Marlon Boats

michael_reiber

michael_reiber

Active Member
Been looking at small aluminum boats the past several months after selling my old 12ft tin last fall. Ive gone and seen quite a few that just didn't work for me for various reasons. I keep seeing this Marlon brand boat show up on market place and craigslist, I was wondering if anyone had any first hand experience with these boats as I cannot find much about them online. Looked at one at the boat show, I think they wanted 2800 was the sale price which seemed like a fairly decent deal for a brand new welded aluminum boat, but I was a little concerned with some of the welds and they are imported from China.

https://www.marlonproducts.com/products/boats/welded-utility/

Cheers,
Michael
 
michael_reiber said:
Been looking at small aluminum boats the past several months after selling my old 12ft tin last fall. Ive gone and seen quite a few that just didn't work for me for various reasons. I keep seeing this Marlon brand boat show up on market place and craigslist, I was wondering if anyone had any first hand experience with these boats as I cannot find much about them online. Looked at one at the boat show, I think they wanted 2800 was the sale price which seemed like a fairly decent deal for a brand new welded aluminum boat, but I was a little concerned with some of the welds and they are imported from China.

https://www.marlonproducts.com/products/boats/welded-utility/

Cheers,
Michael
Click to expand...
My buddy just bought one a few weeks ago 14ft, they are wide boats for jon boat. Weldings are not great in some spots but all and all looks ok for a lake tin boat. Dont beat it up on a trailer in rough roads and it should hold up good
 
I have a 10 foot Marlon. Pros.....very light, easy to dump in the water using a variety of methods, easy to maneuver with one person, very wide and stable, I can stand up and lean over the gunwale and it will not tip. Cons, thin gauge aluminum welded hull, with bench seats riveted to hull. Do not run it over any sharp rocks. Good for double anchoring but noisy as hell when trolling or moving from one spot to another due to the flat bottom on the bow.
 
Looked at a couple yesterday at one of the dealers. These are super light gauge alum as mentioned, the 16’ was only rated for 25 or 30 HP so that tells you a little right there.
 
Have a look at a Journey if you are considering a Jon type boat. BC built out of Kamloops rather than China, less $$ than a Spratley, a little lighter, 15hp Max and seats 4 with an open middle seat design. Welds are not factory pretty like the Spratley but extremely well built with .080 gauge aluminium. After researching I settled on a 12' Journey and the compelling reason was the 3 seats and stability far superior than a Jon boat.
 
Drink said:
Have a look at a Journey if you are considering a Jon type boat. BC built out of Kamloops rather than China, less $$ than a Spratley, a little lighter, 15hp Max and seats 4 with an open middle seat design. Welds are not factory pretty like the Spratley but extremely well built with .080 gauge aluminium. After researching I settled on a 12' Journey and the compelling reason was the 3 seats and stability far superior than a Jon boat.
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Yes, Journey makes a great product. I also agree with you about most Jon boat designs, they are very tippy. I had a 12 foot Tracker Jon and I was never comfortable in it, even when simply moving from one seat to the other.
 
Big Green Machine said:
Yes, Journey makes a great product. I also agree with you about most Jon boat designs, they are very tippy. I had a 12 foot Tracker Jon and I was never comfortable in it, even when simply moving from one seat to the other.
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Agree totally. If you have grandkids or the wife joining you a Tracker type Jon boat as mentioned is just too unstable. Disembarking at a dock the end justifies the means. I paid about $2400 for a Journey a couple of years ago and the grandkids can play hopscotch. Lol
 
michael_reiber said:
Been looking at small aluminum boats the past several months after selling my old 12ft tin last fall. Ive gone and seen quite a few that just didn't work for me for various reasons. I keep seeing this Marlon brand boat show up on market place and craigslist, I was wondering if anyone had any first hand experience with these boats as I cannot find much about them online. Looked at one at the boat show, I think they wanted 2800 was the sale price which seemed like a fairly decent deal for a brand new welded aluminum boat, but I was a little concerned with some of the welds and they are imported from China.

https://www.marlonproducts.com/products/boats/welded-utility/

Cheers,
Michael
Click to expand...

Most importantly what are your intended uses for the boat? Salt, river, big lake, small lake? Motor size you'll be using? Max weight and people in it?
 
Has anyone looked at the "Kimple" brand that Holliday marine has posted all over craigslist?
 
