What Are The Don Aronow Companies?

[Carl C]

Donzi, Formula, Cigarette, Magnum and Squadron XII I think are undisputable "Aronow companies", but after a little research I've found a few others that claim to be also:

Magic Powerboats

Aronow Powerboats

(I swear this is for real!)Charlie McCarthy's Banana Boat Company. They claim to have been set up with molds and training from Don Aronow himself. www.bananaboatco.com/products.htm scroll half way down to a cool pic of Mr. Aronow sitting in a "Banana Boat"!

Of course Mr. Aronow had a huge impact on performance boating but what would be a comprehensive list of the true Aronow companies. I've googled this to death and am now looking for real life input. TIA. :boat:

[Lenny]

Carl, there is some incredible info on here in the waaayyy past. Back in '00 and '01 from BROWNIE and other contributors.

He is a sampling, of what became what and when and how. Here is a tidbit from Brownie. :D


In 1966, Harry Schoell designed and built a full-height 28' deep vee raceboat for Aronow. Don took that boat and cut it down vertically, to make the Magnum 27'. He took the 28' drawing, blew it up 1.15 times, and made the 32' Cary/Cigarette. He blew the 32' up 1.5 times and made the 49' Cary (really 48'3"). He stretched the 32' Cary/Cig. to 36', then stretched that to 40'. Performer stretched it to 44'. Aronow took some of the above boats and made the 28' Cigarette, all the Squadrons, and a few others.

Wynne/Walters did the 16', 19', 28' and 35' Donzis. Donzi gave the 35' to Aronow who made it a Magnum. He stretched it to 38', then to 40'. The 40' was expanded 1.33 times, and voila, the 53' Magnum. The 53' was stretched to 63', then to 70'. The 16' was stretched to 18', the 19' stretched to 20' .

[Carl C]

Lenny, I also came across this tidbit: www.boatdesign.net/forums/showthread.php?t=282 scroll to post #7

[Formula Jr]

Carl, follow the designers... They cross production in many ways and they are not known, an don't have the NAME.

The old staff have heard me say this before.

What if I showed up at an event in a Crestliner Aruba at a Donzi event? Would they care?

Its not a Donzi Boat.....Its a Wynne Crestliner Boat. 15 times more rare than a classic 16 or 18. Its just a Wynne boat. And not a Donzi....

Follow the designers....

You are asking the wrong question. Mr. Aronow MADE THINGS HAPPEN.

[Carl C]

Formula Jr, thanks for the reply. I think that influencing a boat's design and having an actual hand in designing and building one are two different things. It seems to me that a 16 foot Aruba may be shunned as a copy of a Donzi Sweet 16. It was designed by Jim Wynne and has no connection to Don Aronow.

Donzi's website states that "Don was personally responsible for such great names as Donzi, Magnum, Formula, Cigarette, Aronow Powerboats and SquadronXII." That's good enough for me. Aronow Powerboats is a Don Aronow company even though this is the first time I've seen it listed as such.

Charlie McCarthy's Banana Boat Company's history states that when Charlie asked Don to sell him a race boat Don's answer was "no, I won't sell you one. What I will do is put you in the boating business.............I will sell you some of my extra molds from Cigarette. You can start your own boat company with them and that way all of the money you spend in racing will be a write-off for you as research and developement costs...........Take the Cigarette molds back up north and hire some workers, then bring them back down here and they can train in the shop alongside my own people. Build yourself a race boat with the layup schedule I'll give you, bring it back and we will take a look at it." It goes on to say that Don rigged the boat and built Charlie a lighter deck. This would seem to give Charlie McCarthy's Banana Boat Company a genuine connection to Don Aronow and that they should be able and proud to use the Aronow name in promoting their product. Despite the totally lame name the boats they build or built are beautiful.

I haven't done as much research on Magic Powerboats but their website says that they were "conceived by legendary boat builder Don Aronow".

Anyway, maybe this is a sensitive subject for some. This thread isn't getting the response I thought it would and if for some reason it is offensive let me know and I'll delete it. :boat:

[seano]

Carl,

See Michael's response in "Ask Michael Aronow" section. He states that Aronow Powerboats had nothing at all to do with Don...it was renamed Aronow Powerboats and was the former USA Racing...the company that built the Blue Thunder catamarans.


Aronow Powerboat's molds went to Magic. Their 28 used the same bottom as the 28SS. I know...I had both boats sitting side by side....nothing more than a splash of the 28 Cig.

As for Banana and your interpretation of an Aronow lineage boat, the 24 Banana clearly came from Don, but since he had no financial interest in the company, it is not considered as "important" as a boat built by a company owned by Don...despite the wonderful things the McCarthys have done and continue to do with that boat.


Respectfully,

Sean

[Carl C]

Thanks, Sean. Aronow Powerboats original model was supposedly designed by Don Aronow before his death. Of course subsequent models were designed by others. The 47 in question was designed by Jim Wynne. I have a complete test report of the 47 if anyone is interested. I found the post you referred to, thanks again.

[gcarter]

I'll have to agree with Owen (who would have ever thought?) on this subject. Did Don study Navel Architecture? I don't think so. But he did have the pockets to attract the talent that did have the answers and ideas.
Bertram had C. Raymond Hunt and Don had Wynn and many others.
Designing your own boat can be a exercise in futility, failure, and financial ruin. I have, in my past, spent some time studying N.A. and spent several years working in a N.A. office in Houston. I wouldn't spend ANY time or money designing and building my own race boat.
When you have the opportunity, ask Bud Staples about the trials and tribulations of developing the Z series of Donzi's. Be prepared to sit awhile!!!

[Carl C]

I think that Don Aronow wove a complicated web with his involvement with so many boat builders, directly and indirectly. It's pretty cool. Look at someone like Reggie Fountain who's legacy will be Fountain Powerboats, period. (as far as I know).