Quintrex 650 Trident Hard Top: Fishing Boat Review

Hard Top fishing boats are all the rage at the moment with sales flourishing all over the country and especially in the southern states where the all-weather and bluewater characteristics really come to the fore. Giant Melbourne dealership JV Marine World recently tricked up a Quintrex Trident 650 Hard Top as their demo boat and we grabbed it for a day on Port Phillip.

OVERVIEW
- Tridents proving a real success story
We’ve been following the fortunes of the Quintrex Trident Hard Top since its launch in mid 2014. The Hard Top range is topped with the 690 with the smallest being the 610. Right in the middle is the popular 650 Hard Top which up till now is the only one we haven’t had the pleasure of testing.

At a recent press conference on the Gold Coast, Quintrex’s Damian Duncan said that the sales of the Trident Hard Tops were up significantly.

"The Hard Top sales are up there with the Soft Top sales," Mr Duncan said, adding that Trident sales overall were up for Quintrex.

"We’ve seen an overall increase in Trident sales of nearly 60 per cent," he said.

"Hard Top sales dominate in the south – New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia — while the Soft Tops are more popular in the north."

Mr Duncan said that the Tridents are proving so popular that many dealerships are stocking multiple boats.
Melbourne’s JV Marine has been having plenty of success with the big plate-alloy fishing rigs recently, so much so that the boys there tricked one up with some fishy extras to use as their demo boat and invited us out for a test run.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
- Good package straight from the dealership
The Trident 650 Hard Top starts at around $82,999 with a 130hp Evinrude E-Tec, registration and safety gear.
The standard package is pretty much right to go fishing with inclusions such as live-bait tank, big kill tank, VHF radio, windscreen wiper kit, rod holders, EPIRB bin, fire extinguisher bin, bow rails, rear grab rails, trim tabs, transom door and boarding ladder.

Our test rig had received the JV treatment adding the powerful and sexy-looking 200hp Gen II E-Tec, Full Trident custom blue paint scheme, Lowrance Elite HDS12 Colour Sounder/GPS, full cabin carpet, deck wash, cabin cushions, Sav Winch electric anchor winch, dual batteries and storm covers.

The whole package brought the total dive-away price including safety gear and registration to $110,000.

LAYOUT AND ACCOMMODATION
- Big cockpit dominates with plenty of storage around the boat
With an overall length of 6.69 metres and a beam of 2.48 metres, the Trident 650 is a big boat.
The checker-plate cockpit is big enough to accommodate four or more anglers and the high  freeboard certainly makes a safe prospect for offshore fishing.

The skipper and co-pilot are accommodated with a pair of sturdy Quintrex helm chairs that are adjustable fore and aft. There’s plenty of room to stand at the helm with the seat back and it’s comfortable to sit with the seat forward and feet on the footrest.

The helm station offers plenty of room for mounting of electronics, and radios can be mounted above the screen.
The cabin of our test boat was neatly decked out with cushions and while an adult probably wouldn’t sleep in there, a kid could certainly take a nap after a torrid fishing session. We found it a nice place to sit and have a yarn.

There is a big forward hatch to access the ground tackle and it’s held in place by a couple of rubber straps. I’m not sure about having a forward hatch secured that way. I’d rather see a more positive locking system to prevent water ingress in a really rough sea state with the boat dipping its bow into the waves.

Our test boat was fitted with the afore-mentioned Sav Winch electric anchor winch which looked like a beauty, but I would have liked a hatch covering the anchor locker.

There are good storage pockets along the sides of the cabin and more storage under the bunks.

Down aft, the big alloy bait station was a beauty with a brace of rod holders and decent-sized cutting board.
The transom door leads out to the swim platform that has a two-rung fold-down boarding ladder. On the port side of the transom is the glass-fronted live-bait tank that comes standard.

We also noted nice long side pockets that could take a decent net, or even spare rods, and there was room underneath for your feet.

The side decks are broad so you can mount more rod holders or other gear on them and it’s interesting to note that there are outrigger mounting plates on the cabin sides.

The Hard Top design also incorporates six new patent-pending Reel Easy folding rod holders which fold down individually with a quick release pin mechanism making it easy to stow and reach your rods on the rear of the cabin top.

HULL AND ENGINEERING
- Blade hull built tough
The bottomsides and the transom of the Blade hull on the 650 Trident are of 5mm plate while the hull topsides are 3mm plate.

