15.

Trailer Boat Magazine - January 2004

Supplied Courtesy of Pacific Marine Media

BAR CRUSHER 560C - NO HOLDS BARRED

Melbourne boatbuilder Bar Crusher Boats has tackled the challenge of blurring the line between tinnies and 'glass trailerboats with considerable gusto and success.

Bernard Clancy has the story.

Every now and then you come across a boat that raises the bar a little. Pardon the pun, but the Bar Crusher is one of those. There were times during our testing session when I thought I was in a 'glass boat rather than a "tinnie".

The Bar Crusher 560C is, indeed, a plate-aluminium job, built in Australia with a New Zealand heritage by Peter Cleland and his team at Dandenong South in Victoria.

So successful has the brand been since its introduction to Australia about four years ago that the factory is now building a good number per week - and there's a waiting list.

Cleland claims the Bar Crusher range has three distinct competitive advantages: its "Waveslicer" deep-vee hull design; its "Quickflow" stability ballast system; and its "Rigideck" floor and sub-frame construction. Now let's go back to basics for a moment to explain all that. Because aluminium boats are light, they tend to sit "on" the water, rather than "in" it like heavier GRP boats do. That means they are not as stable. So to avoid the "Elvis effect" (rock 'n' roll), tinnie builders usually go for fairly flat deadrise angles at the transom - because the flatter the bottom of a boat, the better the stability.

But that creates another challenge: the flatter the bottom, the harder the ride. Most tinnies bang very uncomfortably in a bit of a chop, particularly into a head sea. So the challenge for tinnie builders is how to match on-water hull performance to GRP boats. So far, with limited success. Until now. The Bar Crusher comes very close indeed. The hull bottom is 4mm plate aluminium matched to 3mm side plate. It has a fine entry, no strakes, wide chines and very prominent spray rails on the forward chines. Deadrise is a deep 18 degrees (for a tinnie). What keeps it stable at rest is the stability ballast system, which is simplicity in itself.

BALLAST OFF

Running the full length of the keel is a cavity or tunnel, which is open at the transom and has "breather" holes on the other end in the anchor well. At rest, this tunnel fills with water - around 400lt, in fact - adding considerable at-rest weight to the hull, lowering it in the water so that the submerged chines act as stabilisers. When the boat moves forward this water is immediately released and the boat jumps on to the plane. There is no time lag whatsoever. The Bar Crusher hull is constructed with six longitudinal stringers fully welded to cross frames forming a structurally-strong, triangulated subfloor frame. A strong chequerplate floor is then welded on top of that to give a fully-sealed deck with a centrally-mounted 150lt fuel tank and a large, underfloor killtank towards the stern. The fuel filler is in the floor directly into the tank between the two seats.

The boat has a fine reputation in rough water - something for which tinnies are not generally noted - and I was keen to check this out. We did ascertain that there was an absence of "tinnie slap" in these average conditions. In some other tinnies, it's a bit like driving on a corrugated dirt road. The 560C rode very smoothly indeed, but we'll come back to performance later.

YOU GOTTA PRESENT...

The Bar Crusher 560C presents well. It appears to be constructed with exceptional craftsmanship, and that includes the paint job. They are built for fishermen and divers, and are designed accordingly with a great deal of purpose and thought.

The 560C was heavily optioned (to owner's specs) and those started at the bow with an electric winch to haul aboard the anchor, which nestles into a bowsprit-roller combination flanked by a split bowrail. An open anchor well is large enough to hold sufficient anchor rope for a boat this size. Twin bow posts are mounted behind the winch fitting and immediately in front of the very large side-opening hatch, which sits on a substantial rubber seal. The foredeck is steeply raked back to the relatively high windscreen, and there is no sidedeck access to the bow - so that large hatch through the cuddy is the only way to go for'ard.

BUNKING UP

The cuddy bunks are vinyl covered and are the only concessions to creature comfort in the boat, apart from the carpeted deck - which is an option. Headroom is good and there's plenty of storage under the bunks - but small internal pockets will carry only a few items. The cuddy is open to the cockpit. The ends of the wide bunks have footrests for driver and passenger - the driver's being more of a strong, non-slip step while the passenger has a rail only. Speakers are mounted at the front of the cabin and there's a small spotlight at the entry, and drinkholders are mounted everywhere. The glass windscreen is small, but built into the heaviest matt-black frame I think I've ever seen. To get into very low carports, the whole unit can be unclipped and swung down over the steering wheel. This boat was fitted with the optional hardtop, which was interesting in itself. The leading edge attaches directly to the top of the screen, or it can be detached and raised about 30cm on gas struts, giving clear vision forward above the windscreen for driving while standing. While there are side clears, there are no forward clears to cover this "open space".

THE SIMPLE THINGS

The twin swivel seats are adjustable, moulded plastic with clip-on cushions mounted on open-fronted storage boxes, which have footrests built into the backs. The dash layout is simple, with VDO instruments mounted in a carbon fibre imitation panel. The switch panel and trim tab control buttons are on the right of the Morse Teleflex wheel and there's also a power source for accessories. Mounted low under the dash is the CD player, and it isn't easy to get at.

Small sidepockets either side would be useful, and grabrails either side of the chairs and in front of the passenger are usefully placed. A solid six-pot rodholder is attached to the trailing edge of the hardtop, which is an exceptionally good height.

WORKIN' CLASS PLAN

The cockpit is a very good work area with enormous gunwales (270mm wide) featuring six rodholders and a couple of non-slip panels stuck on for good measure. Sidepockets are long, wide and carpet lined on the bottom. The underfloor killtank has been designed to accommodate a couple of dive bottles, and behind that in the bilge is the livebait and bilge pumps. The stern treatment is interesting, with a full-width swim platform on which the Suzuki 140 was mounted. A swing-down, solid boarding ladder leads to a walkthrough space in the transom on the portside, and a berley pot is cut through the platform on the starboard. This lifts out quite easily for washing. Grabrails help out on either side. There are no rear cleats, so these rails double as tie-off points. Once in the boat, a Teflon-insert baitboard - which has three rodholders and knife slots incorporated - is mounted centrally. The starboard transom features a livebait tank. Beneath are twin batteries and, for two-strokes, room for oil bottles. These are protected by a swing-down, full-width transom seat covered in a fairly tough, rubberised material. Cleverly, this seat - when raised - doubles as a door for the walkthrough.

The Bar Crusher was a very comfortable boat to drive, giving no hint of any idiosyncrasies - and as I mentioned earlier, stability was good. It sits on an EasyTow trailer, and tow weight is a mere 1310kg, which will be attractive to those wanting a large boat without having to spend another $50,000+ on a 4WD.

All in all, the Bar Crusher was smooth riding and stable at rest. Attractive and well presented. Huge cockpit a great working area.

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.