36' Cigarette

[Conquistador_del_mar]

The man I am buying the 36' Cigarette from in Austin, TX just sent some cool links to me. You can click on the pictures within each link. Bill

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=97108&id=89672787190

http://albaco.net/tornado/inpg02.html

[superhatz]

If I could have one more boat, it would be a 36 Competition....:)

[Conquistador_del_mar]

If I could have one more boat, it would be a 36 Competition....:)

I hate it when I'm ignorant - :bonk:. What is a 36' Competition? We are shooting to do the deal this next week if he can get the trailer fixed up first - it is presently at Magnum Trailers being repaired. Bill

[superhatz]

The first 36s were staggered race boats....competitions....:)

[lars]

Marco on offshoreonly.com sums the history of the 36's up very well.

"The list of 36' versions is by the moment at 65. I think that about 24-26, 36' was builded from 1970 to 1973 or 1974.
The Innerspace wasn't the next Am.Eagle but only the Nick in the second part of the European season in 1972,then was renamed Nicopao(the acronimous of Nicola and Paolo,Mondadori's son) in 1973.
Lady Nara (I) 1971 became Lady Mate in the last race of 1972 and in the Italian races in 1973,then was Talvez in 1974,and F.Eight from 1975 to 1978. Now it is in shipyard in Sardinia in very good conditions,powered with a couple of Aifo Diesel engines, but with a very high price...120.000 euros....
Lady Nara (II) 1972 became Eraf (red version) in 1973-74 then was modified with a cabin and a wodden deck for fast cruise. It burn ashore Viareggio in 1978 or 1979 and lost for ever.
UFO 33 wasn't a Cigarette but a 33' E.R.I.A. Marine class 2 of the owner/builder Riccardo Mambretti.
Fino (I) 1972 was drove by Rautbord in 1972-73,then was renamed Bloody Mary in 1974 and then Enterprise of Elbert Nicklaus in 1975-76.
Fino (II) 1972 was sold to Bonomi in the late of 1972 and renamed Red Vengeance. In 1973 was renamed Dry Martini (II red).In 1974 Bonomi sold it toghether the first 36' Dry Martini (I the heaviest). They was modified with a cabin and for cruising.
MF in the thread in "General Discussion-help Cigarette 36'" is the new owner of the former Aeromarine IX.
Dry Martini (III - the lighter) 1973 was raced by Bonomi from 1973 to 1975. After the CTC of 1975 was sold to Cassir that renamed it Yellowdrama II. The boat remained in England like Crown of Crucis,then Colt Sapporo and JPS(never race). Now is with the original color but a deck totally changed,with a cabin and an orrible wind shield.
Black Tornado (I) 1971 to 1975. Was sold after the VBV in 1975 to De Angelis and renamed Eraf(black version) from 1975 to 1977. In 1978 De Angelis was in the Alitalia Offshore Team and the boat was repainted in grey and renamed Eraf-Alitalia Due. In 1979 the boat was leased to the Napolitan Surger Tommaso De Simone and was still in grey and renamed Goldfinger-Alitalia Due and in 1980 it was repainted in white-blue and named only Goldfinger(it became the Italian Champ that year).
In 1981 was bought to Renato Della Valle that raced him first race in Viareggio and with a very rough seas won. The colours was the same of Goldfinger's version.
The old boat reappered in 1986-87 in some italian races like Reporter in all white colour and then like Imter Scavi in dark blue-yellow colours version. The driver was Alessandro Zodo.
Black Tornado (II) 1972 to 1973. When Balestrieri stopped to compete for the World Championships in 1974 the boat rest in at the Tornado Racing Team in Florida. In 1977 the rookie Joe Ippolito drove that boat renamed Baccarat (same colours of the former Black Tornado)in the first two APBA races with a 4th and 3th ovarall places before he brought the American Eagle 35' like Anheuser Busch Natural Light.
That's it all. For a complete list, must use a book...."

Marco

P.S.
Don created the fantastic 36 by adding 4 feet to the transom of the 32. He then narrowed the beam about 6 inches and added a 10 foot rocker section. The bow got filled out a little and the result was "the best foot for foot hull ever built" a proud Don announced those days.
Lars.
D.S.

[BlownCrewCab]

It's also the foundation of most of the great offshore V bottoms, Like Powerplay, Cobra, etc..

[Conquistador_del_mar]

The first 36s were staggered race boats....competitions....:)



P.S.
Don created the fantastic 36 by adding 4 feet to the transom of the 32. He then narrowed the beam about 6 inches and added a 10 foot rocker section. The bow got filled out a little and the result was "the best foot for foot hull ever built" a proud Don announced those days.
Lars.
D.S.


It's also the foundation of most of the great offshore V bottoms, Like Powerplay, Cobra, etc..

Thank you for the great information, guys - especially Lars. I have to presume that the one I am buying is just the sport model edition, but I am guessing that it is extremely well built. I will have to check out the possible rockers. I am not looking forward to pulling it back through Dallas on my way home to Denison with roughly 43' and 13,000lbs of boat and trailer behind me - :eek:. I wish the trailer were set up for goose neck since the truck I bought has it built in - I would feel a little better about pulling it. Having the 540s with Stellings headers and TRS drives, I am hoping for at least the 68MPH that Jim said it will do. I did notice that there are no nose cones on the drives so I will be installing a set. Bill

[BlownCrewCab]

Wow, Your going to have almost one of every kick azz boat in Kick azz boat History, Not many people have ever done that, enjoy them, This makes you kinda special. I'll Give you a hug (but thats about it:)) Your one lucky guy....Wow

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Wow, Your going to have almost one of every kick azz boat in Kick azz boat History, Not many people have ever done that, enjoy them, This makes you kinda special. I'll Give you a hug (but thats about it:)) Your one lucky guy....Wow

:thumbsup: I don't feel particularly special, but I'd give you a hug anyway - lol. In the case of this 36', I just could not turn it down. It is more boat than I will likely want, but you only live once so I thought I would give it a shot. Bill

[Cig35Mistress]

Bill:

Good luck with the 36' - I was contemplating it, but I've been down that road before. Attached are pics of my 35' Mistress that I purchased as a running boat, and then tore apart with delusions of grandeur! Which explains where your SSM #2 and TRS gimbal housing came from! Wound up selling her to a gentleman on the west coast of Florida who was going to install outboards :bonk::bonk::bonk:Last I spoke to him, he hadn't done anything to it, and asked me to sell it for him. Same color scheme, the original Aronow signature black and red with white tops and bottoms.

Hope all is well,

Harry

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Bill:

Good luck with the 36' - I was contemplating it, but I've been down that road before. Attached are pics of my 35' Mistress that I purchased as a running boat, and then tore apart with delusions of grandeur! Which explains where your SSM #2 and TRS gimbal housing came from! Wound up selling her to a gentleman on the west coast of Florida who was going to install outboards :bonk::bonk::bonk:Last I spoke to him, he hadn't done anything to it, and asked me to sell it for him. Same color scheme, the original Aronow signature black and red with white tops and bottoms.

Hope all is well,

Harry

Harry,
I hope mine will look as good as yours did. Did your 35' originally come with the front vents and forward deck fill? It looks like that trailer was pushing the weight capabilities - maybe the camera making the trailer look low in the center. What speeds did you get and with what power before you stripped it down? Out of curiosity, what is the man trying to get for the boat?
I just found out this evening that the seller of my 36' will be shipping it to me, but I will still be driving down for the trailer and to take a quick ride/inspection. Thankfully, I will not have to pull it with the boat on the trailer - :wink:. I was really dreading that drive. Bill

[Cig35Mistress]

Bill,

The 35' Mistress flat decks and 35' Awesome raised decks all came with the vents in the bow. They were originally an Attwood plastic style, and I replaced them with the polished stainless vents in the photos. The bow fill was for a small tank under the forward cabin berth, I never used it as there was a leak somewhere, and it was more trouble than it was worth to fix it at the time.

The boat looks like its killing the trailer because the center of the weight was moved considerably far forward, as there are no engines, transmissions or drives aft to counter balance it. The trailer was custom fit to the boat, purchased in '03/'04 and towed flawlessly. If it's been wet six times, that's a stretch. I pulled it with my H2 - braking was a little hinky, but overall not too bad if you stayed relatively slow.

With 454/400 Cyclones, BW 72C transmissions, and SSM #2 drives, the best I saw was about 57 MPH. The boat is a brick. Yours will be too :wink: They need LOTS of power to run fast as they are very, very heavy boats.

The boat had fresh Jet Black Awlgrip sprayed on the sides, the boot stripe was Vivid Red Awlgrip, the topsides and bottom were Stark White Awlgrip, and the engine compartment was Bright Poppy Awlgrip. Cockpit interior has one season on it, cabin interior was brand new, floors were solid, basically just needed a complete re-rig to your specs. I'm advertising it for him at $18,500 including the trailer, a set of K-Planes with pumps and a billet Mayfair dual throttle/dual shifter anodized control box.

Harry

[Cig35Mistress]

For what it's worth, here's another 36' Widebody in Florida . . .

http://miami.craigslist.org/mdc/boa/1293566115.html

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Bill,

The 35' Mistress flat decks and 35' Awesome raised decks all came with the vents in the bow. They were originally an Attwood plastic style, and I replaced them with the polished stainless vents in the photos. The bow fill was for a small tank under the forward cabin berth, I never used it as there was a leak somewhere, and it was more trouble than it was worth to fix it at the time.

