A Genuine Rough-Water Test, Not a Calm-Day Demo
Trailer Boat Magazine's Angelo San Giorgio tested the Bar Crusher 670HT in Western Port, Victoria, in conditions that included 1 to 1.5-metre chop — a genuinely useful test environment, since it's exactly the kind of rough, unpredictable water that separates a boat that merely looks capable from one that actually is. His verdict was straightforward: the 670HT could handle what Western Port threw at it.
Handling That Impressed at Both Extremes
The review highlighted handling at both ends of the speed range: at low speed, the boat could spin in its own length with responsive steering, useful for working structure or repositioning quickly when fish are moving. At the top end, it planed in under three seconds with strong acceleration, reaching close to 39.5 knots on the day with the reviewer noting even higher speeds were likely once the engine was properly run in. Throughout, the hull was praised as notably quiet, running a Suzuki 175 four-stroke that the reviewer specifically called out as quiet in operation too.
Stability That Handles a Crowded Side
One detail worth calling out: the review found the boat maintained excellent stability even with multiple people standing on one side — a genuinely practical test for a fishing boat, since that's exactly the kind of uneven weight distribution that happens constantly when a group is actively working lines together.
Storage and Practical Details
Beyond performance, the review covered a run of storage and functional details: a roughly 15kg-capacity underfloor kill tank, a plumbed live bait tank, a removable Teflon insert for easier cleaning, and a removable bait board with a ski pole option for those wanting dual-purpose use. A simple, square-edged dash kept the layout functional rather than fussy, and the fuel tank was noted as sealed and filled from inside the boat rather than through an external deck fitting.
Light, Capable, and Needing Little Extra
The reviewer also noted the boat's light weight, a direct benefit of its aluminium construction, and concluded that it needed minimal additional options to be genuinely fishing-ready out of the factory — a meaningful point for buyers weighing up how much they'd need to spend beyond the base price to get a boat properly rigged.
