Cigarette – the legend goes fishin'

by Bob Wonders on 11 Jul 2010 Chances are no brand of boat has had such an impact on the recreational and performance boat scene than the legendary breed from the Cigarette Racing Team.

The Cigarette name in fact has become a generic term for sleek, stylish and very fast boats; it's not uncommon for some people seeing a high-performance boat to exclaim, 'It must be a Cigarette.'

Don Aronow, a larger than life personality, was known during his time by many nicknames, among them ‘The Godfather' of offshore powerboats, ‘The King of Thunderboat Row' or ‘The Sultan of Gasoline Alley'

Aronow established Cigarette in 1969 and enjoyed what could only be termed ‘ a chequered career' before he was brutally murdered, execution style, in 1987 on the very street that was home to the Cigarette Racing Team, North East 188th Street, North Miami Beach.

During his years at the Cigarette helm, Aronow, a man with a gift for promotion, made Cigarette world famous; he mixed with ‘princes, potentates and presidents' and owning a top-of-the-range Cigarette was a significant achievement.

‘Thunderboat Row', just like its ‘King', is gone now, no longer the home of various performance boat builders as developers moved in to claim the waterfront land.

Cigarette Racing Team, however, lives on, now calling a purpose-built facility in another Miami suburb, the unusually-named Opa-Locka and with its new owner, Skip Braver, who acquired the iconic breed in 2002, handling the reins.

Despite dramatic changes, some things remain the same.

For instance, the famous ‘Top Gun' remains Cigarette's best-selling model; of course, engines, electronics and the like are regularly refined and updated, but the ‘Top Gun', like all models in the company's range, remains a thoroughbred.

Cigarette has made a dramatic change of course in recent years, a change that would possibly leave Don Aronow rather surprised.

The world's most famous high-performance boat manufacturer now counts fishing boats in its repertoire!

Leading the charge onto the world's fishing grounds is the appropriately-named ‘Top Fish', a smart centre console design introduced in 2006.

A cuddy cabin design followed on the same hull and recently another new model, the ‘Top Fish Open' was launched offering open bow space for both seating and fishing.

Although still a relative newcomer to the Cigarette range, the ‘Top Fish' can already be sighted on waterways from the Mediterranean to the Middle East to the USA.

Like all in the breed it is sleek and modern in every respect, with a length of 39' (11.88-metres) and a beam of 10' (3.04-metres).

It carries 418 US gallons of fuel (350-litres).

One new owner, Rick Link, of Charleston, South Carolina, chose Cigarette for his new fish boat primarily for the company's reputation, performance and customisation options.

He had the ‘Top Fish' finished in the same Platinum Blue of his Lexus, which has given the rig a shimmering, silvery image not unlike the bonefish hunted across the sandy bottom of the Florida Keys.

Link took the boat on its maiden voyage joining a Poker Run down the Florida Keys to Key Largo and then headed north for a summer of fun and fishing.

Other Cigarette ‘Top Fish' owners have heaped praise on the boat's ‘fishability.'

David Woods, of Fort Lauderdale's Pier 57, a Cigarette dealer, regularly uses his ‘Top Fish' for what he terms 'aggressive fishing' throughout the Florida Keys and the Bahamas.

'We helped Skip Braver and is team design the ‘Top Fish' so it could be taken seriously as a fishing boat, not just a go-fast centre console,' Woods explained.

'The power options available, either triple or quad Mercury Racing 300hp or 350hp Verados, together with all the variations for searing, live wells, rod storage and coolers give the ‘Top Fish' the right combination of speed and pleasure,' he added.

Skip Braver himself admits that it took a great deal of time, effort and resources to create the right boat.

'But the investment has paid off,' he declared.

'We listened to our customers and they told us what they wanted in a centre console.

'The Cigarette customer is loyal to our brand because they know they receive what the need and what they ordered, performance, reliability and service.

'Now we are offering even more space aboard, easier maintenance, wash down surfaces and conveniences such as a stand-up head and shower and comfortable seating.

'Like all Cigarette boats, the ‘Top Fish' is a lifestyle boat,' he added.

Of course, being Cigarette there are numerous options available for the prospective buyer, from power and paint to sun pads and electric tables.

As with every Cigarette, each boat in each model rage is built to order.

After all, a Cigarette boat is not simply a boat, it's a lifestyle choice.

For further information contact Mark Chapman, CRS Yachts, Sydney, telephone (02) 9327-8829 or visit the website, www.cigaretteracing.com