Serenity Now! On the Open Seas or the Quiet Rivers

The latest Mater Cars for Cancer prize pool includes a Ford Ranger FX4 MAX and the choice of two options: a Jayco Expanda Outback Caravan or a Bar Crusher 615BR recreational bow rider boat. If you fancy your recreation time wet and wild, your choice is already made. But you’ve got to purchase a ticket and enter the draw for the chance to put a boat on your drawbar.

Based in Dandenong, Bar Crusher have been building strong, aluminium plate boats for over 20 years. From their debut back in 2000, their products have soared in popularity thanks to their inbuilt their durability, ease of maintenance and versatility in all kinds of conditions. From originally offering just two different boats, Bar Crusher’s range has expanded to include nearly thirty models, all designed, engineered, and built right here in Australia.

Every Bar Crusher starts with high tensile, 5083 marine-grade aluminium for the hull, but as they say, it’s not what you’ve got, it’s how you use it. Boats with a deep V-shaped hull are great in rough water but rock around at rest, while a flat hull is fine when it’s calm but start slapping across the waves when it’s choppy.

Bar Crusher’s laser cut, deep-V-shaped Waveslicer hull negates this with the simple but effective Quickflow water ballast system. Running a pair of cavities the full length of the keel and open at the rear, Quickflow fills with water when stopped, settling the boat into the water up to the chines. Once you take off, inertia empties the ballast and you’re ruler of the waves!

Thanks to this hull design, the 615BR being given away by Mater Cars for Cancer truly is a multi-purpose vessel. Imagine enjoying a quiet, pre-dawn fishing sesh on your favourite lake or estuary before spending the arvo tearing across the wash with an inflatable banana at the end of your ski rope.

That level of versatility makes the total $78,924 spend seem pretty reasonable, but the chance to win it starts from just $30.

The bow area quickly converts into a casting platform and the rear bench folds out of the way for when the fish start calling you. Astern there’s a sturdy, removable bait board complete with fishing rod mounts and all-important drinks holders. The bait board drains directly into the deck-mounted berley bucket, reducing mess and maximising relaxation time.

Should you enter into a serious battle with a beast from the briny deep, the Bar Crusher 615BR’s angled Game Lock coaming and integrated toeholds give you a comfortable and sturdy place to brace. With tackle storage and a live bait tank, breakfast has never been so easy; all you have to do is catch it.

When it’s time to grab some more buddies and ride the waves, the Bar Crusher 615BR can be swiftly converted to skiing duties. Removing the casting deck reveals the forward lounge and stepping through the split windscreen to the stern, a simple swap of the bait board for the supplied ski pole means you’re ready to rumble. Should someone come a cropper, the sturdy flip down ladder will be of help, as will the step-through transom.

Drive comes from a 130hp Yamaha four-stroke outboard fed by a big, fully sealed 200 litre fuel tank, and manoeuvring that beast is no problems thanks to hydraulic power steering. Dual batteries ensure easy starting while the CTEK charging port, when used with the appropriate charger, means your boat should never fall flat.

Power is one thing, but it’s nothing without safety for you and your family. All Bar Crusher boats are fitted with a bilge pump to keep you dry, non-slip grip matting to keep you standing and full-length, fully sealed, air-filled buoyancy chambers to keep you afloat. Foam tends to disintegrate over time, but air doesn’t, so if you win this Bar Crusher 615BR, you’re going to get your $30 worth and then some, hopefully for many years to come. But you’ve got to have a ticket!

The Bar Crusher 615BR includes full LED lighting for when navigating at night, an LED anchor light for when you’re fishing at anchor and LED strip lighting so you can see around the cockpit. The Garmin ECHOMAP GPS will hopefully prevent you from getting too lost, while a GME Electrophone VHF radio with antenna is there for communications. And when it’s time to pack up, you can do it solo if you have to; the 615BR’s bespoke, tandem axle, fully braked Easy Tow trailer comes with Bar Crusher’s one-person Bar Catch system.

There are only three things you need now; something to tow it with, some time to play with it and, of course, the winning ticket. Mater Cars for Cancer can help you with the first two; the prize pool includes a tow-ready Ford Ranger FX4 MAX and $95,000 worth of cashable gold bullion you can use to buy the time. The last one is all on you, so grab a ticket today because you never know; you might just win it.