20.

Fisherman & Boatowner (F&B) - Issue 106.

Supplied Courtesy Sea Media Pty Ltd

THE MIGHTY BAR CRUSHER 640C

Test Report - Jeff Webster

Bar Crusher boats has released a big, strong, gutsy new model for offshore sport fishing. The new 640 Cuddy Deluxe has a tough plate alloy construction, deep vee hull, and a huge fishing cockpit.

Since their debut in Australia some half dozen years ago, Bar Crusher boats have become popular with trailerboat sport fishermen. Designed originally in New Zealand and now fully built in Australia, the Bar Crushers have earned a reputation for being strong, well built and soft riding in rough water. The Kiwi heritage of the Bar Crushers is evident in the hull shape. New Zealand builders tend to favour smooth, deep vee hulls with few or no planing or lifting strakes.

This can lead to the need for slightly more power, but often improves the ride through choppy water. This is evident with all the Bar Crusher we have tested; the boats are very soft in short, sharp choppy water- especially the kind of water you will find in our big, open bays such as Port Philip (Melbourne), and Moreton Bay (Brisbane).

The Bar Crusher boat range is small by comparison with most competitor brands. Models now available include the 530 Cuddy, 560 Cuddy, the new 640 Cuddy Deluxe and 640Hard Top. The latter replaces the previous 610 and 670 boats.

Design

All the boats in the Bar Crusher range share a similar, distinctive appearance. The boats have long, narrow, noticeably pointed bows, wide beams, and high, protective cuddy cabins. The layout provides a short, but tall cabin with an enormous rear cockpit. In the new 640C the rear cockpit is particularly large, measuring some 3.08m overall by 2.12m wide. Even from behind the helm chairs, the cockpit stretches 2.2m back to the inner transom wall. It's a huge, very "fisher friendly"cockpit.

The freeboard along the sides and transom is high (minimum of 700mm), the side coamings are flat and very wide, and the full length side pockets are lifted well above the floor to provide good toe and foot space. The cockpit floor has a checkerplate alloy non slip surface for reasonable grip at sea, although in its unpainted form, it may get need a mat to make it a little softer underfoot. The rear transom layout is practical and in keeping with contemporary designs although I have never a fan of full width rear boarding platforms because you tend to lose interior cockpit space. However, I must be in the minority with this opinion because most new boats have a similar layout.

In the Bar Crusher 640, the rear transom/boarding platform set up is better than most. On the starboard side, a berley bucket has been built into the platform. Over to port, a ladder folds out and down from the platform to make it easier to board the boat. Back inside the cockpit, the Bar Crusher has a simple, yet very effective rear bench seat design. The seat or thwart consists of a full width aluminium plate that simply folds or rotates down from the top of the rear coaming (see pics). The seat also doubles as the port side transom door. Lowering the alloy seat opens up the transom for boarding. For comfort when seated, a padded back rest is built into the transom coaming and doubles as a padded bolster to protect your thighs when standing and fishing over the stern. When you don't need the seat down (or the transom open), the seat/transom door folds back up against the transom wall. In addition to providing access into the cockpit, the seat/transom door can also be used to shed water from the boat should you be unlucky enough to cop a big wave into the cockpit when running in rough water - or when crossing a bar. In this kind of situation, having the transom door open will help the Bar Crusher's excellent self draining system and standard 2000 g/ph bilge pump (mounted in the sump under the transom) to drain the water quickly from the cockpit. Behind the bench seat, on a wide platform well above the floor plate are the two batteries which come standard with the 640C Deluxe Bar Crusher. Additional space to either side of the batteries can be used for general storage, although the full length side pockets should take care of most items you'll need in the rear cockpit area.

Fishing Features

Fishing features abound in the Bar Crusher 640C and this will impress serious anglers. Recessed into the starboard side transom corner is a live bait tank. I'd like it to be a little bigger, but for most live bait fishing situations, it will be sufficient. Plumbing is standard on the 640C Deluxe, but optional on the standard boat. Other fishing features include the aforementioned berley bucket, a large underfloor kill tank to keep the fish fresh, and six standard rod holders. Also standard on the 640C Deluxe in the impressive looking lift off rear bait board, and the overhead rocket launcher and hard top. The

Helm & Cabin

The Bar Crusher 640C has a large cabin which serves dual functions of providing excellent space and headroom below decks, in addition to protecting the skipper and forward passenger from the weather. The vinyl upholstered cabin berths are just short of full length (1.62m x 700mm) but an infill cushion is available, and with this in place a useful double berth can be created. Large storage lockers are located under the berths, while small side shelves are situated high up along the cabin sides. In the cabin forepeak, a wide hatch opens up to provide access to the huge foredeck anchor well.