The boat looks like its killing the trailer because the center of the weight was moved considerably far forward, as there are no engines, transmissions or drives aft to counter balance it. The trailer was custom fit to the boat, purchased in '03/'04 and towed flawlessly. If it's been wet six times, that's a stretch. I pulled it with my H2 - braking was a little hinky, but overall not too bad if you stayed relatively slow.

With 454/400 Cyclones, BW 72C transmissions, and SSM #2 drives, the best I saw was about 57 MPH. The boat is a brick. Yours will be too :wink: They need LOTS of power to run fast as they are very, very heavy boats.

The boat had fresh Jet Black Awlgrip sprayed on the sides, the boot stripe was Vivid Red Awlgrip, the topsides and bottom were Stark White Awlgrip, and the engine compartment was Bright Poppy Awlgrip. Cockpit interior has one season on it, cabin interior was brand new, floors were solid, basically just needed a complete re-rig to your specs. I'm advertising it for him at $18,500 including the trailer, a set of K-Planes with pumps and a billet Mayfair dual throttle/dual shifter anodized control box.

Harry

Harry,
Thanks for all the information. After closer inspection of the pictures of the 36' I am buying, I see what look like vents in the front painted black and a filler on the bow deck like yours. I have heard they weigh 10,000lbs+, but I don't know the true weight. I will be happy with 68MPH since I have no plans for bigger engines, but I do think I might get it over 70 with some tweaking. Bill

[Cig35Mistress]

Bill:

I hate to be a killjoy, I don't see that boat doing 68 in its current setup . . . seems a little rich given the weight, age, moisture content in the transom and stringers due to its age, etc.

Bring a GPS with you on your sea trial - I'd be very curious to know what she does.

My boat ran terrific at about 3600 RPM in the mid to high 40's. Anything over that RPM and it really didn't make much of a difference except in fuel consumption!

BTW, have you spoken with Orlando about swapping the Speedmasters? I haven't heard anything from him yet.

Good luck,

Harry

[HIGH LIFE]

Cig35, How do you think it would run w/3 Merc 300X on a bracket ? Any weight figures, w/o power ? I'm also working on a 27' MAGNUM SEDAN w/ twin 300X, app. speeds 71 GPS so far. Where is this boat located ? email to mspirito2019@comcast.net , Thanks, Michael "HIGH LIFE"

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Bill:

I hate to be a killjoy, I don't see that boat doing 68 in its current setup . . . seems a little rich given the weight, age, moisture content in the transom and stringers due to its age, etc.

Bring a GPS with you on your sea trial - I'd be very curious to know what she does.

My boat ran terrific at about 3600 RPM in the mid to high 40's. Anything over that RPM and it really didn't make much of a difference except in fuel consumption!

BTW, have you spoken with Orlando about swapping the Speedmasters? I haven't heard anything from him yet.

Good luck,

Harry

Harry,
If your 35' was doing 57MPH with twin 400HP engines, I can easily see 68 with twin 600HP engines. I might be optimistic with what the seller has told me, but he seems to be a straight shooter. I will see soon enough.
Nope, I have not heard a word from Orlando about swapping the SSM2s. Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

My wife calls the 1996 GMC crew cab dually with the 454 "T-Rex" - lol. It has a great ride compared to what I expected, and everything works. It will be my big boat puller from now on. Check out the difference compared to my 2001 Tundra (which I really like). Ironically, they both have 100,000 miles+or-. The long wheel base of the GMC makes a big difference on the road - so far I really like it, but the 10MPG is hard to accept. Bill

[Cig35Mistress]

If memory serves, the 36' was a wider, heavier boat too, so keep that in mind. You have to account for parasitic loss due to the transmissions and the TRS drives also. At any rate, and my only point was that it takes LOTS of power to make these old sleds break 65-70!

By comparison, my uncle has a 1990 31' Bullet, that he bought stock with 454/365 Magnums/Bravo Ones and it ran 67. His oldest son took the boat and redid it from head to toe, (even though it was flawless and only had 46 original hours) he built the motors out to 468 cubic inches, installed aluminum Brodix heads and intakes, the best of the best, and they made 631HP on the dyno. He bought Hydromotive props that were cupped and balanced, dialed it all in and the boat only ran 77. This is a considerably lighter, flightier boat than the 36', without the parasitic loss from the transmissions and the TRS drives.

Again, best of luck, I'm sure it will be a fun toy. Keep us posted!

Harry

[Cig35Mistress]

HIGHLIFE:

Outboards are not my specialty by any stretch!

There was a 35' Mistress for sale in Miami that had outboards, but just a pair if memory serves. Check Boat Trader online, I think it's still available. Maybe that owner would be able to give you some wisdom.

Harry

[Conquistador_del_mar]

If memory serves, the 36' was a wider, heavier boat too, so keep that in mind. You have to account for parasitic loss due to the transmissions and the TRS drives also. At any rate, and my only point was that it takes LOTS of power to make these old sleds break 65-70!

By comparison, my uncle has a 1990 31' Bullet, that he bought stock with 454/365 Magnums/Bravo Ones and it ran 67. His oldest son took the boat and redid it from head to toe, (even though it was flawless and only had 46 original hours) he built the motors out to 468 cubic inches, installed aluminum Brodix heads and intakes, the best of the best, and they made 631HP on the dyno. He bought Hydromotive props that were cupped and balanced, dialed it all in and the boat only ran 77. This is a considerably lighter, flightier boat than the 36', without the parasitic loss from the transmissions and the TRS drives.

Again, best of luck, I'm sure it will be a fun toy. Keep us posted!

Harry

As a followup on the speed, I talked for a while with Jim, the seller, today. The engines made 630HP on the dyno, and he told me the boat will do 65/66MPH any day on the GPS, but that he had it to 68 on a colder day in the winter. He is running Hydromotive QIVs on it right now. I mentioned to him that I will be installing nose cones which might get it past 70. I will have to wait and see. Nothing that fast, but it is one big and heavy boat to be pushing. :yes: Bill

[Cig35Mistress]

Bill:

That was my point, it is a big, heavy old beast!

I think I found a perfect 35' Mistress for me to use my 496 stroker motors in - basically my identical old boat, but a few years newer, complete minus power. Still has TRS drives, BW trannies and all the accessories, so I could just drop my long blocks in and go.

The owner may even have an interest in trading for my 26' Corsa.

Good luck with yours!

Harry

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Tomorrow, my wife and I will drive to Austin to consumate the purchase of the Cigarette. Jim has it ready for us to test drive, and he cleaned it up for us. He took a week vacation in Minnesota last week so it was delayed a little. We will be driving the trailer back with us behind the 1996 GMC 1 ton dually, and the shipper will pick up the boat and deliver it either Friday or Saturday at my local marina right down the street from my business where I will meet him and load it on the trailer. Jim agreed to have it delivered since the boat is one foot wider than is techically legal to trailer without permits, and I was concerned about pulling it through the Dallas area on our way back up here to north Texas. It weighs somewhere around 10,000lbs. I am excited about it! :thumbsup: Wish us luck. :crossfing: Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

The Cigarette deal worked out great. It is now resting in a 12x60' stall after making the trip from Austin today. The 540s sure make some serious noise through the Stellings headers. It drives and runs like a dream. Thanks, Jim! You are one of the best sellers I ever hope to run into. I hope Lake Travis gets the much needed water soon. Bill

[lars]

:yes:She found a sweet home. Congratulations Bill, glad that You had a great experience. There's nothing like the warm feeling of respect between past and new owner when a boat like this gets passed on. Look forward to photos of her in the water.

Cheers, Lars :beer:

[Conquistador_del_mar]

:yes:She found a sweet home. Congratulations Bill, glad that You had a great experience. There's nothing like the warm feeling of respect between past and new owner when a boat like this gets passed on. Look forward to photos of her in the water.

Cheers, Lars :beer:

Thanks, Lars. Jim and I had become friends online after I had tried to find someone here on the Donzi site who might buy the boat that I thought sounded like such a good deal. He is just as nice a guy in person as online. He wanted me to have it after finding out that I like to do restorations since he wants to see it brought back to its "glory days" so he dropped the price to the point that he was pretty sure I would buy it. Right now he has one 7 year old girl, but he and his wife are trying to adopt another child after discovering that they can not have more children. The Cigarette does not work well as their family boat is the reason they sold it. I will post pictures when I can get around to working on it. If anyone cares about keeping track of older Cigarettes, this is CRT360240378 so I have to presume it is the 24th 36' made in March, 1978. Jim had been able to track it back to Michigan as the probable original ownership state. Bill

[BUIZILLA]

cool story.. :yes:

[smidgen too]

Thanks, Lars. Jim and I had become friends online after I had tried to find someone here on the Donzi site who might buy the boat that I thought sounded like such a good deal. He is just as nice a guy in person as online. He wanted me to have it after finding out that I like to do restorations since he wants to see it brought back to its "glory days" so he dropped the price to the point that he was pretty sure I would buy it. Right now he has one 7 year old girl, but he and his wife are trying to adopt another child after discovering that they can not have more children. The Cigarette does not work well as their family boat is the reason they sold it. I will post pictures when I can get around to working on it. If anyone cares about keeping track of older Cigarettes, this is CRT360240378 so I have to presume it is the 24th 36' made in March, 1978. Jim had been able to track it back to Michigan as the probable original ownership state. Bill
From Michigan ? Was the hull gray at one time ?? There was a gray 36' back in the late 70's here. A Cool Cig,:worthy: and my friends think I'm a boat nut !! :nilly:Mark

[olredalert]

------I dont think you are a boat nut,,,,,I know so!!!:bonk::bonk::bonk:. Have you found a good sending unit yet???..........Mr.Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

From Michigan ? Was the hull gray at one time ?? There was a gray 36' back in the late 70's here. A Cool Cig,:worthy: and my friends think I'm a boat nut !! :nilly:Mark

Mark,
I will try to find a place in the black with some damage to find the original color. I know that Jim had it painted with black Imron, but I don't think he told me the original color or if it was originally black. It has extra side fuel tanks that he never used if that rings a bell. All I had a chance to do with it today was to change the drive fluids and open it up to let it air out. Yes, you are a boat nut - I thought everyone on this site fell in that catagory - lol. Bill

[smidgen too]

------I dont think you are a boat nut,,,,,I know so!!!:bonk::bonk::bonk:. Have you found a good sending unit yet???..........Mr.Bill
No not yet on the sender, I went to Woodward with the yellow Vette :convertib: left the 59 at home.

