Barcrusher
Hey Guy's,
Looking at downgrading my boat size and changing from glass to ali (nope havent lost my mind!) Current boat is a Leeder Tomcat, great boat but heavy and a lump to handle on solo trips. I predominately fish the south west / south coast region of WA where ramps in the more out of the way places can be average at best and surge and rocks dont favour a glass boat. I'm leaning towards a Bar crusher 680 in either the cuddy or hard top model mainly due to tow weight, ease of launch / retrieve, forgiving nature of ali on rocks and from what I've heard the bar crushers perform quite well. Does anyone own either of these models that can give me some feedback as to their performance? I like the look of the cuddy but dont want to get seriously wet and the hardtop looks quite high so wondering if this gives the boat a tippy feel.
Obviously I dont expect them to ride anything like the Tomcat but am happy to forgo some comfort to be able to launch and handle the boat in some average area's or by myself when required.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers
ace rimmer
Posts: 187
Date Joined: 19/08/13
been in a 560
went fishing in a 560 centre console couple of years ago and it was wet riding... for your neck of the woods I think you would want a Hardtop model
Ben85
Posts: 442
Date Joined: 20/11/11
I think you'll also need to
I think you'll also need to check out the equivalent surteez (6.7 I think?)just to be fair. Also one of my favourites while you're at it- a Stabicraft 2250 supercab.
barcrusher bjs
Posts: 20
Date Joined: 02/07/13
I have one and love it, but
I have one and love it, but most importantly everyone that goes in it is impressed.....
catchalittle
Posts: 1875
Date Joined: 04/09/08
have a look at the surtees
have a look at the surtees you wont be disappointed
Nathan
Simon C
Posts: 801
Date Joined: 01/05/07
Stabicraft for me
Had a 659 supercab for 6 years now still love it. Would be my pick for beach launching out of the ones above - shallower draft.
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
Wanted a 780 myself. But just
Wanted a 780 myself. But just cbf with the useless people that sell them...
So going to spend my money with someone that gives a ...
Lamby
Posts: 3145
Date Joined: 04/08/09
Hey Gonads where do you
Hey Gonads where do you reside down this way?
Leeder Tomcat - pharkin great boat to have in the arsenal but I certainly love the looks of a Bar Crusher
Rob H
Posts: 5818
Date Joined: 18/01/12
Give the Surtees a look as
Give the Surtees a look as well.
For that matter have a look at some of the other offerings from NZ, they build some seriously good looking plate boats there like the White Pointer and Extreme
http://www.whitepointerboats.co.nz/sports_cruiser.html
http://www.extremeboats.co.nz/aluminium-boats/game-king/700-game-king
But I dont know if they are sold in WA
Give a man a mask, and he'll show you his true face...
The older you get the more you realize that no one has a f++king clue what they're doing.
Everyone's just winging it.
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
You can get both here.
You can get both here.
mrwinta
Posts: 457
Date Joined: 14/01/10
I have just ordered a
I have just ordered a 670c.... I was very impressed with the test drive and we were out in some real gnarly chop.... When I get the boat I will put up a report....
as the guys mentioned above its not the boat that lets it down...
NEVER PUSH YOUR GRANNY WHEN SHE'S SHAVING
catchalittle
Posts: 1875
Date Joined: 04/09/08
another good nz boat is the
another good nz boat is the senator only seen one over here
Nathan
rabbit22
Posts: 23
Date Joined: 17/11/11
The Aqualine (KiwiKraft) is
The Aqualine (KiwiKraft) is another pontoon boat similar to the Stabicraft and Senator all built in NZ and pretty rugged. The 705 HT I have has been out in some pretty big sea with a few green ones coming over the top and has never felt out of its depth. Easy to handle solo, electric flushing toilet for the missus, can sleep full stretch in the squabs and Rodney is able to customise whatever you need. There a few in Albany and Esperence all owners have great things to say about them.
I think the configuration of the trailer has a lot to do with ease of launch/retrieve, spend the money on a good trailer and it will halve the stress of launching solo.
As the guys have mentioned Extreme, AMF and Ramco all build great boats with a local dealer picking up McClay boats as well.
I've got mine for sale at the moment due to work committments but PM me if you want to have a look to get an indication of the build quality of some of the kiwi boats. Boat is at Cockburn.
telferfish
Posts: 142
Date Joined: 31/05/12
have no complaints from 2
have no complaints from 2 years and 1000hrs of fishing my barcrusher. had a close look at both surteez and barcrusher the hull and ride is the same but found the barcrushers were all finished better from weld quality and paint down to more features and thought out fishing layout. good luck anyway and their all awsome boats so will probably come down to the best deal you can find.
NORUN NOFUN
Posts: 1035
Date Joined: 15/08/11
560C
Have had the 560c for over 3 years now, and have yet to be in a better riding ali.
Bender
Posts: 3
Date Joined: 05/02/14
White Pointer
I have recently bought a White Pointer boat and the external weld quality is low. I contacted the owner and he assured me that welding aluminum is very difficult and that he will tell his workers to be more careful next time. He said that robots don't weld his boats and that they are hand built. He then told me that is the way it is so deal with it. I'm very very angry with him and would personally invite anyone to have a look at my boat and what white pointer considers good enough quality for a 6 figure boat.
