Quintrex 630 Freedom Sport Review
MEGA FREE
The big end of the bowrider market with their 630 Freedom Sport. With a LOA of 6.43m it is at the larger end of the scale and features plenty of room throughout for the larger family looking for fun on the water.
We had a run in one on The Broadwater at the Gold Coast recently and while it is of bowrider configuration there is plenty of scope to make this an all-rounder.
The test boat was fitted with Yamaha's 150hp four-stroke outboard and it proved an excellent match for this boat with brilliant holeshot and responsive performance throughout the rev range. At 6000rpm we managed 47mph on the speedometer which converts to 75.6kmh.
At the helm it was a featherweight and effortless to throw about on a sea that was calm, even offshore via The Seaway. With only the gentlest swell there were no waves to test for broaching or other bad manners so we had to be content with racing around close to the coast and along The Broadwater.
Jumping onto the boarding platform on the transom of this boat one finds a pair of drilled lugs welded each side of the engine at the rearmost edge of the platform on which an optional bracket may be fitted to mount an auxiliary outboard motor. An optional heavy-duty boarding ladder may be fitted here and both extend astern far enough to avoid colliding with the external trim tabs fitted to this boat.
Neatly cut non-slip in the form of Gorilla Grip is glued to the surface on the boarding platform.
DEEP COCKPIT
The coamings on the 630 are very high offering a deep cockpit to work and play in. To assist one into and out of the cockpit there is a half-size transom door constructed of aluminium that, when opened, led one onto an elevated step about 120mm off the cockpit deck.
On the cockpit side of the starboard wall of the engine well a fuel filter with water trap was installed and impeached on the legroom available as one walked through the transom aperture. The battery isolation switch was also installed next to this appliance and fuses were hanging off of this, literally blowing around in the wind. Also, the fuel priming bulb was installed here as part of a loop in the fuel line. As tested, the fuel line continually jammed in the transom door and the drain at the bottom of the fuel filter water trap could not have been fitted with a hose to exit rubbish from the trap due to its close proximity to the top of the step. In any case, we would like to see these two fittings apart - for fire safety sake.
A short bulkhead ran off the forward starboard corner of the engine well and on this was a welded bracket to take one end of the lift-up lounge's frame pivot point. The bracket and an aluminium brace under the frame of the seat had sharp ends and with or without the lounge in place, they presented a danger to exposed shins.
The lounge itself was of sturdy construction and when removed, a shallow rebate under the bulkhead could be utilised for fishing gear or perhaps hanging ski ropes and the like. When standing here, ample padding contacts the upper thighs when leaning against the bulkhead.
While a bowrider in configuration, this boat will get you offshore for a fish. As such, Quintrex have included rodholders in the coamings and while this boat had a removable skipole installed in the transom bulkhead, an optional bait rigging station can be fitted atop this pole. If fishing is your game, you have room in the port side of the transom bulkhead for a large livebait tank with enough clearance underneath to access the cranking battery which is secured in a battery box.
As with a number of the Quintrex models, extensive use of roto-molded plastic cockpit liners make for practical usage. Each end of the liners have a speaker installed, and rod butts and tips also fit here with two rods per side capable of being retained. A deck-facing cockpit light is also part of this build as is a rebate for a drink container which is held in place by elastic strapping. Side pockets fore and aft are also handy.
The short step across the beam of the aft end of the cockpit has two funnels that feed deck water to the scuppers on the stern.
Mid cockpit, under a removable carpeted hatch, is a roto-molded insert which is bunged for drainage and will act as a wet stowage area or killtank. The fuel tank is fixed underdeck forward of this and in between the seats is a long ski locker under a hatch.
HELM FEATURES
At the helm is a plastic base on which instrumentation is fitted and fixed to the bulkhead separating the cockpit from the bowrider section. Here was installed a radio, compass, Yamaha instrumentation and a gimbal-mounted Lowrance X52 depthsounder. The passenger bulkhead was fitted with a glove compartment of the same roto-molded material. Under both of these modules, elastic nets can be fixed across the aperture behind, and in which clothing and other goods can be secured.
The swivel seats on this boat have swinging backrests so they may be used with the occupant facing astern. They are very low relative to the quite high gunwales and when seated at the helm, one felt too low for comfortable viewing. Optional bucket seats are available for this model which will give you more height if required.
The helm section was covered over with a canvas bimini which was too low for someone 175cm or taller standing at the windscreen. It needs to be higher and moved forward to get the aluminium frame away from the top of the skull - as tested there might be issues in bumpy water conditions.
The gap between the two modules featured a short door to minimise draught into the cockpit when travelling at speed and the windscreen had an opening centre to allow one into the bowrider section. Here, soft-padded seat cushions covered roto-molded stowage containers rebated into the seat frames. There is plenty of backrest height and leg room in this section and although there are no hand grips low down inside, the bowrails are reachable around the gunwales if you are a tall adult.
With a bit of a tidy up to some of the metal finishes and fixtures, this boat will be capable of family fishing, skiing and day tripping.
WHAT WE LIKED
Punchy on the throttle
Low engine noise levels
High coamings for child safety
NOT SO MUCH
Fuel filter and isolator switch must be separated and moved out of the walkthrough transom companionway
Sharp corners on some finished metalwork
Canopy too low for people 175cm or taller
Some lowdown handrails in bowrider section would make this area more children friendly
Specifications: Quintrex 630 Freedom Sport
HOW MUCH?
Price as tested: $58,869
Options fitted: Stereo, baitboard/skipole, and two-tone hull paint
Priced from: $56,569
GENERAL
Material: Aluminium
Length overall: 6.43m
Beam: 2.4m
Weight: 820kg (hull)
CAPACITIES
Fuel: 120lt
People day: 8
Rec. HP: 140
Rec. max. HP: 175
Rec. max. engine weight: 256kg
ENGINE
Make/model: Yamaha F150
Type: In-line four-cylinder DOHC fuel injected four-stroke outboard
Weight: 212kg
Rated HP: 150
Displacement: 2670cc
Gearbox ratio: 28:14
Propeller: 17in
SUPPLIED BY
Broadwater Boating Centre,
46 Brisbane Road,
Labrador, Qld, 4215
Phone: (07) 5529 1777
Web: www.broadwaterboating.com.au
Originally published in TrailerBoat #231
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