re quicksilver

[davechrissyfishing]

hi any one got a quicksilver pilot house !!!! would like to know what they think of them looking at a 580 whats the handerling like etc

many thanks dave

[Shropfisher]

hi any one got a quicksilver pilot house !!!! would like to know what they think of them looking at a 580 whats the handerling like etc

many thanks dave
I seriously looked at buying one myself, but decideded against, main factor was lack of deck space, enough room for 2, but no more, went for Ocqueteau 615 in the end, The London boat show is on at the moment, could be worth a trip ?

[Dave.S]

One of our club members had one of the bigger models, had all sorts of problems with it, so got rid of it within 2yrs.

He said the quality was rubbish, then again he is the only one I know about.

I am sure someone has had a bad Warrior or Orkney or similar.

Dave

[ChrisP]

I have a 620 and think they are superb. Had it 3 years now, no complaints and done 3000+ miles in it

[Black bart]

hi there i have a 640 with 115hp merc 4 stroke ,, superb so far,,,,has a lot more space than the 580,we have had no problems with it , handles superb ,cant wait for the summer,
see it on members boats, i bought it in france saved a fortune,,,the dealer was gr8 even delivered it to calais ,,,mail me if you want to know more,,

[Black bart]

mike thrussel has a review of the 620 on the home page of this site,,,a few changes to the boats since ,,,but he rates it,,take a look,

[fishy Finger]

Hi davechrissyfishing,
I also have had a Pilothouse 620 for nearly 3 years and to be honest, can't realy fault it.
Not sure what model Dave.s was commenting on, but the build quality is very good on mine. The best thing to do is visit a show or dealer and arrange a test run and see for yourself, we all have our own prefereces, in this world.

Cheers
Steve

[Dave.S]

Hi,

Our club member had a 640 with a mariner 115 4 stroke. As I said his is the only one I know who has had problems but the bad bit is that the dealer did not want to know in getting it fixed properly.
As usual it is down to customer service from dealers.

Dave

[Cascars]

I have a Pilothouse 640. Although I have only had it a couple of months I am over the moon with it. I was out in a force 6 a couple of weeks ago, 10-12ft swell and it handled it very well. It fishes up to 6 but 4 in comfort.
Top speed so far about 25kts but not in ideal conditions, should do 28-30 with 100hp.

[RobertMcClean]

Hi,

We have a 560, which is the older version of the 580. Its a super boat and to date have no complaints, quick onto the plane and excellent in heavy seas. Loads of deck and cabin space, combined with a 70 litre fuel tank and heaps of storage compartments. :notworthy

[TomBettle]

Check out the Jeanneau equivalents.
Better ride, better build and better back up and coming in at a very similar price.

All in my very unbiased humble opinion. :clap3:

Tom

[ChrisP]

Check out where the hulls are molded on Jeanneau, Arvor, Del Quay Merry Fisher, Quicksilver......:g:

[TomBettle]

Check out where the hulls are molded on Jeanneau, Arvor, Del Quay Merry Fisher, Quicksilver......:g:


All the hulls for the outboard boats are moulded in Poland.
Inboard Jeanneau's and Beneteau's are almost exclusively made down near Nantes in France.

The main point is the overall finish of the boats, the quality of the fixtures and fittings, the layup of the hull (regardless of where built) and the design of the hull.

Having driven most of these at one time or another the Jeanneau without doubt rides the nicest without any hint (and some of the others have more than a hint) of feeling the water slapping the soles of your feet through the hull.

All will do a similar job (They are pilot house fisher / cruisers), not all are built to the same standards. That is the main reason why I chose to sell Jeanneau motor boats rather than any other brand. When I looked to sell boats for a living a few years ago I didn't apply for a job. I looked around to see who built what and the quality of the various manufacturers and actually asked if I could sell Jeanneau's for one of the main dealers.

Still here today and now own two myself as they are (IMHO) without doubt, the best of this style on the market. In addition, it is not only the boat that it is important. As mentioned by a previous poster, one guy sold his boat primarily becuase when he had a problem he found it difficult to get the dealers attention.
It is quite normal to need some help from your dealer at some time or another and they should jump to be of assistance.
I know that if any of my own customers have an issue then I do my best to help get it sorted one way or another.

If in doubt, come and see the boats and chat with me about the ins and outs.
I am personally based in Poole, but work for one of Europe's largest distributors of Jeanneau power boats.
As an owner and fanatical angler I know what is good and what needs adapting to suit fishing here in the UK. Few of the other boat brand dealers have any interest in our sport and will not be aware of certain adaptations or changes that make us anglers lives easier.
My own Merry Fisher 695 is a top boat, but as an owner I have had to get a few things changed and I am happy to take any one on it to show them it's good and bad points. My boat can be seen in December's Sea Dangler magazine when I took a bunch of guys from the mag over to Alderney. On the same trip, I organised for a larger Quicksilver and Arvor to also come along to make it worthwhile for Sea Dangler magazine. We had to come home in a NE 6, straight in our face all the way and very nasty coming across the races leaving Braye.
Despite my boat being the smallest by a fair margin, it was me that had the other two tucked in behind me out of the worst of the weather.

