Clark boats gone.

[DaveR]

I am not sure top notch is exactly the right term, but, they are OK for what you pay, I cant see how a Quintrex can be more "top notch" than a Stacer or a Savage, plus you can walk into a dealer and buy one, rigged and ready to go (with a Mercury motor these days) plus, if you have an issue, there are dealers everywhere, kind of like buying a car in a way.

As a mass produced alloy product, Australia and Quintrex in particular produces some of the best in the world. They are top notch products and we should be proud of that. Many brands in America are still riveting their 18ft hulls together.

In comparison with the second tier Telwater products like Stacer and Savage the Quintrexes are certainly a more premium product and it's intentional of course. Some models may look similar and compete in similar classes, but there are some very key differences.

Stacer/Savage still have flat side sheets, i.e. no flared bow and that's a pretty big deal. Compare say a Stacer Seamaster to a Quintrex Fishabout Pro - no comparison in the side pressings, Quintrex are a much drier hull as a result.

Quintrex have superior bottom pressings in their models as well.

Much more stitch welding in the Stacer/Savages as opposed to full welding in the Quintrexes.

The flagship Telwater hulls like the Frontier range do not have a Stacer/Savage equivalent.

In terms of manufacturing, you will find more apprentices and generally less experienced tradesmen allocated to the second tier products before working on Quintrexes. It sometimes shows in the weld consistency.

There are also smaller details such as fittings that are superior on the Quintrex product.

Take in combination, the Quintrexes are a much more polished product, although not always obvious to the average punter. Stacer/Savage are fine products in their own right.

[ranmar850]

I think this may be slightly confused with regards to the models but I'm no expert either. My father has owned one since new in about 1980! It s a 16 foot Clark Commodore. I think the Abalone was the 14 foot version. The wide cut out at the rear was a pain in the arse beach launching with a single outboard so we have infilled it with some alloy. We upgraded from the original 60 2 stroke to a 60 40 and it gets along well but a 70 would be awesome.

It was definitely a 16 footer, and definitely had Abalone Commander, although perhaps not in tnat order, on the manufacturers' nameplate.

[stevej]

also relatively easy finance as every telwater dealer uses yamaha y loan
a local dealer sells 10-20 boats a week in summer 70% of them are financed 100% of them are yamaha powered plus what ever inboard wake boats they sell

[Lovey80]

As a mass produced alloy product, Australia and Quintrex in particular produces some of the best in the world. They are top notch products and we should be proud of that. Many brands in America are still riveting their 18ft hulls together.

In comparison with the second tier Telwater products like Stacer and Savage the Quintrexes are certainly a more premium product and it's intentional of course. Some models may look similar and compete in similar classes, but there are some very key differences.

Stacer/Savage still have flat side sheets, i.e. no flared bow and that's a pretty big deal. Compare say a Stacer Seamaster to a Quintrex Fishabout Pro - no comparison in the side pressings, Quintrex are a much drier hull as a result.

Quintrex have superior bottom pressings in their models as well.

Much more stitch welding in the Stacer/Savages as opposed to full welding in the Quintrexes.

The flagship Telwater hulls like the Frontier range do not have a Stacer/Savage equivalent.

In terms of manufacturing, you will find more apprentices and generally less experienced tradesmen allocated to the second tier products before working on Quintrexes. It sometimes shows in the weld consistency.

There are also smaller details such as fittings that are superior on the Quintrex product.

Take in combination, the Quintrexes are a much more polished product, although not always obvious to the average punter. Stacer/Savage are fine products in their own right.

do you work for telwater, been a dealer or similar? I’ve heard you give Telwater defence in the past. Stating Quintrex and best in the world in the same sentence. When the pages on this very forum would suggest otherwise.

[gazza2006au]

My cousin had a Clark 3.75-3.85 meter tinny 10 years ago, the Clark tinnys were always a little wider than the competitors i think Quintrex was one of the slimmer tinnys i know the Clark was 10cm or 20cm wider than the competetors that really drew me in but the local dealer had none on display of the latest model, my cousins was about a 2000 model, the hull was 1.1m deep where as the Quintex and i think Allycraft were .9 and 1.0 the Clark tinny just had everything going for it i cant remember prices tho

My cousin sold me his but i gave it back andbought the old quinny fishabout

[Noelm]

I can't say I have ever seen apprentices working on Savage boats, but tradesmen working on Quintrex, neither have I seen any stitch welding on a Stacer where a Quintrex is fully welded, true, the hull pressings are different, Stacer has things different, Quintrex has things different, but neither is way above the other, they are made to suit a market, and they do it very well, the range is huge, and "mum and dad" can buy a complete package, factory fitted, ready to put in the water. I can assure you, the tradesman that wired up my mates Quintrex needs to be sacked, and the welding is just OK at best, but, the price is right, they meet a market demand.