[Schnook]

We were driving to San Antonio friday afternoon and passed what I believe was your cig headed north just before the 35 split. The wife asked why my head whipped around and I said, "I know that boat!"
She looked at me funny. :)

[ghiafreak62]

What time was that? we where hauling a 460 DA from lake Travis to Grand lake in N.E. Okla on friday, thought we saw a cig in front of us right before Texas took us out into the weeds, we where 15'4" tall. BTW does anyone on the forum boat on Travis? we had a hell of a time water loading that baby, we hauled it out at Ericken Marine, I found a 18 or 22 in the rack storage but the kid there didn't know who owned it.

[Conquistador_del_mar]

We were driving to San Antonio friday afternoon and passed what I believe was your cig headed north just before the 35 split. The wife asked why my head whipped around and I said, "I know that boat!"
She looked at me funny. :)

That was probably it. The hauler had a brand new triple axle aluminum trailer that he used to haul it up here behind his F250. He would have been headed north on 35 until Dallas where he would have been on 75. Cool that you saw it. Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

What time was that? we where hauling a 460 DA from lake Travis to Grand lake in N.E. Okla on friday, thought we saw a cig in front of us right before Texas took us out into the weeds, we where 15'4" tall. BTW does anyone on the forum boat on Travis? we had a hell of a time water loading that baby, we hauled it out at Ericken Marine, I found a 18 or 22 in the rack storage but the kid there didn't know who owned it.

Jim had the Cigarette loaded there at Eriksen Marine by a WWII truck that had to back out into the lake first to load it on a trailer and then a Travel lift loaded it on to the hauler trailer. The ramp at his marina was not functional with the low water level. This cost him an extra $500 just because the lake level is so low. Bill

[Schnook]

That was probably it. The hauler had a brand new triple axle aluminum trailer that he used to haul it up here behind his F250. He would have been headed north on 35 until Dallas where he would have been on 75. Cool that you saw it. Bill
I really only noticed it because of your excellent tast in color combos :biggrin.:

[ghiafreak62]

Bill, That's how we loaded the 460 out on thursday, Grant was bitching that he only charges 15.00 a foot, I have pics if you want to see them and Grant is going to send me the ones he took from the shore, I had to drive the boat on the trailer so I have the pics from on the boat, we transport a lot of boats out and to Texhoma are you at lowes?

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Bill, That's how we loaded the 460 out on thursday, Grant was bitching that he only charges 15.00 a foot, I have pics if you want to see them and Grant is going to send me the ones he took from the shore, I had to drive the boat on the trailer so I have the pics from on the boat, we transport a lot of boats out and to Texhoma are you at lowes?

Yep, I am right up the street from what is now called Highport Marina after the Loe's got in serious federal legal trouble and had to give it up a few years ago. I heard it was $15/ft which Jim, the seller, thought was high compared to California rates. I have to say that $540 for a little over an hour of work seems high. I would like to see some pictures if you get a chance since I was not there to see their operation. Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

I really only noticed it because of your excellent tast in color combos :biggrin.:

Ah-ha. I see the similarities. What model is yours? There is a black 28ZX for sale right down the street from my business. If anyone wants me to check the price, let me know. Bill

[jimishooch]

ericksen is not the only game in town on lake travis with historic low water levels. lakeway marina ramp is still open and is free. hearst harbor yacht club ramp is open for a fee (not by the foot).
the 18 or 22 in dry stack could of been grant's sweet 16 if he still has it.
jim

[ghiafreak62]

Bill send me your email and I'll send you the pics. Dan

ghiafreak62@hotmail.com


I guess Lowes will allways be Lowes though, LOL

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Bill send me your email and I'll send you the pics. Dan

ghiafreak62@hotmail.com


I guess Lowes will allways be Lowes though, LOL

Dan,
I will send you an email. Yep, even at least half the locals still call it Loe's even though it has now been about 12 years since they had to give it up. Bill

[ghiafreak62]

Bill, how is the cig?

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Bill, how is the cig?

I have not even run it yet after it made the trip. I want to do some maintenance and repairs before I run it this next month or so before I really get on it this winter. This week I will be pulling off the TRS drives to install the Hydromotive nose cones which I ordered along with replacing two trim indicator Morse 33C cables. I am trying to get a gameplan on what all I want to do in terms of restoring it. This is all in addition to continuing to restore a Magnum 27' sport. I think the nose cones are mandatory since the previous owner, Jim, was hitting the magic 60+MPH which is where the TRS starts to produce prop blowout. I might be wrong, but my experience tells me that this boat will do in excess of 70MPH with some inexpensive changes. I am still in awe at the size of it as it sits in one of my 12'x60' boat stalls! I will make a progress report after I have run it. Bill

[MR MAGOO]

I have not even run it yet after it made the trip. I want to do some maintenance and repairs before I run it this next month or so before I really get on it this winter. This week I will be pulling off the TRS drives to install the Hydromotive nose cones which I ordered along with replacing two trim indicator Morse 33C cables. I am trying to get a gameplan on what all I want to do in terms of restoring it. This is all in addition to continuing to restore a Magnum 27' sport. I think the nose cones are mandatory since the previous owner, Jim, was hitting the magic 60+MPH which is where the TRS starts to produce prop blowout. I might be wrong, but my experience tells me that this boat will do in excess of 70MPH with some inexpensive changes. I am still in awe at the size of it as it sits in one of my 12'x60' boat stalls! I will make a progress report after I have run it. Bill

-For what it's worth, I've owned many TRS boats over the years, some with very big power. I've found the stock TRS case is good to 80mph or so. I'd concentrate the efforts elsewhere.

By the way, VERY COOL BOAT!!!!! Congrats!:kingme:

Kurt

[smidgen too]

If anyone wants to have a widebody 36' this one on ebay now.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cigarette-offshore-CRT_W0QQitemZ270447149685QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPower_ Motorboats?hash=item3ef7e80275&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245
I have seen this one on Lake St Clair some time ago, it night be had for a good price ???????? Bill you can't have all the fun !:nilly:

[Conquistador_del_mar]

-For what it's worth, I've owned many TRS boats over the years, some with very big power. I've found the stock TRS case is good to 80mph or so. I'd concentrate the efforts elsewhere.

By the way, VERY COOL BOAT!!!!! Congrats!:kingme:

Kurt

Thanks, Kurt. Have you tried installing nose cones on any of the drives you have had to see if there was a difference? I first starting installing them when the 24' Excaliburs with TRS drives would blow out and skip sideways at 65MPH. I also had the same success with a 20' Cigarette with a BBC and TRS drive. I don't think I will be wasting my time by installing them since I have to remove them to service the u joints and paint them anyway - along with checking alignment and boots. I hope to know if there is any appreciable difference within the month. Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

If anyone wants to have a widebody 36' this one on ebay now.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cigarette-offshore-CRT_W0QQitemZ270447149685QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPower_ Motorboats?hash=item3ef7e80275&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245
I have seen this one on Lake St Clair some time ago, it night be had for a good price ???????? Bill you can't have all the fun !:nilly:

Got to love the teak in the cabin and cockpit floor - even if it might not be practical. I will watch the auction to see if it meets reserve. Thanks, Bill

[smidgen too]

Thanks, Kurt. Have you tried installing nose cones on any of the drives you have had to see if there was a difference? I first starting installing them when the 24' Excaliburs with TRS drives would blow out and skip sideways at 65MPH. I also had the same success with a 20' Cigarette with a BBC and TRS drive. I don't think I will be wasting my time by installing them since I have to remove them to service the u joints and paint them anyway - along with checking alignment and boots. I hope to know if there is any appreciable difference within the month. Bill

Bill I have a set of TRS drives with nose cones, I tried them on my old 29' Mirage that raced sorry to say I did not see any speed gain. :confused:

[olredalert]

------Mark,,,Do you think that Cig is quiet??? He needed a wide-body just to squeeze those mufflers in there. Pretty cool boat though!!!.........Mr.Bill

[smidgen too]

------Mark,,,Do you think that Cig is quiet??? He needed a wide-body just to squeeze those mufflers in there. Pretty cool boat though!!!.........Mr.Bill


Ya Think !!!!!!:yes:

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Bill I have a set of TRS drives with nose cones, I tried them on my old 29' Mirage that raced sorry to say I did not see any speed gain. :confused:

Mark,
That news comes as a surprise. I am now officially bummed since the nose cones came in today - :bonk:
I am still going to proceed as if I had not heard that I might be wasting my time - onwards! Bill

[smidgen too]

Mark,
That news comes as a surprise. I am now officially bummed since the nose cones came in today - :bonk:
I am still going to proceed as if I had not heard that I might be wasting my time - onwards! Bill

Bill I did the test back around 1988 using Merc TRS cleaver props. With todays props you may find more speed ????????

