Quicksilver 645 Cabin

"Since Brunswick relaunched the brand and a number of new Quicksilver models, all the engineering and hull design has been done in America,' explains local importer Peter Collins from his eponymous marine business that also represents Arvor boats, which are owned and built by Brunswick in Europe and sold as Quicksilvers. There’s the connection.

Speaking to us some months prior to importing this first Quicksilver, Collins makes the point there’s not a lot available in Australia in this (Euro) style of boat. Thanks to his experience with Arvor, he’s coming to the market with an understanding of the grassroots, broad-spectrum boat buyer, the family man and occasional dangler, and he’s sure done well with Arvor here over the years.

"But at the end of the day, quality is the key," Collins adds, as we bob about the mouth of Sydney’s Middle Harbour on the Quicksilver. "My catchphrase is quality, styling and price."

Collins adds that Brunswick Europe has eyes on the Australian market and big things are in store. This follows market trends in the past five years, whereupon Brunswick’s international sales have grown at twice the rate of its domestic sales.

Meantime, Quicksilver is an interesting brand. Far from it being attached to just rubber duckies and tenders -- Quicksilver Inflatables has been in Australian for years -- the badge also takes pride of place on a range of some 27 fibreglass trailerboats and cabin cruiser from 3.7-9 metres (12-32ft) in length. More new releases are on the way, we’re told.

Within the Quicksilver line-up are the Activ and Captur boats. The former Activ line includes Open or centre console models, Sundecks or centre consoles with bow infills, and Cabin models like the 645 tested here. The Captur range has outboard- and inboard-powered Pilothouse boats (including Arvors) and a range of open dories with little application here.

To the point of this test. The Quicksilver 645 Cabin was carefully chosen by Collins as a boat well-suited to his familiar family and general-purpose boating market. That it is, with lots of freeboard and high cockpit sides to keep the kiddies contained, while the 2.39m beam makes it legally trailerable throughout Australia without needing a permit. The plush seating and a cabin with a toilet will appeal to lady folk and the performance offers driving pleasure.

But the 645 Cabin offers a different take on trailerboating. There’s a ski pole but, instead of being geared for Australia’s favourite pastime of fishing, this is more a sit-in European interpretation of the runabout, a stylish boat for cruising the waterways, lunching and relaxing aboard.

Both these packages don’t include a trailer. A dual-axle Dunbier with breakaway brakes adds about $11,000 to the bottom line. Still, when you look at the inclusions, fit and finish, the 645 Cabin represents good buying.

Just be aware than the model designation, the 645, doesn’t represent the boat’s length, which measures just 6.33m overall. So when you’re shopping do compare similar length boats.

Engine options from the base 115hp to a 200hp Verado should you desire. But much of this rig’s performance and pleasure can be attributed to the latest and greatest award-winning 150hp Mercury four-stroke outboard on the transom.

Claiming to be lightest in its class, but with the biggest displacement, the new Mercury 150 is a big-block 3.0-litre outboard with a heap of grunt, sporty throttle response and typical smoke and vibration-free operation.

Like the blurb says, we reckon this new outboard is a game changer in the four-stroke outboard class and just a beautiful match for this boat. The low-revving big-block donk hasn’t the frantic pitch of some 6000rpm-plus four strokes and it looks super smart and compact, too.

As is typical of European boat builders, Quicksilver offers optional packages. Our test boat had the Sports Package including dark hull, freshwater tank and transom shower, and Sony stereo upgrade with must-have MP3 plug. There were Lowrance HD55 sounder/GPS fitted ex-factory, optional folding bimini and a clever little pull-out 12V fridge in the central underfloor storage compartment.

Basically, you need only add food and fuel -- and probably a trailer -- on the 645 Cabin rig for $68,771 as tested.

There’s a small lightweight stainless-steel bowsprit, white plastic navigation light covers, but a more impressive stainless-steel split bowrail and decent deck cleats. In keeping with the European beach-boating theme, I disembarked at the end of our test via the bow, easing myself into knee-deep water while taking care not to catch my strides on the sprit. It was easily done, so full marks for the split bowrail.

Back in the cockpit, the seating arrangement is mighty social. The helm bucket seats with flip-up bolsters swivel to face the prominent rear U-shaped lounge, thereby providing a setting for the boat’s full complement of seven people.

Grab the stowed long-pedestal base and the folding teak table in the cover in the underfloor compartment and you’re set for lunch. Afterwards, the table drops down, infill cushions are added, and you have a sunpad or daybed for a couple. The convertible cockpit layout has been a hit in Europe.

The supplied canopy, meanwhile, lives in a moulded hatch along the transom to assist with quick dispatch. We were told that, with clear infill panels that clip to the windscreen, it’s not a canopy well-suited to local boating, and that straps attaching it the windscreen (instead of the clear infill panels) would be fitted in future. That’s a good move as the canopy storage is excellent.

Storage elsewhere includes the underfloor cockpit hold for the aforesaid table and a small optional 12V lift-out fridge good for the prawns and champagne or chicken and lemonade. Designed to fit in the subfloor locker, these two items are a cosy fit.

