“A place for everything and everything in its place” is an accurate description of Pat Swift’s Quintrex Renegade 440: while the Quintrex came well spec’ed out of the factory, Pat has taken it up another level in terms of its fishability.

Pat’s boat will primarily serve as a freshwater test platform around the Rotorua lakes for his business, Pat Swift Flies, but he anticipates also using it in Tauranga Harbour and elsewhere, salt-fly fishing for kingfish and trevally.

Pat might be described as a ‘details man’ and that is evident in his boat. When it arrived he had Ken Parker of Marine and RV Electrix gut the wiring, upgrading the cable to 35mm in anticipation of the electronics, and in particular the Minn Kota electric motor he planned to add. The result is a neat wiring loom with very few wires coming off the battery. All the electrics are routed through a neat junction point under the side console, which is tidy and practical.

The Minn Kota Riptide 55 ST (the saltwater version) runs off a separate Endurant 130-amp industrial battery, hard-wired into the boat and stored in a compartment in the bow. This set up keeps the cable short, reducing resistance and voltage loss. At full speed the electric draws 35 amps but at half-speed it’s a modest 7.6 amps, easily providing a minimum of two day’s on the water.

A big part of Pat’s business is the manufacture of jigging fly rigs. He and several other Rotorua anglers have turned trout jigging into an art-form, using electric motors to manoeuvre and hold themselves over the fish.

The second part of this equation is a decent depth sounder. Pat is part of the Navico Pro-Angler programme and has a Lowrance HDS 9 Gen III Touch bracket-mounted on his helm station. This sounder-GPS-plotter combo also has Structure Down and Side Scan, which Pat uses to pinpoint underwater features and where the fish are located in relation to them.

Using the Minn Kota’s remote control and watching the sounder, Pat was able to skirt around underwater hazards and target fish with pinpoint accuracy, deploying the motor’s ‘Spot Lock’ function to hold the boat above the fish. Deadly!

The Lowrance has another practical feature – Insight Mapping – which Pat is using to create customised bathymetric charts using his own survey work.

With the side-mounted helm console, there is plenty of carpeted deck space to walk around. The boat is a particularly stable platform and there are two excellent casting locations: a raised section in the bow and space in the stern. We had three people on board and there was plenty of deck space to work from given the boat’s hull length of 4.46 metres. The beam is a generous 2.11 metres.

The raised platform forward allows for four good-sized storage spaces, one of which is insulated. Oars, boat hooks and gaffs – not that we had any gaffs on board – fit nicely into the side pockets and Pat has opted for a lockable rod compartment on the port side. The anchor light stand sits in clips fitted to the underside of the lid. When closed this is a handy place for tackle boxes and all the other ‘stuff’ you need close at hand.

More storage is found towards the stern. Pat has added a wash-down hose connection in the livebait well and just forward of that is a handy space that fits a couple of standard Plano tackle boxes. On test day Pat had a couple of stainless steel Thermos flasks stored there. 

Immediately forward of the motor is another deep storage space where the start battery is kept. In typical Quintrex ‘no wasted space’ fashion, a shallow tray fits above the battery storage area. The only criticism I have of this set-up is that the battery sits at one of the lowest points in the hull – the first place to flood in the event of a swamping.

In keeping with his need for uncluttered casting space as demanded by fly fishers, Pat opted for a 50-litre underfloor tank. Given the miserly fuel consumption of the Mercury EFI 60hp four-stroke, the underfloor tank provides a huge range. Engine monitoring is via a single SmartCraft gauge on the side console. A voltmeter gives Pat an indication of how much current he is drawing at any time.

Even the helm station features useful storage. A lidded glove compartment is the perfect place for cellphones, car keys and wallets. Pat has fitted a double USB and single ‘cigar’ plug that can charge three devices at once and a Go Pro camera is mounted on the grab rail which runs across the top of a low windscreen.

Two upholstered Angler Pro seats can be repositioned around the boat.

Railblaza bases around the gunwales accept drink and rod holders as and when required. Pat has adapted a Railblaza fitting as an extra support for the motor end of the Minn Kota. It doesn’t require the extra support, but has been included as an added precaution.

Four low-profile rails – two in the bow, port and starboard, and two in the stern, the port side rail extending down to a small swim-step – make the boat easy to handle when launching and retrieving. Pat has added a section of bungy cord on both sides, which he uses to secure the boat at the jetty while parking the car and trailer. On the port side it doubles as a rod compartment lid holder.

Non-slip Deck Tread laid around the boat to provide sure footing and protect the paint job is another notable feature, as is the Renegade’s outstanding stability at rest. The Quintrex ‘Blade’ hull has a fine entry, reduced shoulder and increased deadrise. Spray is released further aft, creating a drier ride. I like the Renegade’s flat running attitude which gives good vision from the helm, even at slower speeds.

The hull does have a lot of wetted surface – that floor space enjoyed in the boat has to come from somewhere – and I would think 60 horsepower would be the least you would want on the transom, especially in a four-stroke. The test boat was not quick onto the plane, but then Pat is not pulling water toys, nor does he need an impressive hole shot. A minor re-prop perhaps? Top end speed was around 24 knots.

I was impressed with the boat’s performance in the rough. We were fishing the southern end of Lake Rotoiti and when it was time to run back to the ramp, we had to negotiate a short, sharp chop put up by 15 knots of breeze. The Quintrex revelled in the conditions, producing a nice, dry ride.

As a lake and inshore sport-fishing boat, especially where lots of casting is involved, Pat’s Quintrex Renegade 440 is hard to go past. Pat says the boat owes him around $45,000. Auckland Marine Centre has packages available from $24,990, which includes a Mercury 40hp two-stroke outboard and a Quintrex single-axle trailer. For more information go to www.aucklandmarine.co.nz or check it out on the Auckland Marine Centre stand at the Hutchwilco NZ Boat Show, May 14-17.

Big Renegade range

There are 12 options in the Quintrex Renegade range, from a 420 through 440, 460, 490 and 520 hull lengths, with various models available as tiller-steer, or with side and centre consoles.

While on Rotoiti we were accompanied by Auckland Marine Centre’s owner Gary Hatton in a Renegade 460 CC. This smart looking boat with its distinctive factory-applied vinyl wrap was powered by a Mercury 75hp four-stroke, providing performance to match its looks. The slightly higher sides should make the 460 a better open-water prospect. It has all the Quintrex features evident on the Pat Swift Flies boat, but the helm station was centre-mounted rather than side-mounted.