3.

Trailerboat Fisherman, (boat test) - October 2000
Courtesy: Marine Publications

BAR CRUSHER 5.5 (THIS BOAT IS NOW CALLED THE 530C)ODEL
Story and Photos by: James Hill

"Innovative design allows this Kiwi designed plate boat to serve up one of the softest rides you're likely to experience in a metal boat."

Originally designed to tackle the rough offshore seas of New Zealand the Bar Crusher range has migrated across the Tasman to win over Aussie boaties.

Being mad keen boaties Peter and Warren Cleland were naturally attracted to the deal and they loved the soft ride of the boats in rough water when they tried them. They also couldn't get over the smooth hull finish that didn't need filler at all. As the name implies these boats are designed to tackle coastal bars. The Kiwis have their fair share of nasty bars and need boats like the bar crusher that can quickly sprint through waves and get to "safe" water quickly. Like many Kiwi boats the Crushers are plate alloy, but what makes them especially different is the combination of deep Vee bottom and movable water ballast. Normally plate alloy boats don't run 18 degree transom deadrise, but this one gets away with it because it uses water ballast. A hole in the transom puts some 400 litres of water into the bottom when the boat is stopped or moving slowly. This naturally makes the boat a lot more stable. One would otherwise expect the light deep Vee hull to be a bit tippy, but the water ballast settles it down and makes it a very stable fishing platform.

This was my first sighting of the Bar Crusher and I came away quite impressed. The local team has done a top job on the painting and fit out. The finish includes a tough waterproof epoxy undercoat topped off by a polyurethane finish for good looks and scratch resistance. Interestingly enough, water ballast is not such a new idea as you might think. The concept has been around for some time on the New Zealand scene, first in trailer sailers and later on in power boats.

The other interesting aspect of the Bar Crusher boats is the way they are being marketed. Unlike most plate boats they are very competitively priced against popular sheet alloy tinnies like Quintrex and Savage etc. They are also sold as a ready made package with a generous hull warranty for 5 years. Currently the boats are sold through a national dealer network which is growing all the time.

Design

This design is a plate alloy boat that measures 5.5m overall with transom pod, but not including bow sprit. The pod contributes the stern buoyancy but can't go full depth because of the opening for the flood chamber. Patented under the trade name "Waveslicer" the hull features a sharp entry with plenty of bow rake and a noticeable amount of topside flare. The sharp entry softens at the bow shoulders to give more buoyancy at this point. There's also a fair amount of buoyancy in the flared topsides to help when punching through big waves. In effect this is a warp plan bottom shape but with less twist in the bottom than we usually see in Aussie tinnies. The deadrise is 18 degrees which is very steep by alloy boat standards. Yet another unusual feature is the total lack of strakes or ribs. There is no keel runner plank either so the bottom is a smooth metal wedge.

Conventional design wisdom says strakes are essential for lifting the boat onto the plane quickly. However that idea is obviously not so important when you move to lighter weight alloy hulls like this one. In other respects the boat is quite conventional with wider spray deflection chine lips forward and small ones aft for stability. However, the pressed lines in the topsides are unusual for a plate boat. The very smooth finish of the topsides is also attractively matched by the smart looking graphics. I don't think you'll feel a poor relation when you turn up at the launch ramp. On deck the cabin forms a high wedge, pushed well forward to give more fishing cockpit space. This "shed" also goes right out to the gunwales to maximize interior space and add some hull stretch. The three panel windscreen is also a strong structure with extra big alloy framing. Meanwhile the cockpit area features flat wide decks that provide a practical workspace for fishing. The cockpit floor is too deep to be self draining and is made from checkerplate alloy for extra strength. There is also a checkerplate floor on the rear landing platform that takes in the outboard mount. Offshore fishos will certainly appreciate the strong construction of this boat.

Interestingly enough the interior doesn't have exposed framing yet below the floor is a massive chassis made up of six longitudinal stringers welded to cross frames. Meanwhile the hull shell has 3mm topsides and 4mm bottom to ensure it can take the hard knocks. One of the benefits of this design is you won't suffer from the problem of the frames or floor "printing out" like some other designs. Even after a few months on the water the topsides of this boat looked as smooth as any glass boat.

Plate allow also means some weight saving over equivalent sized fibreglass boats. The boat weighs 550Kg or a saving of about 200Kg. That mightn't sound a huge saving but it is a big help when you're trying to achieve a certain trailing limit. For example I estimated the test boat weighed about 1200Kg including fuel and some fishing gear aboard. That's just on the border for some cars like Toyota Camry but certainly OK for the new Magna V6 that can tow up to 1500Kg.

