Quintrex 320 and 360 Wanderers: Tinny Review

The new craft debut alongside an existing 3.0m square bow punt which was formerly part of the long running Traveller range.

The Quintrex Wanderers now replace the previous Traveller models, and sit alongside the slightly heavier Explorer car toppers. The latter have a more rounded bow shape, and heavier 1.6mm pressed aluminium construction — as opposed to the Wanderer’s 1.2mm bottom and side sheets.

The two new Wanderer models offer improvements over the superseded Travellers, most notable being the wider seat thwarts, increased beam width and freeboard. The new boats are 100mm higher and wider than their predecessors.

The Wanderers are the lightest models in the huge Quintrex boat range, and have been introduced for yacht and cruiser owners seeking a stable, sure-footed tender, and for anglers looking for a lightweight, easily car topped and transportable craft for smooth-water fishing.

The boats are ideal for transporting to remote Queensland and Northern Territory outback fishing holes, isolated locations that may be beyond the reach of a trailerable boat.

The Wanderers are also perfect for the grey nomad brigade as they can be easily transported on the roof of a car or caravan and don’t require a trailer.

Following the release of the 320 and 360 Wanderers, we were able to secure these ripper new models for a test on the Coomera river, close to the Quintrex factory in Queensland.

Both models were powered by a manual-start, tiller-steer, short-shaft (15in) 6hp Evinrude four-stroke outboard.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
- Simple, reliable, easy on the pocket
Entry level car toppers generally have a simple, but practical layout with relatively few features. Extras are kept to a minimum to save weight and make sure the boats can be easily moved about and hefted up on to the roof of a vehicle.

Fitting your vehicle with one of the many boat loading roof-rack systems on the market does make it possible to transport heavier, fuller featured boats, but that is an extra cost to be budgeted for — and some of the more intricate boat loader systems available will be nearly as costly as the tinny itself.

Understandably then, many people prefer a simple, lightweight open boat that can be man-handled relatively easily onto the roof by a couple of people.

Enter the new Quintrex Wanderers. At 50kg for the 320 Wanderer, and 53kg for the larger 360 series model, the new Wanderers are light enough to move about quite easily, yet are strongly built and have plenty of seating.

There are lighter car toppers on the market (usually made from a more costly fibreglass composite construction) but the Wanderers offer an excellent blend of value-for-money versus construction strength and performance on the water.

This brings us to the features, fit-out and price of the test boats. Fitted with a 6hp Evinrude tiller-steer, manual start four-stroke outboard, the 320 Wanderer is priced at $3290, while the larger 360 Wanderer comes in at $3590 with the same Evinrude engine.

Sans outboard engine the boats are priced at $1425 and $1675 respectively.

Standard features in both boats includes two ultra-wide, foam-filled (to achieve flotation to Basic Standard) bench seat thwarts (they really are big at 450mm wide) rowlock blocks, single towing eye at the bow, decent sized screw-in bung, well placed carry handles on the transom corners and dual carry handles at the bow.

The bow handles are flat and well spaced so that a single person can grasp and lift the bow of the boat quite easily.

It is a bit more difficult at the stern for a single person but the boats are relatively narrow at 1.39m across the beam so you can stretch your arms out to reach the two carry handles — which are helpfully placed inboard from the rear corners.

CONSTRUCTION
- Light but strong enough with ample bracing
With regard to construction, the two Wanderers are made using lightweight 1.2mm pressed aluminum for the hull and topsides, with heavier 1.6mm gauge alloy for the transom.

The pressed alloy sheeting is braced with welded transom corner gussets, a reinforced, welded foredeck, seat thwart to floor gusseting, and a T-shaped transom bracing structure with supporting floor gusset.

The latter appears more than strong enough to cope with the weight and thrust of outboards to 6hp and to a maximum engine weight of 28kg.

The up-sized seat thwarts are riveted in place (but with bracing to the floor) and provide considerable stiffness and rigidity to the hull structure.

The Wanderers are backed up with a three-year limited factory warranty.

ON THE WATER
- Smooth water runners
Lightweight car-topper boats are generally designed for smooth waters, but the Quintrex Wanderers can handle a bit of chop without getting too uncomfortable.

With two people onboard these craft will bounce about a little at speed when it is choppy, but throttle back a bit and the ride becomes more than acceptable — within the constraints of a light, sub-4.0m boat.

Providing the weight of crew and gear is spread evenly throughout the boat, the Wanderers also feel well balanced, dry and surprisingly stable at rest and underway.

The Wanderers handle easily through tight turns and feel quite safe underway, thanks in part to the higher topsides to these new models (compared with the previous Travellers), but also due to the sturdy, stiff feel to the hull structure.

The boats generally feel stronger, sturdier on the water than you might expect from a relatively lightweight construction.

The 320 and 360 Wanderers are both rated for a single short shaft (15in) tiller-steer, manual-start outboard up to 6hp — or a maximum engine weight of 28kg.

The test rigs were both fitted with a 6hp Evinrude four-stroke outboard which weighs 25kg in the short-shaft configuration.

The two identical single-cylinder Evinrudes proved easy-to-start and simple-to-operate.

Underway, single-cylinder engines aren't known for their smooth operation. That's a given but, having noted the above, these engines felt strong in the low rpm range.

After a good 'run-up' to reach wide open throttle, with two adults on board and associated gear, the test boats achieved a similar top speed of 15-16 knots in flat water.

The 6hp is a realistic maximum for the Wanderers, but equally, you would not want to power the boat with less than 4hp, unless you planned on boating/fishing single-handed most of the time — or you are happy to run at displacement speeds.

VERDICT
- Versatile fishing car toppers and/or big boat tenders
The 320/360 Wanderers might be among the smallest, lightest, and cheapest boats in the Quintrex stable, but they are very practical, functional craft for applications requiring a safe, durable, easily transportable small craft.

The boats are light, yet quite robust, and they feel safe and solid on the water... despite their diminutive size.

We reckon they fit the car-topper design brief exceptionally well.

LIKES
>> Entry price-point
>> Good all-round performance
>> Large size, screw-in bung
>> Well placed carry handles
>> Super-wide seat thwarts

NOT SO MUCH
>> Only a single bow towing eye. A double eye would allow for a safety chain should the Wanderer be kept on a trailer instead of roof-topped.

Specifications: Quintrex Wanderer 320 and 360
Price as tested 320 Wanderer: $3,290 including Evinrude 6hp short shaft (15”) four-stroke manual start, tiller-steer outboard.
Hull only price $1,425.
Price as tested 360 Wanderer: $3,590 including Evinrude 6hp short shaft (15”) four-stroke manual start, tiller-steer outboard.
Hull only price $1,675.

Length Overall: 3.20/3.60m
Hull Length: 3.12/3.52m
Beam: 1.39m
Depth: 0.45m
Hull Weight: 50/53kg
Flotation Standard: Basic
Bottom and Topsides alloy: 1.2mm
Transom Alloy: 1.6mm
Maximum Power: 6hp
Maximum Engine Weight: 28kg
Engine as Tested: Evinrude 6hp four-stroke tiller
Fuel: Portables
Maximum persons: Two/three