During
the last 10 years I have tried a great many boats,
some of which I considered to be as good as it gets
and I thought I had seen everything. I had previously
seen a photograph of one of the boats I am reviewing
this month, however the actual model was even better
than I had envisaged and it had that look which
tells you its going to be a winner. It is big and
the arrival of the box at our home produced one
of those withering looks from my wife! However,
the promise of a trip to the Lake District smoothed
its passage into my workshop.
The
Bananashark
The history of the model is that it started life
as a prototype for experiments by Lome Campbell,
the eminent designer of full size powerboats. The
result of Lome's work is a full size racing boat
being raced by the Bananashark racing team. Web
site www.bananasharkracing.com. The full size boat
is 7.3 metres long x 2.47 metres beam and runs at
a minimum weight of 696 kg. The hull is monocoque
hull construction, moulded in lightweight GRP composite
utilising a foam core. A Mercury XR2 V6 2.0 litre
outboard developing 200 bhp at 7250 rpm is used
to attain top speeds in excess of 75 mph. In February
2002 the boat driven by team owner John 'Cookie'
Cooke finished 4th place in the World. The model
is l/9th scale made from glass cloth and polyester,
wet vacuum laminated, and hand gel coated The Championships.
(Well done!) manufacturer of the full size