[superhatz]

If anyone wants to have a widebody 36' this one on ebay now.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cigarette-offshore-CRT_W0QQitemZ270447149685QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPower_ Motorboats?hash=item3ef7e80275&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245
I have seen this one on Lake St Clair some time ago, it night be had for a good price ???????? Bill you can't have all the fun !:nilly:

That's a cool 36 on Ebay....nice and old school. You could order those later 36s with CAT 3208 diesels and #3 Speedmasters.....that would be sweet if you ask me....:yes:

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Bill I did the test back around 1988 using Merc TRS cleaver props. With todays props you may find more speed ????????

Mark,
The one I bought has counter rotating Hydromotive QIVs (out of the box), but only 22 pitch. I asked Jim if he had tried a slightly higher pitch to bring the RPMs down to less than 5400/5500, and he said he wanted the drives not to be lugged down too much. Make sense? It has the BAM trannies (at least the STB one) so that should not be a problem, and I would think the drives would handle the 630HP. I might try some slightly higher pitch props eventually - first I will see if the nose cones change the bite by increasing the speed. Any thoughts?


That's a cool 36 on Ebay....nice and old school. You could order those later 36s with CAT 3208 diesels and #3 Speedmasters.....that would be sweet if you ask me....:yes:

Aaron,
That does sound highly cool.
Out of curiosity, have you or anyone else asked his reserve price, ? Do you recognize the trim indicators on the upper right of the dash? I will be needing to either restore mine or get a new one since mine has the same one. Mine will need a major overhaul of the entire dash for that matter. :nilly: Bill

[smidgen too]

[The one I bought has counter rotating Hydromotive QIVs (out of the box), but only 22 pitch. I asked Jim if he had tried a slightly higher pitch to bring the RPMs down to less than 5400/5500, and he said he wanted the drives not to be lugged down too much. Make sense? It has the BAM trannies (at least the STB one) so that should not be a problem, and I would think the drives would handle the 630HP. I might try some slightly higher pitch props eventually - first I will see if the nose cones change the bite by increasing the speed. Any thoughts]

Bill I ran those same props on my old 38' Kv Scarab, [without nose cones] with 400-hp @ 5100rpm, great props. But this Scarab would only run 56mph at best, I had the Trs trans so I never tried to push her any harder as they are the weak link. These heavy boats are just hard to get past 60mph, you on the right track to find the right combo to make 70+ happen.

[superhatz]

Bill, the switches are Bluewater....maybe the indicators are too?....Mark?

[smidgen too]

Bill, the switches are Bluewater....maybe the indicators are too?....Mark?
I cant remember for sure:boggled: but I think your right,, Bluewater...

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Bill, the switches are Bluewater....maybe the indicators are too?....Mark?


I cant remember for sure:boggled: but I think your right,, Bluewater...

Thanks, guys. I took a good look at the panel this afternoon, and it looks like it will restore fairly easily. It has the drive and trim tab switches along with the indicators all in the panel, and everything works except a couple 33C cables that need replacing. I did not see a manufacturer name on it, however. Besides a nice Ritchie compass and a nice set of throttle/shifters (both of which need some TLC), I believe the indicator panel will be the only other dash hardware I will keep in restoring the dash. Actually, the ss steering wheel is also fine. Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

If anyone wants to have a widebody 36' this one on ebay now.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cigarette-offshore-CRT_W0QQitemZ270447149685QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPower_ Motorboats?hash=item3ef7e80275&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245
I have seen this one on Lake St Clair some time ago, it night be had for a good price ???????? Bill you can't have all the fun !:nilly:

I just got an email back from the seller - a little over $20,000 is the reserve. He was not exact on the figure - just thought I would pass it along. Bill

[smidgen too]

If anyone wants to have a widebody 36' this one on ebay now.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Cigarette-offshore-CRT_W0QQitemZ270447149685QQcmdZViewItemQQptZPower_ Motorboats?hash=item3ef7e80275&_trksid=p4506.c0.m245
I have seen this one on Lake St Clair some time ago, it night be had for a good price ???????? Bill you can't have all the fun !:nilly:

Tuff times, bidding has ended,, 0 bids :shocking:

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Tuff times, bidding has ended,, 0 bids :shocking:

Mark,
I followed that auction and was a little surprised that there was not any interest in it - at least up to the mid teens. Guys like myself can't be that rare? ............ Well, maybe - lol. Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Yesterday I rolled an A frame around to the stall with the Cigarette and removed the two TRS drives which I loaded on the tailgate of my truck to take to my shop. It was extremely easy and everything looked good - no water intrusion and the U joints are good. Today, I started installing the new nose cones and sanding the drives for paint. I want to freshen up the transom before I reinstall the drives in a week or so, and then take it out for a run to see if I gain anything. I have already had two people express an interest in the boat - it had been for sale for a long time before I bought it - go figure. Onwards, Bill

[farmer tx]

Any pics of the refinished drives?:smash:

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Any pics of the refinished drives?:smash:

Mark,
I think I will have them painted by Wednesday if everything works out right. I am working on getting the upper portions ready for paint. The lower feet with the nose cones are done and primered. I got sidelined by working on a 20' Wellcraft that I had bought. Too many projects going - lol. Busy weekend here at Lake Texoma. Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Any pics of the refinished drives?:smash:

Mark,
Here you go. They were primered with an epoxy primer and painted with 99U black Imron. They are far from perfect, but the lower foot sections are pretty good. I spent most of my time trying to get the lower sections with the nose cones straight and true. I am thinking that I will also paint the transom assemblies before reinstalling the drives so at least that work is done. I also discovered that there were no trim compensator plates so I got a couple of the type with no trim tab (flat anodizer plates) to install. I don't know for sure, but my thinking is that there could have been some disturbance of the water flow to the props without the plates - including possible air flow from the hole that goes to the top of the drive over the prop through the cavitation plate. Onwards, Bill

[farmer tx]

Those really look nice Bill! Also the nosecone fairing job is first rate, those are hard to get perfect. You may be right on the cavitation tab, can't believe both were missing. I think I would rather have the flat anode than the finned one. Looks like it's comming along nicely.

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Those really look nice Bill! Also the nosecone fairing job is first rate, those are hard to get perfect. You may be right on the cavitation tab, can't believe both were missing. I think I would rather have the flat anode than the finned one. Looks like it's comming along nicely.

Mark,
I have been spread a little thin on all the things I am trying to get done. Thanks for the :thumbsup:. Here is a much better picture I took this afternoon.

[farmer tx]

:angryfire::worthy:
Mark,
I have been spread a little thin on all the things I am trying to get done. Thanks for the :thumbsup:. Here is a much better picture I took this afternoon.

:angryfire::worthy:

[lars]

Hallo there Bill, sorry for asking You on this thread, but kind of like this and since You have a 1985 kevlar You might now what the scoop is on this 1981 by TPSCO? Not many type of boats made of Kevlar 49 in 1981, so I imagine that this is not of Your boats caliber, but what's behind the " By TPSCO" label?

P.S. Do You have some shots of Your Daytona to share Bill? :drool: D.S.

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Hallo there Bill, sorry for asking You on this thread, but kind of like this and since You have a 1985 kevlar You might now what the scoop is on this 1981 by TPSCO? Not many type of boats made of Kevlar 49 in 1981, so I imagine that this is not of Your boats caliber, but what's behind the " By TPSCO" label?

P.S. Do You have some shots of Your Daytona to share Bill? :drool: D.S.

I tried to find out what the TPSCO was all about, but I struck out. My 1985 does not have that on the dash - mine says "Limited Edition - 23 Daytona Offshore" only. The one on Ebay is the same deck and hull with some variation in the gelcoat scheme. Mine also originally came with the same drive system - the 280 trimmable Volvo Penta, but I changed over to Bravo when I found it would not handle the power. I have never seen trim tabs on a tunnel hull Eliminator, and I have to question their effectiveness. Here are some shots I took this afternoon of mine. Let me know if you get the one on Ebay. You would probably be very pleased with the ride and handling. I had mine out at Possum Kingdom with the Donzi group yesterday - lots of fun and great guys! Bill

I should add that the trailer is almost certainly a Competitive Trailer (same as mine) made in California - very nice trailers with filler plates added and finish work at the welds.

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Here is the transom of the Cigarette showing that it needs some serious attention. Hopefully, it won't take too long to get it looking good. The only thing not working properly is the left drive trim coming in - going out worked right. I will be doing some filling, gelcoating, painting, and replacing some of the parts. The drives are ready to be installed. I keep forgetting to show the transom before any real work is done, so......... Onwards, Bill

This stall is 12' wide so it shows how huge this boat really is. My 6' ladder will not get me into the boat so the ladder in the picture is a 10'.

