411 Meridian

Source: David Lockwood, Boatpoint Magazine

Designed for safety, comfort, and ease of handling, the Meridian 411 features all the modern conveniences of home. Almost. David Lockwood spends a day onboard the family-friendly cruiser – typical cruising family included

Detlef and Jacquelene Thinius and their two young boys, Harrison (almost four-years-old) and Drew (one) are a model boating family. After sharing the best part of a day aboard their new boat it became patently obvious to me why they enjoy cruising together. You see, their American Meridian 411 is a family-friendly cruiser with the comforts for sharing the good times afloat.

Head up to the bridge, down to the accommodation, or around to the bow and you’ll find the Meridian 411 is especially safe for kids and crew. Features like the moulded staircase to the bridge, large flybridge with seating for up to six (450kg load limit), high bowrail and walkaround decks, two island beds and walk-in engine room access all help boost the confidence.

The 411 also features Docking On Command (DOC), a combination bow and stern thruster from Sidepower linked to a boat-shaped control on the dash. Turn the stern of the control to port and the stern of the boat shifts to port, tweak the bow and it follows, shift the entire control sideways and both bow and stern thrusters scuttle you across like a crab. While nothing new, the docking device comes gratis on the Meridian 411 and makes berthing this high-volume boat, which measures 46-feet overall, a real breeze. With twin helm stations and a view from the bridge through the hatch to the port quarter this is also an easy boat for reversing into a pen or berth. In fact, Detlef managed to put Mum and the bub onto the wharf on his own and, using two UHF handheld radios as onboard and ship-to-shore intercoms, Mum and the kids were off to the local fish and chippery.

Not that Detlef is a stranger to boats. He fell in love with the Meridian at the Sydney Boat Show following years of running around in mix of motley craft ranging from half-cabin cruisers to a 50ft sailing yacht and a 54ft Riviera. His last boat was a 35ft Maxum, which he says he enjoyed until, well, the family outgrew it.

The Meridian 411 had been serving the role of a weekender on the Hawkesbury River when I came aboard. By cruising the twin 375hp Cummins engines at 2000rpm and about 15 knots Detlef was using about $100-something in fuel for a big family weekend afloat.

MAKING ITS MARQUE
Once badged as Bayliners, Meridian is a stand-alone brand these days owned by the Brunswick Corporation. It sits proudly alongside Hatteras, Sea Ray and Sealine as, unsurprisingly, more of a family flybridge cruiser than a fisher or motoryacht.

The current Meridian range features nine boats from 34–58ft in three different styles. The Meridian 341, 381 and 411 are the Sedans or what we’d call flybridge boats; the 368, 408 and 459 are the Aft Cabins with big owner’s accommodation; and the 490, 540 and 580 are the Pilothouse motoryachts for long-range passage making.

The boats are made with composite cored GRP lay-ups for the hull and deck, and the saloon floor to help reduce running noise. A full-length stringer system gives the boat stiffness, and at sea I felt no banging around when charging out through Broken Bay.

The company uses milling machines and computer programs for precise moulding of the boat’s internal fiberglass fittings. The hull is handlaid using woven and biaxial rovings, and bonded and through-bolted to the deck. The hull, deck, cabin ceiling and cockpit are moulded as a single unit. The end product is backed by a limited 10-year structural hull and deck warranty.

Having rummaged through the interior, the engine room and in out-of-the-way places I found the finish to be pretty good. The high-gloss solid cherrywood joinery, manmade composite counter tops, concealed air-con ducts, innerspring mattresses, mouldings and non-skid and upholstery are of export production-boat quality.

True, the interior design and ambience, the red cherrywood (teak is optional) and iced-coffee coloured upholstery is rather American; but it isn’t glitzy like the walls of burl or faux walnut and beige upholstery we see on some Yankee boats.

Out of sight, the running gear includes responsive bronze rudders, Bennett trim tabs with gauges and four-blade Nibral props on shafts that run through PSS ‘dripless’ seals.

For family holiday boating, however, main concerns centre on self-sufficiency – fuel and water capacities, power-making ability and the size of the dreaded holding tank. With 570lt of water this boat can cater for a family of four for at least five days. The 200lt holding tank will last that long, too.

Fuel capacity of 1500lt is adequate to comfortably cruise the coast. An optional upgraded 9.5kVa generator powered the boat’s optional four-zone air-conditioning system. Incidentally, the owner chose to buy a three-year extended engine warranty.

UPPER & LOWER DECKS
A moulded external stairwell leads to a bridge with headroom under the soft bimini top with clears, air-conditioning as a real luxury, and a fully adjustable helm seat.

The owner netted off the aft bridge overhang and added a mattress to create a playpen. However, I would prefer a hatch cover over the bridge stairs – a cockpit door is an option – instead of the safety line which kids could easily slip under.

The dash has Faria engine gauges, a spotlight control, a 12V outlet and a sink, but no 240V power outlet. Electronic engine controls, a separate bridge entertainment system and Raytheon electronics packs are among the must-have options.

At water level, the cockpit is generous and partly shaded by the bridge overhang. There’s room for a table and chairs and a 240V outlet for the barbie. The owner had added a Galleymate stainless barbecue and gas bottle instead. The remote for the sound system will come in handy.

Storage exists in aft lockers – camper covers aboard to enclose the cockpit – and in the lazarette for fishing and dive gear. You could carry a ducky on the transom on brackets. There are dedicated fender lockers and moulded steps to the narrow but safe sidedecks, which are backed by moulded toe rails and handrails.

The above-deck cleats are easy to tie ropes to. The boarding platform, swim ladder and handheld H/C shower will be popular in summer, though the boat could do with a moulded bowsprit. At least there was a washdown to clean the anchor. The optional sunpad on the foredeck creates a neat daybed for when the kids become teenagers.

