Kingfisher 450 Minicat CC vs Quintrex 460 Renegade CC

[JET01]

Hi Raiders, 

Been a while since I’ve posted as my fishing slowed right down while the kids were little. 

Now they’re in primary school and keen on going for the odd fishing trip with Dad, I’ve started thinking about getting back into a boat. 

Was looking at a second hand Quintrex Renegade 460 CC with a 70hp Yamaha and 80lb leccy, but after a visit to the boat show I came across the 450 Kingfisher Minicat. 

I’ve previously own a Stacer Nomad SC 469 with a 50hp 2 stroke. Really didn’t like having a side console because of the listing when fishing solo, was a pain on and off the trailer as well as uncomfortable to drive in choppy conditions.

I had the Stacer for a few years, and in that time had to replace the marine ply floors, and also had some dramas with a steering cable rusting out while on a holiday. Therefore, some of the pro’s of the 450 Minicat are: completely made of 4mm plate with EVA flooring throughout so there’s no possibility of rotting floors. Comes standard with hydraulic steering. And, being a CC Cat, won’t list underway or at rest. 

My local fishing areas are Port Hacking and Botany Bay. I used to fish estuary almost exclusively until I discovered the ET seasick pills which now give me the opportunity to get out to the FAD and not get sick. I’m still a mad keen plastics fisho and continue to chase that elusive 1m flattie, so most of my fishing will be done in the estuary. However, my eldest daughter has recently taken a liking to eating snapper and I can see many offshore trips in the future, both at home in Sydney as well as further north when we go to Coffs Harbour for school holiday trips. 

I’m really looking for any experience you might have in owning a small cat and what the pro’s and con’s are of these boats. The pro’s are easy to find. Stable at rest, 4mm thick and full welded so really well built, no wood to rot. High casting deck with dry storage. Feels bigger than a 450 would normally feel ( at the boat show, they were pretty much side by side, albeit the renegade I compared it to was a side console). 

The only potential negatives I can think of, might be: wetter ride than a similar size aluminium boat? Handling isn’t as good as a Vee hull?  

Over to the brains trust. 

Cheers. 

 

 

Edited September 5 by JET01
Typos

[noelm]

Not too sure why you suggest it will be wetter and not as soft riding as a V hull…….a cat will be a far superior ride to a V hull and have unrivalled stability. That said, never heard of the brand you are referring to.

[Jiggy]

It's one of these:

https://www.kingfisherboats.co.nz/our-boats/kingfisher-powercats/

From my point of view, if you are intending to go offshore, this is the one to get. Once you start getting decent kings, snapper, trag, blue spots, mahi etc, your estuary fishing trips will drop and your offshore ones will increase. Happened to me.  Twin hulls, so nice and stable, and should handle a reasonable amount of offshore slop. Not a boat to go out in big seas, but I used to have a 4.2 Predator tri hull and had it out in some pretty marginal conditions. It will be wet in a cross wind, but that's what spray jackets are for.

If the price is right, you can park it off the street, tow it with your current car and, critically, the wife approves I'd put this on the top of the list. But whatever you get has to make you happy and no one else.

Cheers

Rob