Fishing World - boat fishing
 April 2006 |
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Well known for producing tough, solid cabin boats, Bar Crusher has now produced a nifty centre console that will appeal to the barra, bass and bream boys.
By Jim Harnwell.
THIS 5.6m centre console, known as the 560 WR, marks a significant advance in the sportfishing appeal of Melbourne-based Bar Crusher Boats.
Bar Crushers, well known for their tough plate alloy construction and unique design characteristics, have become popular with bay and offshore fishos around the country. Up until now, Bar Crushers, which currently range from 5.3 to 6.4m, are built as cabin boats, ideal for general fishing, but not so good for active lure casting for species such as bream, flathead, bass and barramundi.
This new centre console, unlike the cab models, boasts plenty of fore and aft casting space while retaining all the features - deep vee, water ballast system, wide gunwales and so on - which help separate Bar Crushers from run-of-the-mill tinnies.
As a previous owner of a 5.5 Bar Crusher cuddy cab, I was interested to see how this centre console performed on the water. On the trailer, it seemed to look sleeker and more predatory than the cabin models. This must have been an illusion as Bar Crusher's Peter Cleland assured me it was exactly the same 5.6m deep vee hull as any other 560 Bar Crusher, just without the cabin superstructure.
Rigged on a tandem Ezy Tow trailer and sporting a 140hp Suzuki four-stroke, trim tabs, a crisp white paint job and Bar Crusher decals, the WR centre console, with its folding black alloy t-top, rocket launcher and clean deck layout, looked like the sort of serious sportfishing boat that any dedicated lure fisho would be keen to own.
Low slung, high powered sportfishing boats are currently all the rage with the bass/bream/barra aficionados. These boats, many of which hail from the US, are fine in flat water, but often can't handle the chop and slop of open estuaries and inshore fisheries.
This new Bar Crusher is aimed at the keen sportfisho who wants a boat that can handle a bit of a sea but also be used for active inshore lure and fly fishing.
I regularly fished the continental shelf in my 5.5 Bar Crusher, catching marlin, tuna and sharks in often pretty rough conditions. There's little doubt that these hulls are seaworthy. If I was in the market for a boat that I could use on estuary sportfish, but also for offshore gamefish, the 560 WR would have to be high on the list.
Matched with a proven hull like this one, the centre console design allows for a surprising degree of mix and match fishing. It's a well-known fact that no boat can be all things to all fishos, but it's also true that some boats do the job better than others. On first impressions, the Bar Crusher 560 WR looks like it can hold its own across a range of sportfishing scenarios. With its 150-litre underfloor fuel tank providing plenty of range, especially when teamed to a modern fuel-efficient outboard, it should be particularly appealing to Top End anglers who traverse long stretches of windy coast between barra rivers. I've done exactly that in a range of flat bottomed punts and it ain't pleasant! Having a numb bum and dislocated spine from an hour or two slamming down the coast in a rough-riding tinnie certainly takes some of the fun out of Top End sportfishing.
On the water
The only way to see how a boat performs is out on the water. During our test run in the typically choppy waters of Melbourne's Western Port Bay, I was surprised to find the ride of the 560 WR surpassed that of the cabin models I've tested and fished out of. Because their unique construction allows these boats to carry a surprisingly deep vee, Bar Crushers feature a ride that puts most other tinnies to shame. It's only because I ran a Bar Crusher for a number of years that I feel confident about making that sort of claim. Most boat reviews published in fishing magazines these days refer to the "soft" ride of the test boat. You have to be in a position to be able to compare the relative "softness" of a ride to make any sort of authoritative comments on this issue. From my perspective, the ride of my old 5.5 Bar Crusher was much softer than the 5m Quintrex hull I had previously. I spent upwards of 300 hours in each boat so I have a good idea of how each worked. While I only spent a couple of hours in the 560 as tested here, I'm familiar enough with Bar Crusher hulls to realise that this boat really does offer an improved ride.
The centre console design has a lot to do with this. Because the console is located further back than the standard cabin driving position, the ride through, across and with the 1m chop we experienced on the test day was singularly impressive. You always get a softer ride towards the back of a boat as opposed to being at the pointy end. The bow is the section that pounds through a sea. The further back you are, the smoother the ride.
On the test day we were also driving a much larger and heavier 640 Hard Top Bar Crusher with a 200hp Suzuki (see test in April issue). Strange as it may seem, I reckon the 560 centre console matched, and maybe even bettered, the ride of the big 640.
Again, Top End fishos will appreciate the ride quality of the 560 WR. It matches anything similar in fibreglass in regards to performance but has the plate alloy toughness northern sportfishermen love (4mm plate bottomsides and 3mm plate topsides).
Centre consoles are renowned for being wet, which is why they are more popular in the north of the continent than they are in cooler southern states such as Victoria, SA and Tassie. We didn't get particularly wet during the test runs out on Western Port, but then it wasn't very windy. I'd expect to wear a bit of spray if travelling beam on at speed on a gusty day. I used to cop spray over the windscreen of my 5.5 when travelling home in a stiff nor-easter, and would imagine the 560WR would be wetter in those conditions. However, getting a bit damp is the price you pay for the increased fishing room of a centre console. The tinted windscreen would provide some shelter and clears could be set up on the t-top superstructure for added protection.
The 140hp Suzuki was typically smooth and quiet. You'd easily get away with a 115 on the back of this boat, which would save you quite a few dollars.
The current estuary/impoundment craze requires the use of bow-mounted electric motors. I had a close inspection of the Bar Crusher's bow and reckon you could customise a fitting to allow an electric to be mounted. This would further increase the sportfishing potential of the boat.
This boat featured a chequer-plate floor with a raised casting platform (with storage underneath) at the bow, a padded esky/seat in front of the console, and another padded esky/seat behind. This will be the standard configuration so you get quite a lot of storage and seating options.
There's also plenty of rod storage in vertical holders along the gunwales, above the t-top and behind the front casting deck.
Access around the console was fine - no problems quickly getting up front to cast at busting fish or when fighting a fish.
I'd reckon this boat would be best fishing two up, although four could fish at a pinch.
I was interested to see an aluminium conduit or cover was welded to the floor on the starboard side to allow cables, wires and hoses to be run through. This somewhat unsightly but effective design preserves the integrity of the fully sealed deck.
The alloy console featured some interesting ideas. The test boat featured Navman instruments so you'd have to specify different mounting positions if you went for other brands anyway. Other than that, everything was positioned correctly and the 12-volt power outlets fitted centrally were ideal for powering electric fridges, spotlights or any other devices.
You'd also get away with a single axle trailer. This particular boat was made for a Victorian who planned on driving up the Top End on a regular basis so the twin rig trailer was seen as a better towing option.
As I spend most of my time offshore fishing, a cabin boat suits me perfectly. However, I think blokes who like to mix some estuary/impoundment fishing in with their bluewater work will appreciate the versatility of the 560 WR. This nifty little boat combines outstanding performance with excellent sportfishing potential.
It will certainly be interesting to see what Bar Crusher comes up with next.
A dedicated bass/barra boat? Stay tuned!
