Bar Crusher has produced an X-citing range of sport fishing boats specifically for chasing barramundi and other tropical water fishing species including Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport. Born in New Zealand and bred in the equally challenging conditions of Victoria. It’s no wonder Bar Crusher is a tinnie brand strongly linked to cold, southern water fishing. However, the Bar Crusher brand has spread its wings lately and put on a ‘floral shirt’ with two exciting new open sport fishing models specifically geared to tropical sport fishing. One of them is the including Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport.
Bar Crusher XS series is fully geared to inshore fishing opportunities for barra and the like with large, high-set casting decks and a console set well back. These are the sort of craft for making the most of river fishing opportunities, and with an option of coast-hopping to new estuary systems. Both Bar Crushers 560 and Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport are reasonably big boats and perfectly suited to the conditions you come across in the Top End. Arguably, these are great cross-over fishing machines in that they cover both inshore estuary as well as open water reef fishing. And best of all, they’ve got the same Bar Crusher hull for rough, choppy offshore waters.
The key to these boats is an innovative mix of water ballast and a deep Vee bottom shape. Most tinnies don’t run a lot of bottom deadrise (vee) as it makes them too unstable. However, by utilizing water ballast Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport cleverly overcomes the problem. The result is a very practical craft, soft-riding yet not too heavy to trail, and well suited to mucking about the mangroves. How it all works is quite simple. A water compartment below the waterline automatically fills as the craft is launched. This ensures the Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport is very stable when it is most needed - when you’re fishing or trolling at slow speed.
And here’s the clever bit. As the Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport accelerates onto the plane, water automatically drains away within seconds. It’s like having your cake, and eating it too! It’s a brilliantly simple solution because the pressure of water around the hull keeps it stable when it’s planning. And given the current concerns about fuel costs that’s got to be good news. Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport is designed for fuel-efficient four-stroke so there’s a further saving of running costs.
Earlier this year, I had the chance to test the new Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport in Melbourne, prior to its delivery to a Top End buyer. Conditions on the day were far from ideal for testing a tropical climate boat. No floral shirts, but heavy wet weather gear and poly-tech jumpers were the order-of-the-day as we battled freezing cold winds and occasion rain squalls. Despite the gloom the vivid blue Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport looked a treat on her dual-axle trailer and was a pleasure to drive despite the arctic conditions.
The upside of this test was seeing just how good this baby was in ‘rough water.’ Indeed, the low-slung sportster is a great performer in the rough, utilizing its smooth, deep vee hull to slice effortlessly through the short, sharp wind chop. Especially with the console driving position set so far back you get a rather easy ride. The Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport sits very level and comes into plane mode very easily and it goes through turns like an Italian sports car. I’m thinking Italian Lamborghini here, but then again the XS will leave you a lot more spare change!
OK, open boats aren’t the best for bitter cold days but just imagine how nice it would be on a warm Queensland day – pretty good I reckon. The beauty of the Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport is the ‘fishability’ of the big interior. The casting deck front of the boat and rear give you excellent sight-fishing and casting opportunities. The smaller 560XS model will be even better for the inland boatie who’s going to do a lot of inland lake fishing. Granted the XS series aren’t suited to ‘skinny water’ but they have the added hull depth and ‘sea-worthiness’ to tackle real open water.
For fishing those river systems of the Northern Territory they’re going to be right at home. The XS will allow you to roam from estuary systems and out to offshore reefs. The layout of these alloy boats is perfect for professional guide work too, so I expect a few will be snapped up by commercial operators.
Design:The Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport series represent a fresh approach that’s going to be much appreciated up north. The hull is exactly the same as the walk around/cuddy versions, however, with more interior space and smaller console, set further aft. The overall length of the hull is 6.7m including the welded bowsprit with a 2.35m beam. Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport is a good-looker too, with those smooth topsides, well raked bows and a fastback-style transom incorporating landing steps and cockpit walkway.
