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How Many Banana's were made?

Old 10-07-2004, 04:39 PM
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How Many Banana's were made?

I have seen at least 20. One was a center console. Most of them were in N.E.
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Old 10-07-2004, 08:35 PM
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Default Re: How Many Banana's were made?

Approximately 50 24' Banana Boats were made, one 38', and two 34'.

When my dad sold the company in '81 he had made 25 and I believe another 25 or so were made. My 24' boat is an '88 and it is hull #37. My dad still has boat #6 which was a '76. I have a great deal of pictures an info. to post - will do it as soon as I can...
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Old 10-07-2004, 08:59 PM
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Default Re: How Many Banana's were made?

That is an interesting question because it involves boats of various sizes being branded banana.

First of all the name came from a suggestion made to me by Don Aronow that people tend to remember a name for something if it is really different. Something that did not sound like a marine or boating name at all. That is why he used the various names he did, Formula, Donzi, Magnum, Cigarette, Squadron XII.

I decided that the image of a banana boat, was of an old rusty steamer barely moving along coming up from South America. The boats I made were the exact opposite of that image and the name kind of stuck in peoples minds.

The first boats were the 24 foot models, both race version and pleasure version. The only difference was in the lay-up and the resin used. The race boats used a high impact resin.

The first race boat was a 24 rigged by Don Aronow for me in the Magnum shops in Miami as he owned both Magnum and Cigarette at this time. It was rigged with twin 350 engines modified by Stan Irwin....this is the same engine builder who built the engines for Doc Magoons NY run from Miami. The boat had TRS drives and cleaver props.


The history of the boat is given on one of the other threads, but it had a very successful career, first as top banana and then raced again as gone bananas, until finally being stolen in Miami the night before a race.

The next boat had a single Mercruiser 280 TRS package, was yellow and called banana split. This boat ended up being used as a demonstrator and was eventually sold to Chuck Fogarty as a pleasure boat. He raced it in the Plymouth Mass race and eventually sold it to someone in Florida at B&C marine....that's the last we saw or heard of it.

All told we built about 25, 24 foot boats, before the company was sold and the name changed by the new owners to banana boat ltd. from banana boat co. We sold boats as far west as California and Oregon and as far east as Bermuda

When banana boat ltd took over the 24 foot mold (the 38 and 34 foot mold were Coyotes then Sonics) they changed the lamination format and began using a different resin for their construction.

The first boat they made was also a 24 with twin 350 engines called hell's banana. The history on this boat was not very good as it had a lot of bad luck with everything from sinking to burning. I understand it is still around in New Hampshire somewhere.

Of the larger boats one 38 was built as a race boat, top banana, and a 34 for my personal pleasure boat with twin 454's with TRS drives. A second 34 was made for Chuck Fogarty and raced as Gone Bananas in the Modified class.

So to answer your original question, as the founder of the company, I made less than 30 boats altogether, using the specific lamination and resin format as given to me by Don Aronow.

I still have hull #6. It is a pleasure boat, but was put into action in an emergency at one point as a race boat. One year we as a comapny promised to show up at the offshore race out of Gloucester Mass. However the week before, we raced in Miami at a Bacardi race and halfway to Bimini came down off a wave and broke one of the solid motor mounts.

Not having enough time to bring the race boat back to RI and fix the problem and still make the Gloucester race in time, I pulled a boat off the production floor with no interior installed yet. We showed up as promised and entered the boat in the "Inshore" division. We took first overall out of 26 boats. It became my favorite little boat, so I kept it for my wife and we named it "Fast Lady". Years later I painted it black and we still have it, it lives in Boca Raton now.

Charlie Sr.
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Old 10-07-2004, 09:13 PM
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Re: How Many Banana's were made?

Thank you so much Sir. I'm sure I can speak for all of us in the Banana boat cult following. That we are not worthy of having you on this board. You are a GOD!
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Old 10-08-2004, 06:15 AM
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Default Re: How http://www.spelchek.com/cgi-bin/spelchek.cgiMany Banana's were made?

I owned "Hells Banana" from '89-96 and I believe it was CURSED I think the # M666 might have been bad luck.

We bought it from an insurance savage operation after it had burned at Port Edgewood marina. The fire was mostly cosmetic damage (it was parked next to a boat that had completely engulfed) It was mostly a labor of love and a fun project. We finished it spring of '93 and thats when it got fun!

Hells Banana was a 24' rigged with a pair of blown small blocks and TRS drives. When it ran, it went like Hell! We ran it all around Gloucester Mass, It was amazing how big of water that mad little 24 could handle, sort of like a small Top Gun. We were running just shy of 90 with it.

