The wonderful thing about competition is the way it throws some exceptional winners. Take the Bar Crusher, for instance, that has evolved into one of the best trailer fishing boat brands over a number of years. The key-selling feature of the Bar Crusher 620C is the water-ballast system that allows it to be super stable at rest yet light and easy to trail as well as achieve good speeds without a lot of power. Strongly built in plate alloy, Bar Crusher also combines all the things keen offshore fishos love like a self-draining cockpit, decent-sized stern scuppers, great fishing workspace and first-class build quality.
What’s more, Bar Crusher comes with virtually all the fishing mod-cons and the finish is very classy. Recently we caught up with the latest model, the Bar Crusher 620C – an impressively big boat that’s blue water-capable yet still easy to trail. The cuddy design ensures effective weather protection and is a good choice if you fish beyond the warmer summer months. The 620C suits serious offshore work and bar-crossing because of the added protection of the cuddy. Indeed, the cuddy acts as a wave-breaker if you cop a green one over the bows.
Not surprisingly, there’s been enthusiastic response to this latest Bar Crusher from fishing enthusiasts. They instinctively appreciate what it offers for offshore. And perhaps they like a boat they can sleep aboard when fishing or back at the caravan park. And most pleasing of all is this latest Bar Crusher 620C price. Our test boat supplied by Sydney dealer Blakes Marine came to just $62,970. Not bad for a high-quality craft with all the trimmings, like a color combo sounder/chart plotter, safety gear and marine radio.
Design:
There is no mistaking this is a Bar Crusher – from its sharp, raked bows, big chine edges and small wedge-cuddy you know it is a ‘Crusher'. True hull length is 6.2m so you’re getting a fairly decent chunk of boat under your feet to tackle blue water or coastal waterways like Port Phillip or Moreton Bay. In Bar Crusher style, the hull is a solid structure tipping the scales at 1043kg even before you add the motor or trailer. This reassuring mass is kept legally trailerable at 2.35m beam and not hard to park thanks to a folding roof.
The hull features smooth topsides and Bar Crusher 620C’s ‘Wave Slicer’ bottom that incorporates a variable Vee bottom ending in an 18-degree transom. This is a good shape for fishing because it cuts easily through chop and delivers stability when trolling or anchoring in deep water. The rough water ride is far better than most tinnies, indeed it's more in keeping with good fiber glass designs. However, there’s no mistaking Bar Crusher is an alloy boat and proud of the fact. Topsides are smooth and clean and below the chines the bottom is also smooth with no strakes at all.
Walking behind the Bar Crusher you notice the open hole in the transom to let water into the bilge ballast tank. When filled this gives the Bar Crusher 620C several hundred kilos of water ballast below the waterline. Within seconds of hitting the water, the tank fills and the boat becomes rock-steady. I might mention the water is dumped just as quickly when retrieved on the trailer so there’s no extra load on your car engine.
Getting aboard is not hard either. The fastback stern incorporates landing platforms either side of the outboard. On the starboard side is a thru-deck berley bucket while the port side gives you a folding alloy ladder and direct cockpit access via a lift-out alloy door. Rubberized foot-treads on the side decks of the Bar Crusher 620C also make it easy to board from the dock, while the split bow rail makes it easy to board from the bows.
Once aboard you notice this is a serious fishing craft. You will note the checker-plate cockpit flooring, 72cm freeboard for safe offshore fishing and real solid feel underfoot. Indeed there’s a fully welded floor, supported by full-depth longitudinal stringers and cross frames on the Bar Crusher 620C. The hull also has 5mm bottom and 4mm topside panels – very strong. As with all the previous Bar Crushers the quality of finish is very slick and nicely rounded off by a top-class paint job. You can also appreciate the high-quality marine wiring, dual batteries with isolator switch and hydraulic steering – all standard.
With an all-up tow weight of 1988kg you are well within the range of medium/large four-wheel drives like the Toyota Prado, Mitsubishi Pajero, Jeep Grand Cherokee and the like. Forget the big cars, it will also be happy behind popular utes like the V-6 Hilux.
Performance:
We were far from the cold conditions of Port Phillip where we slipped the new Bar Crusher 620C, into the sheltered waters of Sydney’s Broken Bay. Driving around a sunlit place like Pittwater, you feel like the guy with the macho off-roader on a suburban street. However, at least you know this boat can look after you if things turn pear-shaped. Driving through the no-wash zone, we noted the way the Bar Crusher 620C slipped along easily at low speed and felt super-stable even as we moved about the boat.
