In the 1967 Miami-Nassau, I ran the the 28' "Donzi Baby", which was a modified Daytona tandem drive train, with 427 in. Weber Holman Moodys. All of the Mercury/Mercruiser entries had the wrong alloy in the props, except Carl Moesley, who won the outboard class and was second or third overall. Odell was second class one boat behind me, 30 minutes behind. Kiekhaefer was furious, and ordered all of his boats off the island. Carl and I had breakfast together before the 'around the island' race on Sunday. We devised a plot which we shared with all of the entries, local and international, that when race organizer, Red Crise, waved the flag to start the race, nobody moved in the starting line. After 3 minutes, Aronow waved a lace handerchief, and away we went. Crise was so mad that he refused to pass out the trophies.

what was the reason to not go on red crises' flag? maybe you stated it but i dont see it in your post

We didn't like his regal attitude............ Just for fun.

That's great...

What's wrong with a regal attitude? I really like "The Duke of Earl".

Donzi Baby ended up here in the Detroit area as a test boat for Crusader Marine in the early 70's. Around 1978 a guy bought her and hung twin Sternpower drives, and called her MOON MAN :eek::eek: here on Lake St Clair. Sadly :picard1: this is how she looked a few years ago. Today [even worse] she sits striped, on the ground with holes in the side were it looks like hilo forks went through her.

Two questions for Brownie
 

Donzi Baby was the former Broad Jumper in 1966 or I remember badly?

I remember once you said that Aronow named his new yard Magnum in reference to the magnum bottle of champagne used in the podiums of the competitions.
Do you remember why the name Maltese?

http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/4...ottnov69i1.jpg

Don Aronow 1967 in Sweden, he won "Getingloppet"
(pic from the late Swedish Magnum-site)

What happen to the Boghammar site dedicated to the Magnum?

Some Light reading
 

The tale of the twin engined Maltese Magnum 28 that was sold to Balestrieri.

Here's the new Boghammar-site (Magnum)
http://www.magnummarin.se/Eng-Gallery.html
:)

/Mange

The boat wih many faces..... still lives in Sweden. Last I heard she going pilot house...

Thanks Mange for the link.
Do you know if the 28' with three Mercury was sold in Sweden(Boghammar?) after the Cowes-Torquay in 1967?

I imagine his face when Balestrieri at Cowes in 1969 saw his beloved "White Tornado" (so he called it) recovered after Pruett had sold it for a few pounds after the sinking.

Don raced only 27s in 67-68 - see below

In 1967 Don Aronow competed in the Swedish offshore race Getingloppet with his white N. 4 Maltese Magnum 27' measuring 27' 4'' with a beam of 7' 10''. Even if only 14 boats started, the race turned out to be a difficult and exiting competition. Don Aronow who aimed more than anyone else to become the world champion hade prior to the race hired a plane and videotaped the many difficult passages on the run. During the start and at the beginning of the race the weather was perfect with a wind speed of only 5 m/sec. But out on the open sea the wind speed increased to 10 - 12 m/sec and one boat due to leakage was ran aground. Gardner crossed the finish line with a superior lead - with an average speed of 41.6 knots. Unfortunately, it turned out that Gardner had rounded one marker, the "Understens beacon" wrong and he was therefore disqualified and the winner was Don Aronow. With three Mercury 1100SS outboard engines Don Aronow had an average speed of 38,9 knots.

​

Getingloppet Offshore I-II - Record of Champions

Year


Driver


Country


Co-driver/Navigator


Type


Boat/Engine


Average speed

1967


Don Aronov


USA


Norris House/Lennart Ebbekke


Maltese Magnum


Magnum/Mercury


38,9 knots

​Don raced only 27s in 67-68 - see below

After the race Tage Boghammar bought the boat and the rights to the white N.4 or as Don always called it the 27. The boat was used by Aronow on several other races after Getingloppet with the final race being

"Cowe - Torquay" where he after the race sold the three Mercury outboard engines and shipped the boat to Gothenburg. The boat was the transported on a trailer by Anders and Tage Boghammar to Lidingö. Tage increased the 27' speedboat to 28' and a new design was given to it to better be suited to Swedish conditions.

​

Magnum 27/28
 

27FT 4INS?

