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View Full Version : Views on 4.35 open tinnies



DB-11
13-03-2005, 03:38 AM
I'am buying a tinnie soon 4.35 .What are peoples opinion on all the different brands .The best and the worst .

MulletMan
13-03-2005, 07:25 AM
You really have to let everybody know what your intended areas of operations are - like the open Bay, rivers, creeks etc? Also the intended HP of the motor etc. Whereas a 4.35 metre tinny may be fine for down around the southern Bay islands, it may not be the ideal rig if you plan to operate more in the open waters to the north. With this size boat, any winds above 15 knots and seas in the one metre range can make for a very unstable and rough ride. Of course, your own experience level is extremely important.

Nathanrb4
13-03-2005, 07:31 AM
Mate i`ve got a 4.35 seajay centre console which i`m happy with. Like all tinnies its a rough ride in the chop but i take it out to the islands and in close reefs around townsville and have never had any problems. Make sure you ask LOTS of questions and test drive anything your thinking seriously about!
Another thing that i now know is to make sure you get it from a dealer from with a good rep. I didn`t and its like getting blood from a stone when you need stuff done. Last but not least you`ve got what has to be one of the best places to get reviews and info on anything you wanna know right here so if the dealer doesn`t explain something or you think your being fed BS jump on and ask.
Good luck and keep us posted!
nathan

mackmauler
13-03-2005, 08:06 AM
ocean cylinder or fisher in the best section.

billfisher
13-03-2005, 09:06 AM
Beware of the lesser known brands. I was talking to an aluminium boat repairer who said he had to weld several examples of one such brand which had cracked hulls. Make sure the one you choose has plenty of supporting ribs and that they are in complete contact with the hull. Also compare the hull sheet thickness, the thicker the better. I have heard Clark tinnies are very strong.
All of them are going to be hard riding in choppy conditions.

stu68
13-03-2005, 04:07 PM
Hi db I've got 4.2 widebody quintrex with a 30 hp on the back its a great boat very stable,I've had no problems at all.After seeing my mates new fisher,that would be my NO. 1 pick well built and very strong.

megafish71
13-03-2005, 06:52 PM
Stay away from Quintrex. Mass produced rubbish, I wouldn't recommend a quintrex to anybody.

Ron

billfisher
14-03-2005, 02:42 AM
The worst thing I have heard about the Quintrex is that they are "mass produced". I don't understand what is actually wrong with this, this is the way most goods have been made since Henry Ford built the Model T. Mass production tends to give a more consistent product and better quality control, as well as a lower price.
My 3.85m Quintrex tinnie seems to be strongly built with seven massive ribs in contact with the hull. The price was very good compared to other makes as well.

finga64
14-03-2005, 03:11 AM
Good one Billfish..
My dad has had a 3.9m Quinny since 1974. it was second hand when he got it and it still is in great nick. He uses it all the time in both fresh and brinny water and travels all around the place with it and the old 1 tonner with the camper on the back. The only split in the hull is where some clown hit him up the side when he was turning left into a intersection. The prang dinted the gunnel and split the aluminium for about 2cm. No cracks in the original welding. #??? If they still built 'em like that I'd have one. [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]
Mass produced sometimes means the problems have been sorted out...My old HZ Kingswood was mass produced and I'd never part with it.. [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

megafish71
14-03-2005, 06:07 AM
I have my reasons, and lets say Im a very disatisfied X customer

FLATHEAD1
14-03-2005, 06:16 AM
For the same price you could pick up a 4.55 polycraft hull tiller steer. Worth looking at.

There is currently a lot of dissatified Quintrex owners on this and other sites. Might be worth avoiding until such time as they get there act together.

Cheers
FH1

aussiebasser
14-03-2005, 11:04 AM
Also just as many, if not more but less vocal, happy Quintrex owners around here. There are plenty of 4.35 open hulls on the market, but like everything else, you get what you pay for. It's a bit like asking advice on a 2.0 litre car. You could go from Hyundai to BMW and everything in between. I'd put Ally Craft at the Hyundai level and Quintrex at the Honda level. Custom made plate jobs start from there up.

billfisher
14-03-2005, 12:02 PM
That's right Aussiebasser, and people should remember that Quintrex put a huge number of boats, so you are bound to get a few that have some quality problems. This is what the warranty is for. I doubt if these problems are as frequent as a lot of other manufacturers when expressed as a percentage of boats made.

NeilD
14-03-2005, 01:36 PM
Stacer put together a reasonably priced and well built 4.35. I would also look at the poly's as the owners seem to rave about them.
My Quinnie 3.85 is a '95 model and has had no problems at all.
Neil

aido
14-03-2005, 01:55 PM
maybe the problem with 14 foot tinnies is people expect
too much from them. i'm not an expert on tinnies, though
i did have a quinny tinnie years ago.
the fancifull names given them cause some of the problems.

http://users.tpg.com.au/adessaix/myquinny.jpg
my quinny was geat for what i bought it for,
fishing the port hacking and georges rivers south of sydney

michael_k
14-03-2005, 04:32 PM
db-11
i own a 435 stessl angler , it is the best ally boat i have ever owned,ive had stacer quintrex and allycraft.it is smooth riding in 35kt 1m wind chop,i can actually run flat out into chop comfortably.another mate of mine has same boat and he fishes 20mile offshore.
mick

mackmauler
14-03-2005, 06:22 PM
mick, is that 35 knot wind? :o my question whos gonna break first, you or the boat!

