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Here is a piece from the '60s that captures Aronow prior to his race boat success and before he built the first 12 Ski Sporter 16 hulls in 1964.
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Here is a piece from the '60s that captures Aronow prior to his race boat success and before he built the first 12 Ski Sporter 16 hulls in 1964.
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1972 16 OB - C16B-63 - "Surface Tension" Resto Project
1974 16 OB - DMR16106017-B - "The Mule"
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Below is the article printed on January 30, 1965
The New York Boat Show started on January 15, 1965 and concluded on Sunday January 24. According to the article below, the boat show in Baltimore started on Thursday, February 4th which was about the same time as Toronto International Boat Show
The first day of the TIBS is Friday, February 5, 1965
1972 16 OB - C16B-63 - "Surface Tension" Resto Project
1974 16 OB - DMR16106017-B - "The Mule"
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Meanwhile back in NYC, Brownie was offering instant Kingship status to anyone who would give him $8k ....................awesome
1972 16 OB - C16B-63 - "Surface Tension" Resto Project
1974 16 OB - DMR16106017-B - "The Mule"
I did e-mail them again just about 2 weeks ago.......... silence.
About time for another follow up
Sean Conroy,
1964 Formula Jr. (hull #2) project
1972 Greavette Sunflash III
1981 Kavalk Mistral project
"A man can accomplish anything... as long as he doesn't care who gets the credit."
I doubt they have anything. I've also been surprised that there is almost no info out there on the 1965 TIBS Show. I suspect it does not play much of a role for 1964 Ski Sporter builds given a February 5, 1965 start day.
In any event, Spring down here seems to have gone on strike so I've extended my thread cut off date. It was 28 degrees this morning That's just NOT right. While I wrap up the final count on 1964 Ski Sporters, which turns out to be more than the "Historian" and elders ever thought, I have to post this from the only guy left on the planet who actually was at Donzi in 1964. I've said Ken Burns wants to have a chat about a docu-drama. Paragraph and photo below courtesy of AB's series in PBN. Nice that he gives Walt the credit. Dude has an amazing memory, and a "one-of-a-kind" way with words .......
"Aronow had commissioned Wynne and Walters (mostly Walters) to design some new boats, 16 through 35 feet, for a new company. He kept most of the crew from Formula to man the new company, which was to be called “Donzi”, a rude reference to Don’s sexuality. The crew included Dave Stirrat, Buddy Smith, Jake Trotter, Roy Farmer and secretary/lunch toy, Mary Ann Mossa. Don was forced to include our pal, Stu Jackson, in the sale of Formula, and Stu became the sales manager of the new company, Thunderbird/Formula. Lacking a sales manager for the new company, he made me a deal that I should have refused. I was General Manager of Challenger Marine, in North Miami, Fl. Challenger was the biggest Formula dealer, and one of the biggest Chris Craft, Boston Whaler and Johnson outboard dealers. We built small fiberglass boats, a 16’ outboard, and the Moth class sailboat. We had a manicured 7 1⁄2 acre marina that was kept spotless, and aspired to the highest ideals and morals of the boat industry. My background as an elementary school practice teacher and outboard mechanic made me perfectly suited to run the multi-million dollar company. Aronow asked me to join the new company in May, ’64, but Challenger owner, Dudley Whitman, was going surfing in Hawaii through August with his kids, and I agreed to stay until then. I worked the night shift at Donzi for free."
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1972 16 OB - C16B-63 - "Surface Tension" Resto Project
1974 16 OB - DMR16106017-B - "The Mule"
I'm still finalizing the journey a bit. Here is a picture of Fred Darwick's first 16 Ski Sporter. This is the hull that Fred took delivery of in December, 1964 and that has an invoice of December 10, 1964. This would mean it was built in November. The picture is one of the few remaining that CLEARLY shows the "short" inner lifting strakes. This particular hull is #7 in the timeline.
I also will get photos this week of the 1964 hull still surviving in Florida. This is David D. Ray's Hull #8. It's probably the only 1964 build still in existence in the world I suspect.
1972 16 OB - C16B-63 - "Surface Tension" Resto Project
1974 16 OB - DMR16106017-B - "The Mule"
I looked at the photos of the only surviving 1964 Ski Sporter 16 ........ Hull #8.
Hull 8. David Ray boat - White w/ Blue deck stripe. Initial power also "Hot" Volvo 110/100 package. Sold to David Ray directly by Don Aronow with Fred's help. Boat still exists in Merritt Island today under a different owner. Race Aq100 drive in storage.
100% Confirmed
An exact measurement shows that the inner strakes actually start 53" forward of the transom. The blue deck stripe does not come down through the dash. This boat had the deck grab rail when produced new and still has it today. This would make it the first Ski Sporter ever delivered with the rail. Checking on a few other items as well.
1972 16 OB - C16B-63 - "Surface Tension" Resto Project
1974 16 OB - DMR16106017-B - "The Mule"
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So in conclusion, there were (11) Ski Sporter 16's built by Donzi in 1964. Cool as it might have been I was never able to substantiate the "all black" hull that would have made it twelve.
Eleven
Eleven
All but one are now in heaven
1972 16 OB - C16B-63 - "Surface Tension" Resto Project
1974 16 OB - DMR16106017-B - "The Mule"
My contact (Jim Hahn) lives in Western Canada but, has a family cottage in Muskoka (where the paper are). I'll have to "catch" him when he has come to Ontario for holidays.
I did follow up with the TIBS and they have no archives that far back as another company did the show then.
Sean Conroy,
1964 Formula Jr. (hull #2) project
1972 Greavette Sunflash III
1981 Kavalk Mistral project
"A man can accomplish anything... as long as he doesn't care who gets the credit."
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A confirmed 1964 date stamp of when Gross-Greenman Advertising took on PR duties for Don and the crew
1972 16 OB - C16B-63 - "Surface Tension" Resto Project
1974 16 OB - DMR16106017-B - "The Mule"
Gross-Greenman made other announcements when they brought on a new client so the November 5, 1964 data is fully legit.
1972 16 OB - C16B-63 - "Surface Tension" Resto Project
1974 16 OB - DMR16106017-B - "The Mule"
I was told that story about three 16s coming to Canada too. That was from the original owner - Richard Robinson who cottaged on Lake Roseau in Ontario.
He sold me his 16, all red with white stripe with an Eaton outdrive. That was back in about 1977. I restored and re-powered the boat with a Volvo package.
It seemed a little overpowered at the time when I almost lost my 1 year old son off the back on one of my grandstanding launches. That was in 1986. That
winter I went to Fla and brought a new '87 Minx which has more freeboard - better to keeps the kids in the boat. I still have the Minx, but sold the 16 to
Greg Swick and it is still around the Muskoka area.
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