Hells Banana taught me how to wrench on boats I could not even guess how many motors we blew up in that thing!!! (most of our pics of it are of me and my friends pulling the motors/all-nighters in our driveway) ... we came home on one engine many times. One morning we were limping back from Hampton NH on one motor and it died. My buddy and I drifted for a couple of hours befors a sail boat saw us and offered to tow us in. I told the guy we were fine and sent him on his way. My buddy did not understand, there were no other boats in sight, he thought I was nuts. I said there aint no way we are going to be towed in by a SAIL BOAT! 4 hours later a small powerboat offered a tow

The last year I owned it was the most fun. I finally found an engine builder that knew how to build a marine engine. Summer of '95 we burned quite a bit of fuel threw her and just plain enjoyed how well the boat worked. At the time I had a friend with a 34 Scarab and he would have to let off the sticks before the little Banana did He took a pic of us passing him in the air!

I sold it spring of 1996 to a kid from Winnipesaukee. The last time I saw her was at the Winni races in '99, he had fresh motors and was enjoying the boat.

I should have kept it but at the time we had 5 boats, (33 Fountain, 28' Baja two Donzi classics and Hell's Banana) It was time to clean house.

Has anyone seen it lately?

Kurt

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Old 10-08-2004, 06:54 AM
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Default Re: How Many Banana's were made?

When and how many out of Port Edgewood in Rhode Islands. I remember in the 80's when I was in college I took a ride up they had several there. Also saw one at the Providence boat show is this the same mold.
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Old 10-08-2004, 08:47 AM
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Re: How Many Banana's were made?

Biggus,
I think I ran into you up in Wolfeboro this summer. Either that or it was the next owner of Hell's Banana. I believe that it is now owned by Andrew of Andrews Marine Service in (Minge Cove)Alton. Thats where we have a slip at. But our boat stays out at the island as the slip is only for an 18' max. Would love to see some pics of it when you owned it! I think I have a couple of it how it sits now on my digital cam. I'll check and post them if I can.

Adam
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Old 10-08-2004, 08:48 AM
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Default Re: How Many Banana's were made?

Biggus
Your comment about being in the air reminded me of a race in Key West that we won with that little 24.
In those days the race went in and out of the harbor once and then we headed off to Dry Tortougas for the far turn and then back to Key West. All open ocean with a full 360 degrees of nothingness when you were out there.
Anyway, after the race Knocky House, who was a race official for APBA and was Don Aronow's old racing partner, came up to me and said that my win was being protested by a competitor.
He waited until the surprise set in and then he said....the protestor said, that in the rule book somewhere, the boat has to actually be in the water for part of the race course. The protestor said that whenever he looked over at you during the race, your boat was flying.
Then he busted out laughing.
Yeah, it was a great little boat. Who knows, maybe it will show up in a barn someday after being stolen so many years ago.
Charlie Sr.
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Old 10-08-2004, 09:20 AM
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Default Re: How Many Banana's were made?

Heatbuzz
Knock it off, you make me feel like I am in a Wayne's World movie.

The reality of it is, I was the one who was blessed. I was able to do something I loved doing, racing, and I met an awful lot of great people who loved it too.

There was a feeling among the racers that we were enjoying a big joke on the rest of the world, we really became alive out there and were getting the most out of life during those moments.

It was like the line Steve McQueen uses in the movie Le Mans, Racing is life, everything else is just waiting.

The real heros were the ones who came before me, Sam
Griffith, Dick Bertram, Mel Riggs, Brownie, and many more, these were real life tough guys who respected the ocean but could also at times master it.

For my part, I was just a kid who grew up racing boats and ocean racing was always a dream. When it finally did happen for me, I was successful due to the efforts of a lot of other people, from the guys who were careful in lying up the glass to the engine builders and riggers even the truck drivers who made it across the Rockies in the winter so this New Englander could race in California.

It was a wonderful time, the end of the era of the deep vee and the real dawn of the cat.

I hope you all enjoy what memories we may have to share, it really was a tough little boat and often it was the boat that got us through more than our own skills.

For all of you that still own a 24, think in terms of redoing it rather than selling it and pass it down to your kids.

Charlie Sr.
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Old 10-08-2004, 11:01 AM
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Re: How Many Banana's were made?

Originally Posted by Chatim Racing

For all of you that still own a 24, think in terms of redoing it rather than selling it and pass it down to your kids.

Charlie Sr.

Charlie Sr.,

Funny you should say that, we bought ours this year as a cheap first "performance boat." With the intentions of running it for a few years to get used to the size and going a little fast. So we could save up for a nice Skater of around the same size. But after a few months with it we have fallen in love with the little no frills 24'. So it will slowly get rebuilt and mildly modified. It's just a blast to drive. Eats up chop on the lake that would have killed our 18' Century. And is smooth and predictable at speed. And as for the no frills part, I think it was pure genius on your part! I'm in a boat to boat not use the head, watch TV, make margarita's or lounge on the couch. I want the wind in my hair sun on my face and tears in my eyes (agian due to the wind)!!!!!

Oh, and my 6yr old son love to drive it. Race style of course! He's the wheel man, and I get the throttle. He runs it staight as an arrow, but won't let me drop the 225 Erude under 5K He just say's FASTER,FASTER!!!!! Oh well, I want a 300 with a bracket and jackplate anyway's. Besides I need to keep him happy don't I?


Adam
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