Welcome to the Bar Crusher 575C Review. I’ve been testing a Bar Crusher 575C for a while now, a locally made boat manufactured here in Melbourne in the township of Dandenong. These boats offer local anglers a refined fishing experience packed full of features. For me, this boat has been a great all-rounder. I have used it in inshore waters to target snapper, whiting, flathead, and squid. I have used it offshore to target Kingfish and Tuna and occasionally in certain lakes and estuaries, being mindful of the water depth and ramp at those locations for a boat of this size.
This particular model, the Cuddy, is available in four different sizes: 535, 615, and 670. However, I found the 575 to fit my needs perfectly and provide the versatility needed to fish different systems.
Watch the vid below as Al from FishingMad walks you through his on-water experience with the Bar Crusher 575C
Bar Crusher 575C Handling on the water
The design of these boats has many unique features that make them handle well on the water. They incorporate Bar Crushers Waveslicer Gen 2 deep hull design technology, which effortlessly cuts through waves and swell. Deep V hulls tend to lean to one side depending on the direction of the current; however, the addition of trim tabs allows you to level the plain of the boat for a straight and smooth ride. The press of a button aligns the boat so you can quickly head to your next destination.
The back bottom section of the boat has an open cavity in the hull, which fills up with 300 litres of water when idle or anchored to keep the boat balanced and stable. Whilst fishing, as you walk around the cabin, the boat doesn’t move or tilt as the water inside the hull keeps the boat perfectly balanced. As you drive off, the water flows out of the cavity, giving you a fast ride. Bar Crusher calls this their Quickflow technology, which I think works great. The hull design has many innovative features and years of refinement between the Gen 2 hull, water ballast system and trim tabs, making it a very smooth experience.
Bar Crusher 575C Performance
The Bar Crusher 575C is fitted with a Suzuki 115-horsepower four stroke outboard marine motor. These motors are reliable, start quickly, and quiet. The boat has a 160-litre fuel tank and convenient ways to fill fuel and monitor fuel usage while on the water. For me, 160 litres is plenty for trips around the bay and even out the bay through the rip offshore to chase pelagics. I often motor around 50 kilometres per hour, with the motor trimmed slightly up, which provides a very comfortable ride and is economical on fuel. There is also hydraulic steering for responsiveness and control. Anyone who has had a boat without hydraulic steering will understand how helpful this is.
By default, all Bar Crusher boats have dual batteries to ensure you’ll never run into any issues while on the water and cater for all worst-case scenarios, which is great peace of mind.
Bar Crusher 575C Comfort
The 575C is a highly comfortable ride for you and your guests—premium vinyl bolster seats inspired by Recaro racing seats, which can be adjusted in many ways. For me, as the driver, this is really helpful as I’m on the shorter side and can push the chair forward, which makes driving more comfortable. These chairs are also fitted with tackle organisers. I use these to keep the cabin open and store the tackle trays with hooks, sinkers, jigheads, squid jigs, and so much more. Making it easy to find your fishing gear and have it stored securely out of the way. The passenger seat also has an icebox by default, which fits perfectly in this space. Using this for your catches again maximises the room in the cabin.
There is a folding rear seat at the back of the boat for additional guests, and I regularly have three or four people on the boat with me at any given time. The front cabin area of the boat is fitted with comfortable vinyl bunks that provide a comfortable area for a time out and a great amount of storage. My kids often use this area when fishing with me for a time out from fishing or a break from the sun, which is also comfortable with the hatch open to allow some wind flow.
The dash is incredibly organised and ergonomic. All the boat’s features have their own switches and are clearly labelled. These will include an electric anchor, deck wash, lights, live well, bilge pump, and more. These switches are also illuminated when the anchor light is turned on, making them easy to find, clear, and organised.
Bar Crusher 575C Trailer and Bar Catch
One of my favourite features is the Bar Catch system, which allows you to launch and retrieve the boat by yourself easily, quickly and without fuss. I have done some step-by-step tutorials on this in the FishingMad Members Area. To launch, I drive the boat down the ramp, ensure the Bar Catch is in the launch position by simply moving the bungy cord onto the latch, and undo the winch strap and safety. Then, jump into the front hatch of the boat, lower the motor, drive forward, and the boat catch releases. You’re free to drive off and dock the boat. It’s simple, smart and easy. Getting the boat back on the trailer is just as simple: place the bar catch in the lock position by simply moving the bungy cord onto the latch, then drive the boat onto the trailer and far enough up for the bar catch to lock into place. At this point, I turn off the motor, raise the motor, and jump through the hatch. Apply the winch strap and tighten it, attach the safety chain, and I’m all good to go.
