Buying a new boat quintrex

[johnnyboy]

Hey Guys,

Finally decided after all these years fishing land based its time to buy a boat.

Have narrowed down to a Quintrex Lazeabout.

Now they come in 2 sizes I am interested in the 481 (Topsides are 1.60mm and max 70HP) and a 490 (Topsides are 2.0mm and max 90HP.)

Do the topsides make any difference as I will be using the boat mostly in the bays and maybe on good days around the heads and a little off shore work.

Yamaha or Suzuki which would I be leaning more towards or be looking at closely? (As the dealer now in Sydney is apparently a Suzuki dealer)

Anyone with these boats let me know what they think.

Thanks.

[tasksta]

I have the 1990 4.90 model lol

Gets me to the FAD on a good day and goes great with a 70 jonno.

I would imagine the new ones are a lot better,

Had no idea they were still making them!

[Drummo]

don't know about the Quinnie but I've had an 80/4 stroke Suzuki on my boat for several years and can't fault it.

[oz_brett]

sides are quiet easily dented when pulling alongside a jetty when the wind picks up, that bit thicker could mean the difference in a dent in the side of your new boat.

I know from experience boat was less then 12 months old & a dent not deep but about 1/2 a meter long... very upsetting!

also look at the depth of the sides and the the V the larger one may be more then just the length,

Brett

[fragmeister]

Hi,

I bought a new Lazeabout 570 last year fitted with a 150 Yamaha Four stroke and just about every optional extra available.

I am pretty sure it has the same topsides as the 490 (2mm) but it has a 4mm bottom sides( It think the 490 has 3mm bottom sides) and its about 100mm taller. I have yet to dent the sides hitting the wharf ( and I have hit it pretty hard) but on a new boat you would be wanting to use fenders anyway... I really only use them in strong winds that are blowing off the wharf when you can't use the wind to slowly blow you along side.

My boat does just on 40 knots in ideal conditions but it is an aluminum boat and the driver' s position is well forward so you have to watch your speed in the wake or over swells etc otherwise your kidneys will cop a hiding even with the Millenium blade hull. I stand up if I am in serious chop and this helps considerably.

I have taken it offshore and it goes ok in a head sea and not too bad in a following sea , its by no means an offshore boat but not bad for a tinnie.

It has a 90 litre tank and a run from Rydalmere down the Parramatta River and around the harbour here and there will only cost me $25 bucks in fuel.

The runabout style gives you a huge fishing platform. This is one of the best features.

While I can't give much advice about your particular query I do have some other observation on the Quintrex that might be useful.

I bout the Lazeabout because I wanted a Family/ fishing boat although in retrospect, if it was purely a fishing boat I may have gone for the Fishabout and spent the difference on some other fishing features rather than the better finishings that come with the Lazeabout.

My lazeabout looks very nice with an almost car like finish with the plastic molded interior and trim, but when you troll up a big salmon and he's hooked through the gills and shaking like crazy, that blood spattered all over your nice interior makes you wonder whether nice is what you wanted. ( yes... this happened last week).

These are the optional extras I bout and what I though of them.

Plumbed live bait tank - Works well. Big enough and plenty of (variable) water flow

Burley bucket:- Thick plastic with a alloy plunger... I have my doubts as to whether this is a good combo as there are some serious gouges it the plastic... wait and see on this one.

Walk Thru Transom - A good feature for the kids to get back in off the tube but it does reduce seating by at least 1 adult or two kids maybe, leaving only room for 2 on that rear seat

Bait Cutting Board/ Rod holder - I believe they have redesigned this but on mine the drain is badly place on the high side so it doesn't drain and the motor can't tilt all the way back without scratching the motor top cover on the bait board.

Power Steering- To be honest I don't know what it would be without it but at speed steering is pretty hard even with the power steering. This might be normal.

Fish Finder - I upgraded the standard to the Lowrance HDI 7 -. This was a good investment as the larger display and other features really help targeting fish.

Bimini - Works fine - made some simple slip on foam pieces to stop it rattling against the windscreen at speed

Clears - Good quality clears made this boat much nicer in the wind and rain for fishing in less pleasant conditions - buggers to put on though when they are cold.

I bought mine from Hunts Marine at Blakehurst.

Sales Guy was great. No pressure, very knowledgeable and consultative.

The boat on delivery looked like it was a little rushed ... a little dirty in places, I know that had a bundle of orders but still.

After sales service was excellent but, as we all know, it costs a bomb to service your boat motor ... nothing unusual here.

This is what I have bought since that either was not supplied or I thought was a good idea.

A reef anchor - none supplied.

Longer / thicker anchor rope - Think they supply 30 meters or so, too thin to handle comfortably and not long enough to anchor offshore or in parts of the harbour.

A canvas bag to store the clears which do not like being left in the underfloor storage nest to any thing that can mark them.

An EPIRB - They only supply inshore safety equipment.

Flares - As above.

