Jeanneau Merry Fisher 1295 Fly Review (2023 Edition) by Aquaholic

On Deck

For a 40-footer, the Jeanneau Merry Fisher 1295 Fly serves up a surprising spread of exterior lounging and sociable deck space. The cockpit is generous and uncluttered thanks to the outboard installation, which frees up the entire aft deck for storage and social use. Lift the hatch here and you’ll find a cavernous lazarette that stretches far beneath the deck. There are beefy gas struts on the lid, giving the impression that someone at Jeanneau expects it to get a fair bit of use.

There’s a drop-down balcony to port, the kind of feature you might expect on something a bit more superyacht adjacent so you can extend your deck real estate at the touch of a button.

Wide asymmetric side decks favour the starboard side, allowing quick and secure passage forward. The foredeck is sunk and cleverly contoured into a lounging space, with backrests, cushions, and a centre infill to create one massive sun pad. It's a versatile space that transforms from a conversation pit to full-on tanning territory.

The flybridge is accessed via a stainless ladder and offers another great social area. The aft section holds a dinette with an adjustable backrest that flicks forward to create co-pilot seating. There’s a sink, a fridge, and a barbecue up here too, plus full engine controls at the upper helm. The radar arch and nav gear are mounted to a neat stainless steel mast.

Canvas work includes removable cockpit canopies and a bimini frame up top, all of which can be stowed to keep things open and breezy when the sun’s out.

Step through the sliding glass door and you’re into a surprisingly spacious saloon, with a distinct move away from the Merry Fisher’s roots in pocket cruisers. This is clearly where Jeanneau has started nudging the brand upwards in terms of finish and function.

The pale wood cabinetry and bright overheads keep the space feeling light and modern. The galley is linear, located to port with plenty of stowage in lockers and drawers. There’s a gas hob with sink beneath a hinged cover, drawer-style fridges, and a cutlery drawer to keep the bits and pieces in check. It's all very get-at-able.

Opposite, a large dinette offers flexible use. The table is mounted on a height-adjustable pedestal and drops to form a double berth with infill cushions. Combined with the three cabins below, you’re looking at potential sleeping for eight.

Large windows, slim mullions, and low-set glazing combine to make the space feel open and light. Even the TV gets a party trick, rising from a concealed panel and disappearing back into the cabinetry when not in use.

The lower helm is set to starboard, with a side access door that makes line handling and docking much easier single-handed. The joystick and throttle placement are thoughtful, allowing the helmsman to stand outside the helm door and remain in full control.

Owner's Cabin

Forward on the lower deck, the owner's cabin sits under the foredeck with excellent natural light courtesy of long hull windows and a deck hatch above (albeit currently covered by sunpad cushions in this instance). The berth is island-style, surrounded by storage in hanging lockers and overhead lockers, with AV wiring in place. The look is neat and bright, with functional cabinetry and easy access around the bed.

The ensuite is compact with a separate shower stall and toilet tucked behind a full-height door. Good use of space here means there’s no need to clamber over anything to get into bed or access the heads.

Guest Accommodation

Aft of the companionway, two guest cabins mirror each other port and starboard. Each is arranged with twin single berths, and both offer infill cushions to convert the beds into doubles. They extend deep beneath the saloon seating above, which not only frees up floorspace but improves headroom at the cabin entrance.

The port cabin has the slightly better headroom of the two, though both are easily usable for adults and properly enclosed. Each has a hanging locker, hull windows, and ventilation. They feel more like proper guest spaces than the token offerings often found in sub-45ft boats.

The shared day heads is positioned off the central lobby, again with a separate shower cubicle rather than a wet room setup. The whole lower deck layout has been optimised to sleep 6 in comfort without nicking too much space from the saloon.

The Jeanneau Merry Fisher 1295 Fly runs a triple Yamaha outboard setup, each a 300hp 4.2-litre V6. With a combined output of 900hp on the transom, performance is sharp. Top speed is around 40 knots, with a comfortable cruising band at about 25 knots.

These engines are known quantities: reliable, and serviceable without the need to lift up deck panels. Range hovers around 200 nautical miles at cruise, depending on load and sea state, but this setup gives you the flexibility to cover proper distances and still keep things user-friendly.

The helm features twin Garmin MFDs, Yamaha instrumentation, Zipwake automatic trim tabs, a bow thruster, and joystick control, making the boat highly manoeuvrable despite its size. With throttles mounted outboard of the helm and the joystick within reach from the helm door, it’s a setup designed to make close-quarters work about as stress-free as it gets.

There’s no getting around it - triple outboards will cost a bit to run, but they also eliminate the need for sterndrives or shafts, and they make winterisation, storage, and maintenance a great deal simpler. Outboards offer lower servicing costs per engine compared to inboards, and being able to tilt them fully out of the water helps reduce long-term corrosion.

The gas galley keeps systems simple, and the absence of a generator or chiller units (unless optionally specified) means fewer mechanicals to manage. Jeanneau’s modular build keeps components accessible and service-friendly, which should translate to less costs, less time on the hardstand and more time afloat.

Berthing costs for a vessel of this size can vary significantly depending on location and marina quality, expect annual berthing fees to range considerably, from basic marina facilities to premium marinas that can exceed £6,000 annually.  

Annual servicing for the three outboards, antifouling, anodes, polishing, and miscellaneous maintenance tasks could reasonably total between £2,500-£4,000 depending on how hands-on the owner chooses to be. Factoring in these elements, annual running costs for a Merry Fisher 1295 can be realistically expected to fall within roughly 4–6% of the yacht’s initial purchase price. This provides a rule-of-thumb for budgeting, comfortably below the often-cited but rarely accurate "10% rule". Careful attention to location choice, proactive maintenance, and conscientious handling of fuel efficiency can all keep these running costs toward the lower end of that range. 

The European top rivals of the Jeanneau Merry Fisher 1295 include the Prestige F4.3 or the Galeon 400 Fly, both popular choices for family cruising in Europe. For U.S. buyers, rivals to the Jeanneau Merry Fisher 1295 include the Boston Whaler 405 Conquest and the Cruisers 42 Cantius, both well-suited to family cruising and weekend adventures.

The Merry Fisher 1295 Fly is the largest model Jeanneau has produced under the Merry Fisher name, and it shows. While still within the boundaries of a family cruiser, it’s clearly pushing into territory that might tempt buyers from sportfly or express cruisers.

It’s got the volume and versatility to support a range of uses – from coastal cruising to week-long family trips – and does so with a balance of usability and flair. There are no gimmicks here. The drop-down balcony, convertible dinette, triple outboard layout and user-friendly helm design, all make perfect sense for how people actually use their boats.