Quintrex Millennium Series Bluewater 600

Back in the early 1990s, Quintrex made available a promotional boat which was the latest edition of its 5.6m centre console. It was quite a headturner and bore an appropriate name - Awesome.

For yours truly, a keen sportsfisherman, this big, open, centre console was a veritable dreamboat compared to the 4.5m tinnie I called my own at the time.

The space it offered - with storage under the raised casting platform at the bow, big side pockets and large centre console - meant we could easily fish four serious anglers without falling over gear or each other.

During the week I was Awesome's custodian, the boat received enough use for me to fully appreciate the development and versatility of the rig. It was a boat that any keen sportsfisho would fight for.

Now, Quintrex has gone one better...

AWESOME HULL
Not long ago, we witnessed significant changes in the hull design, layout and features built into many of Quintrex's boats.

Indicative of the company's progress is its latest big centre console, the Bluewater 600. And such is the rate of change that if this boat was put next to Awesome, you'd wonder what was so impressive about the old boat.

MAXIMUM BENEFIT
The most significant changes to Quintrex boats of late have been the advent of the marque's Millennium Hull and Maxi-Transom.

The Millennium hull is a development of the famous Quintrex flared bow - an attribute that forged a reputation back in the 1970s.

Quintrex's latest hull still has that famous flared bow, but it also has the Millennium changes - changes that run a little deeper... literally.

The Millennium design is essentially a continuation of the flare of the bow to the 'cutting' section of the bow below the chineline. This delivers a finer entry on the boats to cut through the chop, with water and spray diverted down under the boat by the flaring of the hull at the waterline.

Further down the hull, as the flare flattens out, the hulls feature a slightly concave section running either side of the keel. According to Quintrex, the air and water 'trapped' in here generates more lift, softens the ride and yet also aids stability allowing a continuation of a reasonably deep deadrise aft towards the transom.

The Maxi-Transom comes into play in a number of areas. In reality, it is an evolution of the outboard pod. That is, first we had the half-pod, then the flush-pod, and now we have the Maxi-Transom.

It is no longer a pod, but more a hull extension and as such runs the full width of the transom.

The Maxi-Transom has been created for many reasons, but Quintrex says its greatest benefit is the support and additional buoyancy that it offers as well as the performance benefits derived from what amounts to a longer running surface for a given length of boat.

According to Quintrex the traditional (read: smaller) pods offered insufficient buoyancy to properly cope with the increased weight of the larger outboards (especially four-strokes) owners are typically fitting these days.

So equipped, some boats were ending up heavy in the bum and as such were suffering all the attendant problems: taking longer to get up on the plane, and when offshore they were bobbing down (Ed: taking longer to 'recover') into the water with the passing swells.

The Maxi-Transom has significantly increased the buoyancy at the rear of the craft, as well as increasing the planing surface of the hull to allow the boat to get up onto the plane without fuss.

Combine this with the Millennium hull (which has by definition lost some of its planing surface), and you should end up with dramatically improved hull performance across a range of conditions... You do!

The Bluewater 600 we tested was fitted with one of Mercury's new 135hp Optimax V-six outboards. Though we were unable to do my normal revs versus speed runs, I can vouch it was no slouch.

Even easing down the throttle, it was hard not to notice how quickly the boat slipped up to planing speeds. Without the need to really tweak the throttle hard, the performance available once up on the plane seemed even more sparkling. Suffice it to say, the rig's plenty fast enough for all but the most speed-focussed anglers.

We glided out through the calm waters of the Broadwater and out through the Gold Coast Seaway. Out in the open water, we had swells and wind chop to contend with.

Anyone that has passed through the Seaway before will know that, like many coastal bar crossings, there are areas where the waves stand up a bit as they pass over shallower banks. Confronted with these, at first, I found myself slowing down for each set, knowing from past experience that if you hit one too hard in a tinnie, the boat hits hard, at best jars your back and at worst can leap further out of the water than you'd like.

I'm pleased to report this was not the case with the Bluewater and after a few runs feeling the boat out, confidence in its ability grew and I was soon scooting around the Seaway rather smartly without too much fuss.

From the pictures taken the ride looked worse than it actually was. Even though the hull left the water a few times, it lacked the hard thumps and flighty feeling often associated with such acts.

I'm confident that the combination of the Millennium hull and Maxi-Transom is more than just promotional hype. It does, without doubt, make a big difference to the ride and performance of the Bluewater 600.

A SWELL RIDE
Such is the nature of this boat - its layout and performance - that when you are in it, you just want to go fishing. It's got a great feel to it - a big, roomy boat that has all the options fitted ready for a big day out on the water.

The moment you jump in, you appreciate its size. There is no throwing the leg over the sides and trying to hop in - not unless you want to do yourself an injury.

Indeed, this is a big boat and one that delivers plenty of freeboard and the security that this brings. So, the boarding ladder and duckboard are the best way to get in.

Once you are in, as you'd expect, the centre console format allows free movement right around the boat.

There are several storage areas - the main being in the centre console itself and under the raised casting deck forward of the centre console.

This casting deck is substantial and comfortably allows two anglers to work from this area. The storage underneath is accessed via two hinged sections of the deck lifting either side of the centreline of the boat. It's a useful space but note you'll need to place your goodies into waterproof contains if you want to make sure they stay dry.

As you would expect in a boat this size, the centre console is wide enough for two to stand behind. It is a big, beefy unit with plenty of dry storage, and dash space for the requisite display of instruments and electronic navigation and angling aids.

Behind the centre console on the testboat was US-style leaning post which featured a large padded rest, which while steering in the standing position you could lean your butt against for support.

There's a cooler underneath and the rear of the seat has a brace of rodholders. These are a handy addition to those in the overhead rocket launcher and gunwales.

At the transom, a shelf runs the width of the boat where the oil bottle and batteries are stored. This shelf keeps these items up off the floor and, as tested, still had enough room to place a few more items.

Traditionally, we often see a livebait tank fitted into the transom... Not so here! Instead, the optional livebait tank is a plastic addition that fits on the inside of the transom, with the appropriate plumbing and folding lid for access into the tank.

I can't say if I really like this idea, you'd need a few fishing trips to appreciate if its position is suitable or if it just gets in the way.

The 600 Bluewater can still be towed behind the family six-cylinder car, although you will need brakes on the trailer. Indeed, on this sized boat they should come standard.

Storage under cover for the boat is made easier as the stainless-steel targa top folds down, as does the windscreen of the centre console.

CHANGING PLACES
I have no doubt Quintrex's 600 Bluewater will find plenty of admirers on the offshore fishing grounds - arenas where we traditionally see fibreglass or plate alloy boats dominate.

The likes of the 135hp Optimax outboard fitted to the boat offers reduced fuel consumption, yet still retains good performance with more than sufficient speed.

The best of both worlds, perhaps.