the polar bear

The Polar Bear snowmobile roamed the trails of the Eastern seaboard for seven years before hard-to-get parts made the species extinct. It was born in 1970 in Wallingford, Connecticut in the security of the Raybon Manufacturing Company and thrived in the East until 1977. Ray Bonell, the company's owner, was an avid snowmobiler and in 1968 he began repairing all makes of sleds for his employees and their friends during slack times at his manufacturing facility.

Much to the dismay of Bonell, waiting for parts to make repairs soon became standard operating procedure. In the spring of 1970, he and his engineers decided to get into the snowmobile market on a very limited basis. He had taken note of the many shortcomings he'd encountered while servicing other brands and decided that he would "hand build" a few sleds and test market them locally.

As soon as the sleds had been tested thoroughly and approved by his engineering staff and himself, he signed a few dealers in Connecticut only, so he would be able to service the product promptly in the event that any glitches showed up. Sales the first year were low, as expected, therefore sleds were built as "fill in" work for his employees who would otherwise be manufacturing aircraft and missile parts.

The next year, Bonell decided to build a 5,000 square foot facility and staff it with full time employees building only snowmobiles. He continued to hand build snowmobiles to ensure the quality of every sled built.

In 1975, Raybon Manufacturing bought the inventory and manufacturing rights to build the "Whip-It" and the "Blazer" from Melvin Manufacturing Company (Memco) of Jay, Maine. Once the sale was complete, the Memco line was discontinued and the names were incorporated into the Polar Bear family. Several models were offered using Kohler, JLO and CCW engines ranging from 295 to 760cc capacity.

Just as the bugs had been worked out and production increased, the winter season became shorter and shorter and sales dropped dramatically. Engine manufacturers began to drop by the wayside and it became increasingly difficult to assure a steady supply of powerplants. This, coupled with the increased difficulty of buying other components caused Raybon to terminate the project. Another firm expressed a desire to produce the line but never pursued it and in 1977, the Polar Bear line died.