fordsofflease

I think thats ok as long as you don't make faster boats for the police in the days when the police had no clue.

ratman

don't talk chit about stecz like that! btw are you bringing your gal to the miami show? if you do, be careful cuz stecz will be there

Top Banana

This thread is from a long time ago, long before I joined OSO, so I just wanted to put my .02cents in.

Here is photo of Don that is hardly ever published. It is a photo of Don giving a gift of over a half a million dollars to a black university near Atlanta, Georgia.

Where is the story about one of his workers from Cuba who was saving for a fishing boat so he could go make a living like he did in Cuba. Don found out, and the guy had a new fish boat the next week, and Don had one less employee.

How come I never read the stories about the times when the economy turned down in the 70's. No boats were being sold.
Don told the guys at Cigarette, Nobody gets laid off, just keep making boats and put them in the yard.

I only know from my own experince. In the fall of 1963, I was a gofer for Mike Gordon's race team in Miami. He was running a new 27 foot Formula he bought from Don in the Miami Key West race. Don even "loaned" him a compass which was lost in the race.

Over the following years, I was more than a pain in the butt hanging around Formula, Donzi, Magnum, Cigarette and promising that someday, someday, I would buy a race boat.

Don always treated me with respect, never made me feel any less than the rich guys who walked in and paid cash. When I finally could afford it, he helped me to start my own boat company, helped train my workers, sold me molds right from the Cigarette line, had engines built for me and finally , rigged my first race boat for me.

Was he tough, competitive and ruthless....damn right, he competed in everything he did...that was his make up and he lived his own life. But, he was also a very funny and generous man.

I can only say that he was my friend, and I am glad that I am fortunate to be able to say that.

stinger312

Great post.

MikeyFIN

What can you say...seems Don was like the rest of us very human and had an Ego.
But offending Meyer Lansky wasn´t that clever?

cigarette38topgun

Hi guys, i have been reading this thread for a while and realized that no one has mentioned Reggie Fountain who started his company in 1979.....if Don was not in the picture we would still have the offshore powerboats of today. I think Reggie is a stand up guy who has raced for over 20 something years and Don was a fly by the seat of your pants type of guy who lived on the edge.....Don will always be talked about and rembered and it would be interesting what boats would be around today if he was still around.....The whole apache story is also very interesting and i think it is the excitement/thrill that draws us to these stories of the past!

Sean

that's because the thread is about aronow...

cigarette38topgun

I know but some of the guys were saying that if Don was not around there would not be the same bad azz cig's of today......but Reggie has been around for a long time thus.....we would still have the boats of today......thats all

Sean

i know what yer sayin man...i wuz just havin some fun with ya...

ashleygoode

That guy who is driving the 45 ft aronow is my dad - Byng Goode. Who owned and sold Midnight Express in the late 80's.