I wonder where that was measured.Stem to transom at Keel or waterline or deck at centre,or transom appendage?

It seems odd that so many entry lists have 28ft for that style of Magnum.I could give you examples of several boats where the length stated isn`t actually measured to any defining point.If the 27ft 4ins is measured to deck at centre at transom,then perhaps its more of a 27ft than a 28ft.What exact measurements are the Magnum 27ft Aronow raced in 1968 to use as a comparison.
I see the Magnum website are using all my racing shots from Boatmad.com. I don`t mind,but if only these people would have the courtesy to ask first.

Fling Fish:

On behalf of myself and I would think, all of the others who read these "Classic" threads, thank you for your many generous contributions both in comments and pictures I, for one, really do appreciate your taking the time.

As to the 27-28 question - lets remember - Don designed a 27'4'' beauty in late 66 after having learned how to do so by watching Jim Wynne and Walt Walters design the Donzi 28 and Donzi 35.

Don raced the 1st 35 as it became the Magnum 35 though named "Big Bad Donzi" in honor of Donzi Marine and in order to capitalize on the already known Donzi name as the 35 was not included in Don's sale of the Donzi line in late 65.

In any event, the 27 became his boat of choice and he built and raced numerous versions (deck variations in order to accommodate the numerous and various engine placements) in 67 and 68 as was previously pointed out by Black Tornado, but with the 27 as the hull.

There was only one 27 hull design. One plug and a few molds.
The molds were 27'4''.
Don raced these boats in 67 and 68 and called them the 27.

How this boat ever became known as the 28, I have no knowledge but can tell you that even today in 2010, Magnum Marine still owns and uses Don's original 27' hull design. Magnum does not call it the 28.

As to Magnum Marine using your pics, it is not worth getting worked up.
Take it as a compliment.

Best regards,

PJ

28' or not 28';that is the question
 

Well now we agree on the exact size of those who we continue to call conventionally 28'.
In a time I defend the category of journalists, saying that if them around the world always have written 28' is due to the fact that Aronow when enrolled his boats in the races in 1967 he wrote 28 'or when he was interviewed he said 28'.
Clearly this remains to know the real size of the others 27'. Those that Magnum Marine continued to build after Aronow and that we know as 27 'Sport of the Seventies.
Do not say that they are equal to 27' aka 28 '. The hull is the same. The rest absolutely not.
Different in the sides, cut at the gunwale (so shortened?) And with different decks.
So those 27' of the 1968 were 26'and ....
As is clearly seen in comparative photos (28 ', 27' of Aronow and 27' Sport) below.

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/1...now0015a1a.jpg
The 28'

http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/664...file0003a1.jpg
The 27'

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/9...gnum75mar1.jpg
The 27' Sport

As to Magnum Marine using your pics, it is not worth getting worked up.
Take it as a compliment.


I expect a well known Offshore film maker of the 80`s also takes it as a compliment when he sees his films on Youtube.

Back to the topic in hand.

Marco has beaten me to it.The Cowes Torquay 71 programme lists the Magnum 27 Sedan boat `Snoopy` as 27ft and the Kennerly `Maltese Magnum Twin as 28ft.
The book `The King of Thunderboat Row` indicates on page 62,that the 1967 Magnum was actually 27ft 8ins.
If you cut that freeboard down for the 1968 boat and get rid of that large cambered deck,then no doubt you could loose another 4in.Hence a Magnum 28 is 27ft 8in and a Magnum 27 is 27ft 4in.

why stop here...lets put all of don's boats on here !

Such a great thread. I wonder if Knocky House and Michael Aronow had any idea, when they towed Don's boats all over Europe in the 60's, that there would be this much interest in those very same boats more than 40 years later.

I guess this is a perfect example of a "timeless design"

Thank you to everyone for their contributions.

