Aussie boating icon Quintrex turns 75

The iconic Aussie brand can trace its roots back to the end of World War II, when on November 1945 two blokes, Terry Quantrill and Frank Newman, formed a company called Quantrill and Arnold in Sydney’s Sans Souci.

The company, little more than a backyard operation in a shed during the war, originally produced safety guards for machinery.

After a short time, Arnold left and Frank Newman took up a share in the company alongside Quantrill. Their company, Quantrill and Arnold Pty Ltd, was officially registered on November 23, 1945.

The company expanded, converting lightweight war surplus trucks into heavy lorries for the Australian market, and building semi-trailers to haul behind them.

Someone wanted a boat, so in 1946, Quantrill and Arnold Pty Ltd stepped up to the challenge. Two boats, a 20-foot and a 21-foot cruiser were built, using steel plate welded over a steel frame, and Marine City (now Hunts Marine and one of the brand’s most successful dealerships) was appointed as a dealer.

However, the venture was almost the end of the boat-building business; one of the boats was bought using a cheque linked to an empty bank account and had to be repossessed with the help of police.

After struggling through the post-war depression, the company moved to a new site at Taren Point where the first aluminium boats – little more than prams – were built.

The name “Quintrex” was coined in 1955 when the company was named Quintrex Australia Products Pty Ltd. By this time, boats were starting to dominate the production lines.

By 1966, Quintrex had expanded further, moving to a new site at Kirrawee in southern Sydney. It was also about the same time that Quintrex boats developed their flared bows, initially shaped on a wheel but later stretch-formed on a press.

The design made Quintrex boats drier and stronger than aluminium boats adopting simpler bow shapes, and also introduced the “Fishabout” name to the model line-up.

In 1976, the company was sold to Australian aluminium producer Alcan, which was the main supplier to the boat-building side of the business. A new generation of boats was introduced in 1978.

Quintrex was bought by Queensland-based export group Telwater in 1988, and for a short while in the wake of the recession Australia had to have, it diversified into building Desert Edge camper trailers. Other brands including Stacer and Savage and the Yellowfin sub-brand, joined the fold.

More recently, Telwater has sold to Canadian recreational vehicles specialist BRP.

Telwater general manager Sam Heyes said there would not be a boatie in Australia who did not recognise the Quintrex name.

“Throughout the 75-years of manufacturing, innovation has been at the core of our business, with a dedicated Research and Development team underpinning the evolution of our product line,” heyes said.

“This is to ensure we are not only meeting customer demand but also delivering new features to the industry that take our customers boating experience to another level.”

Quintrex had won the title of aluminium boat of the year more than 10 times based on its  innovative designs, heyes said.

“Because we partner with the 60 best boat dealers in Australia, who are spread across the country, we are proudly able to offer the Quintrex boating lifestyle to every person, living in every part of Australia,” Heyes said. 

“We now also export to over 15 countries, including in the South Pacific and Asia.”

Happy 75th birthday from boatsales.com.au, Quintrex.