new boat dilema

[jughead]

I am looking at buying a barra style punt but after hearing a few different stories I cant decide on which brand. I initially had a 400 hornet trophy in mind but have found that I can go for a bigger explorer 420 for a lot less money, the 420 makocraft tournament, and I have heard that seajay make an excellent boat in the same mould that is probably a bit deeper than the explorer and the makocraft.

Can anyone provide me with advice on what to buy. I am hearing that seajay make a good boat and has caught my interest as does the makocraft but the quintrex brand sells itself. Any feedback would be much appreciated.

Cheers

[mamu]

Jughead,
I have just been through the same dillema.
After 2 months of thorough investigatve reaserch looking at hull styles,brands,packages etc i came to the conclusion that most of the major players were'nt as great as their ads claimed them to be.
A good look at the structual ribs,the placement and spacing of these ribs, the sheet thickness, full pressings over "bump" pressings in the botom all play a major part in the overall performance of the boat.
I did all the pavement pounding and came up with what you have plus a couple more.
Makocraft are chosen by more pro crabbers and the like as they are built to last by Alf Stessl and the quantity of ribs is testiment to that, Sea Jay has a good name but I personaly did not get the oppertunity to go right over one of their models plus they carry a premium price tag which I couldnt justify.
Blue fin are well up there for build quality but they are top end priced (the most expensive by far)
My choice is Aquamaster in Browns Plains, Brisbane, Paul met me after hours took, the time to show me various stages in boat construction, talked to me like a human being (unlike 90% of the dealers) and did not once put the hard sell on me. His boats were cheaper by a big margin and also the best constructed.
His were the only boats that ALL seams were fully welded not stiched like the rest. Overall I was very impressed with his product and the price.
I know people that have one of his early boats and they only problem they have had is the battery leaked acid and ate a pin hole in the bottom sheet, they took it back to get repaired and it was done free of charge!
I hope this info saves you some of the leg work that I did, but at the end of the day the all of the boats you have mentioned will serve you well and return a reasonable price come time to trade up time.
A bit of advice, dont kid yourself about its intended purpose,if you want an all rounder,or a bay and estuary rig, or whatever, say that to the manufacturer and then you shouldnt be disapointed with what you get.
A lot of people (myself included) get swept away in the excitment of buying a new toy and get delusional about winning the fraser classic in a bathtub! those people usually end up with somthing that they dont use , the whole exercise was a waste of time and money and they end up selling it for a massive loss.( I am still recovering from that)
HAPPY HUNTING.
P.S. I dont work for Aquamaster in case anyone is wondering.
Mamu