[lars]

Thanks for Your comments Bill. Really like Your Daytona, it's immaculate! The one on eBay is getting closer to $10K so I gonna pass even though it's in very nice condition. If it was upgraded mechanicly I would have been more tempted and somehow it's a little flashy, kind of like the colors on Yours a lot better, more understated and timeless.
Good to see You're staying busy with the Cig. It's one intimidating boat for sure, freaking imposing. Love it! :D

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Thanks for Your comments Bill. Really like Your Daytona, it's immaculate! The one on eBay is getting closer to $10K so I gonna pass even though it's in very nice condition. If it was upgraded mechanicly I would have been more tempted and somehow it's a little flashy, kind of like the colors on Yours a lot better, more understated and timeless.
Good to see You're staying busy with the Cig. It's one intimidating boat for sure, freaking imposing. Love it! :D

Lars,
Needless to say, I am interested in what the one on Ebay brings to help gauge what mine might be worth - not that I plan on selling mine. Thanks for the :thumbsup: on mine. It is a boat that means a lot to me as it came from a good friend.
Yep, the 36' Cigarette is almost too much boat for little old me to tackle, but I will be giving it my all - lol. Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Lars,
Needless to say, I am interested in what the one on Ebay brings to help gauge what mine might be worth - not that I plan on selling mine. Thanks for the :thumbsup: on mine. It is a boat that means a lot to me as it came from a good friend.
Yep, the 36' Cigarette is almost too much boat for little old me to tackle, but I will be giving it my all - lol. Bill

The auction ended today at $10,601 - a little less than I would have guessed.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140346714470&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

[lars]

Nice buy for somebody. Got to agree that You can really get nice boats now for a token of what they should be worth in a normal situation. Well not to worry Bill, You got alot more engine, kevlar hull and Your boat is prestine, so this isn't much of an indication what Yours is worth. Since Your isn't leaving it's good home anytime soon, I think it's priceless :wink:

[Conquistador_del_mar]

I have been working on the transom "cleanup" of all the parts in preparation for painting the entire transom and all the parts. Today, I hope to determine which 4 drive rams (I have a choice of 6) I will be using so I can get them painted. I removed and filled the Mercathode system holes in the transom, repaired the bilge drain hole area, tightened all the bolts on the trim tabs, removed and cleaned the trim tab rams and the 4 drive rams, removed the four 33C cables used for indicators since I am replacing all of them, pulled the pitot tube hose and filled the mounting holes, gelcoated the lower section of the transom to fill old cracks and holes that were filled, etc. If we didn't have rain in our forcast for this entire upcoming week, I planned to get the entire transom and parts painted and parts reinstalled for a test run to see if I gained any speed from our initial run at Lake Travis about a month ago where it ran 65MPH. I will be trying a set of Hydromotive QIV 24s unless I can get a 23 RH to test a pair of 23s. The boat had a set of QIV 22s originally, but I did not like running the engines at 5400RPM and I think it might run faster now with the drives cleaned up and nose cones installed. I will post some pictures when I get it done. Onwards, Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

I am on the home stretch on the transom "cleanup". I removed the transducer and filled that hole, and I replaced the location for the pitot tube so the hose can come out where the trim indicator 33C cables come out on the starboard side. It is taking a while to get all the parts and transom prepped and primered for the black Imron. In the meantime, I am working on the wiring under the dash. Much of the wiring is great original wiring to the gauges, but many things were done over the years that need attention. For instance, I discovered that the fuel gauge was wired to power instead of going through the ignition switch so it would be on if the battery switch was on. Quite a few other wirings for accessories need to be revamped. Later, Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Time is getting away from me on this project, but I am finally getting somewhere. Today, I primer/sealed the entire transom and parts that will be painted with 99U black Imron. All the parts including the newly acquired ones are ready to be installed as soon as I paint it. The outdrives have been ready for quite a while. I polished any parts that had to be masked so that they will not have to be polished after painting, and I moved and removed a couple fittings, thereby filling some holes. I think the pictures will show the progression, but they won't show how black I got after quite a few hours of sanding black antifoul paint - lol. The pile of Morse 33C cables are the 86' of trim indicator cables that will be replaced with new ones. Onwards, Bill

[OFFSHORE GINGER]

Bill great thread went thru every page and i really like your choice of paint on the transom because any Imron with a U at the end of it has all the great stuff in it ( POISON'S ) and thats what makes it such good paint :wink: Skater white is 555-U .

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Bill great thread went thru every page and i really like your choice of paint on the transom because any Imron with a U at the end of it has all the great stuff in it ( POISON'S ) and thats what makes it such good paint :wink: Skater white is 555-U .

Thanks, Artie. From your pictures in your thread on the Skater, it sure looks like the white is not pure 555. Did you tone the bright white 555U down with something like yellow oxide? Just curious. Bill

[OFFSHORE GINGER]

Thanks, Artie. From your pictures in your thread on the Skater, it sure looks like the white is not pure 555. Did you tone the bright white 555U down with something like yellow oxide? Just curious. Bill Bill that is jell coat on the deck and it is pretty dirty .Bill Instead of using jell for doing repairs on an epoxy boat Skater started using Imron 555-U because jell will not cure properly on Epoxy because of the amines no matter how much catalyst is in the jell unless sprayed with a primer first called Dura Tec .

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Bill that is jell coat on the deck and it is pretty dirty .Bill Instead of using jell for doing repairs on an epoxy boat Skater started using Imron 555-U because jell will not cure properly on Epoxy because of the amines no matter how much catalyst is in the jell unless sprayed with a primer first called Dura Tec .

I had heard that it takes a primer to get the paint to adhere to epoxy resins, but I didn't know what primer until now. Not a problem for me unless I switch to epoxy resins. Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Well, I finally got the black Imron shot yesterday, but it was a little cool so I got a couple runs/sags. I will reshoot as soon as I can sand back the areas and prep the transom for another shot, but I will mask off the outdrive assemblies and trim tabs since they came out so good. Onwards, Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Bill, the switches are Bluewater....maybe the indicators are too?....Mark?


I cant remember for sure:boggled: but I think your right,, Bluewater...

I forgot to mention that when I was under the dash disconnecting the indicator cables, I saw that the panel is indeed a Bluewater. Apparently, they are still in business, but the new panels are fairly different now. Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Well, I finally got the black Imron shot yesterday, but it was a little cool so I got a couple runs/sags. I will reshoot as soon as I can sand back the areas and prep the transom for another shot, but I will mask off the outdrive assemblies and trim tabs since they came out so good. Onwards, Bill

The weather today was a great day to reshoot the transom with the other parts. Starting tomorrow, I will be putting it all back together. I will show a couple pictures when it is done. Onwards, Bill

[Cig35Mistress]

Bill,

Before you put the transom back together, do yourself a favor and pickup a quart of "Vivd Red" (Awlgrip color code) Imron, I'm sure the paint store can mix it up for you. Then, paint a 3" boottop stripe at the waterline where the black hull paint meets the white bottom, just like Aronow's original raceboat. I'll attach a photo of my 35' Mistress for reference. Makes for a great contrast!

EDIT: The forum will not let me post the same photos twice for some reason, so check them out earlier in this thread: http://www.donzi.net/forums/showpost.php?p=527642&postcount=10

Harry

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Harry,
The entire transom on this one down to the bottom of the hull will be black except for a few of the parts. There are so many black parts that I decided to make it all the same. I will show some pictures when it is all done. I can always make some color modifications later, but I want to get it out on the lake ASAP.
I plan to make a video of the boat running both at idle and running at speed. I don't know if the sound will come through, but the 540s sound awesome through the Stellings headers. I will use the tape over the microphone trick when running at speed like I read on the forum to help cut the wind noise but allow the engine sound. Onwards, Bill

[OFFSHORE GINGER]

Harry,
The entire transom on this one down to the bottom of the hull will be black except for a few of the parts. There are so many black parts that I decided to make it all the same. I will show some pictures when it is all done. I can always make some color modifications later, but I want to get it out on the lake ASAP.
I plan to make a video of the boat running both at idle and running at speed. I don't know if the sound will come through, but the 540s sound awesome through the Stellings headers. I will use the tape over the microphone trick when running at speed like I read on the forum to help cut the wind noise but allow the engine sound. Onwards, Bill So Bill just curious what kind of speeds are you l@@king for at WOT or do you already know ? Bill awsome boat and i have always loved old school boat's and so much class .

[Conquistador_del_mar]

So Bill just curious what kind of speeds are you l@@king for at WOT or do you already know ? Bill awsome boat and i have always loved old school boat's and so much class .

It has been running 65-68MPH. I am hoping to get 70 with the outdrive nose cones and clean up with paint and a change to Hydromotive 24P props from the 22s that were on it. I will soon see if there is any gain. :crossfing: Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Here is a lousy picture of the reworked transom on the Cigarette. It is not my best work, but it is acceptable. The only thing missing in this picture is that the flappers are now installed on the outwards exhausts, and my welder friend installed new triple axle teardrop fenders today. I will post a better picture as soon as I get it outside. I have finished the work and topped off all the fluids in the boat. I plan to take it out for a run this next Monday or Tuesday and post the results later. Yippee! Onwards, Bill

[BUIZILLA]

I would really like to see closeup pic's of that center exhaust setup...

[BlownCrewCab]

I would really like to see closeup pic's of that center exhaust setup...


It looks like a home made double wide flapper.......Did I win????

[Conquistador_del_mar]

I would really like to see closeup pic's of that center exhaust setup...
Here you go, Jim. Whoever did it made it almost look like an ordered part. The oval transom plate is perfectly made to fit the ports, and the flapper has a ss piece welded to the top of the ends of the ports where the flapper is mounted.


It looks like a home made double wide flapper.......Did I win????
Yes, the flapper is cut from 1/4" rubber and the exhausts were custom made. Since they are so close together, this was a logical adaptation using the Stellings exhaust ports.

