Trailcraft 660 sportscab - your thoughts please
Submitted by beeroclock on Thu, 2014-02-13 12:18
Gady all - im thinking of upgrading to something bigger and was wondering if anybody has a trailcraft 660 sportcab - if so all good and bad comments about them greatly appreciated. So far i hear they tend to bang and crash alot in choppy seas and dont have a comfortable ride. Ive got a fibreglass now (voyager) and its great its just the boats not big enough any more. All input appreciated. Any other boat I should look at also? got a budget of up to 50 maybe even 60K for the right boat Cheers
Paul G
Posts: 5215
Date Joined: 12/12/07
All ali boat will bang
All ali boat will bang around in choppy conditions .You can only go as fast as conditions allow.If you looking for a ali that can do 30knot in all conditions stop looking there isn't one.As for the trailcraft there ok heaps of deck room and room to do overnighters.glass will allways give a smoother ride but for deck room ali for sure.I have a searider good boat 7.4 m we cruise 20-24 knots that is quick enough.good look with the new boat.
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Ryan C
Posts: 1575
Date Joined: 08/07/10
trailcraft 660 sportscab
your dead right mate , i bought a brand new 660 sportscab in 2008 and they are a very HARD riding boat in chop, in saying that they are ultra safe in big seas and they have more room for their size than anything ive seen( and i sold mine to a good mate) , ive got a custom 8.2m ali now and its a world of differrence , the only advice i can give you is go as big as you can with ali, the more weight the better. good luck
dodgy
Posts: 4588
Date Joined: 01/02/10
Mate had on and we fished it
Mate had on and we fished it in bad weather in a comp up here. Almost ended a good friendship when we refused to ever set foot in it again. This was right at the time that Trailcraft had gone broke leaving many unpaid debts so he couldn't even shift it for a decent price at the time. Plenty of deck space though.
Does anyone know where the love of god goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
JPARA
Posts: 52
Date Joined: 22/03/11
Have you checked out the
Have you checked out the Chivers marine range of Ali's
they are an awesome boat
Ryan C
Posts: 1575
Date Joined: 08/07/10
CHIVERS
they are a nice boat but you could buy half of one for his budget of $50-60k.
Doooma
Posts: 791
Date Joined: 05/12/09
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-a
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/west-perth/motorboats-powerboats/660-trailcraft-centre-cab-price-reduced-must-sell-this-weekend-/1002219706
Happy Hooker
Posts: 305
Date Joined: 12/11/08
Agree with Paul G
I have 2005 Trailblazer 6.4m which is same boat length wise ( I think they changed way they measure them) . The Sportscab has bunks etc up front from memory. Bought mine 4 years ago and do alot of beach launching/towing distances .Wasnt really looking at one but deal was to way good to pass up as guy needed to sell to start up a business and never regretted it. I do alot of deep sea 18-20 miles / done Dirk Hartog etc.
Pro's -
Dry boat ( dont get wet in slop) /Big deck space/Solidly built.
Stable on water with everyone on one side when fishing/quite well built.
Ali boat - When deep sea 32 oz sinker smashes into side, you don't have a heart attack. Light compared to glass (so when towing distance fuel $$ less) and less load to tow/easier to overtake etc.
Beach launch/easy to launch and retrieve with less people...
Sealed deck/scuppers.
Con's
Not too many.
Can be harsh ride if -Trimmed incorrectly / You go 25knots when you should be doing 20 knots .....if you drive it to conditions then no dramas...you get the odd bounce.
Can broach in following seas, most boats do, again you drive to conditions.
Have considered putting on trim tabs, maybe one day as it doesn't warrant it too much now.
You have a good budget there so you can find heaps of options in that $$ range. Westerbergs are good solid boat WA made.
It all depends on what you are going to use if for.
Rob H
Posts: 5900
Date Joined: 18/01/12
If I ever got another one
If I ever got another one the first thing Id do is fit trim tabs.
Alot of the hard ride comes from them leaning into the wind.
As soon as its leaning you loose any V in the hull it had and starts banging
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scotto
Posts: 2474
Date Joined: 21/04/08
old boy has one
660 trailblazer with 200 verado.
as everyone has said, it does bang a bit, especially when you have to punch directly into sharp chop, but there probably not too many ali boats that don't. I have definitely been in boats a fark load worse riding than the 660.
I put 450 Volvo penta trim tabs on it, as if not balanced properly, she would lean a bit. best thing I have ever done to that boat... those things are impressive!
very sea worthy ( there isn't much I wouldn't do in this boat), great deck space, dry, and the verado is boolshit efficient on fuel. would take it to any island trip, exxy, etc.
Daisy
Posts: 789
Date Joined: 24/01/08
From a great riding old
From a great riding old vessel like the Voyager to a Trailcraft! Sorry to say mate you'll hate it, the shorter and sharper the chop the more you'll hate it, as for a following sea watch out!
The view expressed in this post is that of a self opinionated bullshitter and does not reflect that of this website, it's owners, mediators, other members or anyone else for that matter :-P
straith
Posts: 447
Date Joined: 25/11/13
Tendancy to broach.... watch
Tendancy to broach.... watch your weight distribution.