Quintrex 570 Top Ender SC: Review

The Top Ender series of open fishing boats from Quintrex is

OVERVIEW
- ET chooses Quintrex
NRL football legend and fishing enthusiast, Andrew Ettingshausen has again partnered with Quintrex for the supply of project boats for the upcoming season of his enduring fishing and adventure TV series, Escape with ET.

Quintrex has been working with ET’s lifestyle TV show for the past few years and we understand this relationship is set to continue going forward.

Viewers of Escape with ET will be familiar with the boats used on the show. For offshore fishing, ET uses a big Quintrex 610 Trident Hardtop, a craft with the space, shelter, and seaworthiness needed to handle the rough stuff.

For inshore and coastal fishing ET favours the Quintrex open boats and fished extensively from a 570 Top Ender during season 17 of his show.

For the upcoming season 18, ET has again opted for a 570 Top Ender, the new side console boat loaded with optional gear and equipment and powered by the very latest Evinrude E-TEC G2 150hp outboard. Click here for our full review on this remarkable new DFI two-stroke outboard.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
- Base packages from $55k
A starting price of around $55k seems a lot for a Top Ender open boat — even with Evinrude’s top of the range G2 150hp outboard on the transom — however, this is the flagship 570 series Top Ender model with an overall length of 6.0m. It is a spacious, wide beam boat with genuine offshore capability.

ET chose this model for the very fact that it can be used to fish coastal and offshore waters, in addition to lakes and impoundments and the barra rich river systems of FNQ and NT.

The 570 Top Ender is also laden with standard features – including carpeted bow and stern casting decks, three pedestal bucket seats (with four seat sockets), wide side decks with four plastic rod holders, transom corner live bait tank, 95 litre underfloor fuel tank, rear boarding ladder, bow and stern cleats, side pockets, bow and stern rails, drink holders, navigation and cockpit lighting, transducer brackets, VHF radio, auto bilge pump, and loads of storage space.

The $55k package price also includes Evinrude’s wonderfully light and responsive G2 power steering system and a tandem axle aluminium Quintrex-branded trailer with mechanical brakes.

Of course, our review model Top Ender was customised to suit ET’s personal requirements and fitted with some optional factory gear, which included a large live fish well under the forward casting deck, bow mount electric motor bracket, port side rod locker, custom vinyl hull wrap, deluxe cutting board, and a dual battery system.

For pricing on this optional gear please contact your local Quintrex dealer.

INTERIOR LAYOUT
- Bow casting deck with deep rear cockpit and ample storage
All-rounder fishing boats like the Quintrex Top Enders need to have plenty of rear cockpit freeboard for secure fishing offshore, but they also need a casting deck for fly fishing and lure casting in calm waters.

In the 570 series Top Ender ,the forward deck is substantial in size, roughly 1.3m long x 1.87m wide. As you might expect there is also loads of storage space beneath this large carpeted fishing platform.

Abaft the open anchor well on the foredeck (with roto-moulded plastic insert) is a small locker to house the battery to run the bow-mount electric trolling motor, though the latter had yet to be fitted to the test rig.

Underneath the centre of the casting deck, where normally there would be regular dry storage, ET has optioned the boat with a large live fish well with perforated centre divider board so two anglers can keep their respective live catch separated when tournament fishing.

The divider also helps to restrict water movement in the tank so less water slops out when the boat is bouncing about in choppy water.

Carpeted hatches on each side of the live fish well open to reveal deep storage lockers. Both have a carpeted false-floor so safety gear can be stowed here with little risk of it getting wet. If in doubt you might consider dropping a Nally box into one of the underfloor lockers and stowing the safety gear in that.

Moving aft you’ll find a decent sized roto-moulded plastic kill tank under the cockpit floor. It is not long enough for pelagics like mackerel and tuna, but should be ideal for a feed of reef fish and inshore species like bream, whiting and flathead.

The rear cockpit in the 570 Top Ender is large with an overall length (aft of the casting deck) of 3.2m x 1.9m. Remarkably it is also self-draining. Non-return scuppers in the transom corners ensure that any water onboard drains out of the boat, but does not come back in again.

As noted earlier the cockpit has ample freeboard with 615mm of space between the cockpit floor and the 240mm wide coamings. Anglers are thus able to stand and fish up against the side and rear coamings without fear of losing balance or falling overboard in rough weather.

The moderate-sized console helm station is positioned well aft on the starboard side of the boat, leaving fishing and storage space in front and behind it. It is made from a moulded plastic and has a small tinted perspex windshield.

There is provision on the fascia for a single large flush-fitted electronics display along with the switch panel, VHF radio and Evinrude Icon Touch digital engine display.

The throttle was well positioned to the side of the removable bucket helm chair, affixed to a specially designed panel between the coaming top and side storage pocket.

The helm chair did not slide fore and aft, but we still found the boat most comfortable while seated as we could tuck our feet under the console, beneath the sports steering wheel.

The helm console also has two drink holders and a top-accessed glove box/storage compartment, but was lacking a decent grab rail.

In addition to the casting platform live well, key fishing features onboard ET’s new coastal fishing machine include a full length lockable rod locker under the port side coaming, Quintrex’s removable Mega chopping board with four aft facing rod holders, and a decent sized live bait tank in the port side transom corner. This plumbed bait tank is standard, while the bait board and rod locker are factory fitted options.

ON THE WATER
- Evolutionary Quintrex Blade hull
The innovative Quintrex Blade hull can be traced back to the flared bottom Millennium hull which Quintrex debuted back in 1999. The design was revolutionary back then, and no less impressive now after years of fine tuning and refinement.