The cabin structure is topped by a small, black framed, toughened glass windscreen. Overhead, the 640C Deluxe has a folding roof/hard top. Cleverly, the hard top has gas operated struts at the front so that the height of the front section of the hard top can be adjusted. In rough water, for example, you might choose to lower the front of the hard top over the windscreen for shelter from wind and spray. For most situations, however, the hard top is best left up for better ventilation and visibility. Another feature of the windscreen and hard top is that both can be folded back and down to reduce the overall height of the boat trailer package. With the roof and windscreen up, the on-trailer height is 3.35m. Fold both items down and this height comes back down to just 2.35m. That's not quite low enough to allow the boat to fit in my garage (due to the roller door), but it may be low enough for some garages and carports. At the helm, the skipper and forward passenger get deluxe Reelax chairs mounted over alloy storage boxes. The chairs supply plenty of support, they swivel and slide fore and aft, and foot rests are located on the floor below. Skippering the Bar Crusher while seated is reasonably comfortable, but I was not happy with the standing helm position.

Performance

The Bar Crusher 640C is rated for an extra long shaft (25") outboard up to 200 hp, but I can see few applications where that much power will be needed. The test boat was more than quick enough for with a Yamaha 150 hp 4-stroke on the transom. The big, beautifully smooth Yammy pushed the test boat to a top speed of 38 knots and that was with three adults onboard. Even with full fuel (300 litres), fishing gear and another couple of blokes, 150 hp should be for general use. Fishing two-up, you may be able to drop back to a single 130 or140 hp outboard.

Handling & Ride

The deep vee shape of the hull bottom on the Bar Crusher 640C is noticeably different to traditional Australian designed plate hulls, and this is evident in the way the Bar Crusher handles and rides in rough water. The deep vee hull slices easily through choppy water, but the Bar Crusher does seem to run with quite a bow down attitude. This can be difficult to adjust to at first (at least it was for me) because your natural instinct is to try and trim the bow up when in fact the boat is perfectly happy, safe and seaworthy running with its fine vee bow entry skimming the wave tops. This bow down running angle does result in more spray being thrown about, but a lot of it is thrown clear of the boat thanks to the pronounced spray chine running from amidships forward. Offshore, battling some pretty rough seas, the bow down "attack angle"of the Bar Crusher 640 becomes an advantage, particularly when running into a headsea. With the trim tabs keeping the hull running at a perfect lateral (sideways) trim, the bow cuts nicely through the waves to provide a comfortable ride. Ultimately, as the waves get bigger and the hull starts to come out of the water, the boat will come down more firmly. The trick with the Bar Crusher (and most deep vee monohulls for that matter) is to slow down and keep the hull in the water when running into a big chop or swell. Only then can the hull do its job properly. In a beam and following sea, the Bar Crusher also performed pretty well.

I was initially concerned the natural bow down running angle of the boat might create a few problems when running down the waves, but in the end the boat handled the conditions comfortably and we had some pretty big waves to contend with. Driven carefully, responsibly, the Bar Crusher is capable of handling some pretty rough seas.

Another plus for the Bar Crusher is its excellent stability at rest. This can be attributed (in part) to the boat's "Quick Flow" water ballast system. When the Bar Crusher is at rest in the water, its hollow keel cavity fills with water which in turn, improves stability at rest. When the boat gets back underway, the water simply drains straight back out of the keel.

Conclusion

The Bar Crusher 640C Deluxe is an interesting new release, and it compares favourably with many more traditional style plate aluminium boats on the market. The Bar Crusher 640C Deluxe has a great deal to offer the serious, experienced sports fisherman.

Legal Note: The statements, observations and opinions expressed in the above excerpts are those of the boat tester and were formed after inspection and testing of the Bar Crusher boat described in the test. The opinion is provided by the author of the test and not the directors of Bar Crusher boats.The information in these excerpts is offered to assist prospective buyers to do their research. Bar Crusher Boats confirms that the information above may contain factual errors and no responsibility is taken for it's accuracy or completeness. Please refer to the legal notice by clicking on the words "Legal Notice" at the bottom of each page.