Quintrex 540 Cruiseabout

The Quintrex 540 Cruiseabout is the aluminium bowrider that proved alloy boats could be family boats. At 5.4 m (17 ft 9 in) hull length with a 2.3 m (7 ft 7 in) beam, it is a boat almost any family car with a tow bar can handle, and it weighs roughly half what an equivalent fibreglass hull does on the trailer.

Quintrex's Blade hull gives the 540 a much finer entry than traditional pressed alloy designs, which meaningfully reduces the slapping and pounding that puts people off aluminium. It is still a lighter boat than a glass equivalent and will move around more in a wind chop, but the ride is far better than the alloy stereotype suggests.

The bowrider layout is fully realised: padded forward lounges with under-seat storage, a walkthrough screen, twin pedestal helm seats and a rear lounge that converts into a casting platform when the cushions come out. That conversion is the whole argument for a bowrider, and Quintrex makes it a two-minute job.

Outboard power between 90 hp and 130 hp is the norm. A 115 hp four-stroke is the sweet spot: mid-20-knot cruise, easy skiing performance for one adult or two children, and fuel burn around 20-25 litres per hour at cruise. Because everything hangs on the transom, the cockpit stays open and servicing is straightforward anywhere.

As a used purchase, aluminium is forgiving. Check the welds along the chines and transom, look for electrolysis or paint blistering around fittings, and confirm the trailer has been maintained, since in salt water the trailer usually dies before the boat does.