Blondie ad
 

Real Blondie ??
Not mine. Just passing the ad along !!

Current ad 11/21/10
Sorry if it has been posted in the past.

http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/boa/2072832217.html

ORIGINAL CIGARETTE BOAT W/CUSTOM TRAILER!!!!!!!!!! - $3500 (Las Vegas, NV)

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Date: 2010-11-21, 1:14PM PST
Reply to: [email protected] [Errors when replying to ads?]

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Selling my original 36 ft. cigarette boat, its an off shore fiberglass hull (no engine). Its sitting on a triple axel custom made electrical trailor. I have no time to restore this boat but it would make a great project for anyone looking to get out on the water. Any questions please call me at names George, if no answer please leave me a message and I will return your call A.S.A.P. 702-353-9676


•Location: Las Vegas, NV
•it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

Difficult to say whether it's true Blonde IV.
Surely those are not his original colors. Indeed, it is clear how the writing has been reproduced Blonde ... bad.
Then the deck has been modified.

BTW You were the owner of another Blonde of Hanks?
What was the II ?

http://img525.imageshack.us/img525/474/blondeiv.jpg

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Glad you chimed in B.T.!
I thought someone would have a pic..
No i haven't been able to own a Cig. yet.
Might still be a good find for someone to save.:hitit:

I hope you or somebody else saved that 36' for sale.
It should not be a problem to find out if it really was one 36' of Hanks.

I just talked to the guy, he has been selling a lot of stuff and is 70 yrs old. He wants to sell it, sounds like the trailer is worth more than he is asking. It was built in 1970 and the top deck is removable with a few fasteners, steering is on the right side. Length is 35'10". It sounds like he knows about boats and has done a few projects. If I didn't have a project already I would be on my way.

Are you referring to the 36' Blonde we are talking about here?
If so, 1970 is the Blonde II not the III or IV.
It should be clear going to find the ID in the boat.

Pic copied from ad-
http://inlinethumb28.webshots.com/18...500x500Q85.jpg

NO, not real...the real one is here in the erea in FL..i seen it at Inovation and its converted to a centerconsel with cabin and T top !!!!
still has the I/O and i believe #3's !!!!!!!!

Just got off the phone with the owner, Looks like I am going to be the proud owner of a 36 ft cig.

I didn't think fiberglas had a very good scrap value? :p

All kidding aside, very cool boat. When do you get her home? :drink:

Cool. Congrats. Keep us informed on the restore and post some pics when you get her.

Thanks

I am going to try for next week. He told me when he got it that there were staggard big blocks with v-drives in it. He said they were junk and hauled them off to the dump??????? One persons trash is another persons treasure.

Glad it will be saved !
Yup.We are going to need some before pics.and here the history of it also.
Congrats.

A right tease
 

Blonde II - raced 1971/72,repainted red?

Blonde III - raced 1974,then became the white `Thunder`,then `John Player Special` and lost.

Blonde IV - raced 1972/73.

So none of them fit the spec,assuming the spec is correct (1970 built).

Looks more like a gob job on Blonde IV,with duff info to hand.

Come on solve it,otherwise `Black Tornado` won`t sleep at night.

The other thing I`ve noticed from the pics is,only Blonde IV seems to have the steering on the right hand side.Get that magnifying glass out Marco!

With that cabin type deck, it looks like it might be the old 36 footer of Wishnicks that Howard Arneson bought and converted to a pleasure boat.

So the year may be correct after all, just the name of the boat is wrong.

Fish I think the crew member furthest from the camera is merely holding on to a bar mounted laterally on the dash. I think the guy nearest is holding onto the wheel.

Does anybody know how many cigarettes were made in 1970?
Is there any way to track the ownership by the serial#? I hope there is some good history behind this boat. In any case it will be fun to own and restore.
From what I understand the first year of the cigarette factory was 1970? I thought the cigarette boats were made earlier than that?

