Quintext 430 Centre Console

Formed in 1945, Quintrex is an iconic name in Australian tinnies. Sam Mossman takes the new 430 Top Ender Centre Console for a run.

The Auckland Marine Centre has a long association with Quintrex and is the North Island agent for the marque. Although the Top Ender range has been around for a while, the 430 Centre Console layout is new to this range of models, as is the new ‘Blade’ Hull shape.

For many years Quintrex have been known for the soft, dry ride their hulls provide, despite being made from relatively light gauge (by NZ boat-building standards) aluminium. This may be attributed largely to their classic flared bows and bottoms, formed by stretching and pressing alloy sheets.

Soft and dry

In the past NZ Fishing News has run a couple of Quintrex models as company boats. These had the flared ‘Millennium’ hulls and delivered an impressive ride for their size and weight. Quintrex has now developed a new ‘Blade’ hull. This features an even finer entry and more deadrise with less ‘shoulder’, a concave bottom with pressed strakes, and an enhanced flared bow with a single pressing in the side plates.

The idea was to produce an even softer, drier ride and less ‘nose up’ attitude as the boat climbs onto plane, improving forward visibility while this happens.

I believe Quintrex has achieved these aims. Test day, a short weather window between some dodgy conditions in August, saw a rising wind against the tide producing a short, sharp chop outside East Auckland’s Half Moon Bay. The Top Ender handled conditions well, riding flat and cutting softly through the chop.

Despite a modest gunwale height (freeboard), wind on the beam and a centre-console configuration, the boat shipped virtually no spray. There is a price to pay for this, of course: by altering a design to achieve one outcome, other characteristics are often affected.

The centre console and general fit-out make this rig look bigger than it is. At 4.3m (14 feet) and made from 3mm alloy, this is still a small, relatively light boat, and the finer entry, greater deadrise and fined-down shoulders of the new Blade design, while making the hull travel better, also make it a little less stable at rest. This is not an issue, but the usual care is needed when walking around the side of the console.

No reserve buoyancy figures were available, but the boat is rated for up to four people.

Get up and go

The test boat was powered by a 40hp Mercury Command Thrust four-stroke outboard, spinning a 10-inch pitch, four-bladed prop. This rig achieved 6000rpm – maximum ‘book’ revs, but only 36 kph (about 19 knots). I would have expected a bit more speed from a 40hp outboard on a boat of this size, but think this is a power-toweight thing and note that Quintrex matches this hull with a 30hp two-stroke outboard in Australia, an engine weighing 50kg less.

Adding to the extra weight is the large Minn Kota I-Pilot electric outboard on the bow of the test boat (along with its separate battery system, also in the bow). Consequently, this extra weight may be sand-bagging the speed a bit. When conditions got up a bit the rig cruised very comfortably at 4400rpm and 20kph.

The boat is carried on a single-axle DMW trailer with zinc protected leaf springs. It sported a nice set of mag wheels with galvanised mudguards, submersible LED lights, and an entry bay with two pairs of tilt rollers, skid plates and two keel rollers. There was a dual-ratio manual winch and wind-down jockey wheel.

The rig towed well (estimated tow weight is only about 480kg) and launched and retrieved easily.

Sportfishing set-up

One of the benefits of the centre-console configuration is that it opens up the forward section of the hull to fishing and also makes access to the bow easier for working the anchor. The 430 has a decent-sized, open topped anchor-well in the bow, a modest but functional fairlead and a tie-off cleat.

As mentioned, a Minn Kota I-Pilot electric outboard is attached to a bow mount and fitted with a remote control. Besides allowing silent manoeuvring – ideal for shallow-water lure fishing and fly fishing in lakes – a ‘skyhook’ function will automatically hold the boat in a fixed position (for example, over a reef, or school of fish). A separate isolation switch and battery for the electric motor are mounted in a forward locker under the bow casting platform, which also has a second, larger storage hold underneath. It, and the rest of the decking, are covered with marine carpet, providing good footing. The decks drain astern where any water is removed by a bilge pump.

Four low grab rails are fitted around the gunwales – useful for handling the boat in the surf, and also providing handy mounts for Railblazer pipe-clamp bases that can fit a wide range of products, including rod holders.

The console had a Humminbird Helix 7 sounder/GPS and a grab rail set on the top. The usual gauges are flush-mounted in a nice carbon-weave fascia. Steering is hydraulic SeaStar – nice to use and with a cool-looking wheel. The console has two levels of storage inside, and a cable throttle and shift are mounted on the side.

Performance

Mercury 40 CT four-stroke outboard, 10-inch prop

More stowage is provided by two side shelves, and there’s space under the stern platform, which houses a 25-litre tote tank under one side and a small live-bait tank and stowage space for a tackle box or similar under the other.

Over the port side of the transom is a grab-rail and small platform to aid boarding.

Fishing fittings

These include a three-position rod-rack on the front of the console, four nylon through-gunwale rod holders, two pipe-mounted Railblazer rod holders, a mackerel-sized live-bait tank with a 
cutting board top, and an under-seat locker for tackle trays. Catch stowage is taken care of by an after-market 40-litre Icey-Tek bin, which doubled as a helm seat when necessary.

Auckland Marine Centre owner Gary Hatton and I both did a little soft-baiting from the 430 and found it good for the purpose, but the fish did not co-operate on the day. Gary is very keen to use it for jigging and fly fishing in the Rotorua Lakes for trout. Overall, the Quintrex 430 Top Ender centre console is a wellspec’ed and smart-looking, especially for a 4.3m (14-foot) boat. Thanks to the ‘Blade’ hull design, it is a soft, dry, rider, and the open space provided by the centre-console configuration makes it well-suited to inshore sport fishing with lures, as well as jigging and fly fishing in lakes for trout.

Specifications

Test boat courtesy of Auckland Marine Centre