Touring Cigarette Factory?
 

Any of you guys recently Toured the factory? If so how did you arrange to do so? I’m flying in to Fort Lauderdale November 5th arriving early-ish. Got a car rented then want to shoot over to Opa-Locka to hopefully get a tour of the Plant? Then leaving there and driving down to the Keys untill the 10th to go watch the Boat races. Any pointers seeing the factory would be awesome!

Give Ben Aranoff a call. 305 - 867-5309

Lol
 

I hope you aren’t being serious. That’s absolutely the worst movie ever made and a disrespectful one at that LOL

Beyond worst in Every way. I can’t believe Travolta signed on for that mess and they had the money to pay him but not the money to make it period correct. Gotta love the Donzi running around at the beginning in 1965 with a 2010 Yamaha on it. Then showing him racing in Florida with mountains behind them. Just god Awefull.

It’s just Hollywood they can’t pay anyone that knows boats to be a consultant, every outboard in every movie sounds like a big block .

Only boat film ever made that was good was Wind the Americas Cup sailing movie they managed to Phuck up the last 20 minutes.

Actually the best boat scenes were in the original Miami Vice

!
 

Totally agree! The outboards sounding like big blocks was hysterical. Then the “ storm / racing scene like come ON

That storm scene I had to fast forward through , my dog makes better Ai porn on his doggy iPad

Back in the 60s and 70s we would drive down to Fort Lauderdale from Michigan for Christmas and Spring break dragging our 23 Slick Craft behind my dads 440 Chrysler Country wagon.

I think it was 1972 and I was 7 and my older teenage brothers that worked for my dad doing construction wanted a Cigarette so we popped up at the factory .

Now my dad was very head strong and successful because of it , so he showed up with with my mom and us 8 kids, I had 3 and 4 old siblings below me also .

Needless to say Don was not impressed especially when my dad was already stating he needed to change the cockpit arrangement for our large family .

Don said come back tomorrow to my dad and walked away. Dad and my two older brothers went back the next day and I guess my dad being who he was decided to take his business elsewhere.

They went down the Street to the original Monza boat company and they agreed to the changes and that was that

So this is the 26 Monza my dad ended up buying and it’s not a 24/7 that was later built by a Monza company from later years
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...ce906b142.jpeg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...9b7134c56.jpeg
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https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...2cd6673d39.jpg
Don driving my buddies 28 ( Lucky Strike ) thats Steve's elbow........Don let him build and rig the boat in the factory

Hows Lucky and Lucky Jr doing these days. Long time no see on the site.

what a cool
picture and story. Don’t think Steve ever showed me that one.


Tommy, Steve unfortunately passed a few years ago. ☹️ miss that guy. We’d BS often.

Bobby still comes on here every so often and is doing well as is his brother and mom.

Steve's gone RIP my friend, the guy was larger then life long time off shore racer and wife Meta were sol mates, Steve reached out to me on here because we both had F2 boats and the friendship began, Ls Jr Bobby is good and running the family business.
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...26cd9d2c41.jpg

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...93b901375d.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...bd03fceb6f.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.off...180398b647.jpg

Sorry Gonzo didn't mean to dump on your thread.

No
 

no problem dude I’m loving this!!

I think any postings is better than nothing these days. Gotta keep the site relevant. Sorry to hear about Lucky Strike.

I tried to arrange a factory tour a few years ago when skip still ran the company. No dice. They came up with some BS excuse.

With new ownership…no idea.

doesn’t hurt to ask. Good luck.

skip really didn’t do tours. And was usually super hush hush about builds and info.

new ownership I hear is way more open and allows tours and for everyone to see everything.

I remember my older brother who had been in the boat building business bringing me to a tour of the Tiara factory in 82. The place was incredibly organized and clean unlike any other boat manufacturer I had been at.

Back in 1970 my dad was having a 48 ‘ Hughes sailboat custom built at the Factory in Ontario and we would check on the build every couple weeks. Incredible to see 5 of these big boats in a line having their interiors built out with no decks installed yet. But still dusty and dirty. Tiara was sterile as the Boeing plant I toured years later

87 Cafe, give Carlos Ruga from Cigarette a call, tell him you are a Cigarette owner and would like a tour. He is a great guy and will set you up if you give him an advance notice.

Thanks!
 

Will do!! Thanks man!

If ya get in get me one of those 150 dolla trucker hats.........:party-smiley-004:

!
 

I got you buddy!! What color for speedy?

Let us know if they approve your tour,

maybe things have changed with the new owners, but all I can tell you if Skip still owned cigarette it would be difficult, good friend of mine ordered a brand new 39 top gun back in 2009 he went to look at the boat a couple times as it was been built And he always got the impression he was bothering them and never got the warm fuzzy feeling as a customer that was spending 500K+ for a boat

I toured the plant in 2008 and 2014. Had a great time. I called about 4 weeks in advance both times and they accommodated me without any issues. Good luck. Very interesting and cool. Best to go Mid Week by the way. Many people off on Monday and Friday so less to see and less active. Just FYI

Hey there this is Laci Goldner with Cigarette Midwest here in Oklahoma! I toured the factory about 2 weeks ago in Opa-Locka FL. Hands down you need to do it! It was the most informational tour I have been on. If you do go, the design room and paint booth are my favorite because they explain the entire process of how exactly everything is done. You get the see the hull rigging and what not. I hands down would recommend!

Bust
 

Well this ended up being a bust. Tried for over a month with phone calls and emails and never a response untill the day before I arrived and ( which I understand ) they didn’t seem to interested in a tour for us 3 all Cig owners also. Because of the Ft. Lauderdale boat show…. Maybe someday…….

Like I said in my previous post, when my buddy ordered his 39 top gun back when the old owner ran the company they weren't too interested with him either, I have toured a couple different boat manufacturing plants and you ain't missing anything, most of the people working and putting the boats together can't afford a boat lol