A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.

[Top Banana]

A very, very, rare treasure of offshore racing history.

I had the distinct privilege of being able to see once again, the dream boat of my youth.

This boat was the undefeated offshore champion of 1966.

It won the following races overall:
Cowes Torquay
Miami to Nassau
Miami to Key West
St. Petersburg Hurricane Classic

And the Driver Jim Wynne became the World Champion that year.

[Top Banana]

...as she looks today.

[Top Banana]

It has been lovingly stored for the last 25 years by Barry Cohen who brought it out of storage, so it could be seen once again at the Newport Wooden Boat Show. Yes, I said wooden, this boat was built in England of cold molded wood construction.

It was owned by sportsman Hugh Doyle and raced by Jim Wynne. The rules in those days required certain classes to have accomodations for actually sleeping on the boat.

[Top Banana]

The rules also required that the deck be equipped with a lifeline that could be used in emergencies. That is me, Charlie McCarthy, in the cockpit and Barry Cohen on the deck in these photos.

[Top Banana]

The boat was equipped with twin big block engines drivng through V-drives on straight shafts. As the photos show there was no such thing as adjustable trim tabs. The transom was also of a reverse design, the bottom of the V was further back than the top of the transom.

[Top Banana]

The cockpit was just an open space with some cushioning around the outside. As you can see the driver also throttled the boat.

[Top Banana]

I really can't say enough how I feel about the debt of gratitude that the offshore community owes to Barry Cohen for keeping such an important piece of history.

How would we all feel if we found the original Cigarette that Don Aronow raced?

Well, this is the boat that used to beat Don as he was learning his skill. Jim Wynne is credited with many inventions and a real scientific approach to racing. I know guys like Brownie and T2X have many fond memories of this era and probably are as appreciative as I am that this boat still exists.

[bigd1]

What's the point of the cable running along the bow? I see that a lot on older boats & have wondered what's the deal?

[hillbilly24]

Originally Posted by bigd1

What's the point of the cable running along the bow? I see that a lot on older boats & have wondered what's the deal?

I thinks it's just meant to be a hand rail.

Cool pictures

[Chatim Racing]

Great pics!!

Here's another "Famous" cold-molded wooden race boat:

This is "Top Banana's" second race boat w/ Trophy. That's his "Sponsor" in the background (my Grandfather!!)..LOL!! Seems like the bigger and better the race boats got, the smaller the trophies got...LOL!!!