The Blade hull presents a very fine entry to choppy water, carving through it and providing the crew with a soft, comfortable ride.

The flare built into the topsides does a good job of suppressing spray and pushes it away from the boat, while the concave rear hull shape with pronounced reverse angled chines ensures the Blade hull remains very stable at rest and underway.

During our test in moderate conditions it was hard to find fault with the ride and handling of the test rig. Yes, you will find softer riding, albeit heavier fibreglass boats in this size range, but you will be hard pressed to find a better, more comfortable riding boat that is made from aluminium.

With regard to performance, the 570 Top Ender is rated for single longshaft (20in) outboards through to 150hp, but you do not need this much power. Judging by the blindingly fast acceleration and 44 knot top speed of out test rig fitted with the 150hp E-TEC G2 outboard, you could easily get away with power in the 100-115hp range – and still achieve a top speed in the mid-30 knot range.

Having noted the above the Top Ender test rig was hugely entertaining with the Evinrude 150hp G2 on the transom, to the extent that it was hard to resist repeatedly slamming down the digital throttle — and launching like a rocket from a standstill — just for the sheer fun of it.

As noted earlier, for our full review and thoughts on the performance of the new Evinrude 150hp E-TEC G2 paired with this Quintrex 570 Top Ender click here.

Briefly however, we achieved a top speed of 44.5 knots at 6000rpm. The boat/engine combination proved most economical at 3500rpm and a speed of 24.1 knots. This combination yields an impressive range on 95% of the standard 95-litre fuel tank of 126.4 nautical miles or 1.4 nautical miles per litre.

VERDICT
- Offshore capability the clincher
The 570 series model is not the most popular of the Quintrex Top Enders but we can see why ET has selected the larger flagship model over its smaller siblings. In the 570 size range the Top Ender has genuine offshore capability.

We would have no hesitation in taking the 570 Top Ender twenty miles offshore in pursuit of black marlin. We would not feel as secure or comfortable in a smaller model.

At the same time the big Top Ender has the interior layout, features and performance for fishing impoundments, lakes and river systems. It is a highly versatile craft and one that we are happy to recommend.

LIKES
>> Offshore capable handling and performance
>> Versatile layout
>> Evinrude G2 power and acceleration
>> Light, responsive Evinrude power steering
>> Self-draining cockpit
>> Optional live fish well

NOT SO MUCH
>> No grab rail at helm
>> Battery situated under the floor

RATINGS
Overall rating: 4.64/5.0
Mechanical/equipment: 4.6/5.0
Packaging and practicality: 4.8/5.0
On the water performance: 4.7/5.0
Value for money: 4.6/5.0
X-factor: 4.5/5.0

PERFORMANCE - SPEED
3.9kts (7.2km/h) @ 1000rpm
5.3kts (9.8km/h) @ 1500rpm
6.7kts (12.4km/h) @ 2000rpm
9.8kts (18.1km/h) @ 2500rpm
19.3kts (35.7km/h) @ 3000rpm
24.1kts (44.6km/h) @ 3500rpm
28.4kts (52.5km/h) @ 4000rpm
32.2kts (59.6km/h) @ 4500rpm
36.2kts (67.1km/h) @ 5000rpm
40.6kts (75.2km/h) @ 5500rpm
44.5kts (82.3km/h) @ 6000rpm (WOT)

PERFORMANCE – ECONOMY
2.1 l/ph @ 1000rpm
4.0 l/ph @ 1500rpm
7.7 l/ph @ 2000rpm
12.0 l/ph @ 2500rpm
13.8 l/ph @ 3000rpm
17.2 l/ph @ 3500rpm
23.2 l/ph @ 4000rpm
31.0 l/ph @ 4500rpm
38.5 l/ph @ 5000rpm
46.1 l/ph @ 5500rpm
48.5 l/ph @ 6000rpm (WOT)

MAXIMUM RANGE ON 95% OF 95l FUEL TANK: 126.4nm @ 3500rpm

Specifications: Quintrex 570 Top Ender SC
Priced from: $54,990 with Evinrude E-TEC G2 150hp H.O. 508mm longshaft (20”) DFI two-stroke outboard with Evinrude Icon Touch 4.3” CTS digital display, digital shift and throttle control, integrated dynamic power steering (with steering assist), iTrim automatic trim system, Quintrex tandem axle aluminum trailer, inshore safety gear pack, and QLD boat and trailer registrations.
*Please note the above pricing excludes the options fitted. Please contact your local dealer for pricing on these items – which included the live well in front casting platform, Mega Chopper bait board, bow-mount electric motor plate, deluxe rod locker, vinyl hull wrap with custom artwork, additional rod holders, and dual battery system.
Length overall: 6.05m
Hull length: 5.61m
Beam: 2.3m
Depth: 1.28m
Hull weight: 630kg
Towing weight: Approx 1,300kg
Bottom alloy: 4.0mm
Transom alloy: 4.0mm
Topside alloy: 3.0mm
Maximum power: 150hp
Engine as tested: Evinrude 150hp E-TEC G2 two-stroke outboard
Fuel: 95 litres
Height on trailer: 2.04m
Length on trailer: 6.85m
Maximum load: 872kg
Maximum persons: Seven

Supplied by:
Surf Coast Marine
Phone: (07) 5563 7733
Email: info@surfcoastmarine.com.au
Website: www.surfcoastmarine.com.au.