The trailers are custom-made, locally made, with galvanised steel and rollers perfectly placed for the deep V hull to ensure it aligns appropriately as you drive the boat on and off. They come in single-axle and double-axle options. By default, they are fitted with a spare wheel, tie-downs, and bar catch system. The trailer also has mechanical cable brakes to ensure your trips are safe. The boat weighs 1360 kgs but can be easily lowered and lifted onto the tow ball of your 4WD. There is also a flip-down heavy-duty ladder and step-through transom to make access to the boat very easy on and off the water.
Bar Crusher 575C Features
The boat is packed with features, including the saltwater deck wash so that you can remove those messes and stains on the go. I use this on the water to clean the bait board or remove nasty squid ink. As anglers will know, once squid ink dries, it’s very difficult to remove, so doing this on the go is so helpful.
There is also a livewell to keep your bait alive. This is handy for me: I keep squid and yakkas in the live well, ready to go offshore and chase kingfish. I’ve also used it to keep Bream alive when doing trial runs for tournaments to get my bag of 5 and filter through fish for upgrades.
There are lots of rod holders in all the right places. Mine also has a full snapper rack fitted around the entire back section, which is amazing when snapper fishing in Port Phillip Bay or Western Port during peak snapper season when water temperatures are hovering between 15 and 19 degrees. The top of the boat also has complete rocket launchers to store your rods out of the way whilst not being used, and removable side rod holders are perfect for storing your frequently used rods as you move from spot to spot. The fixed rod holders are made from cast, which allows game rods to secure into place, which is amazing when fishing offshore for tuna.
The 575C is fitted with a Raymarine Axiom+ 12 sounder. These sounders are intuitive, easy to use and can be paired with mapping tools such as Navionics. They provide easy navigation, waypoint management, and flicking between traditional, Chirp 3D, Downvision and Sidevision modes. The traditional chirp mode does an excellent job of identifying fish, which is particularly good when chasing snapper in the bay or pelagics offshore. The new Axiom+ models are 25% brighter than previous generations and with quad-core technology very responsive.
The Alumuim flooring provides a very durable platform on which to work. The rigid deck system makes it one of the toughest flooring systems on the market, with added buoyancy for safety.
The electronic anchor winch is a stressfree, matched up with a SARCA anchor that is a key part in fishing and moving between spots effortlessly. I can recall many years of manually lifting the anchor, which was backbreaking and even, at times, dangerous. Not anymore, a simple press of a button drops or lifts the anchor. For me, this plays a critical role in successful fishing for snapper and King George whiting. Ensuring im within meters of fish that I have marked up or a known GPS coordinate. This is often the difference between a good day on the water and a quiet one.
There are lots of other smart features, such as onboard power to charge your phone, batteries, or cameras on the go, a cleverly designed bait board with additional rod holders and cup holders, an berley bucket on the rear platform, side pocket storage, tackle trays, and more.
Bar Crusher 575C Storage
The 575C has a collapsable roof, which allows you to store the boat in your garage or carport, which is a brilliant idea. Releasing a few pins will enable you to fold down the front section quickly. Boat storage can be costly, and houses are becoming smaller and smaller, so this is a really smart feature. Of course, always check the total boat and trailer length when planning for this if it is stored in a garage.
The boat also comes with seat covers for your premium vinyl chairs so you can ensure there not getting dirty or dusty when the boat is not in use. The clears of the boat can easily be added or removed with press studs and a clever sliding system.
Features we really like
- Made locally in Dandenong
- Clean open cabin
- Very comfortable
- Lots of rod holders
- Collapsable Roof so you store the boat in your garage or carport
- Trim Tabs
- Salt Desk wash
- Bar Catch system to launch/retrieve easily on your own
- Suzuki 115 hose power outboard motor
- 160-litre fuel tank
- Aluminium flooring
- Raymarine Axiomim 12 inch sounder
- Full snapper racks
- Live well
- Organised dash, clearly labelled
- Spotlights
- Bait board
- Step through transom
- Heavy Duty Ladder
- Twin batteries
- Side clears, which can be easily removed and reattached
- Electronic anchor winch
- Single axle trailer can be upgraded to double
- Mechanical Cable brakes on the trailer
- Deck Grip with raised Gunnels
- Rear folding seat
- Comfy cabin should you need a rest, with plenty of storage
- Hydraulic steering
Bar Crusher 575C specifications
As you can see, these boats are packed full of features. I have seen these boats built locally in Dandenong firsthand and have a new appreciation for the manufacturing process. I also appreciate the level of care and the smart design that has been refined by keen local anglers. These boats handle well and provide the needed comfort and durability to give you a smooth ride and years ahead of fun fishing on the water.
If you would like to know more, reach out to your local Bar Crusher dealer or contact them directly using this link Contact | Get in Touch – Bar Crusher Boats
Thanks for reading the Bar Crusher 575C Review by FishingMad. You can follow FishingMad’s use of this product and many others by watching our weekly fishing videos here.