Blue Thunder ? [Archive] - The Donzi Registry

Surfer

12-11-2002, 05:27 PM

Wavewalker, posted this find a couple of weeks ago. I spotted it off the Interstate headed
into Miami this morning. I believe its a Aronow designed "Blue Thunder", a Bush 1 era drug
enforcment boat. I really like the Uzi inspired graphics. No drives, but the one remaining tab
is hugh. Any buyer's?

http://www.donzi.net/photos/Portrl.jpg

Custom graphics

http://www.donzi.net/photos/holesrl.jpg

http://www.donzi.net/photos/sternrl.jpg

CDMA

12-11-2002, 05:36 PM

You sure that's a 39 cat????

Donzigo

12-11-2002, 07:05 PM

It has been said that the boat wouldn't get out of it's own way. Anybody know anything about the performance aspect of this boat? Not much has been written about it. How many did he build?

Wavewalker

12-11-2002, 07:42 PM

Surfer, I see you found it. Only in Miami. Reminds me of those 1980's down here with the CC cowboys and Miami Mice (Remind me to tell you about an old tee-shirt I had with the two mice on it sometime).
This boat is more than a gelcoat buffing problem. Still looks like it would float as long as the seas were not running to big.

Jamesbon

12-11-2002, 08:00 PM

The Blue Thunder boats were cats built by USA Racing for the US Customs service.

I may be wrong, but that looks like one of the "Fountain Customs" boats.

CDMA

12-11-2002, 08:10 PM

I am with nate. See the cut away transom. We need a picture of the nose...

Jamesbon

12-11-2002, 08:22 PM

I just posted it on OSO.

Get the crossover yet, Chris?

Shanghied Again

12-11-2002, 08:39 PM

She is not a Blue Thunder, Nate you could be right that looks like an early edition Fountain or Executioner design. The blue thunder cat looks like a Cigarette with a Tunnel. http://www.donzi.net/photos/FCivitano16.jpg

Jamesbon

12-11-2002, 08:42 PM

Ahhh, I'm gonna have to go with Frank on the Executioner.

Ranman

12-11-2002, 10:34 PM

Didn't Don take the Cigarette hull, split it down the middle and add the "bridge" to make the Blue Thunder cats? Didn't those boats leave something to be desired in the performance department??

Reckless288

12-11-2002, 11:29 PM

I rode a Blue Thunder boat in 1989 while moored in Ft Lauderdale, Fla onboard the USS Coral Sea (old aircraft carrier CV-43 in it's final year). My buddy was an NIS agent and hooked us up with the local DEA.
The Blue Thunder, as I understand it, was a patented design to run down the "Cigarette" boats transporting drugs across the Florida straights. The design, as the story goes, was designed by Don Arronow to defeat the very boats he had designed for the drug cartel lords. The very boats he had "guaranteed" could not be caught. Well we all know what happened to poor ole Donnie boy when the lords found out....so the story goes....

Anyway, the Blue Thunder could run any boat down in the rough without cutting a sweat therefore killing the over-water drug trade utilizing the powerboats. We went out in 3-5's in stand-up bolsters and the boat pummeled the waves that day and turned on a dime. Alledgedly (sp) due to it's patented design no one else could design or build a boat such as this.......Then again, that could've been smoke up my you know what... :rolleyes:

Ranman

12-12-2002, 08:05 AM

Not the way I understood it, but we all have our own versions. :)

ALLAN BROWN

12-12-2002, 08:18 AM

The "Blue Blunder" was a major breakthrough in hull design. It was the first boat to have all of the bad habits of a cat and a vee in the same envelope. Twin 540's, 54 mph. What a breakthrough!

HP 600SC

12-12-2002, 08:40 AM

Ok gang....its a military version with a Fountain bottom, usually has Innovation 600's. Made to paracute from a cargo plane...see the brackets on the transom? I have seen many of those in Sarasota bay....with navy seals and the guys from innovation testing them. The nose will not look like a Fountain....but trust me, :) it is.

Ed Donnelly

12-12-2002, 10:03 PM

Brownie, You have such a way with words,even my wife got a chuckle out of it....Ed

Dr. Dan

12-13-2002, 07:10 AM

:D Difficult to tell ...but that drawing of the Cat,that Frank posted, the hull/sponsons looks alot like a Skater! How Cool would a Donzi Cat Be?... :p ....Now we're cookin with Gas!!! :cool: ...Doc

Ranman

12-13-2002, 09:20 AM

Didn't someone here have a concept drawing of a Donzi catamaran? Thought I saw a pic posted a long time ago.

CDMA

12-13-2002, 09:50 AM

:D :D :D No comment :D :D

Chris

There be drawings....

fasttrucker

12-13-2002, 02:06 PM

i was coming in the pompano inlet about midnight from a fishing trip.when i was lit up like a football field by on of these blue thunders.he had the brights on i thought it was the super bowl.it was really cool.

Wavewalker

12-13-2002, 06:15 PM

I live right at the inlet in Pompano. You should have been there one dark night many years ago. A go-fast boat was going out on one of those midnight import runs....punched the power just after going under the A1A bridge.....was going about 45 or 50 by the time he was at the mouth of the inlet....it was high tide...went a little too far to the left on the way out...ran over the semi-submerged north jetty and scraped off the bottom of the hull. One body was found near the deck, I'm not sure if they ever did find the other.

fnania

05-01-2005, 08:10 PM

Chili 18

05-02-2005, 12:07 AM

Jr Version.