JR, how do you like that Prestige 500 Fly? Looking at one and also the Sea Ray 510 fly. Thanks so much.
The Prestige is a lot of boat for the money BUT it comes with greater potential costs. The pod drives while great for maneuvering, require expensive maintenance and often suffer from water intrusion. The quality of the boat and interiors are not stellar. All in all, it’s a good boat for the price, in calm waters.
Picking up on this thread since I'm looking at these too. Capt J--are your views on the Marquis boats here for the 59', 65' or both? Reason I ask is the 65 looks to be pretty stout and they seem to be holding value better than other boats of that vintage and size. Also they reportedly cruise in the low-mid 2os (I believe mph), which is not consistent with one point above.
Both. I've found the quality lacking on both, although the 65' might be a hair better. Speed is measured on yachts in knots, NOT mph. So take MPH and divide by 1.15 to get knots or nautical miles NM. And sure, they probably were a little faster with 1/4 tank of fuel and water in them and no owners gear, but they slow down with full fuel and water and some gear, which is how an owner would run them on a trip to somewhere.
Just wondering if I need to be concerned if it's a 14 year-old boat. The ones I'm looking at have c-32s.
The Marquis checks a lot of boxes and I hope to learn more from the experts here. Looking seriously at the 65 & 690's, but there were none at the FLIBS at all. I need to figure out ceiling heights and door widths on a real one (without having to fly all over the country). I missed on Minx & the one in VZ... they looked great. Can someone 6'5" stand up in the engine room of a 65/690? Do you hit your head on the salon door frame like a Maritomo? Are the door frames 17" like a Princess75?
And will there ever be another built by whomever ends up owning them. Polaris sure dumped them quickly.
I've owned a 65 Marquis for over 2 years and have no regrets. It will do 30 Knots with 1500 HP engines and you can stand up in the engine room. You can pick apart any boat made. The stateroom doors are 24" wide and height is not a problem unless you are 7' tall. It's not a perfect boat but none are. I also have 3 friends who own 65 marquis and they are also happy with theirs. I take mine up north into Desolation Sound for 6 weeks at a time. Ask any question you might have and I'll try to answer them for you.
Thanks Brian. Your reply is very helpful. I'm working on finding one in Texas to see in person. Merry Christmas, John
Hi Brian 65, We just purchased a Marquis 65 last December, 2021. It is great to find someone else with the same boat, joys and problems! I'm impressed you have 3 other friends with 65 Marquis'. I understand that only 100 or so were made between 2004-2008 so we are a relatively small (but mighty) group! Out boat sat for about one and a half years during the worst of Covid, and the "sitting" caused some residual problems that we are working out ... slowly but surely! Here is a question for you, one of many, I imagine. Where do you purchase the small LED bulbs (converting halogen to LED) that are all throughout the ceiling of the salon-galley and stateroom level; there must be 50-60 of them throughout the boat. I've looked all over the internet, but cannot find them ... Can you help me?
We own a 2006 65 Marquis and have done some updates on her and have put 25 hours on her now. For us / me it's an excellent build, design, layout and cruises at 32 knots using 80 gallons an hour (1500 MTUs X 2) in fresh water. The interior features (such as heads and plumbing) are all Italian components. So the boat is Italian inside and out but put together in Wisconsin. If you can buy a fresh water boat - I'd certainly look at it if I were you.
Sorry my bad 32 MPH vs knots at 2000 rpm. So 28 knots... She will do a max speed of 39 MPH (32 knots) at 2380 rpm - all in fresh water mind you (less buoyant).
I apologize for not getting back to you sooner, but I haven't been back to this thread for a year. Did you find the lights you need. You have to be careful because the dimming is 12 volts and the on-off lights are 24 volts. A lot of LED lights are 12 volt only and if you put them in the on-off switched 24 volt you will see smoke I would guess