Picking up speed, we found the 620C slipped easily to the planning mode with only a slight hesitancy due to the dumping of water ballast. Once moving fast we sliced effortlessly through any chop or boat wash we encountered. The driving position meanwhile was both comfortable and easy to adapt to, thanks to a well-designed dash and hydraulic steering. My only gripe is that the low windscreen can affect vision in the seated position.
Standing I found the helm position pretty good since I could look over the top of the screen. However, I wonder about how much vision you’d have with the roof folded down – as it’s designed to do in very rough weather. Mind you, the seats are very comfortable Reelax models with armrests, footrests and even an optional floor step if you are a vertically-challenged skipper. The Bar Crusher 620C also features a wider dash panel to allow it to fit a flush-mounted sounder/chart plotter alongside the helm position.
Power:
The Bar Crusher 620C is rated to 175hp so we were getting close to max performance testing with our 150hp E TEC. The boat certainly seemed to have plenty of life with this combination and unless you carried heavy load regularly it’s the right amount of power. Speeds results were as follows:
- 3500rpm 24 knots
- 4500rpm 32 knots
- 5500rpm 38 knots
Frankly that’s about as quick as I’d want to go in a fishing boat, so most won’t go for the bigger motor. And talking of motors, Bar Crusher tends to come with Suzuki motors, but it was interesting to test it with the new E TEC. I rather like the added acceleration of these modern two-strokes and while I didn’t get the chance, I believe fuel consumption is also very good.
I guess the jury is still out on who will eventually win the battle of the clean tech motors, but you won’t go too far wrong with Evinrude’s new E TEC series. This model comes with a 200-litre in-floor fuel tank that should give reasonable range for a modern, clean tech motor. Bar Crusher 620C goes to a lot of trouble to custom-build these alloy tanks so they have the filler on the top of the tank for safety. This removes the danger of a broken filler line that could dump fuel into the bilge when you least want that to happen. The 620C also comes standard with fuel-filter bowl and dash gauge.
Deck Layout:
Up front the Bar Crusher 620C has a welded bowsprit with split bow rail to make anchoring easy. There’s also a Sarca anchor that can be released easily from the hatch. A new feature for 2008 on all Bar Crushers is a mounting point to take a Stress-Free electric anchor winch either at time of purchase or a later date. A large fore-hatch allows a comfortable standing position from within the cabin. This is yet another example of Bar Crusher thinking about what fishermen need.
Moving back you notice the cabin has no windows to leak but does get plenty of natural light from the open back. The cab also provides the mounting point for the navigation lights and a solid three-piece windscreen of robust construction. Meanwhile, the folding hardtop has gas-strut support arms so you can lift it up and down easily. The whole structure can be folded into the cockpitof the Bar Crusher 620C if you need to reduce the boat height for garaging. There are also clears provided for extra weather protection.
I like the console dash with its curved surface that keeps all the gauges high and easy to see. Meanwhile, the seats sit atop stowage boxes and can be rotated towards the stern for fishing - with footrests provided. The cabin features three-quarter berths with cushioned seats – there are no backrests but the area is comfortable enough for the fishos and comes with bunk extensions as an option.
Moving back into the cockpit you find a very comfortable toe-under recess below raised side pockets and side decks wide enough to sit when waiting for a hookup. Best of all, there’s a folding rear lounge seat at the back of the cockpit that doubles as a step and raised casting platform. It has the same rubberized non-skid surface as the side decks.
Fishability:
No doubt about it – this boat scores super-high in the fishing stakes. The 620C is all about fishing and we were hard-put to find anything to criticize from a fishing point of view. Everything about the boat, from its high stability to its very practical cockpit design, gets full marks in our books. You get six welded side-deck rod-holders, plumbed live-bait tank at stern and raised cutting board (removable). Also included is a decent in-floor kill tank that is floodable and drainable. Above all, what I like about the Bar Crusher 620C is the way it’s so easy to just hose out in about five minutes so very little beer-time is lost.
Summary:
Yet again Bar Crusher has come up with a very well-thought-out design that perfectly suits fishing needs. It’s big enough for serious adventures offshore and keeps within trailerable limits. And what the hard-working fisho will appreciate is the way these are complete, ready-to-go packages so no time is wasted in the buying process. Like all Bar Crushers, the Bar Crusher 620C is a strong, well-proven craft with a very good reputation for reliability. It’s a boat that can handle a bit of knock-about beach launching and would suit the adventurous boatman. These boats can be used for family boating as well. The cuddy makes it a great boat for day cruising or camper holidays. On the latter score the post for the cutting board also doubles as a tow pole so there’s something to do when the fishing stops.
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