Trailcraft boats

[RICKTA]

Hi there,i was in the boatyard today having a look at some boats and climed aboard a 580 or 540 trailcraft can't remember exatly which one,i liked the whole layout of it all except the height of the sides, seemed quite low does anyone have one or been in one that can give me some info first hand on what they're like,ie ride&handling etc.thanks RICKTA.

[Stuart]

I thought they were a nice well built boat, that’s until I had a look at the video they send you of them building the boats. The way they cut and assemble the frames and stringers is shocking. I had a talk to a naval architect about this very method and told me that he had watched the CD as well and was horrified. He told me that their method reduces the strength by 70% in the frames. The take two pieces of flat alloy and weld them together at the keel by over lapping them. I’m not a boat designer or even a naval architect and I could see this was a very bad idea and a seriously week point for fatigue.

Stu

[brrbear]

I,ve had 2 and they are tough.I drive as hard as anyone and i've got a young bloke who brakes bricks that spent more time driving them then me and we have had no cracking or structural problems.
They are a wet boat and there paintwork is ordinary.
A good boat for the price.
bear

[RICKTA]

That will do me then,if i'm gunna pay good money for a boat i want it to be dry at least.

[Stuart]

brrbear

Maybe so mate but I wouldnt own one, if your happy then fine. Its not what you can see its what you cant that worries me.

Stu

[Tim_N]

You get what you pay for I suppose!

[Wayne_Red]

A lot of people make the mistake of comparing a production boats like the trailcraft and quinnies etc with custom built plate boats. You don't get something for nothing.
Like brrbear said, good boat for the price.
Regards wayne

[brrbear]

no worries stu I 've been in a stessel that split lucky to get back in .and some problems with a sportfish but not major.
I did pull the floor out of the 5m trailcraft to repair a fuel tank sender and had a good check under the deck.No probs that I could see.If u have any first hand experiences with cracks I would be interested.

let me know how much the navy approved vessel costs to get built
cheers bear

[sea-rash]

Be a little careful with some of the larger models. A number are over 2.5m beam and are likely to be illegal to tow without flags and signs. I know there are a lot of people who ignore this. It could be very interesting if there was an accident in relation to insurance.


Regards

Rob

[scungey]

Wayne is totally correct..you don't get anything for nothing.

From what I've gathered from my research over the years is that all alloy boats are essentially hand made except for the advent of plasma cutters etc. I guess it comes down to the individual integrity of the boys that are putting your rig together.

[timddo]

i got a trailcraft, the boat is dry, if you have an open tinnie, offcourse its gonna be wet, i think bbear has a runabout like mine, ( ive got bimini and clears, so the boat is dry. As for welding, all production tinnies are designed by engineers. I once had a tinnie, allycraft to be exact, pressed sides and 80% of the ribs broke after a few trips to moreton island (4m boat).
The best way to decide is take a ride in every boat and decide for yourself.

Question stuart, How do you know its 70% weaker, Has it been tested, i know engineers from one company will brag about another companies design, its all tactics.

[Stuart]

Yes it has been tested.

Stu

[timddo]

If it's been tested, they why the hell are they still building that way. no comment

[Steve A]

timddo,

I noticed that you mentioned you had an allycraft that broke it ribs. Can I ask how old was it. Just curious as I have just purchased a new 540 bowrider and is this something I should look out for as I am always out around Morton Is.

[P-ROCK]

I have a 6.4 trailcraft that takes a hell of a beating every time it goes out and yet to have a problem.Its 3 years old and a reasonably dry boat.

[Dicko]

A few years ago when boat hunting in the open style 4 1/2 to 5m range, I noticed the Trailcrafts were very low with there horsepower ratings compared to most others.

Dunno if that has changed or not recently.

[timddo]

Steve, The boat is 4meters, 1995, Centre consol- converted from tiller. We went out about 5 times to moreton island for sand crabbing, The ribs cracked but the hull was still alright. I now have a trailcraft 4.85 freestyle. It is a very solid boat. The thing that made the decision was th sealed deck. Haven taken it out to the 36fathoms off the goldcoast. I think the paint work is pretty plain and had a few corrision problems.

[SNAPPERCOFFIN]

Seen a few dodgy ones. Welds are grounded down and bogged over so who know how much weld is there?? Not much flotation in them and no way to get water out of the 2 outside chambers running the length of the hull if water should get in there. We can all do with more artificial reefs.
Save a few more dollars and buy a real plate boat.

[fish2relax]

hi there,
i was looking around and ended up putting a deposit on a trailcraft 540 profish last week after driving it on Saturday. i must say that i was impressed with the boat. on Saturday here in Sydney we took it out and it was blowing 35 knts. for a open boat it was very dry. the only real spray we got was when were at the dock with the stern into the wind. handled the messy chop well with no crashing and banging.
Your right about the hp ratings though, a little on the light side. max hp on the 540 is 115hp.
i looked at TABS,quintrex and Japalo boats.
cheers

[CamH]

I've had a Trailcraft 5.6m centre console for 4 years now and flogged it and never had any problems with it. I had a 4.5m Quintrex millennium hull before that. I always say it is like comparing a commodore to a land rover when it comes to toughness but as for the ride I reckon the millennium hull made no difference whatsoever.

[brrbear]

some good advise from guys that actually own boats there ricksta you will sort out some facts from this post.

I f u are worried about getting wet clears are an option.