[BUIZILLA]

if you could email me full resolution in and out pic's I would be very grateful

buick528 at aol.com

[Conquistador_del_mar]

if you could email me full resolution in and out pic's I would be very grateful

buick528 at aol.com

Jim,
Do you mean pictures from inside the transom also? These are as high a resolution as I saved them from the outside, but I could take some more if you need. Bill

[BUIZILLA]

Jim,
Do you mean pictures from inside the transom also? These are as high a resolution as I saved them from the outside, but I could take some more if you need. Bill inside would be GREAT... I have a plan... :smile:

[Conquistador_del_mar]

inside would be GREAT... I have a plan... :smile:

Jim,
I don't know if this helps since it is out of focus in the one picture, but it generally shows what was done. Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Since I had to replace all the cables to the Bluewater trim indicator panel, I figured I would go ahead and restore the panel since all the cables were already disconnected. I used a paint stripper that I bought at Walmart that claimed to be good for any paints and was supposed to be a super strength stripper - and it was! Very quickly, the paint lifted and I brushed off the old paint with a chip brush followed by cleaning it with lacquer thinner. I then sanded it back to a good aluminum surface and painted it with a cheap canned black by Krylon. I then sanded the lettering back to the aluminum (very time consuming) and clear coated it with an automotive clear with activator. Wrong! Don't do this. It was close to perfect until the black lifted (crinckled). It will have to be redone with a good base and then cleared again. I went ahead and installed it like this since I am planning on taking the boat out for a test run on Friday. Onwards, Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Today was to be the trial day of running the Cigarette. I had a couple friends join me to help load it and video tape some footage as we went for an hour or so cruise. It could not have been a better day with clear skies and a high around 74 degrees. The starboard engine fired right up and water was flowing like it should. The port engine also fired right up, but it had no water flowing so I shut it down. After a little diagnosis, I presumed the impeller was bad so we drove it back to my shop. By the time I had pulled the pump, it was dark. Sure enough, the impeller had broken up. Fortunately, all the pieces were either still at the pump or were at the entrance to the power steering cooler. A very disappointing afternoon, but it could have been worse - lol. No big deal - I will replace the impeller and pump tomorrow. Here are a couple pictures I took before we backed down the ramp. Bill

[OFFSHORE GINGER]

Bill , Awsome boat and please do not take this the wrong way . Bill i really feel that a we bit of of the old style Cig , graphics on the side of the hull would make the boat that much more appealing or should i say give it a little more pazzaz .

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Bill , Awsome boat and please do not take this the wrong way . Bill i really feel that a we bit of of the old style Cig , graphics on the side of the hull would make the boat that much more appealing or should i say give it a little more pazzaz .

Art,
Keep in mind that all I have done with the Cigarette at this point is to freshen up the transom and try to get on top of the mechanicals involved. I will have to figure out if I want to tackle the entire restoration or go another direction with the boat.
Yesterday, I replaced the impeller in the port engine water pump after making sure I got all the impeller fragments out of the system and also replaced one of the green stripe 1.25" hoses. I was glad to see that it was the newer style Mercruiser plastic pump housing. It is not easy getting myself in a position to do the work down low in the twin engine compartment that is crammed with huge oil coolers, Stellings headers, and hosing - having lost 35lbs this year has helped a bunch, though - :yes:. Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

After having the port engine impeller decide to disintigrate on the first attempted run, being rained out, hit with super cold weather, and other delays, I was finally able to run the Cigarette this afternoon for the first time since doing all the transom and drive work (in fact since buying it in Austin). It could not have gone much better - :yes:. A friend and I fired it at the ramp and shot a few videos with a camcorder which I will try to get loaded to youtube. We let the engines and oil temps warm up on the way out of the harbor and then got up on plane for a 45 minute+ cruise at 3500RPM doing 42MPH in some increasing wave conditions as a front was coming in - no problems. The boat handled great and the trim tabs came into play which the previous owner said he had never used. I was able to get it level at times and sometimes leaned it away from the approaching waves as conditions changed. All the gauges were reading perfect and the engines sounded great, but I waited until we were within a couple miles of getting back to the marina to go for the top speed in case a problem developed. The drives were set at the 2.5 out position on my indicators for the first attempt that ended with 64MPH and about 4800RPM. At first I thought I had over-propped it with the 24" Hydromotive Quad 4s from the 22s that the previous owner had on it. On my next and final run back to the marina, I trimmed it out to almost the 4 out position and it lit up. It was bouncing off the 70MPH mark on the Gaffrig speedometer and 5200RPM on this last run - needless to say, I was ecstatic - :nilly:. I think the boat has a little more speed in it if I dial in the drive angles with more practice, but overall I was extremely pleased with the performance today. All the time spent and pieces of the puzzle had come together. I also want to mention how wonderful the new ski goggles were. I had asked suggestions of eyewear here sometime back, and they eliminated any eye problems with the 80+MPH wind at the end of the run. Party time. Bill

[smidgen too]

After having the port engine impeller decide to disintigrate on the first attempted run, being rained out, hit with super cold weather, and other delays, I was finally able to run the Cigarette this afternoon for the first time since doing all the transom and drive work (in fact since buying it in Austin). It could not have gone much better - :yes:. A friend and I fired it at the ramp and shot a few videos with a camcorder which I will try to get loaded to youtube. We let the engines and oil temps warm up on the way out of the harbor and then got up on plane for a 45 minute+ cruise at 3500RPM doing 42MPH in some increasing wave conditions as a front was coming in - no problems. The boat handled great and the trim tabs came into play which the previous owner said he had never used. I was able to get it level at times and sometimes leaned it away from the approaching waves as conditions changed. All the gauges were reading perfect and the engines sounded great, but I waited until we were within a couple miles of getting back to the marina to go for the top speed in case a problem developed. The drives were set at the 2.5 out position on my indicators for the first attempt that ended with 64MPH and about 4800RPM. At first I thought I had over-propped it with the 24" Hydromotive Quad 4s from the 22s that the previous owner had on it. On my next and final run back to the marina, I trimmed it out to almost the 4 out position and it lit up. It was bouncing off the 70MPH mark on the Gaffrig speedometer and 5200RPM on this last run - needless to say, I was ecstatic - :nilly:. I think the boat has a little more speed in it if I dial in the drive angles with more practice, but overall I was extremely pleased with the performance today. All the time spent and pieces of the puzzle had come together. I also want to mention how wonderful the new ski goggles were. I had asked suggestions of eyewear here sometime back, and they eliminated any eye problems with the 80+MPH wind at the end of the run. Party time. Bill
Bill,, GREAT to here that you had a trouble free run, & 70mph. :yes::yes: Now you really have somthing to celebrate the New Year...:party:

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Bill,, GREAT to here that you had a trouble free run, & 70mph. :yes::yes: Now you really have somthing to celebrate the New Year...:party:

Thanks, Mark. It really was satisfying to finally run the beast and have it perform so well. I now have to figure out what I want to do with it. Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Since I finally got to run the boat on Monday, I decided it was time to winterize it yesterday. Wow! Lots of plumbing and tight quarters. 3 hours later, it was done. I will be double checking it today to make sure I didn't miss anything like one of the many coolers. It has been quite some time since I had to winterize a twin engine boat - I have a few bruises today to remind me of the acrobatics needed - lol. Bill

[HIGH LIFE]

Bill, Can you and Santa deliver on Christmas Eve to 02043 !!! Boat looks very good, glad you got good speeds also. "HIGH LIFE"

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Bill, Can you and Santa deliver on Christmas Eve to 02043 !!! Boat looks very good, glad you got good speeds also. "HIGH LIFE"

Thanks, Michael. No problem on delivery, but Santa might not want to give it up - lol. Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

I finally figured out how to get a video from my newest camcorder to Youtube. Check out the smile on my mug after just getting in from an hour long run and hitting the 70MPH mark. Bill

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvVBs12e_n4

[smidgen too]

I finally figured out how to get a video from my newest camcorder to Youtube. Check out the smile on my mug after just getting in from an hour long run and hitting the 70MPH mark. Bill

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvVBs12e_n4
Damn Bill I'm gelouse !!! She looks & sounds great. The water on my lake has ICE :frown: on it now. I have to wait 4 months before I can get back out.. :nilly::nilly:Mark

[superhatz]

Dang Bill....sounds healthy!!....:yes:

[Christian]

Great boat bill, looks familiar!!
please phone as i have some info on the models you wanted!
Chris
215.510.8007

[farmer tx]

Very nice Bill!! Glad to see you got it out. Those engines don't start making HP untill maybe 5500. I think there is some mph left.:yes:

[scippy]

Hey Bill, That smile says it all, now we'll be able to gauge what satisfaction the magnum brings ya!..............boat looks real nice!!!

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Damn Bill I'm gelouse !!! She looks & sounds great. The water on my lake has ICE :frown: on it now. I have to wait 4 months before I can get back out.. :nilly::nilly:Mark

Mark, ice is that cubed clear stuff we put in our iced tea. Your lake is full of those cubes? lol


Dang Bill....sounds healthy!!....:yes:

Aaron, the engines could not have run any better. They are not the most beautiful ones I have seen, but they were built right. There is still a chance that one of them might end up in the Magnum.


Great boat bill, looks familiar!!
please phone as i have some info on the models you wanted!
Chris
215.510.8007

Will do.


Very nice Bill!! Glad to see you got it out. Those engines don't start making HP untill maybe 5500. I think there is some mph left.:yes:

Mark, I originally wanted to try a set of 23 Hydromotives, but I did not find a RH so I settled on a set of 24s. By my calculations, a set of 23s would have to turn 5500 to beat 70MPH by only 1MPH. I might be better off to have the 24s tweaked a little. What do you think?


