Recommendations for 5 to 6 metre aluminium boat to buy

[frozenpod]

16-18ft, 4.8 to 5.6m fiberglass offers much better value for money.
20ft plus, 6m plus plate alloy becomes a better $$ proposition.
In-between can go either way.

With your usage with aluminium you need a plate boat not a pressed tinny.
A pressed tinny will be thinner lighter etc and is not up to your task.

As per Pauls post 30cm bigger makes a big difference so keep in mind of marketing claims of boat size for example the barcrusher 560, was later called a 610, and today is called 615. Many people think it is a 6.15m boat yet all 3 have the same 5.6m hull and are all 5.6m boats.

This has come about as brands have switched to using overall length instead of hull length. Combined with different degrees of marketing exaggeration. Thus it is very important to find out the true hull length without bowsprit and without duck boards/boarding platforms etc, so you can compare apples with apples.

Hi Paul, thanks for chiming in. You've touched the nerve that's probably causing me the most grief: how thick should the bottom and sides be? Will 4mm and 3mm be sufficient for my needs? Do I need to go heavier on the bottom plate? I simply don't know. I have zero desire to go out when the wind and sea is up but I want something to properly handle the return to shore if the weather turns quickly.

6m plate alloy should be 5mm thick bottom and 4mm thick sides some high quality builds use 6mm bottom and 5mm sides.

Due to material price increase I see a number of manufactures have been reducing the hull and side thicknesses in recent years.
Bar Crusher for example the 615 is now using 4mm bottom and 4mm sides when the previous versions were 5mm bottom and 4mm sides, not a good idea IMO.

Some the boats you mentioned have sealed wooden floors the barcrusher has a sealed self draining flooring,that makes cleaning easy .you can run deck wash , I belong to a game fishing club over 50% of our boats are barcrushers or surtees

Sandef, barcrushers do not have a self draining floor until you get into the 7m plus range.

[WayneK]

Hi Frozenpod,
Thank you for your advice. Of all the boats I've looked at, the Bar Crusher appears to have the highest standard of manufacture, so kudos to them for having pride in their work. On the flip side, the Bar Crushers I've looked at (575 and 615) seem so much smaller than the other craft. As I said to Sandef at the outset, I'm not convinced their cabins are big enough to provide the degree of sun and wind protection I'd like to have. As for hull thickness, I hear you and if I could have a 6mm bottom and 5mm sides I'd be a happy camper, providing I had an Abrams tank to tow it with. The reality is I'm stuck with the Kluger for the next couple of years and that means limiting my towing weight to about 1650 kg. It may turn out that I'm best to limit the scope of my adventures to keep the boat within the safe towing capacity of the car I've got. Just say'n...

[bowl]

Stabi

[frozenpod]

Hi Frozenpod,
Thank you for your advice. Of all the boats I've looked at, the Bar Crusher appears to have the highest standard of manufacture, so kudos to them for having pride in their work. On the flip side, the Bar Crushers I've looked at (575 and 615) seem so much smaller than the other craft. As I said to Sandef at the outset, I'm not convinced their cabins are big enough to provide the degree of sun and wind protection I'd like to have. As for hull thickness, I hear you and if I could have a 6mm bottom and 5mm sides I'd be a happy camper, providing I had an Abrams tank to tow it with. The reality is I'm stuck with the Kluger for the next couple of years and that means limiting my towing weight to about 1650 kg. It may turn out that I'm best to limit the scope of my adventures to keep the boat within the safe towing capacity of the car I've got. Just say'n...

The tow weight will be effected more by the accessories fitted, trailer alloy vs galvanized steel, how much fuel etc than 1mm thicker plate.

I am not sure when BC changed to thinner plate but a second hand BC with thicker plate might be a good option for you.

Otherwise a Surtees. Keep in mind which the original BC were Surtees boats built under licence.

Possibly outside of your budget but IMO one of the best plate boats I have seen is the Extreme boats. They are at least worth looking into.

[WayneK]

Hi Frozenpod,
Yes, I've looked at the Extreme boats and even had a lengthy phone conversation about them with a fellow at Inverloch Marine, their Australian distributor. Like most of the fishing boats that come from New Zealand, they are almost works of art - the standard of manufacture seems way above the standard of 'workmanship' we have in this country (and I can say that because I'm a former tradie). Like anything in life, you get what you pay for and a new Stabicraft or Extreme boat is out of my price range. I agree with you that a good second-hand BC might be a good option. Thanks for your input, mate.

[WayneK]

I went to Bar Crusher in Dandenong this afternoon and spoke to one of their team who showed me over a 575C. Wow, what a beautifully made boat. The only problem is that it is too small for my needs. Standing beside it, the boat looks like it's the right size and its cabin is perfect in size but the area between the seats and the transom is only big enough for two people. So, I came away knowing that a Bar Crusher has probably gone to the top of my list but it has to be bigger than the 575C. Why didn't I look at their bigger models? - time ran out and they were about to close up shop but I'll be back!

[Pdiddy24]

I used to have a 5.5m Stacer tinny. Pressed hull. Centre console. Agree that if you are wanting to push outside go with plate or fibreglass.
It was ok in the bays and I had started going outside a bit more and it always felt and bit crumply. And felt paper thin and like the hull conformed and bent to the conditions. . I'm a nervous nelly and not an old sea dog type dude so might be ok for some. Just felt I'd reached the limitations on that boat.
My next boat will be glass. Around 5.5m.
I have a mate who has a 615 barcrusher. Not with cab. Awesome boat and layout for fishing. I'd be comfortable offshore in that.

[WayneK]

Thanks for your input, everyone - much appreciated.

[purple5ive]

If I were you I'd wait till the Melbourne boat show and have a good look at the boats there on display.
Barcrusher 615 and similar sized variants (maclay) would be ideal for your needs.