Quintrex Renegade 420 Offshore Review

[stevej]

nothing wrong with willy weather i use it. they all pull from bom anyway
just have 2 apps and check with the local marine rescue when you log on to head out

[catshark]

just watched a vlog on a 460 renegade going wide of victoria for tuna, he covered 117klm for 38 litres of fuel.
i cant pull the link but its Paul Malov fishing.

[stevej]

Well it isn’t exactly surprising you can get offshore, what were people using in the 60s 70s 80s
4.5m quintrex fish raiders fish abouts and so on

Yeah there were fibreglass boats about but plenty were fishing outside and even going out wide in these small boats

Grand Father use to fish for Hapuka in New Zealand a few km off shore in a row boat and dad after him in a 14 timber boat with a seagul engine

200k Haines with twin 150s are a recent thing comparatively

Just be as prepared as you can so not relying on luck

[Giveitacrack]

Did you have water come over the sides? my guess is the answer is no, higher sides come with negative issues too, catch the wind more, cost more to build, not always the right height to lean against, simply making a boat "deeper" does not necessarily increase its safety.

Crossing the “Cleveland Bar” in poor conditions in a 420 Renegade -yes water over the sides.Was it enough to sink it - no but it was enough to trade-in on a deeper sided boat considering the boat in question usually has kids on board and the run back from Peel Island was worse than anticipated.Cross chop,
wind against tide.

[Andy56]

Crossing the “Cleveland Bar” in poor conditions in a 420 Renegade -yes water over the sides.Was it enough to sink it - no but it was enough to trade-in on a deeper sided boat considering the boat in question usually has kids on board and the run back from Peel Island was worse than anticipated.Cross chop,
wind against tide.

There is a noticeable difference between a 460 and a 420 as far as high sides go. If your not sure, are a procrastinator or want to be doubly sure, go the 460. I personally didnt want to spend the extra. My original plan was to ship it OS where PPB slop is non existent

But then, if you are going to spend close to $30,000, you can get a haines hunter 445 CC knock off, fully decked out for the same doe.

[gazza2006au]

4.2 to 4.6 world of difference, 4.2 meter boats usually don't have a splash well so your open to anything coming over the back, usually when u go bigger u also go wider and deeper, with a 4.2 wide gunnels cost a bit extra or may not even be in the deal the wide gunnels add a lot of strength to a tinny

its the chop that is awful than when u throw in big swell with big chop on the top it becomes very unsafe

[stevej]

Quintrex have changed the transom decks on all renegades to make it higher with more floatation and a well in most models

420 is standard with side decks

[Giveitacrack]

There is a noticeable difference between a 460 and a 420 as far as high sides go. If your not sure, are a procrastinator or want to be doubly sure, go the 460. I personally didnt want to spend the extra. My original plan was to ship it OS where PPB slop is non existent

But then, if you are going to spend close to $30,000, you can get a haines hunter 445 CC knock off, fully decked out for the same doe.

Thanks Andy56. I have never planned to buy a 420, I have just been a passenger in a few 420’s.I am looking at a 460 with a 70/75 or 490 with a 90.

[DaveR]

4.2 to 4.6 world of difference, 4.2 meter boats usually don't have a splash well so your open to anything coming over the back, usually when u go bigger u also go wider and deeper, with a 4.2 wide gunnels cost a bit extra or may not even be in the deal the wide gunnels add a lot of strength to a tinny

its the chop that is awful than when u throw in big swell with big chop on the top it becomes very unsafe

Quintrex updated the Renegades in the last few months dramatically increasing the size of the splash wells in the cut-out transom models (420 and 440) and the 460 and up now come with the high motorwell as standard (the high motorwell design itself has also been revised).

Also regarding size, while the 440 is a decent amount larger than a 420, the step up to the 460 is huge, they have extremely high sides by comparison and are clearly intended for more serious bay work. The 460s also really benefit from the maximum 75hp given their size.

[Ah Me Ting]

When I was looking for my boat I was looking for a decent review on these boats, especially offshore capability, and couldn't find the information I wanted so I thought I would do one to help others who may consider buying one.

I would have loved a larger boat at first as I was restricted by budget and storage and also was concerned at the offshore capability as this is the fishing I loved. One thing I love is that the renegade fits in most garages. Also In my opinion is a very capable offshore boat in the right conditions.

I have had mine 6 months now and have used it most weekends. The majority of my fishing (maybe 75% or more) has been offshore. In saying that the furtherest out I have ventured was about 13km (no need to go further as I get most of my fish in close anyway).

Now just on a side topic of fishing offshore for the next two paragraphs, I have read post of other boaties saying its irresponsible to go outside in smaller boats and stories of towing a boat back and somehow linked that to it being small. Earlier this year I went out chasing Mackeral from Mooloolaba in my Renegade and saw about 7 boats being towed back in by coast guard or other boaties and not one was worth under 100 grand and not one had a donk under 150hp and all looked relatively new. That would be like me saying I'm safer in my renegade which just isn't the case. My point is outboards are mechanical and subject to break down like any other piece of equipment.

