What would Don Aronow do today?
 

Michael Aronow and I spent some time over this past weekend attending the Second Annual Don Aronow Memorial Around Long Island Race.

We were waiting for the boats to come around to the finish line and we started a very interesting discussion.

What would Don do today if he were alive??

We were not talking about the Don that would be 80 something years old, but the Don who broke on the scene in 1962 as a Thirty something. Loving this new sport that he found and jumping right in it.

He had Howard Abbey build him a wooden 30 footer that he named Claudia after his daughter. He finished 4th in the 1962 Miami Nassau race.

The next year, 1963 he was back with a 27 foot Formula named Claudia II, built by his own Formula Marine Co. He finished 3rd in the Miami Nassau that year.

So, on to the first race boat he built and named The Cigarette a 23 footer. Then the Donzi 28's with a win with 007 of the Miami Nassau race and then even with the success of that, he cut it down and made a lighter, better version with 008.

Magnum, Cary, Cigarette, Squadron XII, Aronow SES, Unlimited project, etc etc.

What do you think he would be doing now, as a racer and a designer and builder??

1 Cigarette 1
 

Kudos to Outerlimits for a great win, but Im sorry to say they would have been chasing a Cigarette if Don was still around......Just my .02 :eek:

If he continued building/designing boats I think the boat he built today would have less bling, less multiple logos, less stuff but it wouldn't be spartan.
Wonder if/when he would buy into a step hull ?

He'd focused on bigger boats/yachts that are fast and Cats.... Surface drives, Diesels and giving Fabio Buzzi fits on Fabios hometurf even ;)

He'd definitely been into step bottomed boats,, hell they were around in WW2 on Torpedo and PT boats already so nothing new to him there.
FYI Less than 2 miles from me we have a step bottomed Torpedo boat on display...

What would a 30 year-old Don do in 2011? An interesting thing to ponder.

He would immediately capture and lead the industry in the same manner as before. With his fierce business sense, I'm sure he would have started and sold off several companies in his usual fashion.

I don't doubt that he would have quickly grown bored with the current direction that offshore racing has taken, and start his own racing organization that would be more inline with the principles of the old days.

I agree that Don's boats wouldn't be gaudy and out of hand in their styling like most every boat being built today tends to be.

He would also see that current marine technology is going in circles, and would start an R&D firm to resume its innovation.

To be sure, things would be a lot different.

Charlie!.. Don't now what Don would do. I met him a few times back in the early to mid 80's. Just in passing and racing on the Michigan a few times. Can't say that I actually knew him. We were running a 26'+- Donzi with the curved keel, 500bulldog and OMC Cobra. OMC gave us gas money.
But I can tell you or anyone else, (I guess I don't have to tell YOU. :) )... Don, nor any of the true ole' time racers ever raced for some BS "goodie bag" or "T" shirts.
I doubt Don's boats would have flat screen TV's that never gets turn on anyway.
BTW, we have to seriously talk about that hull, I wrote you about.
P

See I disagree.. I think he would return to old school... it is great to see the 43 OL win.. but what about a 24' with a 300 ob... lets see if that guy can make it around the island..... the boats today are fantastic... I think we need an old school boat run... and charlie.. I am trying to work some numbers.. I will have an answer for you soon... I was looking at the NBBA website.. .I cannot imagine the older boats making the run in the time they did.

My guess is find a field where he can be financially successful adjusted for these days and times and then...

Do whatever he wanted like it seemed he did back then...

By now he would have started, sold and resold 196 boat companies!

Well in these times he'd never look into horses that's for sure either....

Great responses, thanks. What do you think would be the closest example of what Don would be doing today.......????

Cigarette, Fountain, MTI, Magnum, or any other boat co out there......or...as we noted the winner of the open ocean race yesterday was a 43 foot Outerlimits....is this closest to what you could see him doing??

Dear Mr. know it all,
Yes, we all know step hulls have exisited for a long time. I glad to hear there is a step bottom torpedo boat in Finland. What do any of your replies have to do with the original question ?

That boat is gorgeous. Like Don was in his day, Outerlimits is ahead of their time today.........