Love the "Anaconda"

PJ is a veritable fountain of misinformation. The 28' Magnum was built in 1966 at Magnum Marine by Harry Schoell, who also designed it. He is sitting about 6 feet from me as I write this. He built the plug, and the Magnum guys made the mold and the raceboats. It was 28' x 8' including the rubrail. Aronow sold the mold to Kiekhaefer, who gave it to Mabrey Edwards, Memco, who sold it Randy Rabe. The 27' Magnum was a vertically cut down model to the 28' plug, which was shortened because of the slant of the bow when it was cut down. The 35' Magnum was designed by Wynne and Walters, and built entirely at Donzi. It was included in the sale to Teleflex. They later gave it to Don in return for him f**king them on the non-compte clause. The Magnum company was named after an old Humphrey Bogart movie, where Bogie was holed up in a roadside cafe/gas station. The brand of gas? Magnum. I called Don at home and suggested it, and he went for it, despite stories to the contrary.

You should see how great Anaconda looks today fully restored, owned by ironhead here on OSO. Sparky at Vicious Marine did the glass & Paint work. This how she looked when she came out his fiberglass shop. Anaconda is now up & running back home on Lake St Clair. :drink:

wow, now that's cool!

Without getting into a he said - she said - bottom line here is:
Don drove 27s in 67-68.

That's the story I have used. Right from the horse's mouth.
Thanks Brownie
The history of the Magnum name is very cool.

Mange

The low slung Magnums with wooden deck patches (not hatches) and ALL 27's. The full height ones are ALL 28's.

Brownie, I sure could use your help identifying this one. It's my new project, and was supposedly a first season racer for cigerette. Production class?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=190383593783

Thus Spoke Don Aronow
 

Flying Fish,
I think that 4 inchs are little as cutting. I think it was of 1'. Even Balestrieri in 1971 when he made a similar work,cutting the freeboard of one of its 32' Cary obtained a reduction of 1'.

To argue Brownie about the actual length of these Maltese Magnum of 1967 arrives the same Don Aronow in an essay in 1976.
That's what he wrote when he talks about the boats of 1967 ;
"...to demonstrate this point, we built two Maltese Magnum hulls of 28' with a maximum beam of 8 feet, because I could take them, in Europe."

Below, just a joke making a comparison between a 28 'cut and a 27'. You get the same boat.

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/1...comparison.jpg

why Maltese?
 

Brownie,when you get to tell and you are not laconic it's a pleasure read you. You should do this more often.:ernaehrung004:

Maltese then referred to the title of the Bogart movie, "The Maltese Falcon" in 1941 ....

http://img709.imageshack.us/img709/5046/falconm.jpg

Brownie,

Is there anywhere a record of when actual production of 27 Magnums started for sale to the public?

I own a 1968 27 Magnum that came to me from the second owner, he clearly recalls a story that the boat was built for the first owner specifically for him by Don A. Or was the company so small back then that every buyer dealt with Don?

Thanks,
Mario L.

Maltese Magnum 28ft
 

Before you rashered out post 63 Brownie,I asked a guy who is restoring the original green single engine job which Aronow raced in Europe and which Kennerley bought,to run a rule over it.
The findings were with a pukka surveyor`s tape 27ft 10in for the hull,which you could probably add another half inch with the deck on,and then of course an allowance for the rub rail.
I expect Mr.Schoell will be so pleased that his boat has been measured again after over 40yrs!!!!

Cool Beans! I love it when I get something right.

Ma Ma 27' not 28'
 

I imagine the smirk of PJRIZ! :grinser010:
Those 28' were the 27' despite claimed Aronow.
Is all so absurd.
The 27' should be the 26' because after cutting the gunwhale sure they have lost something ...

No read above!!!!!
I was confused with yours measurements.....:o:o:o:o

Tornado, read it again. 27'10" hull + deck + rubrail = 28'. I was wrong once. I underestimated myself in 1947........

To Mario, Jake Trotter was Prez of Magnum, and Jim Breuil was sales manager starting in late '66. I worked the 1968 Miami Boat Show for Magnum and Aronow while I was tooling up Nova Marine, and all we had to show was the Magnum Missile and the Magnum Marauder, both O/B's. The 27' came about the same time. I do remember a couple of big-breasted girls, though.........

The list Bud [Mr Vinyl] received from Magnum says sport hull #1 went to a J Negler in 1968. The list shows about 25,, 27' sports made in 1968, & 5,, Sedans.

That sounds about right. J Nagler is Johnny Nagler, an old friend who was the grandfather of Wylie Nagler who owns Yellowfin.