Hey Bill, That smile says it all, now we'll be able to gauge what satisfaction the magnum brings ya!..............boat looks real nice!!!

Thanks, Scippy. When I eventually get the 27 Magnum restored and running, you can bet my smile and inner satisfaction will be like a Cheshire cat. I am getting some other projects completed so I can return to the Magnum. Have you done much with yours yet? Bill

[Schnook]

Swimstep in your future?

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Swimstep in your future?

Nope. No need or good place for a swimstep. It would be easy to step up on the trim tabs or drives to get in. Some transom handles might come in handy though. Bill

[CHACHI]

Beautiful. Enjoy.

Ken

[OFFSHORE GINGER]

Bill l@@king g@@d and sounds great also and yes i did check out the smile on your face .:yes::yes::wink: Very cool .:shades:

[Schnook]

That is a beautiful boat. Sounds awesome, too.

[Donzi Vol]

Awesome! Kudos on the new venture and 70mph on the first run!

One question. What does the guy in the Tracker fishing boat say to the guy in the twin engine 36' Cig? I imagine he had some thoughts going through his head :eek:

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Awesome! Kudos on the new venture and 70mph on the first run!

One question. What does the guy in the Tracker fishing boat say to the guy in the twin engine 36' Cig? I imagine he had some thoughts going through his head :eek:

Funny you would mention that. I never noticed in the video, but my son-in-law said the guy in the fishing boat at the ramp stood up and looked when I revved the engines - probably wondering if I was going to put it in gear since it was pointed right at him. Thanks. Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Beautiful. Enjoy.

Ken


Bill l@@king g@@d and sounds great also and yes i did check out the smile on your face .:yes::yes::wink: Very cool .:shades:


That is a beautiful boat. Sounds awesome, too.

Thanks, guys. The real work is still ahead of me.

[gcarter]

Very, very well done Bill!

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Very, very well done Bill!

Thanks, George. Sometimes a gameplan works out like it was intended. So far, I have only gained 2MPH over the top speed the previous owner had ever attained, but that is good enough to keep me fired up on the project. Onwards, Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Bill:

Good luck with the 36' - I was contemplating it, but I've been down that road before. Attached are pics of my 35' Mistress that I purchased as a running boat, and then tore apart with delusions of grandeur! Which explains where your SSM #2 and TRS gimbal housing came from! Wound up selling her to a gentleman on the west coast of Florida who was going to install outboards :bonk::bonk::bonk:Last I spoke to him, he hadn't done anything to it, and asked me to sell it for him. Same color scheme, the original Aronow signature black and red with white tops and bottoms.

Hope all is well,

Harry

Harry,
Here is your old Cigarette on ebay. John, the seller, said he bought it over 7 years ago at an estate auction - correct? He also says the transom, stingers, and floor are solid? Bill

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370309597399&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

[OFFSHORE GINGER]

Harry,
Here is your old Cigarette on ebay. John, the seller, said he bought it over 7 years ago at an estate auction - correct? He also says the transom, stingers, and floor are solid? Bill

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370309597399&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT bill just curious was the location of that boat on the east coast at one time ?

[Conquistador_del_mar]

bill just curious was the location of that boat on the east coast at one time ?

Art,
Florida is all I know as far as its origin. Bill

[mrfixxall]

Bill i have a set of 26's if you want to try yhem!

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Bill i have a set of 26's if you want to try yhem!

Thanks, Mike. I am thinking the 24s might be right on the money - maybe a little more trim next trip out will really let them run. The engines picked up 400RPM and 6MPH just setting the drives a little farther out last outing, but I ran out of time for testing. Thanks again, Bill

[Cig35Mistress]

Bill:

Sorry, just getting around to checking the Donzi forum for the first time this year!

No, my 35' Mistress was never purchased at an estate auction. The boat was purchased by me, in Norwich, Connecticut circa May 2003. I used it that summer in Stuart, Florida and then warehoused it until selling it circa November 2007.

I quite honestly don't even remember if the guy I sold it to was named John or not. He was a general contractor from the St. Petersburg area, and was planning on re-rigging the boat with outboards.

Yes, the hull, stringers, transom, etc. were all solid as a rock.

Harry

[Conquistador_del_mar]

bill just curious was the location of that boat on the east coast at one time ?

I just realized that I answered as if it was the Magnum. The guy I bought it from was in California before moving to Austin, TX. I think he bought it in California. Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

I finished repainting the valve covers, installing new 110GPH mechanical fuel pumps with new hoses and pressure gauges, new impellers, new spark plug wires, etc. I have a long way to go before the engine compartment looks very good, but it is a start. The rest of the boat needs restoring, too. I think I will concentrate on my Magnum project for the time being with the Cigarette ready to run. Bill

[DirtyPearl]

Here is our restored 36 Wide Body

[DirtyPearl]

Here are some more

[jl1962]

Cool Paint!

[Sweet Cheekz]

Sweet Well done Bill
Cant wait to see that 27 get done.

Parnell

[scippy]

Sweet Well done Bill
Cant wait to see that 27 get done.

Parnell

P, Unless I'm wrong, I don't believe the 36 staggered cig is Bill's boat. In any case though, it is definately sweet!

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Sweet Well done Bill
Cant wait to see that 27 get done.

I will eventually get back on the Magnum.

Parnell


P, Unless I'm wrong, I don't believe the 36 staggered cig is Bill's boat. In any case though, it is definately sweet!

Yep, he did a great restoration modification that Cig. I think Parnell meant two sentences with complimenting him and mentioning my Magnum? Anyway, both are just sitting comfortably with no real work being done. I am about to install a new floor in the cockpit of the Cig, though. Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Here is our restored 36 Wide Body

Great work! Are you the man who was going to get in touch with me? Bill

[Sweet Cheekz]

Yep, he did a great restoration modification that Cig. I think Parnell meant two sentences with complimenting him and mentioning my Magnum? Anyway, both are just sitting comfortably with no real work being done. I am about to install a new floor in the cockpit of the Cig, though. Bill


Too true Bill
Fiberglass dust has finally broken down the walls of my brain:bonk:

I just love all restorations so much I get a little confused.
Parnell

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Here is our restored 36 Wide Body

Dirtypearl,
Are those #2 speedmaster TRS drives that are set fairly high? What power do the blower motors make? Does the boat break 100MPH? Just curious to hear more about it, Bill

[DirtyPearl]

The drives are # 4's on boxes. The Blower motors are between 850 to 900hp. They are going to the dyno this week, so I will know the real #'s. The boat has been radared with 900's at 108mph. We have it set up for P-4 so it tops out at 89-90 right now.

[Conquistador_del_mar]

The drives are # 4's on boxes. The Blower motors are between 850 to 900hp. They are going to the dyno this week, so I will know the real #'s. The boat has been radared with 900's at 108mph. We have it set up for P-4 so it tops out at 89-90 right now.

Since you race it, I presume you went through the entire boat to prep it for racing. Did you add bulkheads and lighten the boat other than tearing out the cabin appointments? Do you know what the boat weighs now? I was told my stock version weighs in excess of 10,000lbs. Please tell more about your boat. Bill

[DirtyPearl]

Our boat was a purpose built race boat, no cabin. All we had to do is go back and reenforce some of the boat where there was stress cracks. Our boat is Kevlar with a light weight deck. It's so thin in front of the faring you should not even walk on it. I was told by Bobby Moore our boat weighs about 8500lbs rigged. Our boat was Slap Shot.

[Sweet Cheekz]

Cool
1st Cigarette I ever saw and this exact boat is the one that got me into offshore boats as a obsession 30 years ago.

Parnell

[DirtyPearl]

It's an incredible boat. Even thou it's huge she is very nimble. The Pearl is a lot of fun to race. She is very competive still. We just need to get her reliable. That's why we are taking the motors over to Stotler Race Engines. Herb is going to dyno them for us to make soild relieable horspower. TNT went through the Drives last year, and the transmissions got all new Huber plates and clutches. So look out for the Pearl in Ocean City.

[dammmagnum]

Cool
1st Cigarette I ever saw and this exact boat is the one that got me into offshore boats as a obsession 30 years ago.

Parnell

Hello Parnell

it's interestying that first offshore race that I saw was the 1975 Hennessy Cup race in Atlantic City NJ, and Slap Shot with Art Norris won that race in the 36 Cigarette. Don't think this is the same 36 Cigarette as I don't think Kevlar was used in 1975.

Thank you
Jim

[Sweet Cheekz]

Jim
The boat you are referring to is the one I'm talking about so maybe I'm confused and this isnt the original one?
Parnell

[dsparis]

I had a 1975 Hydra-Sport bass boat that was Kevlar.

