Renegade vs TopEnder

 G'day everyone.

My first post but an important one.

Im boat shopping and I've come to the realisation that I actaully need two boats for what I need like a Barcrusher 670 or a 520 Renegade so to be realistic I'm looking for somthing in between like a 570 Topender but I'm being told a Renegade is better value and just as good?

im living in Port Hedland and have a small family that also wants to enjoy the boat so the space and sleeping room of a Barcrusher is great for the kiddies but I like my big river fishing and enjoy the open boat.

what are people's opinions for a mid to larger boat for say 3/4 time fishing 1/4 time kids/family time?

thanks in advance.


mullows's picture

Posts: 738

Date Joined: 25/12/08

 Look this bloke up in the

Wed, 2016-07-20 16:37

 Look this bloke up in the search bar and get in contact, he might be able to give you some good info, he has an open barcrusher I believe.

Telferfish is his username on here and he does plenty of bluewater and brownwater

 

Cheers

Mullows

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The Older I get the better I was :-)

Feral's picture

Posts: 1508

Date Joined: 01/11/06

 Ive never fished out of the

Wed, 2016-07-20 16:40

 Ive never fished out of the boats your looking at but being up north the open boats are great even for the family as i found my 7.5m hardtop was just too hot in summer. I actully removed the cab off my boat to open it right up. Still had plenty of space for sleeping in swags etc.

BarraSlayer's picture

Posts: 287

Date Joined: 14/04/14

Quintrex Legend

Wed, 2016-07-20 17:42

 Have you had a look at the quintrex legends? A mate of mine in Darwin purchased one 8 years ago and it has served him well, from barra fishing the Daly to jigging 40kms off Darwin at Lorna Shoal. I have had many memorable overnighters on it offshore. Probably get a good 2nd hand one from qld for 20 to 25k. They are also light and we have beach launched it at Dundee Beach with 3 blokes  by hand to avoid the car getting bogged and then pulled the trailer out with a rope.

I have a Bar Crusher 615 and after a trip to the NT at xmas I came to realise that while the millenium hull does not handle the chop as well it is a good stable fishing platform. It also drives really well. His is the 5m ish model with 100hp yammy and 3 big blokes can fish on one side... also much better for casting off the front than my boat. Its also alot drier with less water coming over the front.

With any quintrex, if its secondhand hand have a look under the marine ply at the welds as they can suffer from cracks.

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Cheers
BarraSlayer

scano's picture

Posts: 1247

Date Joined: 31/05/07

Top ender gets by vote

Wed, 2016-07-20 18:30

 They come with some nice extra fruit.

good solid construction boats 

 

scano

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Posts: 55

Date Joined: 20/07/16

 I've looked at the

Wed, 2016-07-20 21:17

 I've looked at the tridend.

similar to the barcrusher.

 

Yewiefish85's picture

Posts: 792

Date Joined: 02/01/11

 Hey mate, I would personally

Thu, 2016-07-21 04:37

 Hey mate, I would personally go the top ended/ renegade with I bimini, as mentioned above a cab would get too hot in summer (summer gets too hot for family days on the boat in Hedland anyway) , I live in Hedland too with a young family (6 and 4), I have only got a 4.2m dinghy with a bimini and find this ideal for the fishing that I do plus taking the family out for a fish or crab, have plenty of mates who run an open dinghy or side/centre console, best of both worlds, fish the creeks and pick your days to run wide or fish inshore reefs

ps my boys often take a nap on the fwd casting platform, mine is shaded by the bimini but if the shade isn't over them I just drape a towel loosely over them, 

beau's picture

Posts: 4104

Date Joined: 24/01/10

Have you looked at the seajay

Thu, 2016-07-21 05:58

Have you looked at the seajay range aswell?

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Posts: 55

Date Joined: 20/07/16

 No I haven't but probably

Thu, 2016-07-21 15:51

 No I haven't but probably should.

Posts: 55

Date Joined: 20/07/16

 Has anyone experienced the

Thu, 2016-07-21 07:01

 Has anyone experienced the Renegade and the Topender?

Would love an opinion on the comparison if much at all between them.

Yewiefish85's picture

Posts: 792

Date Joined: 02/01/11

 Have you had a chat with

Thu, 2016-07-21 08:27

 Have you had a chat with Tony at boats and bikes?, his brother has owned a couple of topenders or even have a chat with Frosty at savannah mining and marine

Posts: 55

Date Joined: 20/07/16

 Sure have the boys have

Thu, 2016-07-21 15:52

 Sure have the boys have helped to no end.

Posts: 4577

Date Joined: 01/02/10

Tony and Frosty have both had

Thu, 2016-07-21 08:34

Tony and Frosty have both had their own Topenders.
If you are not wanting to blast offshore at every opportunity I would lean down that path. Tony will have both models side by side for comparison plus will match perth prices.

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Does anyone know where the love of god goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?

morgs's picture

Posts: 109

Date Joined: 25/10/11

 I had my Renegade 460 up in

Thu, 2016-07-21 19:20

 I had my Renegade 460 up in Wickham and it was great for two kids and the missus. Mostly creek work with the odd 40k trip out wide. Pull the chairs out and use the esky as a seat and youve got a great open boat. Mate has a centre console and is just as good with more storage in the console but less room for swags n eskys i reckon.

Posts: 1

Date Joined: 26/04/13

have you thought about mabey

Sun, 2016-07-24 16:56

have you thought about mabey a quintrex freedom sport...

I ended up geting one for the same. fishing 75% family trips 25%. take the front lounge cushens out and you have a forward casting deck and there is heaps of rear deck space when you remove the rear bench seat. I've got a large canopy/bimini that I can put on for family boating and put a smaller one on for fishing trips. performs well in the open ocean aswell as rivers.

Just another option

Posts: 274

Date Joined: 08/10/13

 Its worth the money to have

Sun, 2016-07-24 22:06

 Its worth the money to have the motor pod on the back.  Go the topender.   Big tinnys with an open transom are painfull. Go backwards at all and youll have water coming in the back.   Plus all your cables and steering are not inside the boat with the pod.  Ive fished out of a few big tinnys similar to the renegade and absolutely hated them just for the fact of the open transom and water coming into the boat and the steering and control cables can get in the way. Plus with the pod its more user friendly for getting in and out of the boat.