[Cowboy_Mike]

Hi, I have a 1983 18' bahner. I read here that Bahner was ripping people off. So, I would like to hear some facts about the boats he built. I have seen a few, and every one I have seen is loved by the owner. I am happy with mine. I would just like some real info, not some hear say, or speculation.
What ever happened to that guy? Is he still locked up, or is he done with boats? He had to do ssome thing right, my boat was fast for stock. 70mph, stock 460 and stock pump. I can't imagine what its going to do with a healthy 460 and a set up pump.devil

 

[sangerfan76]

whoa locked up i got to hear this. maybe him and the guy that built the deloreon car shar stories or maybe the same bunk

 

[Quickjet]

I had a Bahner.
This is complete hearsay and speculation.....................but
He had a powder problem, it got the best of him. He lost Bahner boats and then started up Barreta boats. Lack of sales caused him to shut down that line as well.
I loved my Bahner. Ran 83 mph with a warmed over stock headed 454 and a completely stock pump.
Great beginner boats............devil

 

[old rigger]

There was a rumor years ago that he was found dead on the side of the road outside of Vegas. Turned out to be just that. Maybe he started the rumor because to muddy the trail, he did have a contract on his life. A friend of his kid came on the board here a few months ago and said that he was still in prison.

He was good friends of my old boss at Advantage who use to race a Bahner before he started his own deal.

 

[Cowboy_Mike]

I had a Bahner.
This is complete hearsay and speculation.....................but
He had a powder problem, it got the best of him. He lost Bahner boats and then started up Barreta boats. Lack of sales caused him to shut down that line as well.
I loved my Bahner. Ran 83 mph with a warmed over stock headed 454 and a completely stock pump.
Great beginner boats............devil

I have had a few boats, this Bahner is my first jet. I am thinking of going to a v-drive. Jets are great, but my family isn't into it as I had hoped. So, I thinking a v-drive is more my style. I have been around boats all my life, v-drive boats are what I grew up in.
Is Bahner getting out soon. I read that in another thread. Did he really screw that many people over? That is too bad. The guy had a good thing, waisted it. Wish I had his skills, minus the bugger sugar thing.

 

[old rigger]

... Is Bahner getting out soon. I read that in another thread. Did he really screw that many people over? That is too bad. The guy had a good thing, waisted it. Wish I had his skills, minus the bugger sugar thing.

I'd guess you'd only have to screw over one guy and if he was the right/wrong guy, you'd get the big prize of getting a contract on your life.

Messing with the IRS, your customers and whatever guys he was dealing with for his nose deal, somethings going to give.
Despite what his kid says through his friend, we were, at Advantage, finishing his boats and dealing with some very pissed off customers in the late, '87-'89ish, 1980's. Mostly cruisers.
I'm not so sure about the Beretta thing being his. It may very well have been, but he was still trying to build boats sold as Bahners at this time. There's lots of Beretta's for sale today from the same time period. It think it might have been someone else that did those boats, at least out here in so cal. I think there was a bigger company doing boats with the same name back east somewhere.

 

[Cowboy_Mike]

I am here in Cali, but a bit North. Central Coast area. Not as many boats here. Every one I talk with around here love the Bahner boats. Kind like the Eliminators. Its a fast hull. I smoke pumped up Tahitis with out a problem. Those are a bit heavier, slower. More of a family ski boat v's my light Bahner with a stock pump, 460.

 

[sangerfan76]

every person ive seen with them likes them also

 

[OkieDave]

I had a friend who had a Bahner in 1987. He and I were side by side at 70 mph. we both hit the same roller. his boat disentegrated. I pulled him up onto the deck of my Hawaiian, bleeding all over the place. he went to the hosp and was ok in a few days.

 

[Cowboy_Mike]

I had a friend who had a Bahner in 1987. He and I were side by side at 70 mph. we both hit the same roller. his boat disentegrated. I pulled him up onto the deck of my Hawaiian, bleeding all over the place. he went to the hosp and was ok in a few days.

That would suck. I think thats after Bahner was kicked out of the L.A. Boat show for not having any current contact info for the USCG. I read that in another thread.
Boats disinigrated? What style did your buddy have?