[lars]

Slap Shot was supposedly built by Don Aronow with the intent to come back to racing for the 1973 season. However he changed his mind and only first returned in 1974 in a production boat race with Steve Wynne in a stock Cigarette 36 wide-body.
Slap Shot was bought in 1973 by the owner of The Detroit Red Wings, Bruce Norris. He gave the boat to his nephew Arthur "Snapper" Norris to race for the season and he proved to be an excellent driver. Bobby Moore was throttling and he was enormously impressed by the young "rookie" driver Norris. They won 4 races in 1973 and 3 races in 1974 and ultimately claimed the 1974 National Championship in Slap Shot. At the end of the season they sold the boat and Jack Tushinsky entered ex. "Slap Shot" December 14Th 1974 as "Jumpin' Jack" in the Diplomat Race, off Hollywood, FL.
The 23 year old 'super talent' Arthur "Snapper" Norris retired from the sport and was missed by many fans. Legend Booby Moore summed it up after having previously throttled for four World Champions, "Snapper is the best driver I ever ridden with".
Slap Shot was traditionally laid up and it wasn't 'till Bertram introduced the 38' Kevlar 49 boat "Copper Kettle", with DuPont's and Aeromarine's backing, that 1975 Champion Sandy Satullo the 19Th of January 1976 took delivery of the boat that he later jokingly claimed "would last a thousand years". Due to the fact that it had been, unknowingly to Satullo, overbuilt out of fear by DuPont that the hull would have a failure. They later chopped out 700 lbs in weight out of desperation to make the boat more competetive, but it was not enough. The "Copper Kettle" was the first larger offshore race boat ever built with Kevlar 49. Bertram and later in 1976/77 Larry Smith and his Scarab 9 Meters and eventually 38's would become very competetive. By 1980 Kevlar 49 was pretty much a must use material if You wanted to be a contender on the offshore racing circuit.
Kevlar 49 appeared first in the summer of 1973 at the World Championship canoe and kayak races. As 'dsparis' mentioned, the 1975 Hydra-Sports' record-setting tunnel-hull racers and high performance bass boat prototypes would lead to mass production of Kevlar 49 bass boats, by Hydra-Sports, already the same year!

[DirtyPearl]

I was told by Bobby Moore ours was Kevlar. He said when the hull and deck were joined the boat weighed 4200lbs. He said after it was rigged she came in at 8500lbs. This boat is Slap Shot. When we sanded her we could see the original yellow gel. The guy we bought her from had pic's when he started his restoration, and you could see the original colors yellow, red boot stripe, white bottom, and where Slap Shot was on the side.

[lars]

Seem that there is no doubt that this is the incredible Slap Shot 36'. After Jack Tushinsky raced ex. Slap Shot as Jumpin' Jack throughout the 1975 season he sold the boat and stepped into a Cigarette 35' for the 1976 season. He called that 35' Jumpin' Jack also, but mechanical issues and a fading support from his father Irv Tushinsky ended his further attempts to accomplish glory in the sport.
I don't know who bought Slap Shot/Jumpin' Jack from Mr. Tushinsky at the end of the 1975 season, but I know for a fact that Slap Shot was one of the best built Cigarette 36' to come out of Don's shop and it's no wonder since this was the boat that was going to carry Don back as 'The Driver' in the sport. He was obviously taking no chances when it came to construct an incredible boat for himself back in 1972/1973.
The first Cigarette built using Kevlar 49 was the 1977 Cigarette 39' 'Powerboat Magazine Special' and the very first offshore race boat built using Kevlar 49 was Larry Smith's Scarab 9 Meter 'Wyld One' for Australian Kevin Wyld in 1975. Bertram followed as previously mentioned with the larger 38' 'Copper Kettle' in 1976, but Larry Smith was way ahead in the game and it took two years for other manufacturers, (basicly only Bertram), to start getting used to this new complicated material.
With an engineering degree from U.S.C. and great contacts in the Southern California aero-space industry, the extremely intelligent Larry Smith surrounded himself with very talented people. Geniuses like John Connor and Betty Cook's husband Paul Cook and other well to do folks naturally gravitated towards the social restaurateur and (previously hobby) boat racer Larry Smith.
I honestly don't know of hardly any other Cigarette built Kevlar 49 boats from the 1977 year, when Don also stopped building raceboats period, with a few endurance record setting competition boats as exceptions. Don was spending more time with his horse breeding/racing stable and his son Michael has indicated that during these years in the late 70's early 80's Don was mostly interested in quality time with family and friends. Traveling the world and starting his new family with second wife Lillian in 1980/1981. The limited production, awesome Squadron XII boats were an indication that Don was getting the itch again and with the re-purchase of Cigarette in spring of 1981, thank God for Us boating fans, he was at it again!

To The Living Legends and The Ones Who Will Always Be Remembered, We

Are Thankful This Wonderful Holiday.

[dammmagnum]

Jim
The boat you are referring to is the one I'm talking about so maybe I'm confused and this isnt the original one?
Parnell


Hello Parnell
After thinking about it, It was actually the 1974 Hennessy Grand Prix in Atlantic City. If I remember ,, they lost the drain plug and was taking on some water as they were heading to the lifts..Bobby Moore was the throttles man and Tony A(Italian name). was the navigator and the women were chasing after Tony. Tony A. also worked for Magnum in 1976 or 1977 for a while.

In 1975 The race was moved back to Point Pleasant and the MSV "La Torluga" won after most of the open boats went off course.

In 1976 Doc Magoon won with Roger Penske's Cigarette the Cam 2 boat.

Thank you
Jim

[lars]

Good to read Your story Jim. This very accomplished fellow, Tony Azzara, was very much involved with everything Don Aronow did. He was with Don during the early years in both Formula and Donzi. Then responsible director of sales during the Magnum start up and when Don's Buddie, Bobby Rautbord, started Fino Marine, Tony Azzara became G.M.
I guess Tony was in Don's inner circle and I'm not surprised to hear that he was a ladies' man, all of Don's friends pretty much were :wink:

Note; In DirtyPearl's photo, Bobby Moore, left; Art Norris, middle; Tony
Azzara, right.

[dammmagnum]

Good to read Your story Jim. This very accomplished fellow, Tony Azzara, was very much involved with everything Don Aronow did. He was with Don during the early years in both Formula and Donzi. Then responsible director of sales during the Magnum start up and when Don's Buddie, Bobby Rautbord, started Fino Marine, Tony Azzara became G.M.
I guess Tony was in Don's inner circle and I'm not surprised to hear that he was a ladies' man, all of Don's friends pretty much were :wink:

Note; In DirtyPearl's photo, Bobby Moore, left; Art Norris, middle; Tony
Azzara, right.

Hello Lars,

Thank you, I thought Tony last name was something like that,, but couldn't put my finger on it for sure, Tony was at the Magnum factory the first time I visited the plant in 76. I was told he was nick name "Beach boy" by the guys at the Magnum plant, as he was a "ladies man" I was not sure if his Italian accent was real or a put on,, but the ladies in Atlantic City sure were chasing after him. it was my first real race and I was younger and single and thought that offshore racing was the place to meet the ladies.

thank you
Jim

[DirtyPearl]

Bobby told me that Tony put on a diving show at one of the big hotels in Miami.

[IpanemaSports]

Here is a video of an old friend's '36, Tequila Sunrise was a beast in the Caribbean back in the day. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyYb_9lCNbE

[lilabner]

Tony dove with Barney Cipriana and Dick Gutting on the Beach..I worked with him at Fino from the beginning..He was a fun guy to be around, and a ladies man for sure..

[Conquistador_del_mar]

For the past couple months, I have been chipping away at restoring the cockpit of the Cigarette. I installed a new floor and did quite a bit of work to the engine bulkhead behind the back seat. I will be installing light gray vinyl dot flooring on the new floor and installing graphite Flexform carpeting on the cockpit sides with new cockpit lighting, etc. It is almost unbearably hot during the day when the temps are reaching 115 degrees in the stall - 105 outside almost every day - :bonk: I have done quite a bit of the work after midnight due to the recent high temps here in north Texas. I will show some pictures soon. Lots of restoration still needed - :nilly: Bill

[Conquistador_del_mar]

The new floor - lots of prep work to get this far along! :nilly: Bill

[scippy]

The new floor - lots of prep work to get this far along! :nilly: Bill

Bill,

I agree and can appreciate what your saying. It's obvious (by the square measured markings) it took alot of planning ahead to arrive at what seems to be a simple floor. Is it 3/4" or 1/2" ply?......what did you use for a template?..........eager to see more. Great work Bill!

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Bill,

I agree and can appreciate what your saying. It's obvious (by the square measured markings) it took alot of planning ahead to arrive at what seems to be a simple floor. Is it 3/4" or 1/2" ply?......what did you use for a template?..........eager to see more. Great work Bill!

The old floor had been repaired in a few places, but it had a rotten section under the driver position. I cut out the bad section and added new supports underneath and then installed a new 3/4" treated ply to the open area after installing lap pieces at all the edges. I used a cartridge of 5200 installing the new pieces to make sure it would not let go along with many treated screws. I then had to get the rest of the floor level with quite a bit of glass and resin. After much grinding I installed the new floor and step into the cabin with 1/2" plywood after using 5 cartridges of Liquid Nails and treated screws at every line junction to make a completely flat new floor on top of the old floor. I wanted it strong and flat before gelcoating and then installing the new micro dot flooring on the surface. If I had more energy, I would have cut up the entire old floor and started over, but this only added about 40 lbs and should hold up fine. Considering that the boat weighs well over 10,000 lbs, the added weight will be negligible. Onwards - :yes:, Bill

PS No template, but lots of measurements.

[MDonziM]

Nice Bill,

Glad to see you are keeping busy, sounds like you have a good wrestling training regimen going with that tx heat, hope you make weight. What kind of bolsters are you using up front?

- Marshal

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Nice Bill,

Glad to see you are keeping busy, sounds like you have a good wrestling training regimen going with that tx heat, hope you make weight. What kind of bolsters are you using up front?

- Marshal

Yep, down to 172 lbs and 6'2" - no gut. The boat has drop down bolsters that I had reupholstered last year.

[DMoran03]

[ QUOTE=$originalposter]{$pagetext}[/QUOTE]
I really enjoyed reading some of the stories you all have shared and also the pictures if anyone has anymore pictures of him I would really love to see them and so would my family.