Bahner Custom Boats

[NorCalRiverRat]

 

[NorCalRiverRat]

 

[pcrussell50]

I've got a Bahner, rigged for outboard... This is a 1987, at Lake Mead from last summer

-Peter

 

[Gelcoater]

Neat to see these old adds.:thumbsup

The first time I met Bahner, I was maybe 14? 15?
I was riding my BMX bike at Yorba Regional park in Anaheim, we lived across the street from it at the time.

In the park, there's a couple of guys, a truck, a beautiful new boat and a hot chick in a bikini:boobeyes:

They were there doing a photo shoot, using the lake at the park as a back drop.
Needless to say, I hung out for a while and watched. The :boobeyes: mostly.
Hey, I was a teenager.

 

[Uncle Dave]

Cool stuff.

Is that Bahner driver the far right the same Harry Christensen that went on to start Advantage boats?

Dave

 

[old rigger]

Cool stuff.

Is that Bahner driver the far right the same Harry Christensen that went on to start Advantage boats?

Dave

Yes, close friends.

 

[Riley1]

Bahner Bash! 2018. It's gonna happen. [emoji6] [emoji122]

 

[Uncle Dave]

Yes, close friends.

Interesting - So how did that work?

Did Harry just flat go into competition with Bahner when he started Advantage?



UD

 

[old rigger]

Interesting - So how did that work?

Did Harry just flat go into competition with Bahner when he started Advantage?



UD

Yes.

Harry was in the asphalt biz and started his Fiberglass Concepts shop. He made scoops, seats, water dispensing housings.. anything fiberglass he'd make. And of course do repairs.
He got some molds from a landfill, bought some other molds, one being the Tahiti 20.5 classic mold (or splashed it, this was before I worked for him) and was in the boat biz. I was working for Roger when the deal was made to buy some of his molds and a year later I was working for Harry as his GM/rigger. He didn't tool anything up original until we did the party cat, who knew what that would spawn? (Ron Ehde actually built the bottom plug for us), and then the Citation. For a while he was also a K boat driver/owner. Had a bad crash, rebuilt the boat and kinda drifted out of it. The shop kept his extremely busy anyway.

 

[Uncle Dave]

Yes.

Harry was in the asphalt biz and started his Fiberglass Concepts shop. He made scoops, seats, water dispensing housings.. anything fiberglass he'd make. And of course do repairs.
He got some molds from a landfill, bought some other molds, one being the Tahiti 20.5 classic mold (or splashed it, this was before I worked for him) and was in the boat biz. I was working for Roger when the deal was made to buy some of his molds and a year later I was working for Harry as his GM/rigger. He didn't tool anything up original until we did the party cat, who knew what that would spawn? (Ron Ehde actually built the bottom plug for us), and then the Citation. For a while he was also a K boat driver/owner. Had a bad crash, rebuilt the boat and kinda drifted out of it. The shop kept his extremely busy anyway.

Super cool info- thanks!

Ron Ehde and Eddie Morenz seem to have spawned much of the West Coasts bottom design.

UD

 

[old rigger]

Super cool info- thanks!

Ron Ehde and Eddie Morenz seem to have spawned much of the West Coasts bottom design.

UD

They did their fair share, but Bud Bailey (Spectra boats) Phil Percival Esquire ( I think it was Esquire) which turned into Southwind and who ever tooled up the '64 Glastron 'Aqua Lift' bottom which is where the original Tahiti bottom came from (which is a great story in itself) are the big 3 when it comes to shaping the bulk of the so cal boat scene in the 60s and 70s, they're also the most copied boats ever. Not to mention all the flat bottom guys who I know very little about except for Howard Brown. He was amazingly talented.

 

[Riley1]

My 18?er in a Helo shot for their add taken before my Dad took delivery. There are more that I can?t find. Notice the pylon and rope, there is a slalom skier back there.

 

[pcrussell50]

Nice!!! Find more please.

I wish I could find out more about my 18'er too, and it's history. Mine's an '87. I think yours is, too right? I wonder who's is newer? Mine doesn't have the swim step yours does. I wish it did.

-Peter

 

[Riley1]

Nice!!! Find more please.

I wish I could find out more about my 18'er too, and it's history. Mine's an '87. I think yours is, too right? I wonder who's is newer? Mine doesn't have the swim step yours does. I wish it did.

-Peter

Mine is an 85. I believe ours are exactly the same (except you have 2 forward facing seats).
Swim steps are ?screwed? on. I?ve watched both of mine fall off. Haven?t had the extra $700+ to throw billet ones on yet.

 

[pcrussell50]

Correct, mine does have two forward facers... But it still has the same ski pole as yours in the photo... hmmm...