 

[Quickjet]

I had a friend who had a Bahner in 1987. He and I were side by side at 70 mph. we both hit the same roller. his boat disentegrated. I pulled him up onto the deck of my Hawaiian, bleeding all over the place. he went to the hosp and was ok in a few days.

Nice story...Proves without a doubt that Hawaaiians are far better boats than Bahners.
I knew this story was bullshit when you said that you had a Hawaiian that did 70 mph........
Moral of the story....I would take 5 busted up Bahners over a show winning Hawaiian anyday........

 

[jetboatperformance]

Of all The Boats I have owned My Bahner was and still is one of my favs !

 

[HaulinAss]

I had a friend who had a Bahner in 1987. He and I were side by side at 70 mph. we both hit the same roller. his boat disentegrated. I pulled him up onto the deck of my Hawaiian, bleeding all over the place. he went to the hosp and was ok in a few days.

No, ya didnt

 

[HaulinAss]

of all the boats i have owned my bahner was and still is one of my favs !

ditto!

 

[Quickjet]

Of all The Boats I have owned My Bahner was and still is one of my favs !

Mine too Tom.....

 

[jetboatperformance]

Mine too Tom.....

Thats was one Nice ass boat QJ !
mine ran 80 with a Hardin Marine motor and Small blower Handling was "dreamboat" and always had "eyball"

 

[OkieDave]

yes I did

"No, ya didnt"

huh? I wasn't the only person there.

just from looking at the peices, it appeared that the boat was built using a lot of mat and no cloth. making it stiff but brittle with little continuity.

 

[Infomaniac]

No, ya didnt

Dave I did'nt know HaulinAss was there when that happened.

That sucks telling a story that happened 20 years ago and someone that was there too calls BS on it.

I'd much rather believe he was there too rather than he's just a dickhead asshole that calls people a liar for the hell of it. And apparently QuickJet was there with him .

 

[old rigger]

Nice story...Proves without a doubt that Hawaaiians are far better boats than Bahners.
I knew this story was bullshit when you said that you had a Hawaiian that did 70 mph........
Moral of the story....I would take 5 busted up Bahners over a show winning Hawaiian anyday........

My dads Hawaiian would run 72, but it was probably the only one to do so. But this was in the 80's before gps so the real speed ran would probably be very depressing. George Striegal built the BBC and it'd pull the A berk 5300 on the top end.

We didn't build them to run fast at Hawaiian, Tahiti too for that matter, they were just an entry level boat and should always be thought of in that light. Having worked at Hawaiian the entire time it was in biz, I would never own one today. They were just built too damn fast. There's very little quality control when you're building 6-9 boats a day. Lotta glass in the boats, I will give them that.

Okie Dave, adding cloth to a lay up adds no strength at all, it's there to allow the laminator to squeegee out the excess resin. That process makes a hull stronger, not the cloth. We laid up many hulls at Rogers where we pulled he cloth after the work with the squeegee was done to lighten the lay-up. Having said that, helmets are, or use to be, built of only cloth. Layer upon layer of cloth, but there you're dealing with a form that's inherently strong to begin with.

 

[OkieDave]

whatever

not that its important, but the Hawaiian was my first boat. I raced it SDBA in about 86 and won my class, 70 mph. thats when i figured out 70 wasn't all that fast. anyhow, the guy with the Bahner was a friend of mine named Ed. he hung out with Jerry and George at Keystone. he could barely outrun my Hawaiin. after the ordeal at Keystone that nite, I got a ticket at the outramp for no mufflers and the cops went to the hosp and gave him a ticket for reckless driving. talk about adding insult to injury. as far as cloth adding no strength? try pulling apart a piece of wetted mat as opppsed to pulling apart a piece of wetted cloth. I was always amazed and horrified when I saw guys pulling the cloth after squeeging. but I did see it. put a piece of cloth on each side of a piece of balsa compared to a piece of mat on each side of the same balsa. then break it. see which is stronger. not wanting to argue but the cloth is important. choppergun building gets a bad rap bec its like all mat. and its hard to get it consistant. peace!