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MickS
04-05-2009, 07:04 PM
Time to upgrade the boat. What I'm looking for is a boat which is fishing friendly , capable of getting up creeks, while still being able to do the odd offshore blast, while being family friendly.

The Quintrex Bowriders seem to fit the bill, though I'm sure there are others that would fill the roll.

Open boats prefered for lure casting.

Any suggestions as to what to look at would be helpful.

Cheers

Mick

backlash08
04-05-2009, 07:08 PM
the perfect boat, someone elses!!
seriously though, not sure I can help with your criteria

cheers - Craig

Kleyny
04-05-2009, 07:17 PM
How far up the creeks and off shore are we talking?

IMO you lose too much room in the bow riders.

I would look at either centre console or side console.

Just put a bimini or T top on when you take the family out.

neil

MickS
04-05-2009, 07:40 PM
I live on the Sunshine Coast, so offshore to me is 6-10 nautical miles. Not interested in going furher,

Bowriders have the advantage of being able to turn the bowrider section into a casting platform.

The Quintrex Topenders look Ok, though lack some seating for the kids.

My current boat, a 4.5 mtr Nomad Elite tows very well, this year I have fished the Proserpine River, Peter Faust, as well as local waterways. It's a great boat to handle by myself, just not quite big enough for the Mrs and the Kids. I will be putting it on the market soon if anyone is interested. It's fully kitted out, and I can send detals if anyone is interested.

I have had a look at the Quintrex Range. I'm also interested to see whats available in glass.

ToXiCFiSH79
04-05-2009, 09:53 PM
Having just gone thru the boat finding experience, i couldn't find a "perfect boat" for us (Me, family, fishin buddies, dive buddies and budget) so i had to make a little compromise at every turn on each activity.

We settled for a half cabin whittley 2080 cruiser, its a nice riding glass boat that we can camp on, sleep in, has a loo etc to keep the missus happy, has enough room for a fish and a dive, but it is not what i pictured as my personal "perfect boat".

We needed to stick to an absolute $60k maximum (it was supposed to be $50k) and i wanted a new boat (dont ask)..

If i was to buy one purely for fishing and diving it would've prolly been a plate boat, like a bar-crusher, but to keep the missus happy it had to be more "comfort rich" so we changed to glass and revisited our options. It had to pull a skier and the normal biscuits/donuts plus have a loo for emergency use. We wanted to take it camping aswell, be able to dive out of it and fish out of it, sleep in it etc etc. All in all, i still love the boat, but give me a boat i can knock around a little and i would be heaps happier... The compromises for each activity are easy to see, but if i was truly just a hardcore fisho only, no diving etc i would seriously look at a centre/side console with a T-Top and its inherant nice wide casting/fishing areas. I am looking forward to taking our cruiser camping though, it will not only be our fun platform (fishing/skiing) but also our campsite! :-D

having said that, my mates dad has a 30' centre console that has ample power/seating and a loo below, but then again, its a 400k rig... *dreams* .

My advice - were i to do it all again;

1) List ALL the activities you want to do with your boat, in order of importance, highest to lowest.
2) List ALL the area's that you are unwilling to compromise on. (and the HP requirements to achive this)
3) Work out just how much hard work you will put the boat through in these area's (glass vs ally vs plate)
4) Take your top 5 areas that you will NOT compromise on and seek out the boats suitable to the task you have set the boat
5) Work out if you can afford it, and if not, work out a way that you can! ;)

Basically, map it out, on paper, talk to the missus if she has a say, talk to the kids, work out how long you will keep it and how much the kids really will play a part in the boating style you will have during that "keeper" period. I've come across a few sad stories where dad has bought a boat with the kids in mind (skiing/wakeboarding etc) only for them to become dis-interested teens quickly, and dad's stuck with a 18' bowrider that he wants to trade in on HIS boat... think carefully... and do this by mapping it all out then hunting down only the target boat setups. It's too easy to be roped into the latest shiny glass boat on special when you really know you need a plate boat etc etc. Everywhere there will be a bit of compromise, but stay strong to your planned map, and the boat will serve you well... Good luck in the hunt and lets us know where you decide...

