Andy McCutcheonMeridien 459 - Review
September 7th 2007 00:40
Meridian 459
“Prime Meridian”
Are the Brunswick Corporations newest range of luxury cruisers going to be prime movers in the Australian market?
A late sunny summer afternoon on Queenslands Gold Coast set the backdrop for a test of Meridian’s new 459 motoryacht.
Meridians, retailing in Australia under the dealer label of the Avante Group also provide Bayliner and Maxum products in their smaller ranges under the umbrella of the American boat building giant Brunswick Corporation, located in Arlington Washington USA.
A test for the Meridian 459 was set up locally through Greg Wright who operates the Gold Coast based Avante dealer located at Mariners Cove in the Marina Mirage complex.
When arriving to board the vessel, I was fortunate to meet David Hazlett the Australian importer for all of Brunswick’s brands in Australia, who was vacationing on the Sunshine Coast and had made his way down for the day.
In a brief interview, I thought I would make the most of David’s availability and get a sense of Avantes future plans for Brunswick’s portfolio here.
David began with a brief history of the parent company in the United States outlining their current plans for future expansion onto both coasts of America, enabling them to capitalize on specialized product lines and more efficient shipping to global markets.
When asked specifically about the Meridians domestically, David mentioned that the first model arrived on the shores of Australia in July of 2004 and with increased market demand for good quality family boats, their awareness and interest level by the public has grown over the past two years significantly.
While dodging the direct question of actual sales figures throughout the Avante group of dealers Australia wide, he did pacify me briefly by saying that “they were going well” and had generated quantifiable interest at all the major boat shows over the past two years.
“Fair enough” I said as Greg Wright poked his head into the main saloon with a turkey sanga and several bottles of water ready to get underway.
We made our way to the flybridge, which at the time of testing was fitted with a bimini and full set of clears allowing the breeze to flow through freely while staying comfortably shaded from the sun. The flybridge itself is a very roomy space with a starboard L shaped lounge opposite a preparation area, fridge and additional seating.
Many boats I test, even larger ones aim to maximize their seating capability while compromising on comfort through the use of vertical seat backs.
The Meridian however cleverly combines generous seating with comfortable raked seat backs and a helm seat to die for that is both ergonomic as well as functional incorporating wrap around styling, fold back bolster and plenty of leg room for even the biggest blokes.
The instrument cluster, comprising top of the range chrome bezel Faria gauges and a composite wood grained trim kit fit well with the aesthetics of the boat and at the time of testing the boat was only fitted with a Northstar dedicated depth sounder and VHF radio citing that, “customers generally like to package electronics to suit their own personal boating needs”.
The throttles that fire the pair of turbocharged Caterpillar 370B engines are not exclusively electronic but rather have a short manual linkage to a control box that then sends an electronic message to the engines.
This is the best of both worlds for boaties who like the feel of direct linkage. This models lack of an auto synchronizer however will require you to work the throttles independently to attain equal rpm in both engines.
As I brought the throttles forward and the boat eased onto the plane I was able to put it through its paces early. A northeast wind blowing almost beam on heading for the seaway gave me an opportunity to test the effectiveness of the trim tabs that worked flawlessly at straightening the vessel up and holding fast.
As I played with both speed settings and trim, I found that 2500rpm and 20kts consuming a combined 100lph seemed to be this boats sweet spot. It cornered effortlessly carving the seas around navigation markers and the wheel was relatively light at cruise speed.
Winds on the day were blowing in excess of 20kts and with an outgoing tide and incoming wind situation, seas at the Southport heads were heaping up ferociously on the bar and as we ventured out the channel alongside a 60’ plus Sunseeker who turned back early, I made the decision based on safety to follow suit.
As I turned the vessel through 180 degrees the 3m swell beam on had little effect on the maneuverability and the absence of slewing in a following sea provided an air of confidence in the boats sea worthiness.
As we returned to the Broadwater, we turned north and rounded Wavebreak Island coming full circle past the jetty at the Grand Hotel where the extremely low tide forced us to slow the boat right down, raise the stern and creep across the intersection marker showing a workable depth of 2.3ft. We cleared the underwater shallows without touching and resumed speed down the main channel towards Marina Mirage.
After a good run, I passed the controls back over to Greg Wright who placed the rudder in the neutral position and guided the boat back onto the jetty with only the use of the throttles and combined bow and stern thruster units.
