A Magazine Editor's Third Bar Crusher
When a fishing magazine editor buys the same brand of boat three times, it's worth paying attention to why. Fishing World's Jim Harnwell has now taken delivery of his second Bar Crusher 670HT — after previously running a 670C — and this project boat walkthrough covers exactly how he's chosen to rig it for serious offshore sport fishing. Unlike his previous folding-roof 670, this one is a fixed hard top, a change that speaks to how his fishing priorities have shifted toward all-weather offshore reliability.
Power and Performance
The boat is running a 175hp Mercury Verado, a supercharged four-cylinder four-stroke that pairs strong mid-range punch with the light weight that matters on a trailerable platform like this. For a boat built around covering distance to find fish and getting back safely, that combination of power-to-weight and reliability is the practical foundation everything else is built on.
Rigged for Sport Fishing, Not Just Day Trips
This 670HT is set up specifically for offshore sport fishing rather than general-purpose use. A live bait tank and kill tank are both fitted, pedestal seats with bolsters give the crew stable, comfortable positions for longer runs and fights, and seat boxes double as tackle box storage — practical, considered choices for a boat that's meant to be fished hard rather than just cruised. The cabin remains usable for an overnight trip if needed, though in practice it's mostly given over to gear storage, which is a realistic trade-off for a boat this size built primarily for day trips offshore.
Electronics Built for Depth
The helm is built around a Raymarine Hybrid Touch a-Series display, linked to two separate sonar modules: a CP100 CHIRP DownVision module for structure and bait definition in shallower water, and a CP450 CHIRP module for deeper offshore sounding — reportedly tested to around 280 fathoms during use. Running two purpose-built modules side by side, rather than relying on a single general-purpose transducer, reflects the kind of setup a boat aimed at both inshore structure fishing and deep offshore work actually needs. A Fusion stereo rounds out the helm.
Standard Bar Crusher Features, Serious Add-Ons
Alongside the sport-fishing-specific gear, the boat carries the features that come standard across the Bar Crusher range: LED lighting, a bait pump, deck wash, and bilge pumps. On top of that, a downrigger is fitted for targeting kingfish and marlin by trolling at controlled depths, with outriggers planned as a future addition — a sign this rig is being built out progressively rather than all at once.
A Lighter Way to Tow
The boat sits on a custom-built Easytow alloy trailer, chosen specifically to reduce tow weight. Bar Crusher's own alloy trailer option is built to shed up to roughly 150kg off the tow weight of its larger hull models compared with a standard galvanised steel trailer, while still being more heavily constructed than typical alloy trailers on the market — a detail that matters for anyone towing a boat this size behind a standard 4WD, with the full rig coming in under 2,000kg.
Built for 2-3 Anglers, Offshore
Positioned as a boat for two to three anglers chasing offshore sport fish, this 670HT reflects a rig-out built from real fishing priorities rather than a boat show spec sheet — informed by an owner who has already run two previous Bar Crushers and knows exactly what he wants from the third.
