29.

Australian Propeller - The Trailer Boat Magazine - January / February 2005.

Supplied Courtesy of Australian Propeller Magazine

BRING ON THE BAR - BAR CRUSHER 560C

There is an old saying that you don' use a tack hammer to knock down a wall, and never is the implication, the ideal, more apparent than in the example of the Bar Crusher range of boats. Armed with the suggestion that Bar Crushers are the ultimate bluewater boat, we decided to put the 560C Cuddy Cabin model to the ultimate test on one of the often grizzliest stretches of water in Australia,Port Phillip Bay.

The brochures were not wrong! We are of course being a little hard on the region, for as everyone knows Port Phillip Bay on Melbourne's South side can be a most beautiful waterway, but predominantly this bay will offer up some trying conditions, of very much a "bluewater" nature. It is one of those waterways that are never completely calm, such is its very size, so you are always going to get some form of chop or waves. What better place to develop and fine tune a hull?

Bar Crusher MD Peter Cleland is most certainly one of those people who have the knowledge and expertise to put his ideas into reality. Not that you would know though, for he is not a blow-hard who thrives on self-gratification or praise, simply he lets his product do the talking, on the water. Ask him for instance how many boats he builds a year, and his response is, who really cares, I don't want to build the most, it is far more important to build the best boat, then the first part will look after itself.

A look around he and Warren Cleland's Dandenong South factory suggests they are "travelling"okay, for the significant additions the company are currently undertaking (typically the hard-working duo are building it themselves) are simply to allow the company the latitude to move up to the next level. They have chipped away at it for a few years now to the point where Peter Cleland is happy with where his product and range are now at, and following a most strenuous yet gratifyingly successful Boat Show season the company will be ready to address in earnest the resultant rise not only in awareness and acceptance, but in demand.

Progressing on from a manufacturing and retailing outlet, into a dealer network situation, has also placed great demands on supply, but the unflappable Peter Cleland takes it all in his stride, systematically placing all the pieces of the jig-saw into the right places, before he takes the next step. "Getting the infrastructure right first,he explains, affords us the flexibility and capacity to move with demand, and address it appropriately. Put simply, this allows him to fulfil orders for his boats in an orderly fashion, making sure that customers don't have to wait too long for their Bar Crusher. The Secret Ingredient? Even the way Bar Crusher builds its boats is different from other manufacturers, and it is all part of the rich tapestry of "thinking" men who develop their boats to an optimum level, both through their underhull shapes as well as the construction techniques they use. Peter Cleland says: "We have developed a design technology which enables us to provide improved performance on the water yet still offer the boats for a reasonable price. We try to innovate in every area of our business including design, construction methods, people management, and brand management as well as supplier and dealer relationships. at the end of the day, this is what makes Bar Crusher stand out from the crowd. We are absolutely passionate about building better boats and this shines through in the range we offer. Peter and Warren Cleland do things differently and tend to keep their cards close to their chests, tending not to reveal details of the clever innovations they have made throughout their business. And I have absolutely no qualms whatsoever with that, for I respect the fact it is this technological / innovative / whatever it is (!!!????) advantage that has seen the brand quickly become one of the major players in the Australian plate boat market.

Peter Cleland has very cleverly (and it reflects just how patently multifaceted he is) developed a marketing strategy based around these hull characteristics, with "buzz-words"such as "Waveslicer"non-pounding hull design, "Rigideck" rigid floor and triangulated sub-frame, and "Quickflow"water ballast system for improved stability at rest. The only difference between these and some other manufacturers buzz-words is the fact these features actually work, and contribute to a more user-friendly craft.

Probably here and now we should also clear up the situation with plate boats too, for it will give perhaps a clearer understanding as to why this range in particular can lay claim to being a particularly rigid hull. The definition of a "true" plate boat, is one that is made of high-tensile flat sheet plate. Being his tensile, it is not able to be successfully pressed into the clinker shape used in the pressed sheet tinnies. In contrast, the "pressed sheet tinnie" is usually manufactured from a lesser temper material in "coil" form that is de-coiled and then pressed to achieve an acceptable panel stiffness. The metallurgical weakness in this system is one of the reasons that Peter Cleland says he is such a strong advocate for his plate style of construction. "We are all about ensuring that the metallurgical integrity of the best high tensile aluminium available in the world is retained in our product. This in plain language means a boat that should never break. There are much cheaper ways to mass produce boats but we leave this to the "tinnie" manufacturers who have specialised in the art of building very light boats for fair weather applications. Plate versus pressed, you work it out for yourself!

So, building the rigidity factor in must be done in other ways and most aluminium "plate"boat manufacturers will utilise an underfloor grid system of longitudinal and cross bracing, for stiffening and strengthening. This varies dramatically in theory, from manufacturer to manufacturer, but the bottom line is to combine this underfloor system with a genuine high-tensile plate and you have one hell of a strong and rigid hull, even considering the thicknesses are not "tank-like" at 4mm on the bottom and transom, and 3mm on the topsides.

