Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

do a search on the OPA Ocean City Maryland Race..there are quite a few threads...or go to Sharkeymarine.com ..he has a ton of photos...

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Hi everyone,

Browsing through some of the articles and photos I have collected over the years, I came across a non documented picture.

I am not sure where the photo was taken (St Petersburg?) but it was in 1976.
The bit that interests me is the red 36' Cigarette (#18).
The name appears to be Enterprise and the number and hull colour would indicate that it could be Bobby Rautbord's ex-Fino.
Could anyone shed light on this, please?

Phil.

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Sorry,
I did forget to include the picture.

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Phil,you are right, that's boat was one of the two Bobby Rautbord's Fino.
One Fino was sold to Bonomi in the last of 1972,like Richie have confirmed several time in OSO.
The other one was drove by Rautbord in some races in Usa in 1973 like Fino-Monza, then was sold to Bernie Little that want to put it in a race in 1974 with Willie Meyers without success,then was sold to another driver but I don,t remember the name,and renamed Enterprise.
Look on Searace and you will find something about it.

Happy New Year to alls!

P.S. note the horrendous modified windscreen....

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

What's the name of the Magnum Sport (M-7)?........

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Thanks for the tip Marco.
Having checked my copy of Searace, I found that the boat was then run by Elbert Nicklaus but I cannot confirm that he was driving it when this photo was taken.
I also found out that the picture was taken at the start of the 1976 Hurricane Classic.

Phil.

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Marco, can you help?

I am looking for a picture of Giorgio Mondadori's "Mister Charly" and Vincenzo Balestrieri's "Mustard Tornado".
I haven't found any mention of Mustard Tornado on the Balestrieri website. Strange, any reasons?

Phil.

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

A Turd?

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Hey Rich, does that trip to the airport explain the masses of fuel cans in this shot??!! I took this back in 74 in the big shed. (where only the best machinery could reside.......)

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Hi Phil,the pics probably was taken in 1976 because in foreground we can see the new Cobra 38',Beep Beep that mede the first race in the last race at Key West in 1975.
According Crouse before Enterprise of Nicklaus in 1975 (and 1976) it was Bloody Mary in 1974 and before that it was owned by Bernie Little in the same 1974. The former colours of Fino was untouched however.

Marco

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Mondadori maybe drove the Mister Charly in a Adriatic race in 1973.
I haven't picture about it.
Mister Charly was the former second American Moppie of Peter Rittmaster,chairman of the Bertram at that time, in 1969.It was a Bertram 31'. Then was bought by the rookie Ronny Bonelli in 1970 and renamed Mister Charlie(Carlo,Charlie in english,was the father of Ronni,that presented the "toy" to him Ronny).
About the Cigarette 34' prototypeTornado (mostarda) I have a lot of pics. Alex Balestrieri,son of the Champ,and owner of the Tornado's website have a lot of pics from my archive but he haven't time to dedicate at the site. I will send him a e mail in the next days to speak about this problem.
I have some pics of Mister Charly and I will post here togheter those of Tornado the next time(I still haven't internet at home).

Marco

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Thank you for your reply Marco. I was aware, via John Crouse's book about Ronnie Bonelli's Mister Charlie being a 31' Bertram. What surprided me was that the excellent database of race results compiled by Graham Stevens and John Crouse mentioned Mondadori's boat being a 36' Cigarette, one which seems to have had only one race outing.

Phil.

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Hi Nigel: Actually that was special gear case lube. Kiekhaefer would only use an oil produced, ( believe it or not ) from sperm whale`s. The smell used to be horrible, I`m sure some of the older guys who worked on the Aeromarine stuff will remember, they may have not known the origin but they surely new the smell. We also were only allowed to use a certain motor oil it was called Wolfs Head oil 40 wt only. Pure pennsylvania oil. We used to also mix 2 cycle oil to the Av gas to give extra lubrication, as the Av gas burned very dry, so dry that it would dry out the various seals in the injectors and cause them to stick and loose power. Again these were all the little tricks we used to win. Kiek. insisted everyone running his equip. do the same, however I`m sure due to translation, some teams did not observe these rules. I know the Jack Stuteville and Bobby Moore observed the rule and followed it. Hope all is well for you, That picture is great as are all of them. Also the records on boat mad are really cool, I spent about an hour looking at them, saw some races I won that I forgot, and some races I thought I won and didn`t, My record still stands at over 60 Carreer wins, I want to see now total miles I have raced in my carreer. Should be interesting. I received a call yesterday inviting me to a luncheon in Ft. Laud. Feb. 25 for Ray Bullman, I`m excited to go. all the best
7XCHAMP