In relation to the above my top 4 things that I think anyone who ventures off shore should do but especially if considering in your renegade are;
1. wear your lifejackets not have them stowed. Look what happened at Caloundra the other night. Boat that sank did most things right but were not wearing life jackets. If you read the story dad and mate took turns holding 7 yo son out of the water. All I can think is they sank too fast to reach life jackets. In NSW it is compulsory I believe and should be in QLD also. I have the pull chord ones that inflate so I don't even notice they are on and I make everyone wear them.
2. Join the coastguard $75 in Qld and covered by all coastguards in the state. Once joined you can log all your trips on the coastguard trip watch website. Well and truly worth the money.
3. Have all the safety equipment. Two things I would point out is your EPIRB and radio. EPIRB - all I can say is pay the extra for the GPS model. The others I think have a 1km radius. Have you ever tried to find something on the water in the dark when you didn't know the exact location. For smaller boats I carry a handheld UHF radio as I don't go out that far and to be honest I've never lost phone reception
4. Be anal about checking the weather. I use seabreeze, willyweather and Meteye (BOM forecast) and check up to launching the boat. And if you start heading out and things are completely different from predicted don't be a hero and feel obliged to keep going, just turn around and go home.

Anyway back to review

I went the tiller steer because I wanted the extra room. I packaged mine with a 50hp Evinrude Etec. I have mentioned this in my other post and absolutely love it. My advice on your package is go maximum HP. If you can't afford it put off buying and save. Many dealers package with a smaller outboard to make them more affordable and they'll tell you they go well. And they are probably not lying if tested on flat water in a river with no gear at all. But add your fishing gear, extra fuel and a mate or two and the results are different. Also particular brands perform better than others, watch this as in my opinion seemed the fairest comparison I could find . When you watch I will say I have nothing against Yamaha motors and would buy one myself on a larger boat but all the research I conducted made me believed they are under gunned in smaller models but thats just my opinion.

Stability is exceptional. At times we have accidentally ended up on one side of the boat landing fish or whatever and I hardly feel much rock at all. also handles extremely well offshore. I was off mooloolaba in 1.8m swell, above my accepted limit, but I wasn't going far and not once felt unsafe. In saying that for this that want to venture far and if it really gets up it does get bloody uncomfortable bashing through it. I find the room inside the boat always surprises me as they are so wide beamed and I have no problems with missus, 2 kids and gear with plenty of storage room.

On the tiller steer I find at slower speeds it can be a pig and takes effort to keep it steady. This may be how the outboard is setup and I'll have to get this checked or it may just be how tiller steers are (first tiller steer I have had) but once I am up and going and trim the motor it is effortless to drive.

I have read a number of other post where people have commented on the transom and well at the back and how dangerous looked for going offshore. Let me just say I have never taken water over the back and I have been out in some slop. Sorry I lie, I should say the only time water comes over the back is when i'm flying along and just stop and the wave catches up and goes into the well. I have learnt to just slow down more gradually and no dramas. Usually when I get back to ramp and take the bung out I find no more than half a cup of water in boat if that. In fact the only time I have ever had enough water to allow the bilge pump to work was when I had a bait fish get stuck on the outflow pipe in the live bait well and it must have been over flowing for ages before I noticed it. Just to finish on this the transom is 21". I was told that most of the older boats people use to take offshore had 15" transom so they are not really that low.

As for those considering bar crossings, any open boat can be dangerous crossing a bar as it only takes one freak wave or one mistake for an open boat to be in trouble. I lived at Noosa for years and saw plenty of tinnies head out no dramas at all but I also saw many end up floating upside down and rescued for exactly the above reason. I have crossed bars for 30years in larger boats but I am cautious now especially if I'm taking missus and kids out and prefer to launch from Mooloolaba. If I'm going up north it doubles my distance (30km to Sunshine) but I don't really care about that as I only use about 25l of fuel in my boat to get there, troll, search around and fish all day and drive home. Rather use extra fuel than risk sinking the boat and safety comes first with the family onboard but just thats just me and I'm not saying it wouldn't be capable. But with that refer back to my earlier comment and go max capacity outboard.

Look to finish all I can say is I have been pleasantly surprised at the capability off the renegade which I find roomy and bats well above its weight for a 4.2m boat. I have no hesitation heading offshore at all and find it very capable in the right conditions but know your experience level and your boats capability before trying.

Hope this helps

Cheers

Good honest review, well done. And yes, info like this is hard to find when looking to buy one.

As a recent 420 Renegade Tiller Steer owner I agree with your comments.

More than capable offshore and crossing bars. I launch from Tweed Coast creeks, Kingscliff, Hastings Point or Pottsville plus out via Tweed River.

The renegade handles a wave well both oncoming and running with, but I'm not stupid and wouldn't attempt hitting anything more than 0.5m head on...

My draft is 300mm, so she can sneak in on a sniff of water too. That wide arse beam helps a lot in that regard.

[catshark]

sounds like the tiller setup , by the comment above" handles like a pig" anything that stands out or assuming all the weight is back their on a small surface area before the get up and plane period. it be fairly flat back their wouldnt it with out any pronounced planning strakes.

[stevej]

How do you get that from the above post

The seating position for the tiller is almost identical for the side console
Some use the spigot on the rear thwart or the floor mount 20 odd cm forward
Mousy depends if you have monkey arms or not

He’s just being honest with wave height where most have no idea of size of the swells waves they go up against

[catshark]

he says it handles like a pig in slower speeds and takes effort to keep it steady so, clearly its a distribution of weight to far back , mind you he does say if the outboard is set up ideally or not and having the outboard leg set to deep might be this reason . can any one comment if a side console handles like a pig at slower speeds. could or would you put a jack plate on a tiller steer?

[stevej]

ok was trying to find what the comment related too

within the last 4 years ive owned both a tiller and a side console with a 50 yamaha
sub planning neither wandered or had a side to side sway some boats have
neither porpoised
planned easily

both engines were fitted by the same dealer so maybe they have a formula that works

many dont get the front live well fitted and maybe 50kg of well and water makes a difference

[catshark]

some good info there on a comparison, 50 kgs is definetly a factor and sounds like just the trick to balance out.