[stevej]

Agree with Noelm
telwater would have just bought and warehouses the stacer brand if that’s all they wanted to do

if you put Noelms stacer Along side my renegade apart from the bottom they look very similar in terms of build

[disorderly]

Well, welcome to the Telwater superfan page...

One of my current boats is a Quintrex ....."Best in the world"..yeah..nah...lol.

It does the required job though which is to run around up the creeks and out to the islands on a flat day...

I also had a Stacer which several times split along the keel and transom....starting to sink 60 km's out is hardly a world class feeling...

[DaveR]

do you work for telwater, been a dealer or similar? I’ve heard you give Telwater defence in the past. Stating Quintrex and best in the world in the same sentence. When the pages on this very forum would suggest otherwise.

No I am not associated with Telwater, dealers or the industry whatsoever. Gee, you give your views based on personal experience buying boats and you must be working for the company or its dealers. I'm just an attorney that goes fishing sometimes, if you're super interested. I also buy a lot of boats. Most on this forum have had maybe one or two boats in their life, they're experts. Been to a boat show, they're experts. Have a story from a friend's uncle's neighbour, experts. Everyone else seems to own Rivieras, Australian built Quintrex isn't good enough for them. Or they peddle obscure brands because Telwater is a large evil corporate, or something to that effect.

Let's be clear, Noelm was objectively incorrect in his comments above regarding Quintrex vs Stacer/Savage, they're simply not the same product and I corrected him on that, it's nothing personal. I understand he owns a Stacer, I wasn't knocking his preferred boat but the reality is the Quintrex are objectively a more premium product. The flat side pressings on the entire Stacer range alone would remove them from my shopping list. Not so with much of the Quintrex range, unless you're buying an entry level Renegade. He also didn't know what he was talking about regarding the ordering process. No, there is not a 1 year wait, regardless of what you read. No, pre-ordered stock isn't set in stone. Again, nothing personal, just correcting an inaccurate post.

And yes, I'll say it again- for a mass produced alloy product they are the best in the world at it, easily. I lived in America for years, you don't want to see some of the mass produced alloy crap they churn out. We're lucky over here.

I can't say I have ever seen apprentices working on Savage boats, but tradesmen working on Quintrex, neither have I seen any stitch welding on a Stacer where a Quintrex is fully welded, true, the hull pressings are different, Stacer has things different, Quintrex has things different, but neither is way above the other, they are made to suit a market, and they do it very well, the range is huge, and "mum and dad" can buy a complete package, factory fitted, ready to put in the water. I can assure you, the tradesman that wired up my mates Quintrex needs to be sacked, and the welding is just OK at best, but, the price is right, they meet a market demand.

I'm glad you agree that there are in fact differences between the Telwater products. It's misinformation on forums like this that leads to people thinking they're literally the same boats with different stickers.

I'd also would prefer your personal experience regarding boats you have owned, not your mate's or brother's uncle's sister. Again, lots of dealer fitouts get blamed on the manufacturer, and sometimes vice versa. Let's stick to our own experiences. I've owned Savage, Haines Hunter (x2), Cootacraft, Quintrex (x2), Sea Ray and soon a Signature. Happy to discuss my experiences, and if my mate has a story to tell I'll let him know where to sign up.

Also regarding price, Savage is price point, Stacer is a little dearer but still price point, Quintrex are really not the price point option at all, in fact most are quite dear. I'd say some models are even too dear for what they are, but that's not why people buy them. Brand name, resale value, dealer network are a few reasons.

[Noelm]

The price has to do with the dealer, I have owned both Quintrex and Stacer, (and I used to work at a Savage dealer) currently I own an Outlaw, my son has a Renegade, both are built the same "quality wise" both have slightly different hulls, both have the same brand and HP motors, is one better than the other? Not a chance in hell, both perform like a cheap, pressed tinny, but, do the job we both want, I crab in mine (had it in the ocean many times) he crabs and fishes in his, would I buy one if I wanted a "top notch" boat? Nope, but as I said, they fill a big section of the market, lots of "extras" standard if you choose the right model. Mine is unpainted and "rough and ready" because that's what crabbing requires, his has a decent sounder and electric and all sorts of extras, because that's his "thing"

[DaveR]

Interesting, I see Disorderly likes the post above about me supposedly being connected to Telwater. It's a good reminder, perhaps there's something to be said about promoting Chinese copy boats, particularly given the topic at hand where another Australia manufacturer is gone.

