TRAILERBOAT FISHERMAN - JULY / AUG 2007
BAR CRUSHER 560WR – By JAMES HILL
Generally speaking tinnies aren't famous for the quality of their ride in rough water; however some new models manage to break the mould. I'm thinking especially of the Victorian-built Bar Crusher range that stands out thanks to its clever mix of deep vee hull and water ballast to stabilise the craft at sub-plane levels.
The original design hailed from New Zealand, however since becoming an Australian native, Bar Crusher has evolved into a range that really suits our boating conditions. One of the first steps towards making Bar Crusher more palatable for Aussie tastes was making them wider. However, I think they really hit the money when they released a centre console range last year.
Bar Crusher continues to offer a great range of cuddy deck fishing machines, however the centre console models have definitely struck a chord with the keen fishing enthusiasts in places like Queensland and in other states as well. Two issues back we looked at the impressive Bar Crusher 640 Walk Around and whilst it was a mighty impressive machine it was a bit pricey for most fishos. For that reason we're now looking at the smaller sister, the 560WR that combines a lot of the same features in a smaller, more affordable package. The great advantage of consoles of course is being able to fish 360 degrees around the boat in total comfort and safety. The down side is you have little of no weather protection, But if the weather conditions are not too cold they're probably the best fishing platform available.
Last summer we caught up with this particular Bar Crusher during our Melbourne boat test trip. Whilst smaller than the 640WR it was immediately obvious that it was just as stable and also a sea-worthy craft. At 5.6m this Bar Crusher has the capacity to fish coastal reefs as well as undertaking estuary and river angling for species like barra, mangrove jack and the like. In fact, it would be a brilliant boat for a spot of saltwater lure fishing.
Design: The Bar Crusher 560WR measures some 5.6m in overall length, and incorporates a powerful hull with a moderately wide 2.25m beam and deep Vee 'Wave Slicer' bottom with an 18 degree deadrise at the transom. A key feature is the Quickflow water-ballast system that automatically fills a central bilge tank when the craft is stopped or moving slowly. The addition of a few hundred kilos of water really makes the craft rock-solid and a lot safer in the water for the crew.
The Wave Slicer hull achieves a much better ride in choppy water than most alloy boats. Indeed you can push this tinnie a fair bit quicker in rough water than most metal boats for this reason. Other attractions include the attractive, well-raked bow with quite a lot of overhang and up-swept chine edges. The forefoot is quite deep and features a noticeably wide chin spray rail at the bow to help deflect spray.
The topsides are smooth and clean and below the chines the bottom is also smooth with no strakes at all. The hull obviously relies on its deep Vee section for lift, which it can do by having all beam width carried right to the waterline. Matching this hull quite neatly is a fastback transom with recessed landing platforms either side of the outboard. By the way, that's a full-depth pod so it can support the heavier four-stroke motors like the Suzuki used on our test boat.
Access aboard is made easier by a folding stern ladder, stern steps and a step-through transom. The latter incorporates a lift-out panel in the stern, which you place in a special holder when required. Once aboard you will find all the hallmarks of a serious offshore fishing rig with features like a tough checkerplate floor and self-draining scuppers. Most of all, the boat feels battleship solid thanks to robust plate alloy construction. There's 3mm in the topsides and 4mm in the bottom, all backed up by longitudinal stringers and fully welded cross frames. The whole boat is designed with good internal freeboard with about 73cm height so you can brace yourself against the sides. The console is not large but, is certainly high enough to provide crew protection for two people seated behind it.
The quality of construction was certainly evident in the test boat especially the superb paintwork and fit out. As standard, Bar Crushers come with high quality marine wiring, dual batteries and isolator switches. With a hull weight of 800kg the Bar Crusher has a trail weight around 1500kg depending on fuel and gear abroad. This places the 'Crusher' within the tow range of popular cars like the Mitsubishi 380, Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore. All these cars are available with 1600kg capacity tow kits.
Performance: Port Phillip Bay was like the Mediterranean Sea the day we took the new Bar Crusher 560WR for a spin. The benign blue waters and sunny conditions weren't typical of the Bay however there were no complaints aboard as we soaked up the pleasant conditions. Fortunately there was some wave action and this enabled us to reaffirm the great ride of these boats in bumpy waters. The 560WR handled beautifully and sliced through everything we encountered, including a few bigger waves kicked up by a charter boat's wash.