I bought a 12ft V hull Marlon last year and as a welder fabricator, I'm happy with the welds. Tig welds in all the area with great penetrations and not much undercutting, IMO far better than wire feed and also superior to a riveted boat
The specs of this boat is what sold me: Tig welds, 47in bottom width with a 25in bow height and a heavy duty stern support for the motor and formed ribs in the hull. One thing I removed is the blue rub rail on the gunnel, piece of sh!#

The new model with the split seat at the stern does not have the side ribs that is welded to the seats, my year model of my boat has it.
This rib also is welded to the hull ribs and to the gunnels, making it much stronger
I feel there is no need to have a heavier boat, with thicker gauge .078 is plenty strong with all the rolled forms in the hull and sides.....Hell, this unit will be more than strong enough than most crafts on a lake, with the exceptions of a Journey or Spratley
but a fraction of the price
 
zurk said:
why not buy a nice lifetimer or something durable.
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Journey or Spratley are very durable and meant for smaller lake Stillwater fishing. Lifetimer or Silver Streak are outstanding boats too, but may be overkill for us folks in the Interior. I’ve seen 14 foot Lifetimer and SS boats fishing inshore and they are amazing. But they are heavy and tough to dump in the water from a roof rack. Unless you have an automatic boat loader or two people, heavy boats are a concern for Interior solo anglers, especially use folks close to retirement
 
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brutus said:
1448 lowe are great stable jon boat, i have the 14-36 and its not wide enough its a bit tippy, the 1448 is a notch above
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A 14 foot Lowe Jon is a great boat but very heavy. A lot of us in the Interior prefer to carry our boats on a automatic boat loader/roof rack system as some of the lakes we fish are at the end of a non trailerable FSR or in some cases, trails and weight to unload and load is a concern.
 
kanuckle head said:
I bought a 12ft V hull Marlon last year and as a welder fabricator, I'm happy with the welds. Tig welds in all the area with great penetrations and not much undercutting, IMO far better than wire feed and also superior to a riveted boat
The specs of this boat is what sold me: Tig welds, 47in bottom width with a 25in bow height and a heavy duty stern support for the motor and formed ribs in the hull. One thing I removed is the blue rub rail on the gunnel, piece of sh!#

The new model with the split seat at the stern does not have the side ribs that is welded to the seats, my year model of my boat has it.
This rib also is welded to the hull ribs and to the gunnels, making it much stronger
I feel there is no need to have a heavier boat, with thicker gauge .078 is plenty strong with all the rolled forms in the hull and sides.....Hell, this unit will be more than strong enough than most crafts on a lake, with the exceptions of a Journey or Spratley
but a fraction of the price
Click to expand...
Len, your Marlon is above and beyond a great boat. Show us your photos of your build. Doubt you’ll be putting that puppy on a roof rack though.
 
Old Blue said:
Most importantly what are your intended uses for the boat? Salt, river, big lake, small lake? Motor size you'll be using? Max weight and people in it?
Click to expand...

The intended use is mainly just for camping, just going for a cruise, and fishing. Mostly in the lakes but occasionally the ocean for a evening cruise, or going to the close gulf islands to tent on. Really I'm just looking for something durable but not so expensive I'm afraid to use it, as it will be coming in and out of the back of trucks. I bought a old riveted 12fter last spring that hardly leaked and by the of the summer it was leaking so bad you just about had to constantly bail it. Ive been looking at Princecraft, and Lunds, which have good reputations but for the price to buy a used Prince craft or Lund, I could buy a Marlon with a brand new trailer and buy a cheap 2 stroke outboard for not much more then a used Prince craft and Lund, but my concern was the quality of the Marlon and if it was just going to end up falling apart on me.
 
michael_reiber said:
The intended use is mainly just for camping, just going for a cruise, and fishing. Mostly in the lakes but occasionally the ocean for a evening cruise, or going to the close gulf islands to tent on. Really I'm just looking for something durable but not so expensive I'm afraid to use it, as it will be coming in and out of the back of trucks. I bought a old riveted 12fter last spring that hardly leaked and by the of the summer it was leaking so bad you just about had to constantly bail it. Ive been looking at Princecraft, and Lunds, which have good reputations but for the price to buy a used Prince craft or Lund, I could buy a Marlon with a brand new trailer and buy a cheap 2 stroke outboard for not much more then a used Prince craft and Lund, but my concern was the quality of the Marlon and if it was just going to end up falling apart on me.
Click to expand...

You need to check out Len’s (Knuclkehead) Marlon on a trailer, he’s using it on the Fraser and in lakes, hopefully he can post some pics, it’s really solid. Princecraft and Lund are great too but pricey.
 
michael_reiber said:
The intended use is mainly just for camping, just going for a cruise, and fishing. Mostly in the lakes but occasionally the ocean for a evening cruise, or going to the close gulf islands to tent on. Really I'm just looking for something durable but not so expensive I'm afraid to use it, as it will be coming in and out of the back of trucks. I bought a old riveted 12fter last spring that hardly leaked and by the of the summer it was leaking so bad you just about had to constantly bail it. Ive been looking at Princecraft, and Lunds, which have good reputations but for the price to buy a used Prince craft or Lund, I could buy a Marlon with a brand new trailer and buy a cheap 2 stroke outboard for not much more then a used Prince craft and Lund, but my concern was the quality of the Marlon and if it was just going to end up falling apart on me.
Click to expand...
This maybe a tad over your budget, here is one on FB of a fully rigged 2018 Marlon setup with a 20hp yammy 4stroke

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/527401797949859/
Best of luck in your search but IMO these boats will suit your needs and be reliable
 
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