7.

NSW Fishing Monthly - September 2001.
Courtesy Queensland Fishing Monthly Magazines P/L.

"KIWI CRUSHER" BAR CRUSHER 610 CUDDY
Story and Photo's Greg Clarke, Wollongong

I love doing boat tests. You get to play in all sorts of expensive toys, put them through their paces in what are hopefully very bad conditions, just so you can see what they can do when the chips are down, then tell everyone all about it. Let's face it, even a bathtub goes OK in calm water. When I received the call to see if I would be able to do a test at short notice on a Bar Crusher, I just had to make time for it. After all, with a handle like Bar Crusher it straight away gives the notion that this is either a very impressive boat or just another impostor with an inspiring name. What made it even better was the fact that this was a boat design that originally came from the Land of the Long White Cloud, New Zealand, and it was only new on the Aussie market. So, to see if this was in fact a vessel that would live up to its name, or just some enterprising boat builders blowing off steam, the test had to be taken on.

So, in perfect conditions, the examination went ahead, just two weeks before the Sydney International Boat Show. Swell test day When I say perfect conditions, a nasty sou'-wester was blowing about 25 knots, pushing into a swell around three metres at Sydney Heads. The temperature peaked at 13o for the day, with intermittent rain squalls - what more could you ask for? It sounded like just another day in New Zealand, But before we get into any of the results, let us see what this boat has in the way of standard equipment and special features.

The Bar Crusher 610 is a cuddy-cabin, monohull that is built using advanced New Zealand design technology and measures 6.1 metres from the tip of the bow to the outboard pod. On the trailer at first glance, it does not seem a great deal different from many other boats but the high, sharp bow will stand out to the discerning boating enthusiast. It looks like it would slice through the sea, rather than bounce over it.

Watertight

The plate aluminium hull has a 5mm bottom and sides of 4mm and there is a fully watertight chequerplate floor, which makes the boat very rigid and strong. Standard fittings? There is a urethan bow roller on a sturdy support. I am not sure how the urethane will wear but it will certainly keep the anchor and chain quiet when they are being lowered. There is a generous anchor well that will hold more than enough rope and an anchor. A sturdy bow rail wraps around from either side of the cabin, thin enough to be held when attending the anchor in a chop, and it looks tough enough to take knocks or bumps from jetties and wharves. Behind the anchor well is a large hatch for easy access to the anchor for even the largest of sailors. Far too many boats these days have poky little hatches that barely allow the average-sized person to squeeze their shoulders through, let alone climb out - and unless the conditions are dead-calm, your hips and waist cop a hiding from the sides of the hatch when 3working with anchor.

Bulk storage Inside the cabin there are two padded bunks, under which is enough storage for everything you would need, including safety gear, clothes and anything else you might think of. There is also a shelf around each side of the cabin for the little extras you need to keep handy. A small halogen cabin light is just inside, allowing lighting in the cabin and the cockpit to tie knots, remove hooks, etc. The cockpit is well thought-out with comfortable, adjustable Reelax seats for skipper and No.1 deckie, and the footrests were in just the right spot for me. From the skipper's seat, the all-round vision was pretty good, with only one blind spot on the starboard side.

I am not the tallest of blokes and when I stood up, I had clear all-round vision. The instruments were clearly visible and, being digital, they took any guesswork out of reading them in awkward conditions. The fact that you have speed, tacho, battery, tilt and trim, a clock, and perhaps some other items I missed - all in only two instruments - meant that the dash layout was clean and uncluttered. The steering was sharp and precise and the sports steering wheel felt good. A handy dashboard ran the width of the cockpit for sunglasses and other bits and pieces that seem to accumulate in this area. It was carpeted, to prevent the items from whizzing from one side to the other, as they sometimes do when drifting in a bit of chop.

Innovative canopy

One of the special features of the Bar Crusher is its innovative canopy, which has an aluminium folding hardtop and soft clears around the sides. The front of the canopy can be opened for better vision and flow-through ventilation, simply by releasing a c lip and pushing up. The canopy opens with the assistance of two small gas struts, much the same as a station wagon rear door. There is a rocket-launcher section on the top of the canopy capable of taking six rods.

But wait, as the popeyed guy on TV says, there's more. Two more clips on each side of the canopy make it a simple task to make the whole canopy and windscreen to fold down out of the way, so the boat can fit into a normal-sized garage. Moving into the work area, the floor is solid chequerplate. Any water that comes into the boat flows into a bilge sump with a pump that removes the water. The bait tank pump is also located in the sump and is plumbed to take the water from outside the boat and into the bait tank. Try and say those last two sentences quickly. This bait tank is not a bad size. It is built into the transom and would hold probably better than a dozen good slimies. It has a Perspex lid, so you can keep an eye on their well-being.