Tbird-lets go for a run at Lake Mac next summer when you 'git her done'.

That might be a little optimistic, I have overloaded myself with projects, I would like to get the Thunderbird done first. If all else fails I have a 5 passenger 17 ft tunnel that runs 100+mph,its a fun ride!
Do you live in Nebraska?

No-I am in Denver, went to Lake Mac for the first time last summer with my Sea Ray cruiser. Just bought a 25' Checkmate.

Hanks, Blonde ,36 Cigarette was bought by Elswick renamed John Player Special ,Rerigged and Painted Black. now resides on the bottom of the sea.

The 36 that had the Vee drives in it may have been Arnesons boat.

Yes, - It sank off of Mar Del Plata Argentina in 1978 - at the World Championships there -

What would the V-drive set up be on this boat? I assume it would have casale V drives with some sort of transmission.

There is something that scares me about my boat. No flotation at all. Not even air pockets unless you count the bow and it wouldn't take long for it to empty out.:eek:

A quick way of getting reverse rotation for the early surface drive.

LOL Air out the screw holes and leaks through the bonding as it assumes the bow up position. My stuff is heavily cored and is going no place, the engines may not be happy but the boat will not sink.

Back in the day - I was told the transome broke - and it went down in a hurry - maybe Foam in the bow - of your boat - at least that might keep it afloat long enough to get a tow to shore !

No place for foam in the bow. I guess I can just hope the ballast tank is empty and not full.
http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/9758/70189338.jpg
Sorry about the picture. It's 2 put together from a dirty time.

I am leaving tomorrow morning to get this boat, this will be quite a trip 1100 miles one way.
I was talking to the owner today and he said they were planing to put jet drives in it.
Anybody have some thought on the jet drives verses the v-drives or I/O's?

There is a reason you don't see jet drives on offshore boats-they dont work! Stick with either I/O or inboards!!!!
Good luck picking up the boat-I recently did a road trip from NJ to Oklahoma City to pick up the old "Duces R Wild" race boat. 3100 miles in 73 hours.

Tbird-crappy road conditions through the Rockies good luck with the trip.

Blondie
 

I don't think any 36' Cigarettes had v-drives in them. It was the time of the I/O. Brownie would be the one to ask.
Just a thought, Cadillac

Does anyone know what year Don Aronow raced a 35' MAGNUM w/ V-drives ??? Boat had a 12'3" beam. Thanks, "HIGH LIFE"

The first boat named "Maltese Magnum" it was in some races of 1966.
The boat was registered as a Donzi, the yard that Aronow had recently sold and that this hull stemmed from his famous 28' Donzi.
Brownie could tell us more about.


http://img713.imageshack.us/img713/2...altesexx01.jpg

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Just got back from my trip, I past on the boat. All the stringers and bulkheads from the steering wheel back need to be replaced and maybe the transom. The stringers and bulkheads were cut and not resealed. It looks like it originaly had out drives and someone put v-drives in it. I took some pictures if anybody wants them. Engine hatches look home made, the hull looks ok and the trailer looks good. Still had the cigarette sticker on the side. He had offered it to me for 2500.00, probably would take less. Its could be a good price for someone else, I am going to stay with aluminum!

Pictures courtesy of "1965 thunderbird"

No trace of the ID number?
We would like to view the deck.
No registration code -TX 4543 YB- forward the bow?

The paint (excluding the name Blonde that is not original) and the gel coat suggests that it is the Blonde III and not II. Then the build date of 1970 is incorrect.
The sticker Cigarette is not original.

Top banana might have it right, from looking at the pictures on this thread and seeing the boat itself I don't thing that it is blonde of any #. The paint looks like it might be auto paint and is faded and the bottom is peeling. It had small air scoops on each side of the engine compartment. No evidence of side exhaust. The cabin section was upholstered at one time. The raised portion of the deck is pop riveted on and looks like it came from something else. The boat should be saved but it would be a lot of work.