Top 5 most popular runabouts on boatsales

With the spring/summer boating season about to kick off, now is the time to invest in a new family/fishing runabout. And while the bigger your bank balance, the more options you have, by no means do you have to spend a fortune to get out and about and enjoy the best our marine lifestyle has to offer.

To that end, we’ve delved into our data to see which budget-friendly runabouts are being searched for more than any others here at boatsales. We have thousands of boats for sale across our site, but these are our top five when it comes to this category of family and fishing favourites…

The most popular runabout on boatsales, and one of the best entry-level boats on the market right now, is the Quintrex 430 Fishabout.

This terrific little front-windscreen, forward-control alloy runabout is ideal for newcomers, retirees and downsizers; it combines decent wind/weather protection and a spacious interior layout with a safe, comfortable vee bottom hull.

The 2023 Quintrex Fishabout is a very smart-looking craft too, with the smooth, ‘plate-look’ topsides replacing the traditional clinker-panelled topsides of previous models.

Below the water line, the latest Fishabout is equipped with the variable deadrise Quintrex Blade hull. Flared and concave in shape, with reverse-angled outer chines, the Blade hull gives the latest Fishabout a smooth, stable, dry ride.

Key features include a centre-opening, walk-through curved windshield; port and starboard side poly-plastic helm consoles (with glovebox storage space to port, flat-panel display space to starboard); a pair of deluxe, swivelling pedestal helm chairs; and a flat, carpeted plywood floor stretching aft to a full-height transom.

The 430 Fishabout is rated for a single long-shaft outboard engine to a maximum of 60hp, but performs adequately with as little as 40hp.

As a budget-beating all-rounder, the 430 Fishabout has few peers; it rates highly for family day cruising, social tow sports, and sheltered water fishing.

Find your own Quintrex 430 Fishabout here on boatsales.

Another excellent boat for first-time boat buyers is the Stacer 429 Sea Master. This forward-windscreen runabout made its debut in 2018 to replace a similar model called the Sea Way.

Interestingly, the name Sea Master was drawn from one of the most successful Stacer runabout models from the 1970s and '80s, the 474 Sea Master. This classic model (along with the similar 444 Kingray and 525 Sea Ray) can still be found on boatsales from time to time.

There are seven Sea Master runabouts in the current Stacer boat range. They include the entry-level 429 model, along with 449, 481, 499, 519, 539, and 589 series boats.

In addition, there is a deluxe SE Special Edition version of each of the above models which are outfitted with some extra kit that would cost more if it was bought separately.

Key extras on the SE models include a bimini, sound system, deluxe helm chairs, upgraded steering wheel, VHF radio, ski pole, rear bench seat and more.

The entry-sized 429 Sea Master can be bought with or without the above kit, depending on whether you buy the standard model or the SE version.

The standard Stacer 429 Sea Master is a little light on features and accessories, but it does make the boat much more affordable for budget boaters, and allows for individual customisation.

Find your own Stacer 429 Sea Master here on boatsales.

The third most popular, most-searched runabout on boatsales is one of the larger Quintrex Fishabout models, the 481 Fishabout.

This Quintrex 481 Fishabout falls roughly in the middle of the Fishabout front-windscreen runabout range; it could be considered the Goldilocks model. A runabout around the 5.0-metre mark is the perfect size for a wide range of boating and fishing activities.

The Quintrex 481 Fishabout is large enough to fish a dozen or so miles offshore, yet still small and light enough to be enjoyed on narrow backwaters, rivers and estuaries.

The 481 Fishabout is probably a bit big to squeeze into a garage (without a folding trailer drawbar) but it is light and compact enough to be towed easily behind a family-sized SUV and tucked away on the side of the driveway at home.

Similar to the entry Quintrex 430 Fishabout, the 481 series model comes in standard and Pro versions, the latter outfitted from the factory with extra gear that most buyers would option the boat with anyway.

That said, making a standard, basic version available does give customers the option to buy a cheaper boat and then fit it out as time and funds permit.

The Quintrex 481 Fishabout is designed to accept a single long-shaft outboard engine to a maximum of 90hp, although a 75hp engine will be ample for most recreational applications.

Find your own Quintrex 481 Fishabout here on boatsales.

The Stabicraft is something of an outlier in this group of mostly pressed alloy monohulls. I certainly did not expect it to be among the most popular runabouts on boatsales.

That said, the Stabicraft 1550 Fisher is an excellent craft, and quite unique in the marketplace. It’s a terrific fishing and adventure boat – an SUV of the sea if you like.

Similar to all of the New Zealand-made Stabicraft boats, the 1550 Fisher is best described as a pontoon monohull in that the boat has a moderate/deep-vee centre alloy hull surrounded by chambered pontoon flotation tubes which make the hull exceptionally stable and unsinkable.

Early Stabicraft boats were a bit awkward looking, but I find the latest models reasonably pleasing to the eye, although I might just be getting used to them.

As a rule, Stabicraft boats are excellent performers on the water – safe, soft riding, and stable.

The smaller models such as the Stabicraft 1550 Fisher also handle and ride like a substantially bigger boat, making them suitable for coastal fishing, diving and exploring.

The Stabicraft 1550 is available as a centre console and as a runabout. The latter is the most popular due to the shelter provided by the heightened front deck and windshield, which opens up in the centre to provide access forward for anchoring or beaching.

Other key features include an upholstered helm chair with a flip-out quarter seat to face aft, a port-side passenger seat mounted above a 70-litre ice box, and a deep, spacious cockpit with side and rear storage shelves.

The maximum outboard engine for the diminutive Stabicraft is rated at 75hp, but you can expect decent performance and a top speed of 30 knots with a 60hp engine.

Find your own Stabicraft 1550 Fisher here on boatsales.

The Haines Hunter V19R appearing on this list is no surprise; this timeless front-windscreen fibreglass runabout is an Aussie classic that will always be sought after.

First appearing in the late 1960s, the V19R was modelled on the US-made Bertram 19 runabout but re-imagined for Australian boating and fishing.

Early V19Rs look very Bertram-like, with flaring topsides and noticeably raised reverse chines. These were dropped from later models designed by John and Garry Haines.

The top deck was also redesigned (the raised sheer was removed) and the hull spray chines/strakes were repositioned on later models.

Despite its classic boat status, the Haines Hunter V19R is a relatively simple boat. The deep-vee hull is renowned for its soft ride and excellent handling, but the interior layout in original models was really quite plain.

Inside there was a pair of pedestal helm chairs, or low-set back-to-back seats, beneath a low-set, fixed windscreen.

Behind the chairs, the flow-coated cockpit floor stretched aft to a single-engine outboard well flanked by pretty useless moulded quarter seats.

Few people would ever sit on those fibreglass back seats as you would get wet from spray. The fixed-position seats also took up valuable standing/fishing space to the extent that many owners chopped them out so you could then walk into the corners.

Many owners also fitted a fibreglass spacer (or wave breaker pad) beneath the windscreen to raise it up high enough to make the boat more comfortable to drive while standing up, and to fit an overhead bimini.

On the used boat market, the Haines Hunter V19R is in constant demand. Untouched, original-condition models can fetch a lot of money, but most will have been rebuilt with new transoms, floors and stringers.

Find your own Haines Hunter V19R here on boatsales.