Okay, we have established Outerlimits as being the company that comes closest to what Don would be doing today. Plus they don't hesitate to test their products in real ocean conditions.

And Mike Fiore is himself a real racer, who knows how to test his products and make the changes, like Don did.

Now who would be considered a close second.......who else is making their boats to be the leaders in the current market, either in design or the ability to really run in the open ocean??

i personally do not think the new cigarettes are any better than a lot of the other stuff out there today, but i do think they command the money because of the name. the rigging, performance, construction, etc., is not that much, if any better than most of their competition. its like a rolex, not the best time keeping piece, but the name is world renowned so people buy it.

I think mystic makes the best hull in the world. Do they count?

You know cosker is from meriden??? He had just gotten out of marine design school, was looking for a job as a youngster and Chris from OP told him to get lost haha

thats the 1st thought I had on the Q. Brownie great job on the SM gen 2s and 3s , they last forever!!

old school JO PANTERA RACING they been around a very long time and still building awesome boats

wow didn't know that. where did he go to marine school?

Statement boats probably has the newest concept in boating.
I would like to see a cat and a "V" combo. I masked with the design a bit, just can't get anything that would actually work.
So... where is Don when you need him? lol

skater for cats and ol for deep vees, I think mystic needs to work on there bottoms, theres been what 4 hulls with bottoms breaking apart in offshore racing out of what 6 to 8 boats built. there great in flat water for speed records but thats it. Skaters are just bad azz and have all kinds of records, Don would fit in the Skater mold more than a mystic. but thats just my opinion:evilb:

Magnum Marine by far. Katrin Theodoli has done a remarkable job in maintaining the company's direction over the years.

Their designs have always been the pinnacle of excellence. They do their own thing, and the result is a truly unique end product of uncompromising quality.

I maintain that of all the companies Don started, Magnum is really the only one that has held it together the best.

I agree completely. Cigarette has become the Harley-Davidson of offshore powerboats. The brand has a lot of potential, but they are, by and large, following the crowd when it comes to design.

he cut a vee in half and made a cat....... thats about as close as your going to come to a combo meal.... :party-smiley-004:

not unless they can prove it.

Look at my post earlier. If you still have problems understanding I can't help you.

If you can call him a second to anyone... Fabio Buzzi.

Brownie good you replied, with a twist ;)
But the Question is if Don were taken from the 60's to today, how would've he done it nowadays?

And what would've you done today to beat him in the market and racing , lets not get into women ??

I guess capturing the 2010 and 2011 LOTO shootout title is insignificant?

Is there a total list of the various boat companies Aronow started and sold ?

What was the very first company he started and when did he start it and when did he sell it and who bought it ?

Similar to a hydrostream v king hull, but in a larger offshore style hull.
That may be the closest combo hull

I think Don would love the speed aspect of today's offshore racing but tire of it quickly. I would like to think that Don would have gone after some speed records but also not find the challenges of endurance that he really went after.
He would really love the no BS, sit down V bottoms like the Outerlimits SV, Donzi Comp., and even the Gladiator.
I think he would also be pushing diesel technology and build a true endurance racer and try to crush every long distance record out there.

Michael Aronow gave a great interview at the race, where he listed the boat companies that Don started and he also mentioned that there were a lot of companies that Don was also a silent partner in, Cary for instance.

Plus he helped a certain number of people get started with their boat building careers....me for example...my whole story is here under heritage....www.bananaboatco.com

I think Don would have showcased and raced his newest design and then today would have began marketing his product to fund the next adventure. Joker power boats would be the company I picked becouse racing is the test ground and seems like they are doing well at it. Jo

Nice charles
What made you want to deviate from the 7` beam?
Your own idea, or a aronow suggestion?

LOL.....I took what the man said to take. The beam was already built into the molds, I had no say.....but it has been proven to be the right choice.

Very impressive story on your website. Don was an icon and IMO still has an impact on the sport today. Very cool reading!

he would be bangin somebodys wife, daughter, mother,sister, or secretary......:evilb::evilb: and that was just what he would have done last weekend

Dont we all? I do as I'm single and enjoying it. ;)