The Smallest Boat in the Range, Built With the Same Standards
Positioned as the smallest model in the Bar Crusher range at the time, the 500CR (also referred to as the 535CR) was built for bays, estuaries, and coastal boating — a compact family fishing boat rather than a serious offshore platform, but built to the same construction standard as everything else Bar Crusher makes.
Purpose-Built as an Entry Point
Bar Crusher was explicit about the 500CR's role: it was specifically designed as an entry-level plate boat for buyers keen to move into a genuinely better-engineered aluminium boat without stepping up to a larger, pricier model. That's a meaningful distinction — rather than watering down construction quality to hit a lower price point, Bar Crusher kept the same Rigideck® sub-floor system (full-depth stringers and cross frames), tread-plate floor, and Waveslicer® hull design used throughout the range, just applied to a smaller footprint.
What Made It Slightly Different
Compared to other models in the range at the time, the 500CR ran on somewhat less fuel capacity and featured a slightly wider, tapered chine flat running down the side of the hull — a specific design tweak aimed at improving stability at rest, useful for a smaller boat where that stability matters proportionally more.
Standard Features, Even at the Entry Level
Consistent with Bar Crusher's broader "standard, not optional" approach, the 500CR still shipped with cast aluminium rod holders, hydraulic steering, quality wiring, a removable bait board, a clear bowl fuel filter, and toughened glass windscreens. At the helm, pivot-and-slide seats and an easy-to-read dashboard rounded out a functional layout, and clip-on sides were available for families boating with children — a detail that speaks directly to the model's positioning as an accessible, family-friendly entry point.
Where This Model Leads Today
As with the 535CR review already covered in this batch, Bar Crusher's own model history confirms this naming was superseded by the modern 535C, since updated further with the Gen2 hull. For anyone drawn to the entry-level, family-friendly positioning described here, the current 535C is the direct continuation of that idea.