Tom

[RobertMcClean]

Its all well in good a guy selling a product praising about it but can you provide some facts for us, comparisons, like, weight, speed, guarantees, other relevant stats, that may sway a buyer from going for a Jeanneau's rather than the equivalent Quicksilver?

[jamesy]

Hi all been reading about the quicksilver


I am under a righten promis not to slag them of but i had on brand new last year there was a foram on it and i would not ever buy one again. saying that i now think it is the luck of the draw if a good on comes out of the factory

[Dave.S]

Its all well in good a guy selling a product praising about it but can you provide some facts for us, comparisons, like, weight, speed, guarantees, other relevant stats, that may sway a buyer from going for a Jeanneau's rather than the equivalent Quicksilver?

Hi Robert,

I have a test report from Motor Boat Monthly in May 2004 in which they compared 8 differant boats in the 20-23ft sportfisher range.
The boats were;
Arvor 215, Rodman 520, Beneteau 650, Jeanneau 625, Ocqueteau 615, Galia 640, Quicksilver 650 and Finnmaster 6400.

They were tested as a family pocket cruiser and as a fishing boat by staff from Anglers Mail.

The winner of the test was the Beneteau 650 but only because it was slightly cheaper than the Jeanneau, which was a slightly better fitted out but at a price. :g:

Like most things in life we all have differant needs and wants and it would be a boring place if we all drove the same car, owned the same boat and fished with the same rod & reel. :giveup:

At the end of the day it is what you like, what you can afford and what you perceve to be the best that fits your needs at that moment in time.

If you want to read the reports of these boats I have started adding them to my web site, they are not all on there yet however.

Dave
:kissing:

[ChrisP]

I bought the Quicksilver because I have a dealer who I know on the doorstep. I also have an Arvor dealer who is actually closer. The Arvor dealer looked down their nose at me, or at least that is how I felt, so me and my cash walked. The Quicksilver dealer treated me right (second time I went in) I liked the boat so I bought it for cash, salesman not happy. I still like it and have added to it to personalise it for my type of fishing. I would not hesitate to recomend them to people based on 3 years with one.

Never tried the Jeaneau, Ocquetau or Del Quay so can't comment on them.

[JandH]

Hi Everyone, this is my first post so apologies in advance for any toes I tread on.

I have just bought a Beneteau 650 from the London Boat Show. I looked carefully at the equivalent Quicksilver, Arvor and Jenneau models and I actually test drove the Arvor 215 and Beneteau Antares 650. In the end I went for the 650 as it was a lot cheaper and easier to trail/launch than the Arvor with the inboard engine.
Now the sad bit - my boat is ready to be delivered, my tackle has all been sorted but I am stuck on a job in Algeria for the next two or three weeks!

Oh well - perhaps the Uk weather will improve in that time.

[TomBettle]

Dave

Look closely at the pictures of the Jeanneau Dave, some really ugly bloke sitting on it / driving it....:blink:

Can't remember who asked, but someone said can the dealer back up his statements.
Yes I can.

Firstly, all the pilot house manufacturers boats and to that matter, most boats will do pretty much the same job and will keep you afloat, take you fishing and look after you in sensible conditions.

Up until 2002 my boating interest was limited to my rather clonky old Mitchell 27 fishing boat as my career was in a very different field. I had little knowledge of the different brands of pilot house boats, but after deciding I wanted a career selling boats I spent a lot of time researching the different makes and models.
The first thing that was immediately apparent was the (then) slightly cheaper brands were much more cheaply fitted out with very flimsy catches and fittings. The very cheapest looked it too not just in detailed inspection, but were roughy finished throughout and had a "bolted together" look about the whole boat rather than a carefully moulded "pretty" look.

My research took my through all the key brands and even some of the lesser known brands. Not only did I look at the boats, but I looked at the manufactuers history and credentials and then the dealers who sold them.
1) Was the dealer network well supported?
2) Could I have local support if something did go wrong?
3) Were the dealers respected in the industry and by their customers?
etc etc
I then contacted a few real live customers of the boats to find out what their experience of the boats was like, what they would change, how was the boat handed over to them, how were they supported continually.

Ultimately there were only two final choices:
Jeanneau and Beneteau. Interestingly, they are part of the same group of companies, but compete like cat and dog. With these two (an observation rather than fact), generally Beneteau will create a new model which Jeanneau will look at and then refine slightly with improvements and better aesthetics or use of space. They sometimes share the same hull and sometimes have a similar interior, however Jeanneau tend to fit extra cleats or extra cushions or have little extra features as standard. You sometimes pay a little more for that privelage from Jeanneau, but then nobody says you can't negotiate with your dealer! :)

Both of these manufacturers impressed me with their boats, but the Jeanneau dealer network was much more extensive and the general feed back from owners was a little better. I wrote to dealers for both suppliers asking about career opportunities and to be honest both companies didn't even respond. So I took it on myself to go and see them at Southampton Boat Show.

