Day 57 - Prijon 'Marlin'

Day two of trying out the truck load of Prijon boats. Not having a lot of experience in the new Prijons I want to make sure I give them a proper shake down so today I took the Marlin on the surf zone loop out the jetty and over to Dog Beach and back. This route gives me a chance to see how boats handle in flat bay water, open ocean swell, and breaking waves.

The Marlin fit's me a little looser than I prefer it's rather high at the thigh braces which should accomodate fairly large people but leaves a guy my size reaching to get contact under the deck. That loose fit probably had a lot to do with me not feeling entirely in controll of the boat in the surf zone. It may sound strange, but in my mind I felt like the boat was being moved by the waves not like I was being moved by the waves. The boat's tendancy to drop abruptly from the flat bottom on to the chine was another factor that kept me on my toes with a feeling like the boat was doing what it wanted not necessarily what I wanted. By the end of the session, as I learned to trust the boat on edge, things did improve and I was able to play around in the soup quite a bit. One thing I must say is that the Marlin moves along quite well when paddled upright on its flat center hull. I didn't have to work hard to maintain a comfortable cruising speed above 5 mph.

All this being said I think the Marlin would be worth a look for anybody looking for a tough fast cruising boat with a roomy cockpit. Once again I must say that I like the large capacity day hatch (with neoprene tube) on the front deck.

Marlin Review

Manufacturer = Prijon
Brand = Prijon (imported by WildWasser)
Model = Marlin
Type = Touring
Material = Plastic
Length = 17'-0"
Width = 22.8"
Weight = 59.5 lbs.

Location = Jetty -> Ocean Beach Pier -> Dog Beach -> San Diego River loop
Time = 6:00 AM
Distance = 4.92 miles
Duration = 1:04
Avg Speed = 4.6 mph (This includes surfing time my cruising speed was over 5 mph)
Conditions = Partly cloudy and nice