The hull is constructed with Quintrex’s underfloor rib structure with longitudinal and lateral ribs to reinforce strength and create a precise hull shape.

The cockpit sole is fully welded and the structure of the entire boat re-enforced with a solid T keekl which is triple welded to the side sheet.

In short, it’s a tough boat that can take a decent pounding offshore.

Maximum power is quoted at 225hp and though it’s no lightweight at 1020kg (boat only) we found the 200hp more than adequate.

ON THE WATER
- Plenty of E-Tec grunt and a smooth ride
We had a cracker of a day for boating on Port Phillip with a clear sky and perhaps 15-18 knots of sou’easter ruffling the Bay.

The Gen II E-Tec is a great motor and we’ve written a lot them since their launch. Suffice to say that the engine mounted on this steed was a beauty and while it looked good, it also delivered.

Power deliver was smooth and efficient through the drive-by-wire throttle which is adjustable for feel depending on whether you prefer a light throttle or a bit more ‘feel’.

Similarly, the electric power steering available with the new Evinrudes is adjustable through the E-Tech GII display on the dash.

At the helm, the Trident feels great. There is plenty of vision all round and you can slide the window open for a bit of breeze. Ergonomics are good with the throttle well placed and seat adjustable.

At 1500rpm we found a nice trolling speed of seven knots using just five litres per hour. Double the revs to 3000 and we were planning nicely at 15 knots using just over 18 litres/hr downwind. At 4000rpm we had a fast cruise of nearly 30 knots for just under 33 litres/hr. Wide open was interesting in that we recorded 34.5 knots (64 km/h) upwind and 40.5 knots (75km/h) downwind showing that the high hard top does drag down the performance a bit. However, both directions indicated 55 litres per hour consumption.

We’ve used the Blade hull on a number of occasions and found it to be a ripper design. The fine entry cuts through the chop and the flared bow minimises spray. On this day on the Bay, I could happily open the boat up through the chop and even across it with a bit of tab adjustment for the wind heel.

Sure, we got a bit of chatter under the hull from the chop but nothing dramatic. Hard turns (that a normal owner probably wouldn’t need to do) didn’t faze the 650 and even though it may look like it’d be a bit top heavy, the boat didn’t have the tendency of some hard tops to lean too hard and not feel like they’re coming back up.

In all, it is a boat that inspires confidence, and one that I would happily take to sea in the right conditions.

VERDICT
- A solid fishing boat for the enthusiast
The Quintrex Trident 650 Hard Top is a boat that should be on the shopping list of anyone looking for a turn-key hard top fishing boat. It’d right at home at Bermagui, Portland or Spencer Gulf.

We’ve bashed a different version of the Trident Hard Top up the coast from Burleigh up to Southport in a stiff nor’easter with three aboard and our gear and was great. The hull doesn’t seem to have any vices and as one of the guys we had onboard said on our day on the bay, there are many people out there who don’t realise just what these boats can do.

LIKES
>> Solid feel
>> Good handling
>> Dry ride
>> Comfortable helm position

NOT SO MUCH
>> No hatch on the anchor well
>> Bunks a bit short (trade-off for cockpit space)
>> Would prefer a better way to secure the forward hatch

RATINGS
Overall rating: 4.66/5.0
Mechanical/equipment: 4.8/5.0
Packaging and practicality: 4.8/5.0
On the water performance: 4.7/5.0
Value for money: 4.6/5.0
X-factor: 4.4/5.0

SPECIFICATIONS:
Price as tested: $110,000 drive-away. Options include Evinrude engine upgrade to 200hp, full Trident custom blue paint scheme, Lowrance Elite HDS12 colour sounder/GPS, full cabin carpet, deck wash, cabin cushions and backrest, spare wheel & carrier, Etec G2 Screen Mount, Hart top LED light kit, transom backrest, storm cover, Sav Winch electric anchor winch. dual batteries, safety gear and registration.
Priced from $82,999
Length overall: 6.69m
Hull length: 6.57m
Beam: 2.48m
Hull weight: 1020kg
Deadrise: 18.5 degrees
Bottom alloy: 5mm
Topsides alloy: 3mm
Maximum power: 225hp
Engine as tested: Evinrude 200hp G2 ETEC
Fuel: 180 litres
Maximum Persons: Eight

SUPPLIED BY:
JV Marine World
878 Springvale Road
Braeside, Vic
www.jvmarine.com.au