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Mustard Boat Balestreri: What Mickeyfin says pretty much sums it up: I`m not sure who orchestrated that boat, weather it was Don trying to sell vincenzo something or Jack and Vincenzo asking for something special. It was a 34` blocked off from a 36` it was supposed to be a light weight sprint type boat, However it was very heavy, CG was way off and the boat was slower than the latest light weight 36`s Jack hated the boat, and only ran it a few times. I was always a little intimidated by it as I was led to believe it was super fast, in calm water. They used to show up with both boats, we did the same sometimes, and would pick the rough water boat or the lighter calmer water boat, inevitabley we would pick the wrong one. Many times we would station the backup boats for a return race for Italian and European points only. We would race from Italy to now Croati with UIM best boat for World points on Sat. Then race same course back on sunday with backup boat for other points. We ran the equivalent of the APBA circuit plus the UIM circuit, we were pretty busy, when the Americans complained they had to run 8 races per year, we were running 12 to 14 in a single season in Europe, getting back to the fact of true world/European/Italian champions. The US1 in america was the same to italians winning there Italian and European Championships, only the americans never knew about these races, therefore thought that they were the creme de la creme, best in the world, and never gave much credence to the Europeans. All for now. 7XCHAMP

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Hi Richie,

Thanks for your answer and glad to have you back on the thread. You guys certainly earned your paychecks in those days.
This brings me back to a question I asked just before Christmas. Did you prefer the "old style" World Championship, reaping points all over the world or the 1977 onwards system of a World Final grouping all the continental champions?
Phil.

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Searace is the offshore "Bible" but....there is a lot of mistakes about the names,lenght and type of the boats.
Only compare some sources like the excellent results database of Graham,Searace,the Italian L'Avventura dell'Offshore(the only offshore bible in the world before the apparition of Searace) or the contemporary magazines and newspaper you can discover the true.
Mondadori drove him 36' Nicopao in the route from Italy to Yugoslavia and the day after it seem that he drove the old Bertram 31'. The first race was for the World Championship (cancelled after long discussions because the Yugoslavian organizators have missed to inscript the race to the UIM)and the other one was only for Italian title.
In one of that Adriatic races in 1973,Powers drove the red Dry Martini(former Fino) and he won.

Marco

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Mondadori´s beautiful Nicapao!

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Did this picture upload correctly? i.e. is it broken up for anyone trying to view it? If so I will try and reload via the edit button. Somebody please let me know (it may just be a problem at my end).

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Hi Nigel,

Picture was fine when I viewed it. A really good shot actually.
It will be useful for the model project, thanks.

Phil.

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Hi Phil: First I think this thread is one of the best on OSO with you Marco, Nigel and Graham`s info. And it is a pleasure to be able to add my memoirs. FYI it was Bob Nodskog who basically stopped the UIM circuit as we knew it. His reason is that only a select few could afford the circuit, with multiple boats etc. also at the time I think he was president of APBA so essentially pulled the plug and discontinued the UIM series of races for the USA, and went to the three race format at Key West, and to be qualified to run in the race you had to have run a certain amount of races and finished no worse than third, so it was the beginning of the end. True world Champions should run against not only the competitiors from around the world, but they must run the various oceans and courses, as do the Current offshore guys in Europe. As Tom Gentry said the UIM is the ultimate sanctioning body for the world and all others including APBA fall under them. When we set the Kilo records, they were official recognized UIM classes run in saltwater, and still stand as retired class records. Tom never created a class as did many of the americans and then tryed to get UIM to accept. Bottom line is UIM rules. My best championship was probably with Bonomi when we backed up the 1973 with the 1974 championship. Every Championship I won I cherrish more and more every day, I did something very few people in the world have done and got paid for it. Four UIM`s class one`s in a row. Three world Superboats. One USA1 superboat cat. One OPC world championship, and the various South American, European, and Italian championships, All sweet and lots of hard work and determination. Problem today in the sport is you could conceivably be a world champion two or three times a year just in America, kind of takes away the true pride and integrity of a world champion. World Champions should be just that, Champions of the World, not the USA. I`ve said my piece for now, thanks 7XCHAMP

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Hello Richie,

Well Said.. Thank you

Jim

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Thanks for your answer, Richie. Spoken like a true champion, indeed.

