on speed dial...….That and the cramped engine rooms.....inaccessible maintenance items...…..
The surprising part is how numerous they are. It seems you can’t set foot in a marina without seeing several Azimuts, let alone while underway. I suppose most boaters are, like myself, of a less experienced nature and end up putting form ahead of function. Can you elaborate on the prior comment about Marquis quality? Do they suffer from a specific malady or is it the build quality, or both?
Build quality. All of the hardware is undersized, cleats, no backing plates for cleats (I saw a stern cleat rip right out on a 65' while docking and the owner hardly put any stress on it, exterior hinges and latches, interior hinges and latches, interior woodwork (look at how interior cabinets are held together, etc., Electrical. I had one catch an engine wiring harness on fire, another where the starter got stuck on, and another that burned to the water in NY, because the windlass didn't have a circuit breaker and it stuck on. One of the ones I loaded on a freighter had 2 shattered hull windows in the bow because the Capt. got in 6' seas on the delivery to Fort Lauderdale and the hull flexed so much. The electrical is well, on the under engineered side of things. And they're slower than molasses with a really bow high ride angle for their power. Azimuts are indeed very popular. They sell the sizzle, but you don't get the steak. They are a pretty good sea boat and perform pretty well in a sea, but numerous quality issues and warranty support issues on top of that. I've seen several brand new builds in the 55'-70' range from a popular builder with a 40+ item punch list, one of them on the very first trip it poured with 6 guests on the boat and was raining through the salon ceiling cats and dogs too!!!! But the builder takes/took care of everything on the list lickity split, no questions asked, and the people were happy. A lot of buyers understand boats have issues. BUT, if the builder steps up and takes care of it right away, and properly, the people tend to stay happy. When they have to fight the dealer to get legitament items covered, or have to keep calling and calling, or waiting on promises and weeks and weeks. They get pissed off and get on the internet and voice their displeasure.
Thank you for the detailed response. I have a couple of Sunseekers on the list to see this coming week on your earlier recommendation. I still need to get the Prestige back to fully operational and on the market, last thing I need is two boats! Hopefully can get her sold before end of year and then focus on the next one. Really appreciate the help and advice. Great forum indeed.