Suzuki Power

As much as strength and rigidity are influencing handling factors, most of a hull's ability manifests from the actual underhull shape, where 18 degrees of deadrise at the transom and a nice fine bow entry, cut through the seas with ease. Interestingly there are no lifting strakes whatsoever (generally on an alloy boat they are a waste of time anyway) on this hull, so all the "lift"comes courtesy of the actual underhull design shape, and the engine! A 5.6-metre boat is still a fair hunk of metal and I have to say I was sceptical of the ability of this boat to perform well enough with its 115hp inline 4-cylinder, 1950cc, DOHC, 4-valve, DF115 Suzuki engine, especially in bigger seas when you need to dig yourself out of troughs. Take a bow, Suzuki, this engine as well as being quiet and a definite non-smoker, had plenty of low-down grunt, especially considering the 19" pitch 3-blade alloy Suzuki propeller we were running. Even the top speed of 37.7mph at the maximum 6100rpm, in the significant seas and given the fact that it had only the standard alloy prop, I felt was a commendable effort from the engine. It was a very well-balanced package actually, and just as a sidelight, with a towing weight of just 1310kg it is easily managed by family six-cylinder cars.

In spite of what I said in the introduction, on test day Port Phillip Bay I must admit was at its docile best. Just a pleasant little one-metre chop, plenty to test the mettle of this Bar Crusher.

The first half a kilometre was enough to tell me everything I needed to know, for both uphill and downhill it was good. Without dragging out all the well-worn cliches, this hull did everything that was expected of it, with attitude. By that I mean it went indecently quickly through these conditions, but it did it in such a (relative) docile "soft"fashion. Sure we got air, but the boat remained level, and predictable, which is super-important in bigger seas for whenever I see a boat standing on its backside, I cringe. It tells me two things, either it doesn't handle, or it is not being driven correctly (if you are going up, you are not going far forward). In this instance there was none of that, and it was a real buzz to drive fast. Turning, too, was something else , it turned on a dime!

Functional, Not Flashy!

Functional was the best way to describe the layout of the 560C, as we sat surprisingly motion-less and stable (that 400-litre underhull "ballast"cavity does work) out in the bay in these conditions, just taking it all in. it is fair to say the interior layout was far from flashy, but it was none-the-less oh so functional, with innovation evident everywhere you looked. Just on that point, it is interesting to look at the different boats from different regions, in Victoria for instance they build a boat more obviously to address and withstand genuine bluewater conditions, and as such all the features are directly designed round this ideal. A virtually standard model apart from the gas-strut activated folding roof, the rocket launcher and Targa bar, and the all-important bait-station, the innovation began right at the transom, with huge "working" boarding platform, the herring-bone dive ladder, berley bucket, grab-rails, the live-bait well, custom bait station, and the generous-size step-thru transom. The rear bench seat was a beauty and again it was functional without being flashy, folding away or removing completely to allow the fisherman direct access to the transom for fishing, and the dual battery system in behind the seat. The large cockpit had a kill tank, 150-litre fuel tank, good storage in the side pockets, and good substantial coaming tops, perfect for the serious fisherman.

The helm offered good protection from the elements in the guise we found this example, visibility was good, and again everything was there. Footrests, storage in the box seat bases, comfortable arm-chair seats, a dash that was at just the right height, and a windscreen that you could see out of, while at the same time offering good protection. Being a cuddy style of front and naturally higher as such, the windscreen was hinged also so it folded down and out of the way if height in the storage facility was a concern. The helm itself was again functional without being over the top; plenty of room for the switch panel, Morse non-feedback steering, Suzuki instrumentation, and the electronics package of sounder and GPS up on the top shelf. As a cuddy cabin concept, we found there was still most generous room in the forward cabin, enough room even should you be inclined to lie down and have a sleep. Side pockets handled any storage problems, the squabs were upholstered, and a front alloy hatch, again demonstrably-large in proportion, led you out onto the sloping foredeck. Although you can virtually walk around the outside of this Ôsquare-cornered cabin structure, this hatch was so good it alleviated the need completely. You could "lock yourself in" when retrieving the anchor, which incidentally was within very easy reach of the permanently-mounted Sarca (everyone in Victoria seems to own one of them) anchor on the bow.

Conclusion

I found the Bar Crusher 560C very much lived up to its heralded reputation, and I certainly endorse their claims that when you invest in a Bar Crusher you are investing in cutting edge design, function and performance. It was all there in one very user-friendly package.

Painted and presented well, and aimed at the "family-fishing" scenario, Bar Crusher has gone for the useability, practicality and durability factors first, then incorporated the aesthetics afterwards.

The Cleland's design philosophy is almost a culture!

This hull is also quite obviously built to the point of being over-engineered, and everything about it oozed experience. Whether it be through the Cleland's own experience and expertise or from customers input, matters nought ,the end result is what counts, and as they say in the brochure, "this boat is built for those who know there is a difference!"

I felt it was good value for money!

Supplied by: Bar Crusher Boats, 25-31 Ventura Pty Ltd, Dandenong South, VIC 3175. Ph (03) 9702 8555, or mob 0418 580 548 Email: info@barcrusher.com.au Website: www.barcrusher.com.au

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.