Quintrex 650 Trident

So they might spark just a little more than the average amount of interest with this, the 650 Trident.

If the potential of the layout and base design doesn’t generate a lot of that interest, the price will!

The boat as we tested it was ‘bare bones’ with no add on equipment save for the inclusion of a bimini and its envelope which pushed the base price of this boat of $55,975 up just another $310.

The cutaway in the helm bulkhead is wide enough to allow a large adult to easily transit after folding down the central part of the windscreen.
That hatch is secured by two rubber thongs and is a snug fit without any rattles. Once opened to starboard it lays back past centre retained by a stainless steel cable. The latter could have been a few more centimetres in length to prevent the door trying to return to the closed position when the boat rocked in small chop.

With the cabin roof ajar, one walks between the berth bases and attains a good height standing on the forward of the ‘V’ for maximum leverage over the ground tackle. If that’s all in the too-hard basket, you can option an electric anchor-winch plate on the bow at the time of ordering.

Inside the cabin, the V berth is plain carpeted but optional cushions are available. These are big enough to sleep two large adults and the leg well for those sitting up is a good depth. If you are 180cm or shorter you will sit comfortably well forward on the V berth and any taller than that you will still have good head room at the aft end of the cabin.

The wide coamings that sweep around the gunwales of this boat continue around the forequarters but the cabin sides dissect their lineal length. There is still ample flat space of that gunwale exposed on the inside of the cabin but it is a ledge and next to useless. It could do with a lip of sorts installed at the point of manufacture to transform this into valuable stowage space.

Under the lids covering the V berth, there are long rotaform moulded inserts forming the stowage compartments. This is a practical use of sound insulating material that will keep objects from banging on a bare hull when underway.

A hatch in the aft of the leg well exposes a small bilge in which a pump is installed and this would be effective at times when the cabin is carrying a payload and the boat exhibits a bow-down attitude with bilge water moving forward from the stern along the keel line.

Quintrex have put some really attractive seats in the Trident which consist of aluminium box bases with short post pedestals on which comfy bucket seats with arm rests are installed.

The aft side of both seat boxes have a small ledge for a foot rest to aid those sitting and looking astern. It is heavily cut away on the corners so no shin damage is sustained when walking too close in rough seas. Strangely, the manufacturer has decided not to install footrests on the front sides of the boxes so the same level of comfort is obtained when seated and looking forward. There is though, a lift-up lean support cushion built into the seat bases of both chairs.

The helm was fitted with instrumentation for the 175hp Evinrude ETEC along with a Lowrance GPS head unit that feeds the engine computer speed information for its fuel burn calculation. The rest of the dash fascia was left bare for the installation of large-screen electronics.

Behind the acrylic windscreen, the dash top is expansive and flat both in front of the helm and the passenger so vertical-mount electronics might be installed there as well.

Manufacturing the topsides with an internal skin has enabled the voids within to be converted into valuable stowage pockets with large apertures. There is one each side and in front of both the skipper and passenger which should get all the odds and ends stowed safely out of the elements.

In the deck between the two seat boxes a good sized kill tank is installed under a strong hatch.
The deck is made from aluminium checker plate which has obvious non-slip properties but is also long lived when it comes to cosmetic looks. This type of deck may be dented scratched and generally mistreated without losing its neat appearance. It featured turned-up sides creating a ‘tub’ effect which allows for easier cleaning, alleviating the need to get rubbish and fish scraps out from in the joins against the hull sides.

Two funnels leading off the front of and through the rear bulkhead carry deck wash out through the stern scuppers.

Side pockets in the cockpit liners are huge as well and will stow heaps of tackle trays and other implements for serious offshore work such as gaffs and tag poles.

The transom bulkhead is covered in by a carpet fascia in which a removable carpeted hatch is installed, secreting a pair of batteries. The isolator switch is installed on the wall of a compartment above and the wires emanating from it and the associated fuses were hanging loose here. Considering people will use the rest of the space in this compartment for knives and other rigging paraphernalia it would have been a good idea to protect them behind some sort of covering.

In the port corner of the transom, the oil reservoir bottle for the ETEC motor is installed while in the opposite corner the bulkhead stops short at the walk-through transom. The deck of this aperture is slightly raised above that of the cockpit and it is a good size for dragging things in and out of the boat when at sea or allowing easy access for divers. The boarding ladder is tubular aluminium and seems to be sturdy enough to carry heavy body weights.

Atop the bulkhead a bolt-on bolt-off bait rigging station is installed with five rod tubes, a cutting board and a shelf underneath.

Twin horn Seastar hydraulic steering is fitted to the Trident and it functioned efficiently and flawlessly. The hull build consists of 5.0mm bottom sides and transom and 3.0mm topsides and formed in the shape of Quintrex’s well-known Millennium Blade Hull. These hull are designed for a drier ride, more of a nose-down attitude at low speed and very good stability at rest.
Quintrex offers a three-year warranty on all the Trident range.

The fitment of the 175hp was excellent and with two aboard it was full steam ahead with little indication as to when this boat was out of the hole and on the plane; it felt a seamless transition.

This Trident managed a WOT of 5300rpm, 37 knots with 60.1 lph fuel burn. A cruising speed of 24.7 knots at 3600rpm consumed 24.4 lph and it was on the verge of falling off the plane at 11.2 knots, 2350 rpm and using just 11.1 lph.

For a 6.5-metre hull it was very agile on the helm and had power to burn in the throttle department.

Typically ETEC, throttle response was very positive with excellent torque throughout the range.

In short, it's a well-equipped fishing boat in standard form and well priced as a boat, motor and trailer package that Quintrex puts together. Going on past Quintrex form, the Trident 650 will last a long time, take all the punishment you can throw at it, and hold its value.