Quicksilver 645 Cabin Boat Review | Australia's Greatest Family Boats
This was supposed to be the Sports Boat category of Australia’s Greatest Trailer Boats. So what was a 6.45m cabin boat with a comparatively small Mercury 150hp four-stroke outboard doing here?
QUICKSILVER 645 CABIN REVIEW
Turns out we might have been a bit hasty in judging Quicksilver’s Activ 645 Cabin, because it was pretty…active. Agile. Dare we say…sporty? You really need a drive to understand but be assured, this milestone in hull design punches well above its weight.
The Quicksilver is an interesting blend of European styling with traditional seafaring qualities and heaped full of modern innovation. We were all blown away by the silky smooth performance of this incredible hull, and much to our surprise the 150 Merc four-stroke got the big girl up and rolling effortlessly.
There’s a distinct Mediterranean flavour with the faux-teak stepped transom reminiscent of a Riva or Chris-Craft. It’s a very full hull with a strong, low-angle entry and obviously minimal vee getting her up and moving quickly.
The Quicksilver retains its sporty inheritance and layout thats well-suited to entertaining with a foldaway bimini, popup central table and a forward cabin with convertible vee-berth and optional toilet. That’s quite a bit to cram into a 21ft sportsboat!
The Quicksilver can also be outfitted with larger engines up to 200hp. The 645 turns beautifully and has a very sporty feel to the unique ride. Yep, it’s different, but certainly not to be scorned.
QUICKSILVER 645 CABIN RATING
Fun factor | 9.2 |
Innovation | 9.2 |
Design and layout | 8.4 |
Quality of finish | 8.7 |
Handling and ride | 9.2 |
Stability at rest | 8.7 |
Ergonomics | 7.9 |
Standard equipment | 8.5 |
Value for money | 8.4 |
X-Factor | 8.5 |
TOTAL SCORE | 86.7 |
UNDERSTANDING THE RATING SYSTEM
| Meet the judging panel | The rating criteria explained |
THE JUDGES’ NOTEPAD
Angelo Sangiorgio: “It scores really high points for innovation in little things like having a fold-away recess for the bimini. The 645 has interesting lines. They’re not traditional sports boat lines but its not a traditional sports boat. It seems the Europeans are going for a “new wave” square feel that gives you lots of volume, but it retains some nice curves as well.”
John Ford: “I tested this boat originally on a quite rough Sydney Harbour so it was nice to get it out onto the Broadwater today. I think it will score really well with innovation, as well as standard features because it’s really feature packed. The wet storage under the rear steps is excellent and there’s huge storage under the floor. Given its versatility and handling this is a great contender with a real point of difference.”
Kevin Smith: “It’s an exceptionally good boat on the water — it’s just silk. A bit of weight on the water helps it along too, so there’s no transition to plane and that Mercury engine just shunts it up. It’s perfect in that it ticks all the boxes for this design criteria — and it has an outboard — I like that. Those different lines have really grown on me, too. And it’s even got a little cabin so if the kids are naughty you can lock ‘em up.”
Matt Jones: “It’s nice to see something completely different on the market and I just love the look of it —I felt very James Bond roaring around out there. It’s got a 1960s style with modern developments, and its just so easy to drive – you don’t have to punch the throttle, it just gets up and goes. It’s very sexy that’s for sure. It certainly impressed me — you’ve got to have something hot like that!”
John Willis chats to Peter Collins from Collins Marine: “The 645 Cabin is something totally new, a real revelation for us. There’s no hole to climb out of as you accelerate so it’s very smooth and very stable, with big high sides and it’s a very stiff and solid boat to drive. The specs say “No” but the boat says “Yes!” It’s also a true self draining cockpit and the walkthrough dash and screen work really well for mooring access and beaching.”
QUICKSILVER 645 CABIN SPECIFICATIONS
LOA: 6.33m
BEAM: 2.39m
WEIGHT: 1060kg (hull)
MAX. HORSEPOWER: 200
BASE PRICE: $58,700 (w/o trailer)
PRICE AS TESTED: $68,770 (w/o trailer)