The Quintrex 590 and 560 Freedom Cruiser bowriders have been two of the Gold Coast manufacturer’s most popular models.

The Freedom Cruisers are versatile and both family and fishing friendly. The bowrider cushions can be removed in seconds to present a stable casting platform up front.

When the 590 was released last year it set new standards of finish and quietness on the water for an aluminium boat. The 560 soon followed and now for 2008 the 530 Freedom Cruiser is on the water.

The 530 (Freedom Cruiser) has the same flared bow and transom treatment with an integrated duckboard as the 560 and its powered by a MerCruiser inboard. It is the same three-litre, 135hp inboard that powers the 560 with an Alpha I leg spinning a 19in alloy propeller. So with the same engine and the lighter weight it’s a little bit quicker than the 560.

The 530 is a scaled down version and obviously a tad smaller than the 560 but unless the two boats are placed side-by-side it’s hard to tell the difference on the water.

The two seats for the driver and companion are also smaller and are not quite as comfortable as the bigger bucket versions in the 560 and 590 – they are too wide to fit in - but that can be lived with. The rear sunlounge and seat over the engine box is the same and the upholstery and the seating in the bow is the same configuration, but again a little smaller.

The dash is the same moulded console and comes with the same engine instruments less a radio and sounder. There’s also no underfloor storage as standard. Apart from that the 530 Freedom Cruiser presents as a neat entry-level package.

Performance wise, with three people on board and about 50 liitres in the 95 litre fuel tank it hauled itself out of the hole in 4.5 seconds. It came out easily and settled down on the plane, there was no need to hit the throttle hard to get it moving. 

It felt comfortable cruising along in smooth water at 3800rpm, which had the GPS reading 23 knots with about a quarter to half trim out on the leg. Full bore at 5100rpm the speed was a respectable 34.5 knots.

As to be expected with all Quintrex hulls the ride was as soft and as quiet as a fibreglass boat and was easy to drive with power steering, which takes the effort out of left hand  turns.

The Bimini and the two-tone paint scheme are also options. So for the price as tested of $35,960.000 the 530 Freedom Cruiser compares favourably with entry-level fiberglass bowriders and is streets ahead of similar alloy boats. The 530 Freedom Cruiser package including and alloy trailer starts at $34,850.00.

The test boat was supplied by Quintrex.