By the way, have you watched the footage of the 1976 Cowes-Torquay-Cowes on boatmad? Good to be able to see you and Bobby getting American Eagle ready.

Phil.

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

I saw it, I have been trying to remember what happened to us in that race, I forgot if we lost an engine steering or what, we had the boat to win for sure. We still had a great year. winning is everything. 7XCHAMP

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

In Searace and the English papers they mention American Eagle leading, then slacking off and Gill with "I like It Too" slipped by in the fog ? I also watched the video but were unable to detect any fog, but then again maybe a good local navigator and a better boat won.....? Winning is everything Richie !

Reg Joern

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Gents,
In 1972 Hennessy California Cup Tom Gentry was leading in "American Eagle" a 36' Cig according to Searace before engines blew up. Was this actually a 36' Competition and does anybody have pics of it and whatever became of it after they switched to the 35' ?

Reg Joern

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Hi Joern,
Tom Gentry in 1972-73 had two Cigarette 36' named American Eagle after him first 36' called Innerspace(sold to Mondadori after the VBV in july 1972).
One of the two Am.Eagle raced in Europe in 1973 and was in blue sky colour with red customized engines air scopes.
That one raced in Usa I don't know what colours had,but I think was the same of the Europe version.
One of those Am.Eagle was sold to the Aussie Arnold Glass(see the picture on Searace),then was renamed Whippy's Eagle,then The Eagle in 1980(see Melbourne World Championships) and was in red-blue diagonal bands.
The other one Am.Eagle I don't know what was after 1973.
Tom Gentry reappeared in 1976 with the new white 35' with Richie and at last winning the World Title.
I remember that in the docks of Santa Margherita in 1982 talking about was the most strongly adversary meet in the races during him career,Balestrieri answered: "Tom Gentry!".

Marco

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Thanks Marco,
I knew about Innerspace, but not that is was re-named American Eagle and the Nick in Italy, good to know you have the history. Perhaps somebody from the US on the forum can enlighten us on the other hull?

And the more I keep digging in the number of 36 comp hull, the more keep popping up, good thing the championships followed the driver not the hull!

So far I been able to investigate one or more hulls of;

1)Lady Nara 1 &2, later Eraf(red) and Lady Mate-Talves-F.
Eight-UFO 33
2)Fino 1 & 2, later Dry Martini(red)-Bloody Mary and Red Vengence
3)Aeromarine 9, later Dry Martini(white) -Yellowdrama2-Colt Sapporo-Crown of Juice and a heavy hull with unknown wherabouts?
4) Black Tornado 2 and 3, later Eraf 4- Alitalia etc

Do you have any more on your list?

Regards Joern

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Hi Marco: I will give some clarity to what you say. You are correct about the Red 36` Innerspace being sold to Mondadori. The light blue 36` with red hatches and motors was sold by me to a non racer from Miami back in early 1970`s never seen again. The boat that we raced in Melbourne was not a 36` Cig. It was a joint venture boat that Tom did with Hallett in Calif. 35` with a huge flat on the keel, two of those boats were built, all metal flake etc. true Calif. boats. The boats never performed with the flats on the keel so we fabricated an aluminum V keel and bolted it on, the boat ran OK. The only time we raced it was in Melbourne and we won, in unbelievable rough conditions, we watched the Peter Dean 44` Cig/dean boat break in half when it tryed to pass us. The seas were like 20 feet high and 50 mph winds, it took us almost four hours to complete the 80 mile shortened course, it was freezing cold as well, we stuffed the boat so many times I lost count, it was two person boat just me and Tom. We sold the boat to guy named Tony Haines who owned a boat co. there called Haines Hunter, the boat was damaged from the race and was sold as is. Arnold Glass bought the old Sabre Dance green 36` which had been owned by Lance Taines and raced with Mel Riggs, later they bought Sandy Satullo 38` Bertram. Gentry had a total of four Cigarette`s only. Red 36` Light blue 36` 1976 35` and the ex conspiracy 35` red and white which we also raced in Australia I think 1980 or 1981, it was when Billy Elswick also went with his 36` performer night moves. We only ran the Sydney race and broke a gimble, Tom was not able to make the remaining two races as he was going through nasty divorce with wife named Nora and she would not let him travel to race, so we just hung out for that month, long story behind that whole deal as well, I`ll include in the book when I write it. 7XCHAMP

