Top Banana

Had the pleasure of spending the day yesterday on a 24 foot Banana Boat Center Console that is being used now by Law Enforcement.

Was a cloudy and very windy day and as expected the water really picked up but the boat ran through everything the waves could throw at us. Showing it's Cigarette heritage for sure.

They have converted the boat to a very basic platform with a single 225 Yamaha engine on the transom.

Maybe we could come out with a very basic open boat like this with say a single 150 HP engine for under $50,000.....What do you think?

Dave M

Good idea. Make a version with a more pleasure friendly interior.

TexomaPowerboater

I think its a great idea to open up options for whatever the customer wants, but I don't think it will bring a lot of buyers as there is a lot of competition in that space. I think a 28ft go-fast/cabin with twin outboards and extended cockpit space would bring more buyers as there aren't a lot of options in that size and the options that are there are really expensive. An option for generator and AC would be great as well. That would be the perfect boat for me anyways. I saw on website you were working on one. If you could crank out a 28ft classic with twin 300 outboards for around $100K I bet you'd have a few buyers.

Top Banana

Well funny you should ask about a 27 / 28 foot center console with twin 300 HP outboards.

Of course with the bracket off the transom, the boat will ride like a 30 footer in the rough water. Extended cockpit space with the rear seat right up on the transom or left off completely.


So, let's start with this example and see what else a buyer would be interested in for options. How big a cabin would be wanted. This is more of a shelter now with room to sit up out of bad weather,....but not sleeping big.

TexomaPowerboater

Awesome boat there. What does that one cost new?

How big a cabin would be wanted? One big enough to use for overnighting; to sleep two adults in v-birth and have two facing seats. It wouldn't be a center console, but a traditional go-fast setup with two bolster seats up front and long cabin deck. Pretty much exactly like a 28 Saber outboard, cept for $100K'ish instead of $200K.

AZMIDLYF

Beam on the 24?

Top Banana

Big enough to sleep two adults overnight and have two facing seats would make the cabin 9 feet long. That is the same cabin we have on our 24 foot Sport deck style.

The white cushioned area is the sleeping section and the yellow area is the two facing seats just inside the cabin door.

The bolsters as shown, have drop seats and are on a non skid floor

So from the twin bolsters back, it would be open to the transom with a bench seat across the transom and the motors out on a bracket / swim platform.

Top Banana

The beam on the 24 foot boat is 8 feel wide.

Not the more common 7 foot beam that Superboat, Pantera, Jaws, P&D, Excalibur etc etc used for their 24 foot boats.

The 24 foot and the 27 and 28 foot hulls are made form the hull molds that I bought from Cigarette.

Don Aronow used them when he made the 24 foot and 28 foot Cigarette and when he made the 27 foot Magnums.

You can read the Banana Boat Co company heritage here.......Charlie McCarthy's banana boat co

Top Banana

Here is a look at the helm of the cockpit we have used as an example here.

You can see inside the cabin door and see the yellow seat on the port side.

Livorsi Monster gauges. GPS for the Livorsi speedometer. Livorsi throttle and shift built in the bolster pad with trim control also.

GLENAMY 242SS

iTrader: (1)

How about a MCOB with center support for mid cabin for bed conversion?
I'm not a MCOB guy but they are popular now.
edit; I really like the direction you are going, best of luck!!