Home storage should also be pretty good news too. Overall parking length is 6.7m while the boat sits 3m high. That can also be reduced to 2.15m for garages but using the folding windscreen option. Performance We had a good mix of conditions for our test ranging from fairly calm waters to a large steep sea near Phillip Island. Once the tide started to run against the wind we had seas verging on the survival level for a small tinnie. In these conditions it was hard not to be impressed with the ride of the Bar Crusher . this hull really does "slice" the waves so you don't get the hard slamming you normally associate with tinnies. Given the size of the seas we were crossing it was a very impressive performance. In fact we never dropped off the plane at any stage regardless of wave size. Coming back with the seas was actually more dangerous and in this situation we did find the tenderness of the hull without water ballast did show up. Particularly running at an angle to the seas the boat was inclined to roll with the wave front. In retrospect I think any boat of 5.5m would have found some difficulty handling this angle of attack. Most importantly the boat didn't broach at any stage and we got through in reasonable shape. Outside of this situation the boat handled quite well turning easily and coming onto the plane quite quickly. You notice a bit of tenderness just on the plane but after that it seems to firm up with water pressure under the bottom. I wonder if the ultimate answer in rough weather would be to lock the water ballast in but then fuel consumption would also rise.

Certainly when we stopped, the boat became extremely stable and therefore makes a safe platform. On this score alone the keen offshore anglers are going to love the Bar Crusher.

Driving the Bar Crusher is comfortable in either the standing or seated position but best standing when it is rough. The hard top roof on the 5.5m is also a very attractive feature for a small offshore boat especially in cold weather ! Basically it is an aluminium roof hinging off the targa bar so it can be locked down on top of the windscreen. With the roof in this position you not only stay snug and dry but also achieve a natural wind spoiler to improve boat performance. With side clears included it was also easy to keep wind and spray at bay.

The angled instrument panel is fairly basic but provides room for the motor gauges and a waterproof switchboard. Meanwhile the LCD sounder and steering compass goes on the dash board above. The radio is mounted on the passenger side under the dashboard where it was fairly easy to reach. There's also side storage pockets on the outside of both the passenger and driver seats. The bucket seats are a bit different to what we normally see in Australia. Instead of pedestal mounts you get brackets that extend from the sides of the cockpit. This frees up more floor space underneath which is a clever idea. These bucket seats have arm rests and a decent amount of padding. They also have backrest handholds for extra passengers - a very sensible idea.

Deck Layout Up front is a short bowsprit which incorporates all the stuff you'd expect like a solid bow roller, split bow rail and a "T" bollard. You get a separate anchor well on deck and can carry the anchor on deck with the latter arrangement. Not surprisingly the only way you can reach the anchor is via the cabin forehatch. This is made easy by the high cabin headroom and extra big hatch with loads of room to stand within the cabin. The Bar Crusher also gives you a separate chain locker within the cabin and a padded bolster to rest against when hauling the anchor. The cuddy is certainly a comfortable area with attractively upholstered seats and side storage shelves. There's above average headroom and the seats are almost long enough to form bunks. At a pinch you could catch a nap when you are out fishing at night. It is not the most deluxe cabin but will be quite useful for family boating thanks to upholstered cushions and easy access to and from the cockpit.

The cock pit offers raised side pockets that give really good foot space for fishing. These pockets will be big enough for gear like hand lines and gaffs. A feature that everyone will like is the rear bench seat that folds away when not needed. It is a simple metal seat but has a non skid finish so it doubles as a step when boarding over the stern. Fishability The Bar Crusher 5.5m really scores high here in this category because of the large cockpit and excellent stability. The folding rear seat and padded stern coaming also ensures you've got a pretty decent fishing space. Admittedly the landing steps create a bit of a fishing blind spot but other wise this is a pretty good fishing stern for sport or bottom bashers. Certainly the standard package is one of the most complete fishing boat packages I've tested. You not only get six rod holders but also a removable cutting board with extra rod holders, an under floor kill tank (floodable) and a fully plumbed live bait tank.

And there's more ! You also get a six pack rocket launcher / targa and a transom mounted burley bucket. On top of that you can also have a sounder and plotter, GME 27MHZ radio, compass, battery isolator and navigation lights. Power For the 5.5 model you get either Yamaha 100Hp four stroke or 90 Hp two stroke. Given Yamaha's high standing amongst fishing enthusiasts that should be a big selling point. The four stroke will be the best choice if you want maximum range from the 80 litre floor tank. However, if you are doing moderate distances you could happily go with the two stroke that delivers much the same speed performance. That's because it is a lighter weight motor at 125kg compared to the 165Kg of the four stroke. You would only consider going to a 115 Four stroke for heavier loads or a heavy crew. I was also pleased to see the standard package providing a raised battery shelf, isolator switch and very neat wiring. The floor tank also has a fuel filler in the floor and a fuel gauge in the floor. This is a very practical way of keeping tabs on fuel consumption.

Summary

The Bar Crusher 5.5 Cuddy throws a very interesting challenge to our tinnie market. With its soft ride and competitive pricing it could well attract many buyers after their first serious offshore fishing boat. Up until now we haven't seen plate boats mixing it on price with the pressed sheet alloy tinnies but may be that situation is changing with boats like the Bar Crusher. Typically, plate alloy boats have been expensive to build but the Bar Crusher factory has been able to make big cost savings through application of the latest technology.

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.