I have a PDF of the entire Chinese boat Facebook saga before it was all hidden, it's about 20 pages long but what strikes me is how it started, essentially "Australian builders are rip offs, Quintrex and the like aren't real boats, my Chinese knockoff boat will be built properly and cheaper". It obviously turned into "my boat is falling apart, avoid Chinese builders!".

I feel for the guy, but it raises an interesting insight into the attitudes in this country, it's like we're embarrassed of our own products and then wonder why they slowly disappear. Read the title of the thread, it's not good news. How long until even Telwater start feeling the heat, particularly with BRP at the helm, how long until they figure out they're cheaper to make in Thailand. Then you can actually complain about welds.

We're heading down a road where we as a country don't actually make anything. And when you talk up the virtues of our home grown product, so many people, especially those who've never owned one, put their hand up to claim you're wrong. Disappointing but I get it. I bought Australian cars right up until the end, too- even though the typical snobs claimed they were crap.

[DaveR]

The price has to do with the dealer, I have owned both Quintrex and Stacer, (and I used to work at a Savage dealer) currently I own an Outlaw, my son has a Renegade, both are built the same "quality wise" both have slightly different hulls, both have the same brand and HP motors, is one better than the other? Not a chance in hell, both perform like a cheap, pressed tinny, but, do the job we both want, I crab in mine (had it in the ocean many times) he crabs and fishes in his, would I buy one if I wanted a "top notch" boat? Nope, but as I said, they fill a big section of the market, lots of "extras" standard if you choose the right model. Mine is unpainted and "rough and ready" because that's what crabbing requires, his has a decent sounder and electric and all sorts of extras, because that's his "thing"

They are the entry level products of both brands, they perform like cheap pressed tinnies because that's exactly what those products are. I had a Renegade, FYI. They are nothing like a Top Ender or Frontier, but again you're paying a third of the price.

[Noelm]

I might add, I don't own the Stacer as my "main" boat, I have a fibreglass boat for offshore fishing, why did I chose the Stacer? It was not quality, or how fabulous it was, I am in the envious position of having a Stacer dealer, a Quintrex dealer and a Savage dealer all within 10mins drive, I looked at them all, as well as a few other brands and to me, the Stacer was the best value price wise, plus I know the dealer, he knows me, the Savage was the dearest (Mercury motor) and the Quintrex a bit cheaper, the Stacer (maybe "mates rates") was the cheapest, I had the choice of Yamaha or Honda motors, went for the Yamaha because if warranty at the time, not because I reckon they are the best, I was kind of keen on the Honda.

[Ducksnutz]

Ok, my boat resume. 12ft Clark cutter, Quintrex traveller, Quintrex 420 Dory, Stacer 400 Bass elite, Barcrusher 560c (615 now) Haines Signature 632f, Haines Hunter 520 Prowler, Blue fin 450 warrior and current boat a Tournament Bluewater 1900 centre console....oh and a Hobie Pro Angler.
I hope this allows me to comment.👍

They were all bought and used for their intended purposes and all had their compromises and none were/are perfect.

I believe this thread was about an Australian company that has had to close its doors for whatever reason which is unfortunate and probably a sign of the times.
How Australian businesses survive in any industry is a huge challenge with globalisation etc. One can only hope more survive than perish.

[DaveR]

I might add, I don't own the Stacer as my "main" boat, I have a fibreglass boat for offshore fishing, why did I chose the Stacer? It was not quality, or how fabulous it was, I am in the envious position of having a Stacer dealer, a Quintrex dealer and a Savage dealer all within 10mins drive, I looked at them all, as well as a few other brands and to me, the Stacer was the best value price wise, plus I know the dealer, he knows me, the Savage was the dearest (Mercury motor) and the Quintrex a bit cheaper, the Stacer (maybe "mates rates") was the cheapest, I had the choice of Yamaha or Honda motors, went for the Yamaha because if warranty at the time, not because I reckon they are the best, I was kind of keen on the Honda.

With respect, only owning the super entry level stuff of any brand is a little like buying a Toyota Yaris and saying "Land Cruisers are average, I've owned a Toyota".

The Renegades have their place and they're a good entry into the brand. The corresponding premium product in the range, being the Top Ender Pro, is a completely different class of product. You can't get it as a Stacer and they're probably 30% dearer than a Renegade. But it's for a reason.