Quintrex’s new Rotax outboard engine: What we know

However, while details relating to Quintrex are light on the ground, we’re learning a little bit more about what the engine will be like from Quintrex’s US-based brands, pontoon boat maker Manitou and fishing boat specialist Alumacraft.

Both have teased details of what this engine will do once it is fitted to boats from early next year. From that, we can have a bit of a guess at some of the features that will roll out once the engines are added to Quintrex models here in Australia.

The new boat design appears to use pods that extend down each side of the new low-mount outboard engine.

According to Quintrex’s US-based alloy boat sibling, AlumaCraft, the transom extensions wrap around both sides of the engine and can provide “convenient, in-floor storage compartments”. 

They also help to provide more buoyancy and provide an extra 40cm of extra depth to the transom to create more standing room and provide a wide platform for accessing the water.

AlumaCraft also claims the new transom design also helps with the management of shallow water anchors, swim ladders and kickers.

Fishers will like it because it gives them a wide, flat platform to cast from.

One of the changes that BRP has made with the Rotax outboard engine is to integrate it into the boat via what it calls a rigging centre.

This is an easily accessible locker on the boat that provides access to features such as the oil filler (we’ve not confirmed yet whether this is for the engine oil or two-stroke oil), the battery and even the NMEA 2000 network connection that filters engine data back to the multifunction screen mounted at the helm.

One of the things that BRP is talking up about the new Rotax outboard engine is that the cost of ownership will be a lot cheaper for skippers.

Key to this is the need for little more than a visual inspection once a year to ensure the outboard engine is physically in good shape.

Servicing? Manitou says there will be no need for the dealership to touch the outboard engine for the first five years of its life, or at 500 hours, whichever comes first.

If the engine is based on Evinrude’s E-TEC two-stroke technology - that five-year maintenance schedule is the same as Evinrude's G2 E-TEC service schedule, so everything points to it being the G2 two-stroke powerhead - those maintenance costs should be lower.

BRP claims the new Rotax outboard engine uses what it describes as “stealth technology” to vastly improve the amount of noise generated by the engine.

We’re not yet sure what that means, but just the fact that the engine is covered by the new rear deck should go a long way to suppress noise at the helm. 

Build in a little extra sound deadening, and you’d have a pretty whisper-quiet enclosure in which to wrap the power unit.

According to BRP, the “Rotax Stealth Technology” makes the outboard engine smooth and incredibly quiet, at any speed. “Now, engine noise will never spoil a good conversation again.”

At first glance, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the new Rotax outboard engine's air intakes are in the traditional place on the rear of the engine cowling.

However, on this engine the "intakes" on the trailing edge of the engine cowl appear to be decorative rather than functional.

The engine cutaway provides a much clearer view of what is happening. The air intake is mounted on the front of the engine and appears to have a fitting that allows it to be attached to an intake tube that runs forward of where the engine attaches itself to the transom.

That means the boat is likely to be able to use a car-style airbox built into the boat as an intake rather than drawing air, spray and in a worst-case scenario even water, into the engine.

You can also see that with the horizontal crank, the power from the engine has to turn a full 180 degrees via what appears to be a pair of bevel gears to reach the propeller (although sterndrives already sort of do this with no issues). Of note, bevel gears are better at reducing gear ratios than they are running straight through. If that is the case, the engines might need to swing larger props to compensate.

Of note, the engine appears to be largely immersed in water. That means the Rotax could rely on the water surrounding the engine to cool itself rather than using the more traditional outboard engine trick of pumping water through the powerhead.

The Manitou pontoon boat website was updated this week with a short video teasing the new Rotax-powered model that will hit the water from 2023.

One of the things the video shows is the Rotax outboard engine rising up out of the water similar to a conventional outboard engine.

As it does, the trapezoid-shaped panel on the transom deck suddenly makes a lot of sense – it hinges up at its leading edge to allow the outboard engine to have enough clearance from the water.

What does that mean for owners? For starters, if you're beaching the boat and raising the engine, you won't have a walkover transom. And then there is towing. Do you leave the raised part of the deck up, or remove it altogether?

One feature we're excited about is that according to Alumacraft, the rear deck will be enhanced with BRP's LinQ accessory system.

What is LinQ? It's a cargo attachment system developed for BRP's snowmobile brand Ski-Doo, and its jet ski brand, Sea-Doo.

LinQ is a standardised system that allows accessories to clip in place in a matter of seconds, with the current range optimised for the Sea-Doo jet skis running from bags to iceboxes, rod holders and even extra fuel reserves.

LinQ will also handy if you're planning a family trip out on the water and need to carry bulky items such as sea biscuits on the new rear platform.

Expect a new range of boat-specific accessories – think of things such as drop-in plumbed live bait tanks, leaning posts and bait stations – to be announced in the lead-up to the first Rotax-engined boat hitting the water.

We already know that Quintrex will fit both the 115hp "S115" and 150hp "S150" Rotax engines to its Freestyler bowrider range on boats that are completely re-engineered to wear the new powerplant.

Underneath, Quintrex will keep the Apex hull that has served the Freestyler range well since its introduction in 2017.

What we don't know is how sweeping the changes are at the transom, where the Freestyler's hull is extended in pods that wrap around the new low-profile outboard engine.

The Rotax-equipped Quintrex Freestyler models will be known as the Freestyler X – you'll still be able to buy traditional outboard-engined versions – and feature what is called the "Max Deck", the name given to the new extended transom platform.

For the Freestyler X, the extended transom will add about 120cm of extra space on the aft section of the boat.

BRP has made it very clear that it will continue to offer its boats with traditional outboard engine pods for those owners who prefer it.

Quintrex's US equivalent, Alumacraft, says it will let buyers "select from a full offering of traditional outboard engines".

Quintrex has announced it will sell one of its bowrider models, the Freestyler X, with only the Rotax engine and no option to fit a traditional outboard engine. The Rotax engine will be optional on two other Freestyler models.