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Joern,the list of 36' versions is by the moment at 65. I think that about 24-26, 36' was builded from 1970 to 1973 or 1974.
The Innerspace wasn't the next Am.Eagle but only the Nick in the second part of the European season in 1972,then was renamed Nicopao(the acronimous of Nicola and Paolo,Mondadori's son) in 1973.
Lady Nara (I) 1971 became Lady Mate in the last race of 1972 and in the Italian races in 1973,then was Talvez in 1974,and F.Eight from 1975 to 1978. Now it is in shipyard in Sardinia in very good conditions,powered with a couple of Aifo Diesel engines, but with a very high price...120.000 euros....
Lady Nara (II) 1972 became Eraf (red version) in 1973-74 then was modified with a cabin and a wodden deck for fast cruise. It burn ashore Viareggio in 1978 or 1979 and lost for ever.
UFO 33 wasn't a Cigarette but a 33' E.R.I.A. Marine class 2 of the owner/builder Riccardo Mambretti.
Fino (I) 1972 was drove by Rautbord in 1972-73,then was renamed Bloody Mary in 1974 and then Enterprise of Elbert Nicklaus in 1975-76.
Fino (II) 1972 was sold to Bonomi in the late of 1972 and renamed Red Vengeance. In 1973 was renamed Dry Martini (II red).In 1974 Bonomi sold it toghether the first 36' Dry Martini (I the heaviest). They was modified with a cabin and for cruising.
MF in the thread in "General Discussion-help Cigarette 36'" is the new owner of the former Aeromarine IX.
Dry Martini (III - the lighter) 1973 was raced by Bonomi from 1973 to 1975. After the CTC of 1975 was sold to Cassir that renamed it Yellowdrama II. The boat remained in England like Crown of Crucis,then Colt Sapporo and JPS(never race). Now is with the original color but a deck totally changed,with a cabin and an orrible wind shield.
Black Tornado (I) 1971 to 1975. Was sold after the VBV in 1975 to De Angelis and renamed Eraf(black version) from 1975 to 1977. In 1978 De Angelis was in the Alitalia Offshore Team and the boat was repainted in grey and renamed Eraf-Alitalia Due. In 1979 the boat was leased to the Napolitan Surger Tommaso De Simone and was still in grey and renamed Goldfinger-Alitalia Due and in 1980 it was repainted in white-blue and named only Goldfinger(it became the Italian Champ that year).
In 1981 was bought to Renato Della Valle that raced him first race in Viareggio and with a very rough seas won. The colours was the same of Goldfinger's version.
The old boat reappered in 1986-87 in some italian races like Reporter in all white colour and then like Imter Scavi in dark blue-yellow colours version. The driver was Alessandro Zodo.
Black Tornado (II) 1972 to 1973. When Balestrieri stopped to compete for the World Championships in 1974 the boat rest in at the Tornado Racing Team in Florida. In 1977 the rookie Joe Ippolito drove that boat renamed Baccarat (same colours of the former Black Tornado)in the first two APBA races with a 4th and 3th ovarall places before he brought the American Eagle 35' like Anheuser Busch Natural Light.
That's it all. For complete the list must be a book....:cool:
Marco

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Hi Richie! Sorry but I didn't speak about the "aussie" Am.Eagle of Gentry but the one drove by some real Aussie(like Glass,McMillan and others) from 1974 to 1980.
I post this pics,one that came from Searace where Crouse himself wrote that was a former Gentry's American Eagle.
In 1973 Gentry raced in Europe and in Usa in the same time like you. Around the days of the VBV in Italy there was the Hennessy race in Usa and that exlpain to us that he had two boats. Two 36'? I don't know,but surely two American Eagle.
Please look about:

http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/3...73resiziz9.png
Italian race in 1973
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/7...usresizxv1.png
Arnold Glass,Australia race in 1974 (picture from Searace) It look like the American Eagle in light blue(same windshield,same original hatches)
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/7...leresizra8.png
The last version knew. The Eagle in Melbourne WC in 1980. The hatches are modified like in a 35' version,but the windshield it's the same.

You are right about the Sabre Dance that was sold from Taines to Glass in 1974 or 1975 but the boat remained in Usa at last in 1976 and the windshield and hatches are litterally different. Ok alls can be changed but maybe the Sabre and the "aussie" American Eagle wasn't the same boat.
Marco

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Thank you Richie and Marco for clarifying this.
With the help of a photo from HORBA, can you tell us which one this is. My guess is that it could be the Californian hull.

Phil.

