thoughts about the 680 Trailblazer??
Submitted by t bone on Mon, 2014-04-21 21:53
Gday All.
Its great to find a forum jsut for us crew on the West coast.
Ive currently got a Quintrex 650 spirit that im looking at offloading to allow for a little bit of an upgrade. I like the looks of the trailBlazer (trailcraft) but havent met anyone that owns one. Anyone out there able to shine some pro's & con's on this boat?? I've heard that they have moved to china, what sort of quality control have they got??
Cheers
Trailcraft570
Posts: 124
Date Joined: 06/11/13
Trailers
A little smaller than you currently have but I've got a 2009 Trailblazer 570 fitted with a Honda 4 stroke 135 HP. A great boat, great on fuel and makes Rotto an easy run in good weather. Mine was WA built but from what I have seen from the offshore manufactured, some early fabrication issues have been resolved and the product is now good quality. My 570 is very easy to handle, getting it on and off the trailer by yourself. Rides the sea well and handles metro and offshore waters with ease as long as you are sensible in what swells you plan to tackle. Overall a very safe boat to be in from this owners perspective. Great for fishing and diving, plenty of space on offer. My bimini is an extended version which provides ample protection from the sun, a must. Very easy to maintain if you also treat it well, ie a good external wash down after each trip (takes 10 mins with a bucket of soapy water and a soft broom) and a regular internal clean. Get a anchor windlass fitted if you decide to buy, it's worth it. Only con is the same with all ally's, can be a little bone jarring from time to time when coming off the back of waves. Overall a great make of boat and I don't think you will be disappointed.
t bone
Posts: 351
Date Joined: 20/04/14
Cheers bud.
Thanks for the insight mate.
I love the looks of the boat, and after owning a cuddycab, in my eyes- it's a fair waste of space for how often i actully do overnight trips. Its just as easy to unroll the swag on the deck & have more deckspace to play with.
How do you feel the Honda goes? Ive got a 200hp Optimax on my current boat, and would like to make the change over to honda (lost some faith in Mercury @ about 11 hrs after new) I just can t seem to get this idea of Twin HONDA 115's on the back of the new 680.
Trailcraft570
Posts: 124
Date Joined: 06/11/13
Hondas
I was a merc lad before but now am definately Honda. Starts always on first pop and great on fuel consumption. I swear by them now and I personably haven't heard of any grumbles from other Honda owners.
Trailcraft570
Posts: 124
Date Joined: 06/11/13
Hondas
I was a merc lad before but now am definately Honda. Starts always on first pop and great on fuel consumption. I swear by them now and I personably haven't heard of any grumbles from other Honda owners.
t bone
Posts: 351
Date Joined: 20/04/14
optimax
mine was brand new. Was going thru all the run in procdure and boring stuff. 11 hrs of run time, the lower leg siezed. Somthing about the prop shaft had the incorrect tollerance :-/ not 100% sure, im a sparky not a mech..