The (Re) Birth of a boat company
05-18-2010, 05:05 PM
#11
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So 2009 is moving on.
The Providence Boat show in January and then Miami Boat Show in February and the delivery of the boat back to Rhode Island for the summer and the testing.
Everyone who sees the boat is impressed with the quality of the build. The owner loves the boat and is like a kid in a candy store waiting for the water test in Rhode Island.
The boat is launched, the engine is warmed up and the test begins. Just a quick reminder....his old heavier boat went 53 MPH with a 225 Mercury outboard. This new lighter boat has a brand new Evinrude E-Tec 250....so what happens???
The first run produces a speed of........54 MPH...What???
The Providence Boat show in January and then Miami Boat Show in February and the delivery of the boat back to Rhode Island for the summer and the testing.
Everyone who sees the boat is impressed with the quality of the build. The owner loves the boat and is like a kid in a candy store waiting for the water test in Rhode Island.
The boat is launched, the engine is warmed up and the test begins. Just a quick reminder....his old heavier boat went 53 MPH with a 225 Mercury outboard. This new lighter boat has a brand new Evinrude E-Tec 250....so what happens???
The first run produces a speed of........54 MPH...What???
Last edited by Top Banana; 05-18-2010 at 05:36 PM.
Gold Member
05-18-2010, 05:14 PM
#13
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Props are changed. Everything is double checked, triple checked. The next few days produced runs into the high 50's....but not near 60 by any stretch of the imagination.
The motor is brought to a local Evinrude dealer for a run on the computer. An adjustment here and there and another prop change....and back out on the water...still in the high 50's.
The builder is depressed, the owner is disappointed. Everyone is in agreement that something is wrong, but what? Hundreds of years of offshore experience are brought to bear on the problem and still no answer.
Spring runs into summer and a lot of time is spent out of the water for this or that adjustment and checkover. Finally we come to the conclusion that from the bracket / swim platform forward, the owner is exceptionally pleased......the motor....it has to be the motor.
The owner sticks with it for the summer and at the end of the summer .....for the Billy Frenz Labor Day Poker run .....in Fairhaven, Mass. The boat makes a last valiant try. Same results.
I was in a 47 foot Apache and wanted this banana boat to just blow by us in the worst way. Nada!!
The motor is brought to a local Evinrude dealer for a run on the computer. An adjustment here and there and another prop change....and back out on the water...still in the high 50's.
The builder is depressed, the owner is disappointed. Everyone is in agreement that something is wrong, but what? Hundreds of years of offshore experience are brought to bear on the problem and still no answer.
Spring runs into summer and a lot of time is spent out of the water for this or that adjustment and checkover. Finally we come to the conclusion that from the bracket / swim platform forward, the owner is exceptionally pleased......the motor....it has to be the motor.
The owner sticks with it for the summer and at the end of the summer .....for the Billy Frenz Labor Day Poker run .....in Fairhaven, Mass. The boat makes a last valiant try. Same results.
I was in a 47 foot Apache and wanted this banana boat to just blow by us in the worst way. Nada!!
Last edited by Top Banana; 05-18-2010 at 05:38 PM.
05-18-2010, 05:25 PM
#14
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Thread Starter
Alleluia!!!!! This past week, with a brand new Evinrude 250 HO outboard, the boat ran 67 MPH with some more prop work to be done.
The owner took it out with 4 people on board and still ran easily in the 64 to 65 MPH range. We have big things to hope for this summer.
The owner can drive a fast boat, the boat was made to be as quick as possible without having any steps in it.....so it came down to the standard 250 E-Tec just doesn't really have the HP it claims. The 250 HO is a much better engine.
The boat is on Narragansett Bay for the summer. I think he is going to go to Billy Frenz's NY Poker run and the Fairhaven run again, so if you see him out there, stop by and congratulate a guy with a lot of patience.
Boat # 1 is now in Rhode Island also WITHOUT THE OLD EVINRUDE -Tec 250. So whoever buys it can put whatever they want on it.....how about a nice 300HP Optimax??
We have opened up our storage garage in Florida and dusted off the molds again and are looking forward to building some great boats for the future. Keep us in mind.
The owner took it out with 4 people on board and still ran easily in the 64 to 65 MPH range. We have big things to hope for this summer.
The owner can drive a fast boat, the boat was made to be as quick as possible without having any steps in it.....so it came down to the standard 250 E-Tec just doesn't really have the HP it claims. The 250 HO is a much better engine.
The boat is on Narragansett Bay for the summer. I think he is going to go to Billy Frenz's NY Poker run and the Fairhaven run again, so if you see him out there, stop by and congratulate a guy with a lot of patience.
Boat # 1 is now in Rhode Island also WITHOUT THE OLD EVINRUDE -Tec 250. So whoever buys it can put whatever they want on it.....how about a nice 300HP Optimax??
We have opened up our storage garage in Florida and dusted off the molds again and are looking forward to building some great boats for the future. Keep us in mind.
Last edited by Top Banana; 05-18-2010 at 05:32 PM.
05-18-2010, 05:34 PM
#15
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Thread Starter
We have Randy at Cobra Engines working on a nice 600 to 700 HP engine for us. We are looking for something that will be easy to maintain for the owner, without having to make an appointment with a computer and a technician.
My old race boat had 2 350 cu in engines and it ran close to 90. A big single should easily go faster than that.
Pasta in Scandanavia is putting a Merc 525 in his.....we should have some speed numbers soon.
My old race boat had 2 350 cu in engines and it ran close to 90. A big single should easily go faster than that.
Pasta in Scandanavia is putting a Merc 525 in his.....we should have some speed numbers soon.
05-18-2010, 05:45 PM
#16
Easily Distracted
Platinum Member
Very cool Charlie!! Thanks for sharing it with us. Glad you found the numbers you were looking for 
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05-18-2010, 06:05 PM
#18
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05-18-2010, 06:07 PM
#19
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I'll post some photos of the ongoing resto of Banana Split tom'w. That is being done in your neck of the woods....keep checking, you may be the first one to see it complete.
05-18-2010, 07:21 PM
#20
Platinum Member
Platinum Member
Hi Charlie..
That new interior is wicked sharp! I like the clean, crisp and classic lines....I really look forward to the resto story of Banana Split. Maybe you guys should think of offering your skills out to the resto market, while we all wait for the new boat market to pick up...it seems there sure is alot of that action going on.
Best of luck.
C
That new interior is wicked sharp! I like the clean, crisp and classic lines....I really look forward to the resto story of Banana Split. Maybe you guys should think of offering your skills out to the resto market, while we all wait for the new boat market to pick up...it seems there sure is alot of that action going on.
Best of luck.
C