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Marco,

Thanks for the picture of the blue American Eagle. I had been after this one for quite a while.
Would you happen to have any pictures of Sabre Dance, as well, please?
Thanks to Richie, I now know that it was green.

Thank you
Phil.

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

One of my fav pic,s

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Without wishing to change the direction of the present American Eagle queries - here is one of Graham´s shots which I´m sure most of you have seen. I just want anyone who hasn´t seen it to marvel in Graham´s picture - such a clear detailed shot from all those years ago is a true treasure! What a boat! (Even with that windshield Richie!)

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

That was a Dan Arena hull. He also built hulls for Howard Arneson.

Dan Arena was a well known west coast figure that built primarily hydroplanes and fast runabouts. Unfortunately his offshore designs did not prove long lasting.

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Nigel that is a great photo. It really brings back those memories of what really fun days they were.

I was talking to Bill Wishnick yesterday from his home in Utah. We were talking about some of his memories of his own career. He still remembers with admiration the generosity of a South American competitor.

Wishnick had shipped his boat down to Argentina for the winter races. The first race was won by Balestrieri and Wishnick came in second. But to earn that second, they damaged one engine. He had no spare engine with him and was out of the running for the next race to Uraguay.

Balestrieri told him that one of the South American racers had suddendly taken ill and was in the hsospital. Wishnick went to visit him to see if he would be interested in letting him use his boat. He did, and Wishnick came in second in that race also.

In hindsight, he thought about what a generous offer the man had made to him. Real sportsman in all senses of the word.

His first race boat was a 20 foot Alim that he entered in the Around Long Island marathon. Since he needed extra fuel tanks, he set in another tank and "nailed" it all around with wood to hold it in........the tank broke loose on the way to the starting line...end of race.

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Hi Charlie:
Actually it was Dan Arena/Tom Gentry design built by Rudy Ramos at his Rayson Craft facility, I was wrong the other day when I said Hallett. Dan Arena was going to build us a boat using some new technology that had reinforsed fibre glass rods or strips running through the cloth, and did`nt use a mold, I think he was using the cold molded process. Bobby Beich and I spent two weeks with Dan at his shop in Calif. where we were converting one of Tom`s boats from crash box to 72C trans. big job, had a lot of fun in Walnut Creek though. To the best of my knowledge the Arena boat was never completed, in favor of the molded boat from Ramos, wonder what ever happened to those molds, slick looking boats. Brings me to wonder if Freddie Miller is still around. **** Banks suffered a massive heart attack back in the early 90`s but recovered with a lot of damage to him self. Freddie is one who should be considered as legend also.7XCHAMP

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Charlie,

Thank you for sharing these annecdoctes with us.
The South American episode relates to the 1971 season, when Bill Wishnick had decided to challenge for the World title. As Richie explained earlier in this thead, the Championship had rounds in the four corners of the world. Before the season, the two main challengers: Balestrieri and Wishnick had a 'gentlemen agreement'. Neither of them would take part in a race where the other couldn't attend.
Having scored two victories in front of Bill Wishnick in South America and getting ready for third round in South Africa, Balestrieri received a call from New York informing him that his American rival couldn't make the trip to Capetown.
Balestrieri stayed in Rome.
Like you said Charlie, these guys were real sportsmen in all senses of the word.

Phil.

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Phil,You are right about the real sportman spirit in the offshore in those fantastic years.Like said well Richie some posts before.
They was non professional competitors. Amateur.And they behaviors was often,but not always,of gentlemans.
Then in the natural evolution of the sport the original spirit gone lost.
That was the Real Offshore. It's dead many years ago.

Marco

Re: 36 Cigarettes racing back in the days
 

Charlie: you know what`s ironic about the Wishnick story, when I started with Mercury as a test driver in 1967 one of the boats i drove on endurance was a 20` Alim with a mercruiser 225hp small block chevy in it, it was one of the favorite test boats we had. Also ran a 19` Formula Junior with the rounded transom with mercruiser 165hp in line six, I loved that boat, and was fun to drive 8 hrs. a day. I wish I could find one to restore, as well as I would like to find 15` Seacraft 1967 vintage Carl Moesly built approx. 12 of these boats, Kiekhaefer bought maybe five and were all burnt orange color with the 60 and 80hp renault Mercruiser engines, Freddie K had one for personal use. Fun Fun Fun boats, I had a lot of time in them as well, would like to find one to restore. Do you remember these boats, and how can we locate them again, big part of history, also the Magnum Mauraders that Don A. built. 7XCHAMP