A major feature of the Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport is the extra amount of bottom dead rise that flows to about 18-degrees at the transom. Totally clean bottom panels suggest a smooth ride in bumpy waters. And, of course, you have all those other Bar Crusher features like patented Quick Flow water ballast, Rigideck sub-floor system, and the Waveslicer hull. Looking at the bow you also notice extra wide chine lips to deflect spray and help stop the bow burying easily.
Coming aboard is facilitated by a fold down (heavy duty) stern ladder and walk-through doorway into the cockpit. Coupled with the centre-rear console this layout gives you a huge amount of fishing space. Notice too how there’s more fishing space forward of the helm. However, the rear bulkhead of Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport has a slide-out casting platform. So anglers are able to cast from both front and back. In essence this is a big Top Ender boat, yet one I can see appealing to a wider audience as it becomes more well-known.
Another major difference with this model is the plastic seat spigots in the floor so you can move pedestal seats around as required. There’s three pedestal seats and a choice of five seat positions, including two on the casting deck. Aboard the Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport, you find impressively strong plate alloy construction and excellent self-draining cockpit system. Big scuppers ensure any water goes overboard quickly, while the checker plate floor means it is easy to clean and stands up to heavy-duty fishing action. And you get a ‘full-house’ fishing package, standard with five rod holders aside on the Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport with fully plumbed live bait tank, in-floor kill tank and raised cutting board.
The standard package also gives you LED navigation lights, stern ladder and hydraulic steering are also all standard unlike a lot of other brands. It goes without saying the forward casting deck gives plenty of under-deck locker space as well. This means you can stow away all your fishing and person gear under lock and key. The number of times I’ve heard of trailer-boaters having gear pinched when travelling should be another good reason to tick the box on the Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport. And don’t lose any sleep about the Crusher’s toughness. The hull is almost ‘bullet-proof’ with 5mm plate alloy bottom and 4mm sides. This is backed up a series of longitude stringers in the hull, fully welded to cross frames.
The builders also pride themselves on delivering a first-class finish and there is no doubt that it’s one of the best-finished trailer boats you’ll see on the water. It’s also backed by an exceptionally long hull-warranty (five-years).
Performance:As you might have gathered yours truly wasn’t too happy about getting on the water. Then again, once the adrenaline starting pumping through my fingers I actually enjoyed the fun of driving this big Bar Crusher creation in rough water. The Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport has a real sports boat feel and runs really smooth through short, sharp chop. Occasionally, we ‘knocked the top’ off the odd wave in a side-ways crossing, but generally it was quite dry riding for an open boat. I was also pleased to see how the Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport sits level at most times and only has moderate bow lift as it shoots onto the plane. The hydraulic steering makes for smooth, light helm action and the drive position pretty comfortably in the single pedestal seat behind the console.
What’s also impressive about the Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport is the performance with relatively small horsepower. Most boats this size will be running at least 225hp, but here we found it easy to reach 33 knots top speed with a 150hp Suzuki four-stroke on the back. It probably would have been a few knots faster in smooth, calmer conditions but it's pretty impressive all the same. At-rest stability is Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport also excellent and there’s no question about whether you could have a party of three or four anglers on one side of the boat.
For normal fishing conditions there’s plenty of room for two or three anglers to cast at the same time and not get in each other’s way. Overall, I really liked the performance of this new Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport and found the handling and stability pretty outstanding over a range of sea angles. I did notice the test boat is fitted with electric trim tabs, which may raise a question about stability at speed. However, it’s really no different to what you see in a lot of larger deep Vee boats and is a sensible addition when you could be carrying big crew loads. So is this a brilliant fishing guide boat – you bet!
Power:The recommended power range for the Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport is 140- 175hp, which seems pretty spot on given the results with a 150hp long shaft motor on the transom (25inch).
