Top Banana

Yes the 34 foot boat was built out of the same mold as my 38 Top Banana the last 4 feet of the mold were designed that way from the beginning.

That coffe colored boat at Key West is the one I was speaking of...I took that photo there.

The difference between the MSV design and my design was I used one less strake on the bottom....you can see the difference in the photo of La Tortuga 2.

Good night Marco.

Black Tornado

Sorry Charlie but I don't see difference in the strakes between the MSV and Cobra.
Your 38' like you said with the two running strakes.

Top Banana

Marco

Count up from the bottom.

On my Top Banana, I had two strakes before the chine....on Beep Beep there are three strakes before the chine.

Black Tornado

About the originality of J.C.Simon here some deck of Paolo Caliari,which studio the franchman said to collaborate.
In thats images below we can note the shape similar to the deck of the early Cobras 38'.
1) The most famous pleasure boat of the young offshore driver Ronny Bonelli's fleet: It was a Cigarette 36' enlarged in lenght and beam with a deck designed by Caliari. Year 1972.
2) The best seller sport yacht of the seventies: C42 of Tecnomarine. Design Paolo Caliari.
3) In the background a Turbomarine's boat under construction. We can see a deck very similar to that of the contemporary new Cobra 38' Beep Beep of 1977.
In the foregrund a Cobra 42',a Shead design for Planatec that inItaly were bulided under licence by Turbomarine.

Black Tornado

I had understood between MSV and Cobra.
You are right about your Top Banana and Cobra-MSV.

7xchamp

Hi Marco: This is very interesting thread, like when the 36` Cig. thread started. I have some info to contribute, as I was involved with Joel Halpern and Beep Beep racing team, here goes. To start, Wayne Vicker and I started our carreers together as test drivers for Kiekhaefer back in the mid sixties, Wayne worked out of Wisconsin and I worked out of Sarasota and lake X. We both had our own race boats sponsored by Kiek. Wayne ran a 27` Magnum triple outboard, and I ran a 28` Memco and 25` Seacraft both with triples, this was 1967 to 1969 era. Wayne did a tour in Europe with the offshore, and I moved on to the Tunnel boats with the likes of Renato Molinari, Bill Sirois, Don Pruett, etc. etc. etc. won the world championships in Havasu, Arizona 1970. I moved to wisconsin to build powerheads and be a team member at Merc. OPC with Gary Garbrect, when Kiek started his offshore racing with Magoon, I quit Merc. and went to work for Carl at Kiek. Aeromarine. That`s where I built the Aeromarine IX for Bonomi, as well as raced with Magoon and Lanham. Mel Riggs and I worked together at Aero. and Mel had just returned from his duties in Europe with Odel Lewis. Kiek. wanted Mel to go race with Bonomi, but Mel didn`t want to do it again, because of his family etc. so he told Carl to send me, I was loaned to Bonomi in 1972, and later became employed by him, and rest is history.
Brings me to 1976 when I raced against Joel in Europe for the world championship, we had some really tough races against each other, but were great friends especially Wayne and myself, lot`s of stories. This brings me to the Cobra boats, To my recolection Joel had 2 or 3 -38`s and a 34`M class boat. I think he had the oldest heavy 38` in Europe, with a heavy and new light Kevlar boat for the states. In 1978 I raced with his Girl friend Connie in a St. Pete race with the heavy 38`, Joel ran with Vicker in the light 38`, we did great until a drive broke. When Wayne quit I went to work for Joel, I am the one who made the Cougar cat into Michelobe light, and also built the new 38` Alum. he got killed in. I switched from Merc power to Aeromarine, we ran limited schedule, only race we won was the Detroit river race against Betty C. Clauser, Ippolito etc. etc. etc. they were all there, I think we set a speed record for the course. Two races later we desintegrated Joels side and sunk of Jones beach in NY race. Next race I declined to go, and gave the job to Stuteville, rest is history. Hope you enjoy, your friend 7XCHAMP

Black Tornado

Hi Richie: your interesting contribute confirm my suspects about the existence of several Beep Beep 38' Cobra.
In 1976 Halpern surely had have 2 boats because some European competitions very near with those American as you you have said in another your post.
Then in 1977 he has a Cobra with the different bridge, but I have thought that it could be one of the 1976 38' modified.
Now instead you confirm that that was a third new boat and lighter boat.
1) Beep Beep 38' Usa races 1975-76
2) Beep Beep 38' Euro races 1976-77(only CTC)
3) Beep Beep 38' lighter Key West 1977

Lee

7X, Is this you on the wall in my office?
pic did not load in my first post, trying again.

Black Tornado

Richie,about the experience in Europe of Odell Lewis and Mel Riggs I think you spoke when they were in Viareggio to Cosentino and Petroni's team in 1969-71 when they tested and raced some cats designed by Ron Jones and Mike Trimming and builded in wood or aluminium.
Navalcat by Ron Jones,Intermarine,Nicopao X and Sir Cat by Mike Trimming were the names of those cats. But it's another story.

7xchamp

Lee: WOW-WOW-WOW yea that`s me, I can`t believe you have it on your wall, I love it, I have been looking for some old pix of my early days. it was a 28` Memco built by Mabry Edwards, one of the first all epoxy boats, and that was 1968, Unfortunatly it came apart in the Miami Nassau race and we almost sunk, same race John Steinbach raced the Formula wood cat with trip outboards, came apart also, we made it to Cat Cay accorss the stream, we were both sinking, did some quick patching and headed to Bimini next day to haul both boats for repairs, weather prevented us from crossing back to Miami for almost a week, we sure drank a lot of beer while there. Thanks for the memories 7XCHAMP