ENGINE ROOM
Interestingly, the engines are accessed through a lock-up portside door and down past the boat’s battery management panel. You can stand as you climb down into the vast engine bay/utility room. Once inside, there is a surfeit of servicing room and a rubber matting underfoot to keep your clogs clean.

The engine dipsticks are on the centreline, the strainers with glass inspection bowls are obvious, and the genset is aft away from the accommodation and with its own strainer, of course. Aluminium fuel tanks are outboard.

I also noted 240V outlets, but the inline Racor fuel filters didn’t have clear inspection windows and to monitor the coolant levels you need to go through inspection hatches in the saloon floor.

The owner had a bracket fitted into the engine room to carry an outboard for the tender. The batteries and watertanks were aft of the engine room and easy to service.

SWINGING AT ANCHOR
As with most American boats, there is a great sense of space indoors, lots of headroom, and surrounding picture windows that open the boat out. The side opening windows direct fresh air inside. With air-con you get total climate control.

Seating came by way of a five-person L-shaped leather lounge to port opposite a two-person U-shaped sofa. The former converts into an optional sofa bed that might come in handy in winter, as the entertainment centre and 60cm television, DVD player and surround sound system are within range. The supplied loose coffee table converts into a lunch table, too.

Among the luxury appointments were the optional kid-safe carpet runners, U-Line icemaker and central vacuuming system (invaluable with kids). The AC/DC switch panels were self-explanatory and the boat has a digital tank-monitoring system.

The starboard dinette can seat a family of four. The forward backrests slides back to make sitting room for two before the optional portside lower helm. Wipers and air-con help with driving in bad weather or winter.

While small by cruiser standard, the galley across the way was nonetheless functional. There were two-burner electric stove, convection (according to the brochure anyway) microwave oven, separate but modest 12/240V Novacool fridge and freezer, twin sinks, ventilation by way of opening windows and air-con, and Amtico mock-timber flooring.

The counters didn’t have fiddle rails and, while there were cupboards, drawers, a Lazy Susan storage rack and a garbage bin, the boat didn’t have oodles of pantry space. The specifications say a coffee maker comes gratis. A washer-dryer is an option, but unless you have water to waste don’t bother.

FAMILY SUITE
By now the nippers were getting agitated so we sent them to their cabin. The second cabin back aft could just as easily be the master suite as it has a big queen-sized island bed with foam mattress, twin cedar-lined hanging lockers, drawers and a small settee.

There is headroom at the entrance but not over the bed, unless you are a kid. Speaking of which, they were pacified by the Wiggles video playing on their television on the wall. The guest’s cabin also has its own ensuite with Vacuflush loo and shower but without a separate stall.

Owners will probably look to the assigned master cabin in the bow with island double bed and innerspring mattress, his and her cedar-lined hanging lockers, and a classy factory-supplied fitted bedding package. There was a third television/DVD player, though it was 240V only. The latest LCD units run off 12V and thus no generator is needed while watching the end of the movie in bed.

The main ensuite was graced with a big separate shower stall, hatch and forced-air ventilation, plus I found a mirror and plenty of room for personal effects. Back in the guest’s cabin the one-year-old had fallen sleep where he remained while we headed out to sea and back again.

CRUISING WITH THE CLAN
The engine installation was a quiet one and at 7.85 knots and 1150rpm we cruised on the calm water in comfort. The boat jumped out of the hole thanks in part to tunnels and reduced shaft angles to an efficient cruise of 15.3 knots at 2000rpm (half fuel/water).

The Cummins gave fast cruise speeds of 18-20 knots at 2350-2500rpm. The only complaint I had was the windscreen frame bisected my view from the bridge. Not a big thing but niggling, nevertheless. Flat out, the boat ran to 24.2 knots at 2750rpm, so it’s not rocketship but rather a comfortable and well-priced family cruiser.

It felt good at sea, but since my brief time aboard the cruising clan has spent a month aboard in Port Stephens, including a four-hour cruise from Broken Bay – in tumultuous following seas – and back again, some touring of the waterways and lots of time tied to the Anchorage. Detlef says he used three-quarter of his boat’s 1500ltr fuel supply.

To the uninitiated this might seem like an expensive exercise. The reality is that it is a cost-effective month-long holiday with the family in tow. Sure beats hiring a holiday shack.

HIGHS

• A safe boat for families
• Comfortably big bridge and indoor/outdoor living areas
• Good engineering and engine access
• Easy boat to dock and drive
• All the mod cons of home and obliging accommodation
• Fuel efficienc

LOWS

• No intercom
• No safety hatch over bridge ladder
• Lack of bowsprit means lines could chafe deck
• No inspection glass on fuel filters
• No fiddles on counter

Boat Specifications: 411 Meridian

MERIDIAN 411

OPTIONS FITTED Upgraded generator, tropical air-con, bridge and cockpit covers, foredeck sunpad, bridge entertainment system, Raymarine electronics kit, lower helm station, carpet runners, central vac, icemaker, bedding and more.

GENERAL

Material: GRP hull with foam-cored decks, saloon floor and hull sides

Length (overall): 13.95m

Beam: 4.25m

Draft: 1.13m in props

Deadrise: n/a Rec/max hp: 2 x 450hp

Weight: 11,340kg dry base hull and motors only

CAPACITIES

Fuel: 1500lt

Water: 570lt

Holding tank: About 200lt

Accommodation: 4+2

ENGINE

Make/model: Cummins 6BTA

Type: Injected inline six-cylinder diesel motor

Rated hp: 370hp @ 3000rpm

Displacement: 5.9lt

Weight: About 581kg

Drive (make/ratio): ZF 1.96:1

Props: Four-blade bronze