A Minnkota I-Pilot ( what a cracker! ... if you can save money on the purchase this is the place to spend it).

Footholds attached to the trailer near the winch block... if you fish alone this really helps you get off the boat over the bow when after you have driven it on to the trailer. Otherwise its a foot placed precariously on the edge of the winch block and the real chance of slipping and crashing to the ground. Cost me a few hundred bucks but it was worth it.

Lighting I wired in some additional strip LEDs under the dash. Really helps night fishing and is much better than the lighting provided.

Full Cover- Wont fit in the shed and its too big an investment not to protect.

Incidentally , I also had to make a new drive through carport - the boat wouldn't fit through into the back yard! D'Oh!

This is how I occupied myself while I waited for the boat to come!

I hope some of this info is useful.

Cheers

Jim

Edited April 16, 2014 by fragmeister

[a boat]

Hi, or you could buy a Stacer 509 Baymaster with even thicker material and the proven boat building design of the EVO hull that offers a better ride due to a deeper deadrise at the transom. Add rolled side, gunwhale rubber, 6 person rating and better pricing with bimini STD, it is a superior boat and why I chose to stock and sell them over their brother.

Food for thought and nothing wrong with a Q but S is better boat at better value and the factory matched BMT packages are hard to beat.

Cheers,

Huey.

Edited April 17, 2014 by Huey @ Huett Marine

[fragmeister]

Hi, or you could buy a Stacer 509 Baymaster with even thicker material and the proven boat building design of the EVO hull that offers a better ride due to a deeper deadrise at the transom. Add rolled side, gunwhale rubber and better pricing with bimini STD it is a superior boat and why I chose to stock and sell them over their brother.

Food for thought and nothing wrong with a Q but S is better boat at better value and the factory matched BMT packages are hard to beat.

Cheers,

Huey.

Always worth looking at alternatives.

Nice one Huey! You can't blame a man for trying to sell a boat!

[a boat]

Hi, if the OP wants a Q because he thinks it is a better boat then good luck to him but I think Stacer is a superior boat for many reasons, some I have listed and he would be making a mistake if he has not laid eyes or even priced up a Stacer Baymaster, in particular the new models that I was shown about a month ago-they will raise the bar again and trust me their will be some upset Q dealers due to being a better boat at a much better price.

Cheers,

Huey.

[fragmeister]

Hi, if the OP wants a Q because he thinks it is a better boat then good luck to him but I think Stacer is a superior boat for many reasons, some I have listed and he would be making a mistake if he has not laid eyes or even priced up a Stacer Baymaster, in particular the new models that I was shown about a month ago-they will raise the bar again and trust me their will be some upset Q dealers due to being a better boat at a much better price.

Cheers,

Huey.

I get you point Huey but do you get mine?

For a boat buyer there are sales guys representing all products all claiming their boats are the best buy, all with convincing stories about why their boats are better.

These are guys who all have a barrow to push. They all know the limitations of other products and the features of theirs. Its their business to. Its sales 101.

JB's post says he has narrowed it down not just to a brand but to a model so he is pretty committed.

I am sure he has done his work and checked out the other other brands.

I figure support the guys decision unless he is making a grave mistake (which he is not) and respond to his request for advice which is not about the brand of boat to buy its about whether he is going to bend a Quintrex by hitting a Wharf and what OB to buy.

Cheers

Jim

Edited April 17, 2014 by fragmeister

[a boat]

Hi Jim, I responded because he was asking if the side thickness of the particular boat brand he was looking at would be good enough for what he intends to do-I see no where he mentioned anything about a wharf like you posted in your last sentence-no boat with this sort of thickness would be damaged by pulling up alongside a wharf -a little offshore work is what he asked about.

I mentioned he could look at a brand with even thicker sides and pointed out the other features. He can take it for what it is and if you like your brand of boat then good luck to you too but trust me we have stocked and sold all brands over the years and could easily sell any brand tomorrow if I thought they were better but we all like what we like for a reason. If he has seen the new Baymasters (which I highly doubt because I only saw them for the first time about 3-4 weeks) ago and he still prefers a Lazeabout then as I said good luck to him and I hope he enjoys his new boat.

Cheers,

Huey.

Edited April 17, 2014 by Huey @ Huett Marine

[fragmeister]

Huey,

He was actually asking about the two side thicknesses in the two models not the brand.

In the interest of sticking to the posted topic how about we agree to disagree and leave it there.

Cheers

Edited April 17, 2014 by fragmeister

[johnnyboy]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for you detailed review Jim much appreciated.

Huey i will have a look at the stacer range.

I was asking about side thickness after reading on various forums about thin sides been bent after heavy use. I find this hard to believe but would there really be a benefit over 1.6mm or 2mm ?

[a boat]

Hi, yes to answer your specific question about the same brand, but two different models, yes going from 1.6mm to 2.0mm does add a fair amount of structural strength-it is about 30% thicker. Of course going even thicker adds even more strength to structural integrity of a boat.

Cheers,

Huey.