Kevlacat 5.2 vs Bar Crusher 560/620/640 for offshore fishing.

[Maccas]

Have been reading a bit about Bar Crusher boats and I wondered how the ride in rough seas and the stability at rest compared to the KC 5.2 as I have never been in a Bar Crusher.The idea of the water in the hull at rest sounds good for stability but does it work as well as a cat. I get seasick and was a real problem when I had a mono but since I have had cat I rarely get sick What are the differences in ride in rough conditions. Has anybody been in both or even a Surtees as they work on a similar design idea.

Cheers,

Maccas

[finding_time]

Maccas

I hope this is a flame mate!!!!

In anything under 10knots a Bar Crusher ( what ever model) will be faster in anything over that they wont get close, and the stronger the wind the bigger the gap! And yes have spent time in both!

ian

[lippa]

i got the mclay another kiwi boat of similar design (no flooding keel though)
the lil kc does sit a bit better at rest, and as ian says the windier the quicker.
coming from monnos into a cat was a very uneasy feeling, and almost made me crook first time out.
the varible deadrise hulls do perform well, as well as a kc???? there will be 45 pages of to and fro!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


both great boats, simple

cheers

lippa

[Dean1]

Lippa I cant wait till the day you try to keep up with me on the way home from the banks in 20-25kt winds!!!

You will do fine on the way out coz it will only be 10kts!!

[lippa]

by the time you bail the water out, pull start ya motors, have a shower and a feed man, i'll be on the trailer heading home!!!!!!!

[kokomo]

5.2 vs the 6.4 is quite a large difference.

i vote for the 6.4 in anything up to 20

[MyWay]

Bar crusher any time and any weather

but bit hard to compare KC 5.2 and mono hull plate boat too

cat to cat
plate to plate
glass to glass
concrete to concrete
wood to wood
plastic to plastic

myway

[Maccas]

Why is it so hard. They are both boats designed more for fishing offshore than anything else. It doesn't matter whether they are fibreglass or ally, it matters which does the job best. That is, get to the fishing spot and back without bashing the crap out of you and being stable enough while you are fishing that you don't spend half the time hanging over the side or worse being bashed from side to side while trying to stand up.

So which one is best?

[GBC]

Nothing of comparable size is going to be more stable at rest than your cat. I'd be tearing off the hard top, get some breeze in my face, and if I still got crook I'd give the game away.

[fly_1]

Mate, I sold my 6.0m fisher to go back to a cat. The fisher has the flooded hull, and is by far one of the best plate boats around. Certainly streets ahead of the barcrusher!! ( and yes, have fished out of one before).The reason I bought the fisher to start with, was my wife and I had grand plans to take it up the beach etc, and as we have cats in the family ( both brothers at the time had cats) thought we had every type covered. ( ie up the beach, use the fisher, out wide, take the cats etc....)
I sold it after 2yrs and only 350hrs as my back couldnt take it anymore. The answer was back to the cats. Best thing I ever did, back pain gone!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes the mono plate boats will be quicker, but only on the flat days(all 5 of them a yr!!??), but the big difference is , like most cats we can cruise at 21-22kts both ways almost everytime I go out.
It certainly has its negatives as well, 2 engines , bigger trailers etc which as we all know means more costs, but the big difference for me was ride. I would get the idea of changing to a bar crusher out of your head real quick.( and if you dont, the first time you take it, or anyother platey out in 20kts of breeze and try to cruise home at 20kts +, you will wish you had of......)

[business class]

Stability the cat will eat the BC up every day of the week, and even though i am not a cat fan and it hurts deeply saying this , i would have to say the 5.2KC would most likely outpreform the Bar crusher through out all circumstances. the Bar crusher is not a computer cut platey so it wont have the weight or strength or ride capabilities as the likes of AMM, Sea Storm and fisher get. Bar Crusher are just a normall pull up hull with nothing fancy, Unless they have changed recently! Still taking nothing away from the Bar crusher as they build a fantastic boat but when you compare the two boats you are compareing, but IMO the KC wins even up against the 6.4 BC.

Cheers
Matty

[business class]

but the big difference is , like most cats we can cruise at 21-23kts both ways almost everytime I go out.

I understand with the whole small platey up against the BC is no comparison but......there is no way a 5.2 will do 21-23 knots in a 20knts plus wind if there is some swell and sh#t weather around...... remember he is talking about a 5.2 here, and if it was doing that sort of pace she will be hitting very hard or she will do what they do best..... DBF (dip,broach and flip) .

[fly_1]

If it makes you happy, make it 20kts. The point I am making, is that a plate mono will no way give you the ride a cat will. ( nor the stability at rest, or cockpit space!!)

[julian1]

why are you comparing it to a Barcrusher, is there a reason for Ali ?? what about a Fibreglass deepvee ?? Barcrushers are good, but not in the same league as the cats but hey the BC is lighter more economical cheaper to buy etc

[bennyboy]

I have 2 friends one with a 640C Bar Crusher with a F200 Yammie, the other with a 2100 Offshore Kevlacat with twin 90 Etec's. They are talking about selling one boat to get a BIG boat and keeping one of the two for smaller distances. The Kevlacat is getting the chop because the Bar Crusher outperforms it in the rough and is cheaper to maintain.

Business class I would check your facts re hull design and cutting methods