As a result I now sell Jeanneau for a living! I also own one of their sports boats, Cap Camarat 625 and also a Merry Fisher 695. When you speak to the dealers, very few will have any knowledge of our sport and very little interest too. As a fanatical angler and boater I know what anglers need there boats to do. I am the first to admit that my 695 has had certain mods done to make it suitable for my long range, multi day trips. The boat itself has been perfect with some minor easy to sort out niggles (mainly with the electronics), but I have made some adaptations to suit my needs.

Jeanneau boats are not the fastest of this style or the cheapest, but after seeing a bigger Quicksilver and Arvor have to tuck in behind me coming back from Alderney in a NE6 I can confidently say that Jeanneau's are amongst the best if not the best in their class for handling and sea keeping.
Having driven a lot of different brands and without slagging anyone off you will find some that don't go in a straight line, some you can actually feel the water under your feet, some that look plain awful, some that are badly built.
Only you, during your own research, can establish what is fact there, but I can confidentlay say that if you look hard enough you will see I am 100% in my views.
Whilst coming home from Alderney just after guiding the others through the race outside Braye Harbour I asked an open question to Dave Lewis the boat test guy from Sea Dangler mag what the best boat he ahd ever tested was. Honestly I wasn't fishing for a compliment, but was pleseantly surprised when he looked at me, slapped his hand on the steering wheel and said this is (See his review in December's Sea Dangler).

Most boats will come with what appears to be an extensive warranty and at some point, boats being boats, you are likely to need your dealers help.
One manufacturer may have a 12 month warranty another may have a 5 year warranty, but it is about the support you get from your dealer overall.
Jeanneau's have a 3 year hull and deck warranty. If anything happens to the main floaty part of your boat in your first three years of ownership then it will be sorted out by your local dealer (I only know one UK dealer that isn't very professional and I don't know how long they will be able to carry the brand as they have let customers down).
The engine warranty will be whatever comes from the manufacturer as will fixtures ad fitting around the boat which aren't actually made by Jeanneau.

IMHO I truly believe that of the pilot house styles you will find the following with the first being the best going down.
Like I said, this is IMHO, but do your research and make up your own mind.

Jeanneau, Beneteau, Rodman, Ocqueteau, Arvor, Quicksilver, Sessa, Faeton, Galia, Drago, MG

All will do the same job, all will float, but on the water there is a clear difference which you need to find out for yourself.




Hi Robert,

I have a test report from Motor Boat Monthly in May 2004 in which they compared 8 differant boats in the 20-23ft sportfisher range.
The boats were;
Arvor 215, Rodman 520, Beneteau 650, Jeanneau 625, Ocqueteau 615, Galia 640, Quicksilver 650 and Finnmaster 6400.

They were tested as a family pocket cruiser and as a fishing boat by staff from Anglers Mail.

The winner of the test was the Beneteau 650 but only because it was slightly cheaper than the Jeanneau, which was a slightly better fitted out but at a price. :g:

Like most things in life we all have differant needs and wants and it would be a boring place if we all drove the same car, owned the same boat and fished with the same rod & reel. :giveup:

At the end of the day it is what you like, what you can afford and what you perceve to be the best that fits your needs at that moment in time.

If you want to read the reports of these boats I have started adding them to my web site, they are not all on there yet however.

Dave
:kissing:

[MarieK]

Where does the Orkney PilotHouse fit into all of this - I know its not of exact same style but surely competes with same market?

MarieK

[TomBettle]

Hi Mariek

The following is purely my opinion and not based on anything other than personal observation.

Personally I think the Orkney range is a very good and well built, my own gripe with Orkney boats is that they come across very expensive compared with many of the their mainland Europe bretheren.
I was brought up fishing with my uncle on various Orkney's and back then in the early '80's I don't think much on the water could touch them for quality and sea keeping. My problem is that there doesn't appear to be (correct me if I am wrong) much technological advancement in their boats since then where most other manufacturers are continually striving to improve hull shapes, build quality and overall experience.

They are good boats, generally well built with a very good "historical" reputation, but IMHO there bare a number of manufacturers who build boats that are as good if not better for less money.
IMHO the Orkneys sit alongside Arvor.

Tom



QUOTE=MarieK]Where does the Orkney PilotHouse fit into all of this - I know its not of exact same style but surely competes with same market?

MarieK[/QUOTE]

[MarieK]

I wouldnt say it hasnt moved on much technologically - I used to have an Orkney Fastliner and it is infinetely more refined than it. I think people see the simulated clinker look and assume the hull is old fashioned.

Build quality seems to be top notch - everything feels very solid and what I like is the "little ship" feeling. It probably does not have many of the features of the other boats mentioned with optional extras very expensive.

In terms of sea keeping I believe the Orkney is oustanding and was the main reason we bought the boat - I took out a Merry Fisher of similar size the same day as we tested the orkney in about a 4-5 and the Orkney performed better both in terms of punching through the sea and with a following sea - holding a straight course with minimal correction needed - although to be honest there wasnt a huge difference between the two .

Overall I wouldnt say its a better boat than any of the others just the best option for me given the conditions and type of fishing I do - I would say this is probably true of all the above mentioned boats you have to weigh up what is important for you then pick the one most suitable.

MarieK