finding_time
04-05-2009, 10:06 PM
MickS

Mate there is no way in hell i would spend my hard earned on a Quintrex or any other Telwater boat , whilst i'm sure they can build a good boat , i'm also sure they build some duds and if you are unlucky enough to buy one of the duds they will not want to know you once they have your money!! Do a search on this site for " quintrex problems " or Telwater problems"

ian

Try this

http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/showthread.php?t=134465&highlight=quintrex+cracking


or

http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/showthread.php?
t=68348&highlight=quintrex+cracking

or

http://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/showthread.php?t=142560&highlight=telwater+problems

ratbag's
05-05-2009, 03:32 PM
Hi Mick,
I went thru the same experience last year, I settled on a top ender, I have 2 kids that sometimes come out with my wife, on those days I add the bimini, extra seats & the family esky, few rods for us all to fish, & things to keep the kids happy. On the other days, it is serious fishing & comfortable for 3 blokes. I read the telwater stuff, aware of it & am very happy with my top ender. it was 3 yr old, 4 st & had the stuff I wanted & only 20hrs on the clock! My money well spent.
Good luck hunting & tight lines fishing.

WalFish
05-05-2009, 08:03 PM
Mick, we have just gone through a similar process of elimination in choosing our new boat. We had a Quintrex Freedom Sport 480, 2005 model with a 70hp Johnno 4 stroke. I bought it in 2006 as we had two young girls and I wasn't sure if they would be into the boating and fishing scene. We went for something comfortable and functional as I thought a hot tinny seat with no shade would surely turn them off the idea. The Quinny went well and served our purposes - crabbing and chasing bream, grunter and jack up the rivers and creeks. Out to the shoals to find a few mackerel and also to the reef (out from Lucinda) on the good days. The 4 stroke was great - quiet and a day on the water didn't cost you an arm and a leg in fuel. But now we are a serious boating and fishing family and the girls are a bit older (5 and 7 years old), its now time to upgrade. My preference would be a centre console or centre cabin, but again, the reason for upgrading was to make sure the girls are comfy on the odd overnighter and also a bt of cover for mum and dad when needed, so a half cabin was the end result. We are now waiting on the Formosa Tomahawk 580 and counting down the sleeps.

As others will explain here in various threds, there are problems with some of the Telwater products - I can happily say I certainly didn't have any trouble. I bought the boat for $23000, and after 3 years and 200 engine hours, I sold it the same day I advertised it for $22250. I am considering buying boats instead of shares - pretty good return considering. The Quinny just got too small as the skipper got more confident and started looking further offshore......

Good luck

WalFish

MickS
05-05-2009, 09:01 PM
Thanks for the replies. It's much appreciated. It gives me some more info on different boats to have a look at.

I have also heard about the problems with Telwater boats. That being said my last 3 boats have been Stacers, and never had a problem. My current boat is powered by a 40 hp Etec, which has never skipped a beat yet there have been some concerns raised over Etecs.A dealer told me on the weekend that Optimax had problems when first released, so I guess it can happen to any brand.

On the weekend I hope to have a look at some Savage boats. The same dealer has Whittley and Seajay boats as well. I'm tending t lean towards open boats as they provide more fishing space, I don't need overnight accommodation(at this stage)

One thing i don't understand. A Quintrex 590 Freedom Sport is rated to 150HP max, A Savage Bowrider about the same size is rated to 175Hp. How come such a big difference for what appears to be very much the same type of boat?

Upnorth73
04-06-2009, 03:16 PM
Hi Mick, thought I'd chime in with my 2 cents worth. I just recently bought a 2006 Quintrex Freedom sport and love it. Have my fair share of knockers saying the console/screen area takes up to much space. But those that have come out in it realize that is really a load of rubbish.
The boat rides really well for a 480 and yes there are certain quality issues about the neatness and finish of some welds but in my opinion is offset by the Millinium hull design. This alone is why I wanted a Quintex, they ride a lot better than most tinnies.
Another downside I think of Quintrex's is that they are generally underpowered. I can put up to a 90hp on the 480 (legally) where as a friends GS marine 480 is rated to 115. In saying that though it still performs nicely with the 80 Yammy, but if I could fit a 115, I would...
Cheers, Adam...

frankgrimes
04-06-2009, 04:32 PM
Go the poly mate - zero maintenance hull + soft ride.

