Quicksilver Pilothouse or similar

vandy said:
Hi,
Does anyone here own a pilothouse type of boat?

To be specific I mean these types:
http://www.ctcmarineandleisure.co.uk/acatalog/pilothouse640_001.jpg

They can be powered by outboard or inboard and pricewise I can afford them.

Any advice/comment regarding their cruise ability, stability, maintenance etc, would be appreciated.

ta!
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I haven't owned one but there are plenty of them in our marina. The fishing guys who own them love 'em. I think the Arvors are a very similar boat. There does always seem to be a lot of them for sale second-hand though.

Personally I'd prefer a Merry Fisher or Beneteau.
 
Take a look at the Jeanneau, Benneteau or even Rodman alternatives. I remember looking at QS years ago when I was looking for something similar and not being impressed by the build quality or finish. We bought Jeanneau in the end. Not sure about the QS Sea Manners, but the French ones above behave very well and are great little boats. Inboards versions are usually diesel so will give a bit better range, cheaper and more convenient fueling (assuming you are in the UK) and a full transom and swim platform to use (No engine in the way) but are noisier and usually slower than OB models.
 
Hi
I have got the arvor 190 for which as already said is the same as quicksilver, but with a diesal engine the difference is if your not to bothered about speed and do a lot miles better off with a arvor , quicksilver outboard good speed burns petrol, hull is good at sea and build good for cost, hope that helps.
 
Thanks!

I was thinking of Jeanneau, Benneteau, and Arvor too.

The problem is that Quicksilver Pilothouse of similar length (i.e. 500, 580, 640) is like a fraction of price of Arvor!

But I agree with Ripster, the QS is not finished as nice as Arvor for example! Hence the price!!! ;)

I sold a cabin boat last year and bought a rib. But with such beautiful always rainy weather, I am again into another boat with a cabin...

Rather not buy 2nd hand as had bad experience, so brand new I am almost limietd to a QS! [IF I am lucky!]
 
Don't write off buying used. A decent quality boat used can be a better bet than a cheaper lesser new one. The trick is not to rush in. Do your research carefully, check the boat over first and get an empression of condition. If you don't like what you see, walk away. If you think you have found "a gooden" employ a recognised and recommended surveyor and a decent engine man. Get the vessel thoroughly checked over, the devil is always in the detail. Yes you may spend a bit doing all this checking everything out, but you could pick up a nicer boat for less money. There are plenty of good used boats out there, just be a little cautious.

Have fun.
 
vandy said:
Thanks!

But I agree with Ripster, the QS is not finished as nice as Arvor for example! Hence the price!!! ;)
[IF I am lucky!]
Click to expand...

Errrm

Yes they are, they are the same boat, owned by the same company (at the top), built in the same yard and mostly from the same moulds. The difference is literally the back 1/3 where one is built for an outboard and the other is built for an inboard diesel.
The Arvor is dearer due to the inboard diesel, no other reason.

Both are cheap, cheerful, value for money boats.
But with cheap comes lower quality finish and design.
That said, they do what it says on the tin and for a typical angler that is enough.

For those looking for a bit more finesse and better finish then the Jeanneau, Beneteau, Ocqueteau and Rodman brands stand head and shoulders above the other two.

It's simply down to deciding what you want and then it will be clear if the extra investment in the superior brands is worth it for you. They will all do the same job and all will make you smile... most of the time.
 
By the way, all of Ripsters comments in his last post are spot on.

But, out of interest, what is the budget you have set yourself as the QS640 is no longer the cheap option it used to be.
 
Philiz said:
You're right, it is! :o

Looked smaller than that, and it looks like a 580 (ish) one which is parked opposite mine
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It will do Philiz.

The 580 is exactly the same boat. The 640 simply has a little bit added to the middle "a'la Cut and shut" kind of thing.
Same cabin, same transom, same beam, same fixtures and fittings, just one has a longer cockpit.
 
Cheers Guys,

I managed to see a couple of boats today, one was a 640 QS:

It was advertised for £17k but I think it was a bit expensive, considering it only had a 115hp Mariner with over 160hrs!

I have never owned a boat with inboard engine. Have owned over 5 boats all with outboards (2 stroke and 4 stroke) and feel I am more confident with outboard engines, especially when they break...

I have also heard that inboard engines are more reliable in long run but honestly speaking I am a bit scared/not prepared of dealing with leak through driveshaft etc.!