When the boat was stationary on the jetty, we were able to take a closer look at the interior features but before I get into specifics, I can say with absolute confidence that this is one of the most well thought out boats I have been on in awhile and here are just a few of the stand outs for me personally.
Firstly, the transom and swim platform on this boat complete with the optional bench seat / storage box and hidden swim ladder combine clever ingenuity in concealing power outlets, cords and wash down attachments behind a pair of swing out FRP cover plates making it both functional and aesthetically pleasing.
Moving forward onto the aft deck is self draining storage tubes for the large fenders needed to moor this boat, again concealed under non-skid covers that double as seats, steps and generally workable area.
The entire aft deck area is a plethora of concealed storage units all containing self-draining moulded polyethelene inserts for a very clean look. Another feature of this aft deck area is fully tinted sliding door access to the aft owners cabin and through design forethought this configuration provides a very intimate space for owners to gain respite from the goings on in the remainder of the vessel.
As you move up the steps forward, you enter another functional entertaining area complete with ergonomic bench seating and a service area with beverage storage and an ice-maker all beneath a moulded FRP canopy that houses a radar and antennae topside and is enclosed on both sides by acrylic wind doors and shrouded with canopy clears. This entertainment area also features a pedestal dining table that stows away neatly beneath the seat cushions.
Further forward from this entertainment area are the set of three steps leading to the flybridge and with keeping in the often times “social order” of boating one of the most striking features of this boat are the separated areas where groups of six or more can gather to be part of the larger group visually, but enjoy the intimacy of smaller social sub group conversation as is often the case.
Below decks will certainly impress the most discerning buyer as lush carpeted floors in the main saloon compliment a high gloss timber finish, butter soft leather lounges and air conditioned ambiance. On the starboard side an L shaped leather settee surrounds a highly polished timber table that extends nearly it’s full length towards an aft starboard entertainment unit with state of the art Sharpe LCD TV/ CD/ DVD and karaoke unit.
The port side represented by the same butter soft leather combines a full pull out lounge and lazy boy chair complete with extendable leg rest and a mini-bar / magazine rack that is cleverly hidden within the arm of the chair.
Next to the starboard lounge is the door to the owners cabin aft.
The owners cabin is also luxuriously appointed with highly glossed timberwork and exacting joinery. One notable point is that I was hard pressed to find one sharp corner in the entire boat and this is exemplified in the owner’s suite with soft lines and ergonomically moulded edges whether in timber, corian or fibreglass, providing a safe, aesthetically pleasing interior space.
There were generous amounts of usable storage throughout and separation of the toilet and shower abridged by a sink / make-up table ensures both male and female compatibility when readying themselves.
The forward cabin comprises an island bed with inner spring pillow top mattress that is uniquely cut enabling you to lift and reveal a large polyethelene lined storage bin below. Further storage is accessed via drawers at the base of the island and alongside the narrowing bow section of the vessel. It is well catered for both in natural light via a screened deck port as well as incandescent light fixtures.
The forward head adjoins the guest cabin and while it combines the toilet and shower, the arched acrylic shower screen gives it a truly up-market feel with a mirrored vanity and moulded sink and storage below.
Slightly aft of the guest quarters to port lies the galley.
Many of you who have read my boat test articles will know that I am one of those blokes who is no stranger to all things epicurean and the galley design of the Meridian 459 is laid out exactly as any good galley should be with heaps of storage and positioning of the sink, refrigerator and cooker forming a triangle.
The microwave is adjacent to the fridge and up above the counter maximizing workable space. Long spans of corian countertop between appliances make the cookies job a breeze. Clean up is facilitated in a larger than normal sink and both the sink and cooker are concealed by corian inserts that double as additional workspace when not in use.
The floor of the galley is matte finished teak and holly with a lift away panel that opens up even more storage in the form of opposing drawers below the floor in otherwise unusable space.
Another clever idea that extends from the galley area is revealed below the stairs leading up to the main saloon that opens to a massive space under the floor housing a washer and dryer unit.
Clever and very well thought out are just a couple of the adjectives that flowed naturally from my lips when leaving this vessel and I wish Greg Wright and David Hazlett the best of luck with the Meridian product in Australia. If you are in the 45’-50’ market the Meridians are well worth the look and pricing at $818,000.00 is probably the best superlative of all to describe the boat.
Text by Andy McCutcheon 
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