The first boat I dreamed of was a mid-80's Donzi 33 on the south end of LOTO. The first real boat I owned was a 1967 Donzi 16. When I decided to try powerboating again, I wanted a 22. Found the Magnum instead.

One last detail... the "Blue Thunder" cats that Don sold to the government to "catch the bad guys" (drug runners who were also Don's customers), were in fact made from a 39 Cigarette split in half with a flat tunnel between. The design , to say the least, was not good.

Marketed to catch criminals..... they couldn't catch a cold!

T2x

[ 02-12-2002: Message edited by: T2x ]

T2x,

Got a copy of this years NY Poker Run while attending the NJPPC party this weekend..Great Job!..nice to hear someone who knows and really enjoys the sport do the commentary!

Are you joining us at the OPA party?

If anyone is really interested in Aronow then T2x is right you should read Blue Thunder, if you can find a copy. I got a new copy about 2 years ago fron one of the bookstores online, read it once, and put it in my safe deposit box with a couple of other books I don't want to lose. Just to prick everyone's interest Janet Reno is mentioned in this book and is involved in the late stages of the investigation. Gary Hart is also mentioned, remember the boat "Monkey Business"? I am sure Gary does. The Aronow family did not want this book published. Good luck finding a copy, it went out of print 8 or 10 years ago.

John

Come to think of it....... The late Bill Sirois won a lot more races than Aronow as well....and was a LOT more innovative..

Before Seebold......Sirois was THE MAN.

God speed and calm seas to Kiekhaefer's "Golden Boy"...... Up, Up, and Away.

Up,Up,and AWAY! I Don,t think many OSO boaters know what you meant by that! (Full tunnel Red Molinari, Merc In-line 6 Stacker motor...Circa 1969...) Had that poster on my wall for years! ;)

There aren't many true believers left.....

Carl Kiekhaefer had that Molinari painted Gold Metalflake.....engines as well...with lots of Gold annodizing...polished the props, stacks, and etc to a mirror shine and gave the whole thing to Bill as a token of the value and appreciation the "Old Man" had for him........

Now, do you remember "Old Yellar"?

G'nite Ed.

T2x

don aronow/ben kramer
 

The real story about Kramer's botched escape attempt via helicopter from the South Dade County Florida prison is wilder...and funnier...than fiction!

Despite being the biggest marijiuna smuggler in the US, Kramer opted to hire a student pilot who made the small would be rescue chopper from a kit.

He still managed to place the whirly bird directly over the prision exercise yard where Kramer, now considerably fattened from prison food and hindered by ankle irons, hobbled over to the craft, grabbed the handle over the door and swung his chained feet on top of the pilot's foot pedals!

Which sent the helicopter into the nearby chain link fence!

BLUE THUNDER book okay to a point. But it had the wrong people behind Don's murder...the Mafia. Actually, boatbuilder-racer Ben Kramer hired a long time criminal, Robert Young, to do the hit, over a soured business deal with Aronow..

Youngr got a 19-year sentence to serve concurrently with an existing one and is out on the street today!

Author is Arthur Jay Harris. Book is a paper back published by Avon Books at Dept. FP, 1350 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019 or call 1-800 238-0658