Founded by Don Aronow, a passionate businessman and racer from New York, Cigarette Boats are famous racing boats that have graced our waters since 1969.
Located on Thunderboat Row on 188th street in South Florida, Cigarette Boats are owned by some notable celebrities including George Bush Senior, King Hussein of Jordan, and the King of Sweden – among many others.
Prohibition Era and Fast Boats
“During the prohibition era in the 20s and 30s, alcohol and drugs were illegal, which forced its production and distribution to be criminal. Many Americans found other ways to obtain the illegal substances, despite its ban. One of the ways was through fast cigarette boats with powerful engines, that traveled at very high speeds. At the time, these fast boats were called “rum runners.” Rum runners or drug smugglers were used to transport these illegal shipments from the larger ships back to the country undetected. Rum runners and drug smugglers were much faster than the United States coast guard at the time, and they were able to succeed. The United States Coast Guard was frustrated at the time, as they were not able to keep up with these rum runners and drug smugglers.”
Don Aronow Enters the Game
About 40 years after prohibition, in 1969, Don Aronow created his company with the launch of his first fast boat for offshore racing. Calling her “The Cigarette,” because of her shape, Aronow took her around the world winning many offshore racing competitions including two World Championships as well as the United States Championship three times in a row. Traveling at very high speeds, a World Championship winner in offshore racing will garner a lot of attention, and so she did. This is what spawned the company Cigarette, with its strong pedigree and reputation of sleek, speedy powerboats that travel at very high speeds on the water.
Cigarette Racing Team
“The Cigarette Racing Team was conceived by Don Aronow in the 60s. As one of the most famous brand names in the powerboat building sector, The Cigarette Racing Team has become a generic name when it comes to describing sleek, narrow speedboats. The brand name was so popular, that many often refer to any speedy, skinny boat as a “Cigarette boat” even though it may not bear the actual brand name.“
Much later, in 1990, later fast boat models were introduced and include the 46 Rough Rider, the 42 Revolution, and the 42 Tiger. The company’s legacy continued to grow as collectors and aficionados continued to expand their collections of these fast boats.
Developing a Center Console Line
Going into the 2000s, the fate of the company was at stake, but was saved by Skip Braver who purchased it with the goal to renew its foundation of performance and luxury. The company began to team up with technology companies to strengthen its engineering department, and the company began to develop Cigarette center consoles boats for sale.
The 2010s proved to be great for the company, as they paired with other luxury brands, and grew their Cigarette center console boats for sale. The company integrated its Deep Vee technology to create high performance vessels that offered more convenience features.
Today, the company is still highly notable and famous for its Cigarette racing boats for sale that are sleek and narrow. From the 38 Top Gun to the 28 Cigarette boat for sale, there is a style and design for every Cigarette boat enthusiast.
Below we explore some of the well-know fast boats built by Cigarette, as well as some of the company culture. Original famous fast boat models of the Cigarette boat include the Firefox, the Top Gun, and the Café Racer.
Well-Known Cigarette Racing Boats for Sale
38 TOP GUN
The Cigarette 38 Top Gun is a powerful, fast boat built by the renowned shipyard, and is an ultra-high-performance vessel that travels up to speeds of 86.4 miles per hour on the water. The 38 Top Gun boat is typically reserved for water sports, day cruising, and overnight cruising, and were constructed in fiberglass with a Deep-Vee hull. Typically, these fast boats sport an inboard-outboard – powerful engines that afford it such high speeds. Its classic, V-hull and smooth lines have created a proven system that maintains the basis of the 38 Top Gun fast boat. Recurrent developments and technological advancements utilizing the lighter weight fiber-reinforced composites coupled with dependable manufacturing techniques and a strict focus on balance and handling, keep the 38 Top Gun a classic icon in the Cigarette series of fast boats.
42 TIGER CIGARETTE FAST BOAT
Constructed on the foundational race boat structure with high performance, powerful engines, and the ultimate in pleasure in mind, the 42 Tiger’s heritage is certainly that – a high-performance built with cutting-edge technology and ultimate style. The 42 Tiger can run up to the mid-80 mile per hour range and certainly proves her worth with solid construction. Her yacht hull and deck are laid by hand, with multi-directional materials with vinylester resins for the ultimate in strength, endurance, and is lightweight. The 42 Tiger offer three different layout options for its cabin and is a very popular Cigarette racing boat for sale to this day.
2008 CIGARETTE 39 TOP GUN
The 2008 Cigarette 39 Top Gun is powered by Mercury Racing engines (700 Sci engines). The boat listed includes hardware such as NXT1 drives with 5-blad Mercury Racing CNC props, a Cigarette swim platform, underwater LEDs, and much more. The 2008 Cigarette 30 Top Gun fast boat is used for offshore racing, day cruising, and water sports, and were built with a Deep-V hull in fiberglass, typically coming with an inboard-outboard.
MERCEDES AMG Collaborates with Cigarette Racing
According to Car and Driver’s website, Mercedes AMG collaborated with Cigarette on a stunning, fast boat that has a matching Mercedes AMG G63 car. The Mercedes AMG speed boat boasts six supercharged V8 engines at 450hp each, sourced by Mercury Racing. The fast boat travels at speeds above 80 miles per hour on the water.
Shipyard Stats
- Founder: Don Aronow
- Size: 20 to 50 feet
- Type: Center console boats, high performance boats
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