Fast Shafts
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How is this project coming along?
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HORBA RESTORATION PROJECT
- Thread starter Top Banana
- Start date
Dirty Pearl
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Any new pic's of the boat?
Top Banana
Icon/Founding Member
Just checking back in after a long time. As some of you know, I moved the Banana Boat Co out of Florida and relocated it up in Massachusetts. New England is where we started and I thought with this economy, I would bring it all back to the birth place and give it another try.
So, along with the Banana molds and other tooling, I am also bringing the 32 Cary back here and will work on the restoration with a Massachusetts shop. That work will probably start in the Spring of 2012 and we will be posting photos as we progress.
All of this could have been done much quicker with an unlimited budget......which HORBA doesn't have, so it will take longer, but our plans are still the same restore it as a working boat and use it as much as we can, so everyone can see it again.
So, along with the Banana molds and other tooling, I am also bringing the 32 Cary back here and will work on the restoration with a Massachusetts shop. That work will probably start in the Spring of 2012 and we will be posting photos as we progress.
All of this could have been done much quicker with an unlimited budget......which HORBA doesn't have, so it will take longer, but our plans are still the same restore it as a working boat and use it as much as we can, so everyone can see it again.
Top Banana
Icon/Founding Member
Yes, the boat is sitting in a restoration shop outside of Boston and the hull has been stripped out of engines and drives and they are doing water absorbtion tests on all the wood in the boat. Next will be the replacement of fuel tanks and ballast tanks and a hard decision on what to do with the deck. Then replace what needs replacing and get her primed and painted. Hopefully by summer we can start reassembling. It will be nice when we finish, just need to be patient and not rush it and have it come out half zzed.
Just wondering how the 32 Cary is coming along. We owned the boat back in 1973 and raced it in the first sancioned offshore race in San Francisco. We were in the Marine business at the time and named the boat with our company name, UNLIMITED MARINE and the number 0. My partner John Sofilos drove the boat to a 3rd place in class and over all finish behind 2 36' cigaretts. DANTES INFERNO driven by Steve Tagnoli in 1st place and Blonde IV in 2nd driven by Roger Hanks. We came in 3rd despite the fact that we had lost some power from one of our engines which slowed the boat down quite a bit and we also lost some time when we had to stop to get our bearings near Fanny Shoals at the Farallon Islands. We also caught a series of very big swells that seemed to come from nowhere at Pt Montera and put the boat in a near verticle position with both drives well out of the water. the stern slamed very hard on re entry and after clearing the 2nd and third swell , which were not as large, we stopped to access if there was any damage. The boat came through far less shaken up than we were. Needless to say this is one well designed and solidly built boat. I am so thrilled to see her being restored. This boat is a great tribute to a great designer/builder DON ARANOW!!
Copies of pages from '73 Power Boat magazine coverage of San Francisco Offshore race. Decent picture of Cary running in race. I also included a photo of the boat in the paint process. The boat came to us with the name "HUNGRY FISHERMAN" When we stripped it you could still see that the boat was named "THUNDERBALLS" before that.
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