Forty years ago the virtually uninhabited desolate piece of land on 188th street in North Miami would become soon be known as Thunderboat Row.
Don Aronow, with his building backgroud in New Jersey would build his first shop on this street at the southwest end of this famous street. There he would build his Formulas until he sold the company and then started to build Donzi's in the same facility on the same street.
His next piece of 188st would be directly west of the Donzi Shop and would be called Magnum Marine. After selling the Magnum operation he acquired the piece of property 200 yards east of the previous two shops on the North side of the street and built yet another building. This new location which still exists today would become the Cigarette Racing Team plant. With the production of these famous boats increasing rapidly, Aronow was then forced to lease the Plant (II) and build Plant (III) which were east of Plant I.
Once again after selling Cigarette he purchased and built another Powerboat Plant across the street which would be the home of the Squadron XII. Another business transaction would afford Aronow the opportunity to buy back in to Cigarette, buy out his partner, and a few months later sell it again completely. His non-compete contract would not allow him to build v-bottoms under 60 feet in length until May of 1987.
At this point that he started to build Aronow Unlimiteds in the last facility he would build on the southeast end of the street, the company was named USA Racing Team. In 1984 Ben Kramer and his father acquired the property directly west of the Cigarette Plant on the North side of the street and Asked Aronow to help them design a V-Bottom. In 1985 Aronow sold USA Racing Team to the Kramers and acquired it back from them after they lost their Government contract to build the Blue Thunder Catamarans.
He was in the process of building the Catamarans and the Aronow 45 when his life was taken on February 3, 1987 outside the Apache building on the very street that he had given birth to.
In the Sixteen years since his death 188th Street in North Miami would see many changes. Cigarette Racing Team would change hands to new owners several times, USA Racing would become Bobby Moore's Custom Marine and then TNT, the Formula/Donzi shop would become Aventura Self Storage, the Apache building would shut down and remain vacant, and now with the exception of TNT Custom Marine, Magnum, and Aventura Self Storage, the entire street will be demolished. Rumours are that in the near future the street will be all condos and the City of Aventura will have a recreation Center at the recently developed eastern most point. Four lanes and a median are currently being developed on the street.
Ironically, Aronows office at the time of his death is now OSO Headquarters in the USA Racing Building .
A street with so much history gone but never forgotten.
Information above is deemed to be accurate based on literature and information from reliable sources.
A continuation of this News article can be found in the Offshoreonly Froums by clicking on the link below.
188st North Miami- Thunderboat Row- Rest in Peace!!
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