Just another Bogan on his boat
clogwog
Posts: 265
Date Joined: 01/02/11
Bender, I would be employing
Bender, I would be employing a weld inspector to take a look at your boat and write a report up on the weld quality. If the report shows that the weld quality is poor I would take it further, the owner of the company has a responsibility to ensure that his employees are capable welders that have the knowledge and skill to produce a quality product that is seaworthy.
sea-kem
Posts: 15043
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Being a fabricator I'm
Being a fabricator I'm always interested to look at weld quality at the boat shows. Some of them are held together with the paint. There is some poor workmanship out there, then again some bloody good stuff too. I always liked Quintrex because of the high quality welding on their boats. There's no excuse for poor welding and workmanship "grind it out and do it again" my old foreman used to shout at me lol. What area are you bender?
Love the West!
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
Messy welding or just bad
Messy welding or just bad welding ?
Keen to see some pictures.There no excuse from a boat builder for bad welds.
Andy are they using TIG these days for ally or to slow/expensive and just using a good MIG ?
sea-kem
Posts: 15043
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Probably depends on what and
Probably depends on what and where they are welding on the boat Vin. It all comes down to economics at the end of the day. I can tell either process, most the hulls I see are mig'd and most aesthetic stuff is tig'd.
Love the West!
tot
Posts: 1162
Date Joined: 31/01/10
please explain
I am not in the know, how is each way different?
Reverse cycle a/c supply and install - Ducted and wall splits
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
Basically TIG - Uses Tungsten
Basically
TIG - Uses Tungsten gas - slower, neater, more expensive gear, more experience needed
MIG - Uses argon? Quicker, cheaper,easier
But most people probably couldnt tell the diference on most stuff.
Sure Andy will correct me somewhere haha
sea-kem
Posts: 15043
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Tig in laymans terms is
Tig in laymans terms is basically like oxy welding but done with a DC electic machine with filler rods. Very steady hand required. I don't do it as I don't have a need for it, more for intricate type work. Mig is done using wire off a spool so fast welding rates are achieved.
Love the West!
tot
Posts: 1162
Date Joined: 31/01/10
ahhhaa cheers!
I remember hearing of the deals if you buy a pallet of sticks you get a free welder ,spose that would have been tig.
Reverse cycle a/c supply and install - Ducted and wall splits
Vinesh87
Posts: 2751
Date Joined: 02/04/11
Hahaha nope thats arc
Hahaha nope thats arc welding!! not for ally
Good tigs are super expensive
sea-kem
Posts: 15043
Date Joined: 30/11/09
Ha ha more like an arc
Ha ha more like an arc welder, prob a cheap arse one too lol
Love the West!
clogwog
Posts: 265
Date Joined: 01/02/11
As Sea kem has said the
As Sea kem has said the majority of the hull would have been mig welded as it is the quickest process for
the job, however, if the operator ensures that the materials are clean, the amps and wire speed is correct and
They are in a sheltered work area there should be no reason for not getting a reasonable weld quality.
As per sea kem would love to see pics of the weld quality. I am also a welder fabricator.
Bender
Posts: 3
Date Joined: 05/02/14
I have been a boiler maker welder for the last 18 years
It's not the lack of perfect looking welds I'm concerned about its what I consider to be weld defects that bother me. Lack of fusion/cold lap, porosity and lack of weld material on returns. All these issues are locations for cracks or fractures to occur as well as salt water to penetrate and accelerate corrosion.
I live in Safety Bay Western Australia.
I have emailed Rex Briant from White Pointer Boats and have asked him to please do the what I believe to be right. I have stated that if nothing has been put in place to rectify this issue with in 7 business days I'm taking the matter to consumer protection. His company make promises of a "flawless finish as standard" and will be legally pursuing him on that breach of a company promise.
Im not saying ill will end up winning but I'm going to give it my best shot and in the process learn a few valuable lessons and consumer rights on the way.
I will not let this go.
So yeah be very careful when purchasing a boat there are some sharks out there.
Im not sure how to post up pics as I am new here.
Just another Bogan on his boat
thesupervisor
Posts: 1136
Date Joined: 10/06/09
rember there are migs and
rember there are migs and then there are migs
you can weld ally with a $1000 machine
if i was building a boat id be investing in a high quality pulse mig the weld quility is far superier
but the end of the day comes down to the guy using it welding ally to a good finnish is a skill
getting the bottom line final answer from a bunch of blokes that use false names and put smiley faces at the end of paragraphs is not the best place in the world to get the information you seek.
Bender
Posts: 3
Date Joined: 05/02/14
Good News
I'm very pleased to say that they have come to the party to get the welds sorted out.
I received an Email a couple of days ago stating that it will be fixed by a welder of my choice here in WA. So thank you White Pointer. Once they are touched up I shall finally be a proud owner.
I happened to be fishing on a white pointer over in Tasmania today (by fluke maybe) and man this 660 SHT was a stick of dynamite, like I mean she was ball tearing fast. The owner reckoned she could do 47knots but I was thinking it was probably going faster than that. The quality of this servo built bare alli boat was stunning. I'm a welder by trade and I was very impressed. I found myself staring at the quality of the welds instead of focusing on the fishing.
If your ever over in Tassie and want to go on a charter check out Mr Flathead and his stunning example of a White Pointer boat. I had a great days fishing with Mark.
Just another Bogan on his boat