Again, in reality budgetwise I am limited to QS. The good thing about these boats (both Arvor, QS, ..) is that they are usually owned by boat lovers! so they have not been abused like ribs and smaller fishing boats, I hope! ;)
 
I am in the process of trying to buy a Quicksilver 640 Pilothouse. Unfortunatly I need to Part Exchange my old boat and the boat dealers who I have offered it to have moved the goalposts as they advertise a Brand New 2010 boat for around £26K but when I tried to do a deal I am offered a 2011 Boat at nearly £30,000. But if they still have 2010 boats still in stock it shows they are not selling.
The boat I have for sale is a Guy Couach 21ft Inboard Diesel which is the forerunner of the Merry Fisher Range. My inboard diesel uses perhaps 1 gall diesel per hour at 5 knots but only does 10-12 knots flat out. And this is why I am selling it, I want to go further afield, my boat is at Whitehaven Marina and I want to pop over to the Isle of Man, 40 miles, so my boat would take 5-6 hours without the tide pushing me sideways whereas if I get an Outboard Engined boat 100hp or 115hp I can do it in 2 hours.
But Chinese Boats are new here. In the July issue of BOAT "Smartliner" boats are here, same length 21ft, and in the photos they look quite good, and they are cheaper, anyway Quicksilvers are made in Poland. And would be 30% cheaper if the Pound had not crashed.
If I was able to spend more money I would buy either a Merry Fisher with an Inboard or an Ocequeto.
I have sent you a pm over my boat as I have reduced it further in order to have a private sale so I can buy a new one without px.
 
vandy said:
The good thing about these boats (both Arvor, QS, ..) is that they are usually owned by boat lovers! so they have not been abused like ribs and smaller fishing boats, I hope! ;)
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Be very careful with statements like this Vandy.

ALL the ones I know are put way beyond the limits that they were originally designed for and as such have been very heavily "tested" often to beyond breaking point.

Have a survey on the one you are sure of buying and you then look again!

If you do go for one of the "value" brands then try and go for the Weekender styles as they have been owned by careful leisure users rather than heavy handed anglers who are intent on fishing way offshore in F5s on the nose.

On the brand / model you have highlighted, if you are that dead set on having one do pay particular attention to all through hull fittings for things like scuppers, live wells, bilge pumps etc. Pay attention to all windows and to door seals, to all bulkheads especially where they join the deck/s, to any fitting seal that is mounted on the gel coat such as nav lights etc. Check doors for the security of the lock (just lift the door and see if it slides open) and for whether or not they are simply going to come off in a heavy sea. Forget the "South Pacific" electric windlass as it is absolutely useless and get ready for removing it completely or refitting it with a decent one from Quick, Lewmar etc. Check the curved windscreen for scratches and when you own it only ever clean it with a soft sponge and make sure you don't use the wiper on a dry and salty screen. And finally, the spary which comes on the screen when you are underway in a flat sea tends to come from the little clam shell cover over the drain hole in the rope locker. This catches the water as you run and sends showers over the screen.
...Oh check the rope locker mouldings for leaks into the bilge too.

Make sure you go for the 115Hp as a minimum, bigger if the boat is one of the newer ones that is rated for a larger engine. Anything less and the boat seriously labours and fuel consumption goes through the roof.


OK, that sounds like a huge list of faults or things to be aware of and perhaps it is a lot more than on better brands, but the boat will do the same job. If you are prepared to make all the above compromises (and more I can't think of) then go for it and you'll have a great time, but remember you can buy superior brands on the used market for only a few % more.
 
vandy said:
Hi,
Does anyone here own a pilothouse type of boat?

To be specific I mean these types:
http://www.ctcmarineandleisure.co.uk/acatalog/pilothouse640_001.jpg

They can be powered by outboard or inboard and pricewise I can afford them.

Any advice/comment regarding their cruise ability, stability, maintenance etc, would be appreciated.

ta!
Click to expand...

I have a Quicksilver 650 Weekend - similar but with a larger cabin.

Fast (30 knots with 115 hp) & fun. We have had a great time with it, see my little blog, Carraghyn, in my sig.

Not the best sea-keeping, the stern third of the hull is pretty flat, so it has no "bite" into the water. In Smooth to Slight conditions it is fine, in Moderate to Rough it's very hard work on the helm because the shallow hull provides little directional stability in short chop.

That being said, I live on the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea, which is notorious for being less than kind.

Some other similar designs, such as the Jeanneau MerryFisher range, appear to offer more bite and better handling in poor conditions.

The Arvor boats with their inboard engines are slower, with deeper hull, keel and better sea-keeping.

For the QuickSilvers, 115 is the max size of OB, and more than enough. Expect around £18K for a good one with low hours & trailer (the 160+ hours you referred to earlier is nothing). I will be selling my 650 soon, 115hp (c. 100 hours), trailer etc., asking £18K.

You need to assess what sort of waters / conditions you want to use it in. Lake, estuary, long swell / short chop, what's your maximum comfort zone (F4) etc. If you're prepared to limit yourself to F3 going out (knowing it might turn to F4/5) then the QuickSilver is great. If you want to be more ambitions look for something deeper-hulled (& slower).
 
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