I love the driving position with its twin seats and room to stand at the helm provides a good view for 'fish spotting.' The inclusion of hydraulic steering also makes for a more enjoyable driving experience. We couldn't keep pace with the bigger Bar Crusher 640WR, however we die remarkably well all the same with our 115hp Suzuki. This motor didn't disgrace us at all the with the following performance:
3500rpm - 19 knots, 4500rpm – 27 knots, 5500rpm – 35 knots
Frankly that's about as quick as you'd want in a fishing boat and unless you were carrying a big load regularly you'd stay with this power band. The deep Vee hull certainly gives the Bar Crusher a smooth ride in rough water and enables the skipper to maintain a higher than normal speed. By conventional tinnie standards it's pretty impressive and explains why Bar Crusher had been one of our fastest growing tinnie brands. As with the bigger model, aboard the 560WR we were able to execute fast turns without any drama or hint of propeller cavitation. You still get the sense you're in a metal boat, but otherwise it's like a good deep Vee 'glass' boat in the handling department.
Power:
he factory recommend a power range of 90-150hp, but from our test we would reckon the 115hp was spot on. Obviously there's lot of other motor models beside Suzuki, however the smooth, refined performance of this 115hp four-stroke was most impressive and a nice match. The benefit of a four-stroke is greater fuel economy and fishing range and Bar Crusher makes the most of that with a 150 litre in-floor tank. So with a bit of care to run at the mid-speed range you'd easily get upwards of 150 nautical miles to the tank. The Bar Crusher 560WR comes standard with deck fuel filter and fuel filter bowl so the fuel supply is kept fairly secure.
Deck Layout:
In typical Bar Crusher fashion you get a welded bowsprit and split bow rail, There is also a Sarca anchor that's a self-releasing design so it won't get stuck on the bottom. You also get a self-draining anchor well, twin mooring bollards and for'ard casting deck with high bow rails to ensure reasonable safety up front. There is also generous stowage under the for'ard casting deck for fishing and boating gear. Further aft you find a large cooler or esky that acts like a mother-in-law seat ahead of the console. Meanwhile, the console has an acrylic windscreen and a clever hardtop that folds down to allow the Bar Crusher to be garaged. It's only a short hardtop, but enough to keep the sun off your dial when driving along. I like the console dash with offset steering wheel and throttle alongside to make it comfortable to steer standing up. There's also plenty of dash area to flush-fit electronics like a GPS/chartplotter, sounder and VHF radio. Behind the helm station is another cooler seat and this provides plenty of space to stow your catch on ice.
Fishability:
The 560WR is an impressive fishing platform and would suit a wide range of fishing activities from lure casting the mangroves right out to offshore pelagic action on Spanish mackerel. Considering the money you're getting a lot of fishing boat and a perfect design for serious fishing pursuits. The self draining cockpit makes this a very practical boat for offshore use or simply for mooring overnight when you're on holidays or at a fishing tournament. Basically you don't have to worry about throwing a cover over the boat if rain is threatening – the hull naturally drains any rain that falls in the cockpit.
Bar Crusher has applied the same very well thought out design concepts to this boat as their cuddy models and this ensures there's virtually nothing to add. These are strong, well-proven craft and come with fully plumbed live bait tank, raised cutting board, overhead rod rack and factory-fitted electronics package. Indeed, you can get a Navman sounder and VHF radio from the factory and about all that needs adding is the necessary safety gear to go offshore. It's worth noting that the 560WR comes standard with eight rod holders, for'ard rod rack and a transom mounted berley bucket. There is also a rubberised non-skid on the side decks.
Summary: We loved the bigger 640WR but realistically this small model is closer to the money in terms of a practical all-round fishing rig. It's actually quite a serious size boat and will be able to look after itself on short-range offshore trips, and it's not too big to explore up rivers and fish the mangroves.
The 560WR is a great boat for estuary/inshore work. I might mention there's also a rather nice 530WR 'baby sister' model as well and that could be the boat for you if you are fishing mostly inshore. But my favourite is definitely the 560WR model because it gets the inshore / offshore balance about right for most anglers. Yes, these boats aren't big on weather protection, but for summer fishing even in Victoria they're pretty good and deliver reasonable value. Indeed, there's nothing to say you can't use the roomy interior for the occasional cruising trips with family and friends as well.
