Alloy plate boat maker Bar Crusher sold
New owners take over at Bar Crusher, with business to go on as usualBar Crusher, Australia’s largest maker of alloy plate boats, is today under new ownership after the sale of the Melbourne-based business to private investors.
The sale, completed earlier this month but announced overnight, marks the end of more than 20 years of evolution by brothers Peter and Warren Cleland, who started the specialist boat-building business after they could not find an alloy trailer boat that suited their needs.
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Peter Cleland said building the Bar Crusher business had been a “fantastic journey” for him and his brother.
“A transition of ownership at some stage was inevitable and we believe it’s critical to the business’ long-term success,” Cleland said.
“The business is very well positioned and we’ll remain involved for the foreseeable future to ensure Bar Crusher owners continue to enjoy the same great experience the brand has always delivered.”
Australian Securities and Investments Commission documents show the new business will be headed up by South Australia-based directors Dan Hill and Richard Green.
Passing the baton
Bar Crusher described its new management as passionate boaters and experienced business operators.
“They love the brand, the product, the business model and the Bar Crusher culture,” Cleland said.
“We’re very comfortable passing the baton and look forward to seeing the business continue to grow.”
Bar Crusher was founded in 2000, initially launching two models – the 550C and 650C – back when solid alloy plate boats were quite rare.
It has since grown to 26 models across nine different model lines in its new-boat showroom, ranging from 5.5 metres to 7.8 metres and made to chase everything from Australian bass in inland waters to gamefish offshore.
The boat maker’s business started in eastern suburban Burwood before moving to a larger facility in Dandenong in Melbourne’s south-east, where it remains today.
Bar Crusher’s boats feature a deep-vee “Gen2” hull combined with a Quickflow flooded hull ballast system that helps to make the boats extremely stable at rest and a V-shaped planing plank in front of the transom.
The Bar Crusher sale comes in the wake of the recent Canadian buy-out of Australia’s largest aluminium boat maker, Telwater, which also builds and sells alloy plate boats under its Yellowfin Plate brand.
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