Mick

Plastic_Magic
04-06-2009, 05:59 PM
Go the poly mate - zero maintenance hull + soft ride.

Mick


Cant stress that enough. Go for a test run and see what u think. The 4.8 Poly would be ideal or even the 4.5. Great boat.

Cheers PM

ragman
04-06-2009, 06:18 PM
I've a got a Bluefin Cobia 5.0. with a 90hp on it. its a great boat, can't reccomend it enough. Can get me nearly anywhere up in the shallows with th electric on front and can easily take 4 of us over to straddy camping for the weekend with all the gear. Been over to Moreton a few times in it no worries as well, Got a bimin on it for when the mrs comes out. hope that helps
Craig

Scalem
04-06-2009, 06:51 PM
I started looking at bowriders to 5m just like you, then the finance director wanted more room, and a place to read a book in total shade ... the girls wanted privacy so ended up with Triple 5 Yalta
Your ideas of a perfect boat initially might not be the boat you end up buying ;) But still happy with the result!!

Scalem

billfisher
04-06-2009, 07:04 PM
You could always go for two boats like I have done. My 4.1m Polycraft Challenger covers the estuary fishing and my 5.4m fiberglass runabout (with hardtop and clears) covers the outside fishing. I think it is rather difficult to get one boat that does both adequately. The cost is not much of an issue as the big boat was purchased seconhand in 1989 and doesn't owe me much money now.

BM
04-06-2009, 09:52 PM
Definitely no such beast as the "perfect boat"...

Lets see....

Need a flybridge of at least 40ft for cruising and entertaining.

Need a centre console for its fishability.

Need a ski boat for ski related activities.

Need a jetski for sheer fun on the water.

Perhaps one of those mega yachts that has the jetski and ski boat that tuck into the rear of the boat would be the go????

cheers and good luck in your search

thylacene
14-06-2009, 12:12 AM
Hi, we have just been through this exercise, and with the options available these days making a definite choice is difficult.

I work in an industry where requirements analysis is a way of life.

We have just purchased a 2006 Quintrex 540 with a 115HP 4 stroke Merc. Getting to this point was quite an exercise in requirements elicitation.

The discussion went something like this;

"If we had a boat, we could go fishing regularly" says my partner, "OK says I, I'll look around, what sort of dough do we spend", $8-10K comes the answer.

So off I went and did some research, and brought back the results. Then the requirements began to emerge.

"We will need something big enough for four adults to fish from"
"And, we will want to take ourselves (2 Adult, 2 Teens) and a couple of friends occasionally"
"And it has to be able to tow two teens on watersports equipment
And it would be nice to get to the shelf at Bermagui occasionally"

So adjusting the criteria, and taking into consideration the constraints that exist, we ended up with the following conditions that had to be met

The boat had to rated to carry at least six people
The Bowrider style appealed to the majority
We had a preference for a 4 stroke as holeshots are not that important, but peace and quiet is
We had to be able to tow it with a 4 cylinder Subaru

We looked around the yards, and researched specs on a range of boats that met the criteria, and even after reading all of the horror stories about Telwater, decided on a 2006 Quintrex 540 Bowrider, 4mm bottom, 2 mm sides with a 100 hour 115HP on a freshly serviced (bearings/brakes/lights trailer) that has some marks from being left in the water for 3 weeks, some paint bubbles and needing some minor upholstery repairs. We picked this up from a motivated seller for $26K, which after many comparisons seemed to be a relatively good price for the boat. Yes we ended up a long way from where we started, but given the multiple requirements, and considering that a commercial charter costs us around $350 for the four of us to go bottom bashing, we stretched ourselves a bit for the convenience.

We are likely to be able to get out on the water maybe 8 times a year, as between shift work and childrens sporting activities there are few available weekends, and the 200km tow to get to the ramp, it is no small undertaking.

All up we are very happy with the boat, the Subaru manages to pull it comfortably (see my other post) and the boat is a pleasure to ride in, althoguht we have not had it out in big seas (and not likley to in too much of a hurry).

Different strokes for different folks, YMMV