Anyone know the general story of Rod Bahner? From what little I could tell, he's not that old, maybe mid-50's? Some people say he was dragged out into the desert off I-40 and capped. Others say he's living a quiet life doing rigging for another builder...

-Peter

 

[ATKpilot]

 

[Pebo]

I still have one.

 

[ATKpilot]

I still have one.

Beautiful boat...

I still have one too

 

[NorCalRiverRat]

 

[Gelcoater]

They did their fair share, but Bud Bailey (Spectra boats) Phil Percival Esquire ( I think it was Esquire) which turned into Southwind and who ever tooled up the '64 Glastron 'Aqua Lift' bottom which is where the original Tahiti bottom came from (which is a great story in itself) are the big 3 when it comes to shaping the bulk of the so cal boat scene in the 60s and 70s, they're also the most copied boats ever. Not to mention all the flat bottom guys who I know very little about except for Howard Brown. He was amazingly talented.

Let’s not forget our old pal Don Kirby!

 

[old rigger]

Let’s not forget our old pal Don Kirby!

uh, ok.
Back when these plugs were being tooled up, Don had a funny car shop in Bellflower. He did lots of FC bodies back then. In fact I was involved one night at his shop with several other guys that pulled a quickie mold off a rented Mercedes coupe for a FC body, but I don't remember him tooling many boat plugs back in the day. maybe when we worked together at Warlock (?) but I remember him only running the glass shop, no tooling then.
Doesn't mean he didn't, I just never saw it.

 

[Gelcoater]

uh, ok.
Back when these plugs were being tooled up, Don had a funny car shop in Bellflower. He did lots of FC bodies back then. In fact I was involved one night at his shop with several other guys that pulled a quickie mold off a rented Mercedes coupe for a FC body, but I don't remember him tooling many boat plugs back in the day. maybe when we worked together at Warlock (?) but I remember him only running the glass shop, no tooling then.
Doesn't mean he didn't, I just never saw it.

I don’t remember any actual tooling at Warlock
But
I was working with the guy that tooled funny car bodies, the stuff Hot Wheels mimicked.
The stuff the mimicked, he built.
Body wise anyways?
I had the chance and worked with, legendary people.
I know you did too

 

[old rigger]

I don’t remember any actual tooling at Warlock
But
I was working with the guy that tooled funny car bodies, the stuff Hot Wheels mimicked.
The stuff the mimicked, he built.
Body wise anyways?
I had the chance and worked with, legendary people.
I know you did too

This is getting way off subject and I had to look around the net for some pics, but these give a pretty good view of his shop. Not shown, I think it came a few years after these shots, was CCR, California Custom Roadsters which I believe is still in business and was at the south end of those buildings. Across the street was Larry Craig's paint shop. He's the guy that taught my dad how to do metal work which came in handy in the mid 70's when the '39 coupe I bought (dumb kid) turned out to have a few gallons of bondo in the trunk, pan and body section. John Durgan's VW shop was also across the street, Dutcher's VW speed shop was just down the street over on Artesia, Marine Associates (Where some of the famous Panther Jet Drive films were shot) was also around the corner, and of course you could walk to half dozen or more boat shops from Don's, but none as I remember were on that little section of Clark Street.

Long time ago now, but I have great memories of that entire area of Bellflower, Paramount, Lakewood, Hawaiian Gardens (which is a very mis leading name, there are no gardens and as far as I can tell, no Hawaiians). It's really amazing how many cool boat, car and motorcycle shops were around back then.

Don is the one losing his hair. He had a brother, Bud, that looked almost the same but thinner. Bud was a rigger at Hawaiian for a few years.

 

[Gelcoater]

This is getting way off subject and I had to look around the net for some pics, but these give a pretty good view of his shop. Not shown, I think it came a few years after these shots, was CCR, California Custom Roadsters which I believe is still in business and was at the south end of those buildings. Across the street was Larry Craig's paint shop. He's the guy that taught my dad how to do metal work which came in handy in the mid 70's when the '39 coupe I bought (dumb kid) turned out to have a few gallons of bondo in the trunk, pan and body section. John Durgan's VW shop was also across the street, Dutcher's VW speed shop was just down the street over on Artesia, Marine Associates (Where some of the famous Panther Jet Drive films were shot) was also around the corner, and of course you could walk to half dozen or more boat shops from Don's, but none as I remember were on that little section of Clark Street.

Long time ago now, but I have great memories of that entire area of Bellflower, Paramount, Lakewood, Hawaiian Gardens (which is a very mis leading name, there are no gardens and as far as I can tell, no Hawaiians). It's really amazing how many cool boat, car and motorcycle shops were around back then.

Don is the one losing his hair. He had a brother, Bud, that looked almost the same but thinner. Bud was a rigger at Hawaiian for a few years.
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Wow!!
Just Wow!