Sportfish_5
14-03-2005, 06:43 PM
Sounds like a magic carpet ride ;D ;D ;D ;D

Bowser
15-03-2005, 06:06 AM
DB-11, have a look at the Stessco range of boats. I bought a 4.45 tiller steer with full floor and gunnels and a hi tech 30 hp yammie for thousands less than any other boat on the market. They are much stronger then the others with full ribs and floor supports along with thicker aluminium in both bottom and sides then most of the competition. make sure you get the gunnels as they don't add a lot to the price but repay you with strength, solidarity and assist in fighting big fish by giving you something to lean against in an upright position. I haven't put any side rails on as I haven't found areason to use them as yet. I have since converted mine to a centre console and couldn't be happier. Great boat for anywhere in the bay and offshore provided, and boat size doesn'[t matter here, you are sensible about the conditions you use it in. The only thing I would change now is go for a bigger engine although I am still getting 40 kph ground speed which is fast enough for me.

Mick
15-03-2005, 09:44 AM
I have an older model quinny (4.3m) that has a scratch or a ding every sqaure 5cm around the entire boat and she doesn't even look like coming unstuck. Sturdy as! Once used for Sydney water police many moons ago. Whenever my service person looks at it he sighs, smiles and says "they don't make em like they used to."

aido
15-03-2005, 09:57 AM
yeah, they don't make 'em like they used to. too true.
i'd bet my old quintrex special from 20 years ago is still running around.
looking at her pic now, i wish i still had her. :'( :'( :'(

DB-11
15-03-2005, 04:15 PM
DB-11. Thanks all for your advice . So far I have narrowed it down to 2 , a stessl and seajay .I fish the Bribie area and sometimes out a little but not to far . I'am hanging out for the Brisbane Tinnie and tackle show . Hope to score a good deal there . [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Kev_McC
16-03-2005, 03:02 AM
I recently looked around for an open boat that could fish small creeks while still being capable of working the islands when the weather allows. After a lot of research I ended up with a quintrex topender, and am glad that I did. I've been in plenty of other hulls of this size that don't take the chop as well, and I'm yet to come across another boat as stable for a lurecaster (punts aside). You'll see a lot of them in the top half of Qld, but very rarely will you see a second hand one come up for sale. I know plenty of quintrex owners and none of them have had problems (yet). They don't dominate the boating market JUST because of their glossy brochures. I've heard similar opinions plenty of times about poor build qualities in Stessl boats, and particularly about edge trackers. I flogged one for years and it was faultless. I never met another owner that wasn't happy or that had had any problems. Listen to opinions from people that have owned hulls, but try and identify the hearsay - it's often not grounded in reality.
I've fished in some very well built plate boats, they offer good fit out options and plenty of strength. They're also very heavy and no more stable for the lure caster. The strength thing gets overplayed a bit in small boats from my perspective - I'm not intending on being out there when only a fully welded 4mm plate hull will hold together. Sure, you can get caught out, but most hulls are going to get you home if you're careful. The other boats I looked seriously at were the Stessl angler and truck range. Stessl build quality is very good also and they seem open to most modifications you'll be able to dream up. Good prices for the trucks also.
If you're going to be fishing creeks and rivers all the time then most of the established manufacturers are going to fit the bill and be hard to separate. You should then spend the money on the fitout that suits your fishing style, and a decent trailer. The trailer can make the same contribution to your fishing enjoyment as the boat!
good luck

megafish71
16-03-2005, 03:56 AM
Hey Kev, no speculation or here say from me mate. Quintrex is crap and so is the back up provided from the company, all I can say lets hope that you don't have a problem with your quintrex hull while its under warrenty, and if you do, good luck getting it fixed.

Ron

Kev_McC
21-03-2005, 02:51 AM
Not pooing your experience Ron, I was just trying to make the point that it's good to be wary about the "...I know a bloke who's brother's mate's mate had a seajay and it had heaps of problems" hand-me-down comments. As soon as you ask questions about boats and brands you get heaps of conflicting points of views. You're an ex-owner so your opinion on the matter is very credible in my view.
I've had a (admittedly small) problem with a modification that I requested in my quinnie, but the company fixed it immediately with no fuss, and I was happy.
kev

DR
21-03-2005, 08:04 AM
i have a 4.3 Webster twinfisher & would put it as equal to a few better than most. www.websterstwinfisher.com.au
cheers

basserman
21-03-2005, 02:08 PM
well i have a quintrex 385 and i think their qulity control really bites as mine was brought with a 2" of weald not done
need to say the help or lack off i got of the place i brought her from was bad (was told they were too busy and come back in six weeks and ohh tough luck mate) however one phone call to quintrex saw them organise some one in my area to wealdi it that day ;D
would i buy another quintrex? proble not apart from a topender
do i like my quintrex? Yep sure do i have now modifyed it how i want and think it is a TOP boat ;D
one thing i have learnt but and that is go over the boat three time your self and have another three poeple go over it before buying anything ;)