Quintrex 530 Freedom Sport

Bow-riding trailer boats continue to find favour in the boating fraternity where a good amount of flexibility, family fun and fish-ability are the prerequisites. Quintrex have nailed all of these with their 530 Freedom Sport with simple refinements that make it a comfortable boat whether skiing or angling.

Built on their well known Millennium Series Hull it offers a soft ride through chop and one which is dry with the flare of the hull allowing the spray to exit the chines well aft.

Extensive use of rotaform moulded inserts has turned the cavities of the hull into excellent dry stowage areas and topside, Quintrex have finished this boat off neatly with soft curved lines, catching to the eye.

Standard fit was the Lowrance Mark-5X depth sounder and the reversible skipper and passenger swivel seats.

Quintrex have put some really nice lines throughout this boat and this is evident in the bow-riding section where the plush cushioning is smoothly contoured around the coamings. The back rests are slightly raised above the surrounding coamings providing cushioning for the inside of the elbows when lounging as well as alleviating the need to put bare skin on hot metal when out in the elements.

The seat boxes have been crafted with aluminium sheeting and frames and the bases slide in horizontally under the back rests. The fit is very snug so there is no need to fear any of them blowing out of the boat when towing on the highway. The compartments here also have a rotaform insert that keeps gear off the wet deck inside. The aft end of the bow-rider seat each side of the companionway through the helm station bulkhead is acutely curved and one’s body wedges into here firmly for security during high-speed manoeuvres.

The corners of the bulkhead at the helm station are nicely rounded to alleviate sharp corners contacting the shins and the wrap around windscreen has a centre opening for through passage but there is no door below it. Draught and dampness due to the weather or spray could be kept at bay with the use of the optional tonneau cover for the bow riding section. A door here would be more practical than having to reinstall the tonneau cover each time you wanted to get underway.

The dash in front of the skipper and passenger has had a severe make over for this new model. It is rotaform in construction and designed so that large cabinet marine electronics may be installed between the wheel and the windscreen. That in front of the passenger has a similar shape with an angular glove compartment and another smaller open-fronted shelf for odds and ends.

These rebates de-clutter the view looking forward from the cockpit to the bow-riding section.

The cockpit liners are also rotaform and have a built-in side pocket, a small aperture aft of that and a vertical drink bottle holder.

The rear lounge is also a ‘wrap around’ style and the seat and backrest hinge as one, aft, to reveal the storage box underneath. A strut holds this arrangement ajar so one can access the battery, fuel filter and ETEC engine oil reservoir bottle.

The deck inside is carpet lined as is that in the rest of the boat and three hatches are removable. One exposes the bilge in which a pump is installed and the other two have inserts and are for general stowage. A good spot to store spare oil bottles.

The top of the transom has a retaining socket for the optional stainless steel ski pole.

The front of the seat base has scuppers installed port and starboard side and both are plumbed to the stern.

There is no shortage of stowage space aboard this boat and more may be found running central between the helm and passenger seat. It too has an insert and is of a size that could stow wake boards or skis.

Another running across the deck in front of the rear lounge is a large affair capable of holding a few big fish and is bunged to the bilge.

Both modules in front of passenger and skipper have long leg room underneath and a retaining net at their back, behind which life jackets may be held.

There are moves afoot to alter the design of the rear bulkhead to incorporate a walk-through transom door so no doubt one of those will feature in this model soon; watch this space!

The boarding platform on the stern has two identical brackets on which the telescopic fold up ladder may be installed.

The steering system on the Freedom Sport is Teleflex Non-Return with a ratio of 4:1 which was firm under hand though no excessively stiff due to torque.

It was fitted to the maximum recommended horsepower for this boat of 115, in the form of Evinrude’s ETEC outboard armed with a Viper 17-inch stainless steel propeller.

With only our own boat wash to run across in the Coomera River the hull showed to be soft riding and cornering at speed was quite direct and could be done with the engine at various angles of trim without aeration at the propeller.

Quintrex really have come up with an excellent all rounder for a family of four or five. Inclusion of the optional infill casting platform for the bow rider section turns this boat into a serious fishing machine for the family and friends.

If you want to own the best of both worlds you really need to have a serious look at the 530 Freedom Sport.