Meanwhile, there’s dry storage in the cabin, a dash compartment for personal effects, as well as small storage nets here and there. Lifejackets will need to be stowed under the aft lounge, where you access the battery and breaker, while the boatbuilder has included fender storage under the portside transom step.

We like the twin wet-storage in the aft transom steps for carrying togs, mask and snorkel and the like. The stepped transom also conceals a swim ladder to assist with access to the water, while the optional freshwater transom shower will be coveted after your swim. The supplied 45-litre water tank will be good for a few rinses, at least.

Fishing rods, tow toys, portable coolers or Eskies and the like will need to be stored in the cabin, its footwell, or on the cockpit floor. We’d consider attaching a few aftermarket storage nets in the cabin to bolster storage, as the boat’s fuly-moulded liner is used to create a smooth and superior finish rather than side-pocket storage. The smooth and flowing lines are a feature instead.

Think of the cabin as a dry storage area if not somewhere to grab 40 winks. The high-quality upholstery and stitching adds to the comfort, a 12V jack means you can charge your phone and the iPad while the kids watch a movie, plus there’s a trick reading light and good access to the protected wiring behind the dash.

While the cabin isn’t the biggest around, it has seated headroom at its portside entrance. The lack of side pockets bolsters space, while the infill over the footwell creates a bigger berth for weary kids or an adult at a pinch. The lack of headroom might make using the portable toilet a tad tricky, but it’s always welcome by the fairer sex and there’s a hatch for ventilation.

Given this is a 20-footer, we made a few comparisons with other boats in the league and found the 645 Cabin with 2.39m beam isn’t as wide as some. But that and its excellent hull design contribute to a very comfortable ride. So, too, the relatively heavy 1060kg hull, which gains weight through its full liner and various sub-floor panels. Remember: a heavy boat is an asset in rough seas, crossing wind chop and waves.

As touched on, the Quicksilver has excellent mouldings. The hull, deck and liner come together to create a monocoque structure with very few if any noticeable rattles when underway. We will add, however, that the boat has a few more self-tapper screws on inspection hatches here and there than American-made boats that use more hinges instead. This seems to be the way European boatbuilders make boats, with more screw-in panels.

Bilge and pump access is via a spin-off hatch in the engine well, but at rest the deep well is clearly above water level. Other screw-off panels access the fuel tank and sender. The 160-litre capacity will ensure an all-day cruising range with the Mercury 150hp.

The 645 Cabin’s self-draining hull is also welcome, when overnighting or leaving the boat on the water.

The low-glare carbon-look dash facia with stitched black-vinyl brow adds to the sporty intent, while big-boat rocker switches and stainless-steel drink holders aren’t dicky. The gauges included tacho, speedo reading in knots (yay), trim and fuel, with the Lowrance HD 5 giving SOG.

Importantly, the boat was fitted with Ultraflex hydraulic steering that with the latest Mercury 150hp four-stroke was just a great combination. Hole shot was more than acceptable for a four-stroke outboard and with supplied ski pole this will be a great family tow boat.

Proving smooth and dry, the boat responds well to a touch of negative trim when tackling a decent head sea, as we did, while proving a tad livelier down sea with neutral trim. Either way, you couldn’t fault the ride and the way the boat tamed a blustery Sydney Harbour will be welcome by trailerboaters everywhere.

At 4000rpm, we recorded 23 knots, but my notes say 4500rpm and 27 knots was the cruising groove. This corresponds with the official supplied data, where 4350rpm returns 27.1 knots for 28.9lph for five hours or a 135nm-plus range. At 5000rpm, the boat was happy doing 30 knots-plus without any bad behavioural traits, while top speed is officially 34.7 knots at 5600rpm wide-open throttle with the 15in x 15in stainless three blade prop. An exceedingly pleasant runabout, indeed.

What’s more, with a self-draining hull made with vinylester resin and complete outboard-engine leg clearance on full tilt, the boat is being marketed as one you can keep in the water with confidence. In fact, the package as presented here came without trailer for this very reason.

But our test of the boat was made all the more interesting for the fact it was awarded Motor Boat of the Year 2012 in the so-called Starterboat category by a well-known British marine magazine stable. So we were keen to run our tape, cast our critical eye and see how this European production trailerboat measures up Down Under.

Fit and finish are great, ride comfort and performance are excellent, and the styling is complementary on discerning waterways like Sydney Harbour. But as this is a picnic boat for spending time aboard, rather than a fishing platform, it will be interesting to see how the local market takes to the Quicksilver 645 Cabin.

What we liked was the bow access, the high-sided cockpit with convertible seating, and the ground-up thought given to design and function in that onboard lounging, lunching and laid-back boating role. The 645 Cabin is a boat that you will be proud to be seen aboard.

LOA: 6.33m
Beam: 2.39m
Weight: 1060kg dry weight hull only
Transom height: 25in
Min/Max HP: 115-200
Engine: 150hp four-stroke Mercury, 25in shaft, outboard w/ three-blade 15 x 15in prop
Fuel: 160 litres
Water (optional): 45 litres
Persons/max weight capacity: 7
CE Design Category: C