Information on Yacht 'Outburst' by Bobby Bongers

[maverick2911]

Hello,

I recently bought a 39-foot-yacht build and designed in south-africa by Bobby Bongers in the mid-eighties. The previous owner told me that the hull was once designed for the first cape-to-rio-race. I already found out that the first boat build was called "Outburst" and owned by a man named Bill O'Reilly. Many years late my boat came out of the same mould but got another deck and superstructure. Although the boat was build for racing my boat was converted to a livaboard.

I'm very interested to find out more about the history of my boat and the "Outburst". The sailed in the 1978 race for the admirals cup, came in third. Does anyone remember hearing of that boat?

Best wishes,

John

[James S]

I cant help with any info on your boat....but I can say welcome to the forum John, and have moved this thread to the Mono hull forum to see if it can raise any responses.

[Banjo]

Hallo Maverick,

Regarding the Bongers 39 and Outburst.

Bobby Bongers' dad Pop Bongers designed the boat but no doubt Bobby had a lot of input. I have read that the hull shape of the Flying Dutcman Olympic dinghy also influenced the design.

The boat was conceived for the Bongers family to enter the first Cape To Rio Race in 1971. The emphasis was on a good downwind boat.
Brothers Bobby and Eric (a former Olimpic Finn sailor, 6th in Melbourne 1956) built three boats in cold moulded wood.
Outburts was tiller steered despite an aft cabin and transom hung rudder.

Two of these sailed in the 71 Rio Race:
Outburst, Bobby Bongers. 7th on handicap, 3rd in class three.
Port Rex, Bunny Curran

In the 1973 Rio Race:
Outburst, now owned by Bill O'Rielly.
Seven Seas, W Smith.

After the 1973 Rio Race, Outburst was part of the 1973 South African Admirals'Cup team but Outburst did not do well. I recall she did fair in the '73 Fastnet Race. I do not think the boat was well suited to the IOR rule seeing that it was conceived as a downwind flier.

Bill O 'Rielly kept Outburst for a very long time and the boat was well maintained. Last I saw her, (1980) she was painted bottle green.

Port Rex, Bunny Curran's boat saw a busy life. He cruised the boat to Europe after the '71 Race and returned to South Africa single handed (about 7 000 n/miles). Port Rex then had a string of owners and raced Cape Town to Punta Del Este Uruguay in 1979 as Foschiny Girl crewed by a female team. The boat was looking a bit sad by then. Last I heard she was lying on one of South Africa's inland dams in a bad state.

Another Bongers 39 was built in cold moulded wood in Durban by Mike Boettcher. It was stretched to about 12 meters and the rudder was moved forward, no longer transom hung. The cockpit was also moved aft. It was called Hexe and sailed the 1982 South Atlantic Race, Cape Town to Punta Del Este. It finished halfway down the fleet and continued on to the US after the race.

In the early 1980's a Cape Town company took a mould off one of the boats and moulded a few in glass. The cabin superstructure was changed at the same time. As far as I know, very few were built in glass. (one only?)

Both Bobby and Eric have passed away.
Bobby's older son Charles Bongers is off course a legend in the world of sailing having built a reputation as a Round the World racer of note in the early Whitbread RTW races. You should be able to track him down somewhere in the world.

That's about it.
My references:
1971, 1973, 1979 and 1982 Rio Race and South Atlantic Race Brochures.
Rio 71.
Yachting in Southern Africa.

Are you based in South Africa?

Have fun with your bit of South African sailing history.

Regards,

Banjo.

[maverick2911]

Dear Banjo,

thanks A LOT for that great information! You made my day!

I'm still in contact with the first owner who build that boat in capetown, but what you told me is much more information than he remembered about the boat.

My boat, a "Bongers 39 Special", was build in 1986 at Ocean Bound. I found a letter by Bobby Bongers adressed to the first owner in which he told him, that the hull is finished. My boat seems like it's very much like the one owned by Mike Boettcher. The Rudder is not transom hung, there is an after-cabin and a deckshouse. If you give me your mailadress, I'll send you some pictures. My mailadress is mail@johannes-erdmann.com

Do you have any pictures of a Bongers 39? I never saw one of the others.

I'm living in Hamburg, Germany. The first and previous owner of the boat sailed her to Germany in the early nineties and since then she hasn't seen water.

Best wishes - and thanks again!

Johannes

[mechanix]

Originally Posted by maverick2911

Hello,

I recently bought a 39-foot-yacht build and designed in south-africa by Bobby Bongers in the mid-eighties. The previous owner told me that the hull was once designed for the first cape-to-rio-race. I already found out that the first boat build was called "Outburst" and owned by a man named Bill O'Reilly. Many years late my boat came out of the same mould but got another deck and superstructure. Although the boat was build for racing my boat was converted to a livaboard.

I'm very interested to find out more about the history of my boat and the "Outburst". The sailed in the 1978 race for the admirals cup, came in third. Does anyone remember hearing of that boat?

Best wishes,

John

Hi John, Send me your email address to mechanix272@hotmail.com. Two friends of mine from Cape Town built Bongers 39's each in the mid 80's

Rgds Mike

[Mairesa]

I stumbled on to this thread tonight - not sure anyone will pick up on it 7 years after the initial post, however, it's worth a try.
I had the pleasure of sailing on Hexe back in 1983 from Brazil to the Virgin Islands. I would love to hear if anyone knows where she ended up and who may have her now if she's no longer owned by Mike Boettcher. Many thanks !

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Mairesa.

[JohnT]

I delivered a GRP Bongers 39 named "Finnegan" back from Mahé, Seychelles to Cape Town in 2013 after it had been detained in Seychelles for over a year due to the owner allegedly being murdered in international waters in the Indian Ocean. Although she was in a bad condition and had been stripped of most electronics and cordage, she sailed extremely well down wind. She was completed, from what I understood, by the Jakob (Sp?) brothers in Cape Town and was on her "home stretch" in completing a cercumnavigation. She was berthed at Royal Cape Yacht Club for nearly two years when she was sold. I have no idea who bought her but she needed a lot of work to bring her to her original glory. She sailed nicely but was a real bitch to park in a marina.

[Warren149]

Hi , I can add a little to this old thread. I worked for Eric Bongers for a summer in 1979. He ran Bongers boats. He and his brother( bobby) married sisters, but bobbys died from cancer. Bobby and later his son were the ocean racers. ERIC got seasick on big boats so rarely sailed offshore. Eric's son was last I heard building boats , catamarans I think.
There was no talk of "outburst" . Eric was building a 48' Anglo Lavranos cruising boat as well as some other custom designs at the time I was there.
Bobby was not building boat at that time , he was sailing as far as I know.
Great folks.
Cheers warren

[Binx1981]

Hello,

Don't know if this thread is still alive but I'm also trying to seek more info on the Bongers boats as I own one made in 1990/1991. She is solid glass, no core, tiller steering, apparently designed by Bobby Bongers and built by Fred Scholtz (?). I know there weren't many of them made so there is very little info out there and very few people have ever heard of the boat. We sailed her from Durban, South Africa last year to the Caribbean, through to the Bahamas and now currently in USA. Anyone with any more info about her??

Cheers,

Binx