Room to fish

As for space and room to move, you could swing a couple of good-sized cats around and not hit anything. You will not have to add a fish box to take up that room - there is a large fish box built into the floor. Set into the centre of the transom is a good-sized aluminium bait board with three rod-holders attached at varying angles. It is removable and solidly built - so strong, in fact, that when you remove it you can replace it with an optional ski post and go skiing. Three more quality stainless steel rod holders with plastic inserts are set into the extra wide gunwales on each side and there is more storage in the side pockets for gaffs, tag poles and more rods.

Easy access

Running the full width of the front of the transom is a fold-down seat that is so inconspicuous that you do not even notice it. It would be handy for days out with the family, then it disappears when you need to do a bit of serious fishing. On the outside of the transom is a chequerplate step-cu-marlin board that runs the full width of the boat. Grab rails run down each side from the gunwale to the step to give you something to hang onto when boarding or disembarking. Not that this is difficult, as there is a sturdy T-shaped pivoting ladder set into the step that makes it a breeze. A berley pot is set into the step on the other side of the motor. It is only small, but a pot of any size to suit your needs could be put in place without problems.

Finally, the powerhouse is a Yamaha 115hp four-stroke. This motor is powerful, smooth and quiet and comes standard with a 17-inch prop. I haven't mentioned sounders or GPS units, as the boat was yet to be equipped with these items. With so many on the market these days, most people prefer to put their own systems in to suit their needs. The boat does come standard with navigation lights and a GME Electrophone 27MHz radio.

So let us find out how this machine handles. As I said, conditions were bordering on nasty and if you had planned to put to sea, you wouldn't, so they were good testing conditions. In the sheltered water we put the motor through its paces. 800rpm Idle 1000rpm 4 knots 2000rpm 7.5 knots 3000rpm 14.5 knots 4000rpm 20.5 knots 5000rpm 25 knots 6000rpm 30.2 knots It revved out at six grand, so on calm water with two on board and half a tank of fuel (75 litres), it had a top speed of a tad over 30 knots. From a standing start, it powered out of the hole smoothly and did not sit up on its tail, as some boats do, and got up onto the plane at just under 2000rpm.

Slicing chop

Then we headed out past the Heads into the oncoming swell and, for a plate boat, the ride was remarkable soft. It sat well in the water, cutting and slicing through the chop, as opposed to the pounding and banging you get in some plate boats. We sat comfortably on 18 knots without any problems. Now it was time to turn and run with the swell, which can be unnerving in an unfamiliar boat. We slid down the first swell, hit the bottom and keep on going, straight as an arrow. Repeating the process gave the same fine results, so broaching should not be a problem.

Running across the chop, there was going to be spray, considering that spray was going completely over the 35-foot cruiser that went past us. At 19 knots directly across the wind, we received a few minor splashes - really not enough to wet you - and the canopy blocked it all anyway. It did not come over us in sheets, as expected, or like some of the boats around us that were copping a drenching. Ballast system During all this the boat handled beautifully, with precise, responsive steering, I didn't have to wrestle with it at any time and, when put into tight corners, the Bar Crusher came straight around without obvious cavitation. So, it was very good in a head sea, a cross sea and a following sea.

Now came the stability test. It is no good having a boat that travels well, only to throw you all over the place when you stop. There was plenty of slop between the Heads so if it sat stable there, it would survive most any conditions. One thing I have not mentioned yet is the Bar Crusher is fitted with a quick-flow ballast system for added stability. This incorporates a hollow V section under the hull which fills with water, keeping the boat stable in choppy conditions. Even in calm waters, it prevents the vessel from listing when weight is transferred from one side to the other. The system seems to work, as we sat steady in the slopping conditions, able to move about freely without hanging on or being thrown about. And the water must drain out very quickly when under way as there was not any noticeable drag from the extra weight in the hull when getting up on the plane.

Excellent finish

So you have to say the Bar Crusher 610 rates as a very good to excellent boat that would take most conditions in its stride. It also has an excellent finish. As for the name Bar Crusher, the jury will stay out on that one until it has spent a bit of time between the breakwalls at, say, Narooma, Ballina or Evans Head. It would probably handle bars with ease, but then we do not want to be too complimentary to our neighbours across the Tasman.

The boat set up as tested will set you back around $50,000 to $55,000 which for a six-metre boat with the capabilities of this brand, is more than good value - it's a bargain !

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.