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Australian Powerboat Magazine, (boat test) - Aug-Sept 2000.
Courtesy: Yaffa Publishing

SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT ..... MODEL TYPE 530C (5.5)
Story and Photos: Terry Sheppard.

Not even 30 knots of wind and lousy bar crossing conditions could stop this unusual "tinny"from taking on Bass Strait. When the powerboat editor, Ian Macrae rang me to ask if I'd do a test on a new "tinny" my first question was, "Anything unusual about it?". "yes" he replied, "it takes on water when launched and has a smooth hull without strakes." ! At this point I figured I'd drawn the short straw. Does he really think I'm going out in Bass Strait in a tinny that takes on water and a hull that sounds like it would roll on wet grass ?

Anyhow, I rang Peter and Warren Cleland, Australian distributors of Bar Crusher Boats and we arranged to meet for the test at Newhaven on Phillip Island. The weather forecast was for 25-30knots , which was just about perfect for testing blue water boats. By the time I reached the ramp the boys had ready two extremely well presented 5.5m boats. However it still took awhile to get on the water because Peter and Warren were so enthusiastic about these boats they simply wouldn't stop talking about the reasons the new "Bar Crusher" was such an exciting proposition for the "Aussie" market. The Bar Crusher was originally designed for the rough waters off New Zealand but is now built in Australia. A boat with many features that certainly lives up to its name.

The hull itself is made from 3mm and 4mm aluminium plate which is extremely tough and durable and shows no signs of flexing along the sides - a problem far too common in many aluminium hulls. Also, the hull has a fully welded checker plate deck tread floor that creates six separate, fully sealed, buoyancy chambers. This makes the hull virtually unsinkable and is just one of the reasons several Bar Crusher boats in New Zealand have been passed for commercial survey without any modifications having to be made. The engineering in the design continues into the fully fabricated rear step/swim platform, which includes integral grab rails. The step and pod are also sealed for added buoyancy. One of the most innovative aspects of the Bar Crusher's hull is the cavity built into the bottom of the hull. This fills with approximately 400 litres of water when the boat is at rest, which effectively lowers the hull so it sits on its chines. Obviously this gives greater stability which would not be possible otherwise on such a deep "V" lightweight aluminium hull.

The ballast cavity is designed with a "patent pending" breathing system that allows the water to empty from the hull as soon as power is applied. The inertia of the water as the boat moves forward from a standing start gets the hull up and planing extremely quickly and smoothly. This not only aids fuel consumption, but it's a big plus when pulling a skier up out of the water and make no mistake, this boat will pull a skier out of the water with three on board easily. Well, I don't know about you, but I've always been under the impression that fishing and ski boats have to have strakes of one design or another, incorporated into the hull design to provide either lift or directional stability. Well not the Bar Crusher. The underside of the Bar Crusher is as smooth as the proverbial babies bum with a super deep "V" up front and a transom deadrise angle of 18 degrees. Performance & Handling Before we put the boat in the water, Peter and Warren took great pains to explain to me that this smooth hull design makes the boat not only handle well, but almost completely eliminates the biggest problem with aluminium boat, the hard ride. Well I had never been in a single hull tinny that that didn't want to jar every bone in your back when driven hard in rough conditions, so we launched and headed south under the bridge at San Remo and out towards the bar at cape Woolamai. So far so good, the Yamaha provided more than enough power for a hull this size and in the flat water leading to the bar sheltered from the 25knot winds by the sand dunes, the boat was doing 40mph before we knew it. The hull at around 20 mph tends to lean to one side or another a little too much. A problem that with three people on board, is easy to overcome by the third person trimming the boat.

Okay, so much for the flat water and we started heading for the entrance where it's blowing an honest 25 knots. The wind was blowing against the tide and the water was extremely messy, conditions that are normally "not" good news for a 5.5m aluminium boat. This is where the bar crusher really lived up to its name. I ran this craft into the slop at every angle and speed and not once did we get the bone jarring bangs that you expect from single hull alloy boats. Even when airborne the Bar Crusher came down nicely, rear end first and really gave the impression that you were in a heavy fibreglass hull. It was very, very impressive and certainly fills the gap for those wanting the advantages of aluminium boats, such as being light to tow, launch and retrieve etc., with the comfort of the softer ride one gets with fibreglass boats. After putting the boat through its paces at the entrance to bass Strait we headed out around Cape Woolamai into the swells and it's here that the water ballast system came into its own. As soon as you put the boat in neutral, 400 litres of water immediately fills the ballast tank and sits the boat down on its chines, making it a stable platform ideal for fishing.

The ballast counteracts the weight of the 100HP four stroke Yamaha, with no evidence that the stern of the boat is sitting low. The intake of water also acts as some what of a brake, which is handy when approaching jetties and other boats. Layout As far as layout goes, the Bar Crusher has an overly large hatch cover through which access is gained to the bow, which is a big plus when anchoring. The bowrail is an unusual shape, but it's incredibly strong and allows a person to climb up over it easily. Another good feature of the Bar Crusher is the hard top, normally found on larger boats. It utilizes a unique gas strut design which allows the top to be pulled down at an angle to meet the windscreen, giving complete protection from the wind, rain or oncoming seas. Not only can you completely fold down the whole hard top, but also the toughened glass windscreen. This effectively lowers the height of the boat from approximately 3.1m to 2.1m overall. This is a huge plus for those with limited space to store the boat at home, as the boat on the trailer will fit into almost any garage ! (Always measure to make sure just in case) The interior layout of Bar Crusher is practical with comfy side mounted bucket seats. The dash board layout is simple, uncluttered, easy to see and features Yamaha gauges as standard, as are waterproof switches and the Seastar non feedback steering system. The built in fuel tank holds 120 litres and the fuel filler cap is on the floor in the cabin which is a little unusual. This provides an inspection opening into the tank and allows you to see exactly how much fuel you have.

Also in the floor is a built in kill tank that's also large enough to take air bottles if your diving. There is also a fully plumbed live bait tank under the transom, which is both large enough and easy to get at. Yet another great feature is the way the rear seat folds down into the hull completely and the 2000 gallon per hour bilge pump which is also standard. One nice touch is the center mounted bait board which was easily removed and replaced with a ski pole that also comes standard. Add to this a slot in burley bucket, built in folding steps for easy access and a simple, slot in sun shade on the hard top and you have a boat that has many clever design features, which all add up to an extremely attractive package indeed. Overall If you are in the market for a light weight inshore/offshore fishing boat, which also doubles as a family run about and ski boat, then the Bar Crusher is well worth a look. Couple these features with the fact that when conditions start getting a little rough you'll discover it's hard to find another boat in its class that can match its performance.

Shooting video on a wild day ! A couple of days after doing the boat test I was contacted by Bar Crusher Boats with a view to filming a promotional video for the Melbourne Boat Show. The day organized for filming the video coincided with the arrival of some extremely unseasonal weather and rough seas, but we went ahead as planned. We took two 5.5m Bar Crusher boats out into Bass Strait in a rough, breaking chop and 3-4m swells. Back at the bar, the conditions were bad to say the least, with extremely rough breaking chop. If you get a chance to view the footage at any of the national boat shows, you will see just how well these hulls can perform in conditions that really are not designed for a medium sized single hull boat.

Note: The statements, observations and opinions expressed in this review are those of the boat tester and were formed after inspection and testing of the Bar Crusher boat described in the test. The statements made in the test are made by the author of the test and not the directors of Bar Crusher boats.