Rabco 35 raceboat. and 28 pleasure

**PARKER RABE** · 08-31-2015, 08:15 PM

I thought I would share a few pics of our 35 race boat with 4 2.4's back in the day 1983 or 84 and 28 side console that we built for pleasure with triple 2.4's...... The good old days....the 28 belonged to pro wrestler Mike Graham.you would see at leat 10 of these boats running the local waters around here in the 80's

**SCT** · 08-31-2015, 08:19 PM

Parker, cool boats! What did the 35'/quad 2.4 run back in the day?

**mragu** · 08-31-2015, 08:20 PM

that 28 layout would be popular today! love it!

**PARKER RABE** · 08-31-2015, 08:28 PM

the 35 only ran about 83 with no nose cones, early model 2.4 efis, we put 4 nose cones on it and it got close to 90, imagine it today with 4 280`s on it...

**FUJIMO** · 09-01-2015, 01:44 PM

Originally Posted by PARKER RABE

the 35 only ran about 83 with no nose cones, early model 2.4 efis, we put 4 nose cones on it and it got close to 90, imagine it today with 4 280`s on it...

In those years Merc Hi-Perf "Offshore" gearcases were stock gearcases that had four water intake holes at the front, sort of simular, but drilled with much more of a taper, to the modern day 3.0 litre gearcases. This is the way they came from the factory & worked good in offshore racing, for about 4 years or so. I wanna say 1978 thru 1982. Fairly durable for anyone with a good throttle arm. They had two 90 degree brass fittings, connected with a short length of hose, on the upper side of the gearcase, that transfered the nose cavity intake water, directly to the lower waterpump housing. The next step was they introduced(on the Offshore motors) was a tempered steel propshaft. They helped a bit with the breakages, but being in salt all the time, made short life of the propshaft seals. The next step was the Offshore CLE's Cresent Leading Edge. And a slightly beefier bearing carrier. They dropped the steel propshafts & introduced a new fusion welded, high tensile stainless shaft. The OS motors horsepowers were rising, so the next weakest link in the 2.4 gearcases were the gears, which usually happened to be the driven gear, the pinions, that failed...and then the whole gearcase was a mess, lol. Honestly, I can't recall anyone with added-on nose-cones on multi-engine offshore boats back in the 80's. Mostly because they would all fail, by flaking off, the first time you would take them out in the rough. That, and Mercury made everything you could ever need by then.

**FUJIMO** · 09-01-2015, 01:51 PM

Parker, those 35's were the old 9' 4" beam hulls, right? They had the knuckle line near the top of the hull, not the "center crease" line down the hullside, ala 8' beam Cigs, correct?

**PARKER RABE** · 09-01-2015, 02:42 PM

you're right on the money as always!!!

**PARKER RABE** · 09-01-2015, 02:44 PM

no no wait you're wrong the knuckle was right down the middle of the hull

**PARKER RABE** · 09-01-2015, 02:45 PM

someone tried to point out to me one time where you could see around number logo up near the front but I never could really see What they were talking about....

**PARKER RABE** · 09-01-2015, 02:48 PM

I believe the mold went to Pepe at Pantera back in the late 90's

**FUJIMO** · 09-01-2015, 03:56 PM

Originally Posted by PARKER RABE

I believe the mold went to Pepe at Pantera back in the late 90's

What do you mean..."I believe"? Did you not have control of them at the time? If not, who did own them?

**FUJIMO** · 09-01-2015, 03:58 PM

I worded the question wrong. Sorry to confuse. What was the beam on the Rabco 35'? lol

**PARKER RABE** · 09-01-2015, 05:43 PM

When we sold rabco in 1994 all the molds were sold to joule dye, 21 28 and 35, The 35 he I think sold to pepe because he only wanted to build the 21 and 28 , he had no interest in the 35.

**PARKER RABE** · 09-01-2015, 05:54 PM

Think the beam was 9

**FUJIMO** · 09-01-2015, 06:26 PM

Originally Posted by PARKER RABE

When we sold rabco in 1994 all the molds were sold to joule dye, 21 28 and 35, The 35 he I think sold to pepe because he only wanted to build the 21 and 28 , he had no interest in the 35.

Gotcha. Thanks. Joel was selling the 21 & 28 tooling not too long ago. He should have stuck with the 35. Pantera's 36' is 8 foot beam.