We got the following speeds with the Suzuki 150hp four-stroke straight four-cylinder motor:
- 3500rpm 19 knots
- 4500rpm 26 knots
- 5500rpm 33 knots
These are pretty reasonable performance figures and should suit most fishing applications. The only exception might be up the far north where an owner needs to cover big distances to reach fishing grounds. In this case a Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport owner might want to go for the maximum 175hp. Certainly, the Suzuki 175hp should work because it’s the same motor-block as the 150hp and therefore the same 220kg weight on the transom. In some ways I’m surprised they didn’t rate this boat up to 200/225hp because it certainly could take the extra power. However, no dealer is going to fit such a motor if it exceeds the manufacturer’s recommendation and then run the risk of voiding the boat warranty.
And talking of motors. Whilst Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport tends towards the Suzuki brand it is possible to use other motor brands if desired. Indeed, some interstate dealers offer the boat with other packages including E-Tec that could also be an excellent match. Other aspects of the power system include dual battery systems with isolator switch fitted as standard. The whole wiring system is absolutely top quality and the navigation lights feature the latest high-visibility LED version. The Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport also comes with a generous 200 liter under-floor fuel tank with deck filler kit.
Deck Layout:Like all Bar Crushers, the Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport serves up a top level fit-out including welded bowsprit with self-locating anchor system, plus a nifty Sarca anchor. The boat also comes standard with dual reef anchor holders, dual tee bollards for anchoring and open-topped, and self-draining anchor well and bow rail. Further, the back of the Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport is the raised casting deck with under-floor stowage lockers and floor slots for two pedestal seats to be fitted side-by-side.
In the cockpit proper the internal depth is quite reasonable and, at about 72cm, it’s more than enough for keeping up safe within the boat. It’s a good height for bracing yourself against the coamings and the wide, flat-topped side decks don’t get in the way of fishing. There is also raised side pockets on the Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport running quite a distance down both sides of the boat for your hand lines, gaffs and capture nets. The checker plate floor gives you good foot grip for angling and there are also rubberized non-skid panels on the side decks too.
The two extra pedestal seats normally are located in floor slots just ahead of the console where the ride is reasonably comfortable. This means you have seating for three people; plus an extra three seats with the slide-out casting platform. I love the small console because it leaves plenty of fishing space either side, yet still provides all the essentials for navigating and commanding the boat. The console of the Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport also incorporates a low Perspex windscreen, grab rail and small shelf for coffee cups. And a sloped dash with room for a flush-mounted marine VHF radio and motor gauges are also there is the Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport. Our test boat also had the electric trim tab controls as well as six-ganger switch panel there too.
The console also provides a smart sports steering wheel and under-dash stowage shelf. I would imagine a chart plotter/sounder would fit on top of the dash - but maybe some of the small LCD units could be flush mounted. Overall, the interior of the Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport is pretty much dedicated to fishing and includes ten rod holders in the deck plus a live bait tank as well. It’s a great platform for sport fishing, whether you’re going to be hunting inshore or offshore.
Summary:Bar Crusher has cleverly capitalized on a trend with the Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport that came out of the tropical Australian fishing scene. Basically, what you are getting is a sport-fisher for river species together with a great cross-over to offshore reefs as well. Ostensibly, the market for this boat is the tropical north. Yet there’s no reason the Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport couldn’t work in other regions and for many other applications. Selectively used, this would be a brilliant fishing machine over a wide range of coastal fishing waters.
And there’s something of a cost saving too when you think about it. After all, you are getting a whole lot more boat for your money and one that doesn’t need a lot of expensive horsepower to get it moving quickly. And if the Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport is a touch beyond your budget, may I suggest you look at its baby sister, the smaller 560X. It does almost as much and is also quite well priced. Out of interest, the total trailer package of the Bar Crusher 620XS Reef Sport weighs around 1550kg. So it still fits nicely behind cars like the Holden Commodore or medium-sized four-wheel drive wagons such as the Jeep Cherokee and Nissan Pathfinder.
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